Sixteen Weeks Down That Road Again-Pickle Recipe & Mother's Day Gift!!

Much better luck this week...Lost three pounds...I can live with this...Had to buy a new outfit today as my old clothes are falling off of me...Went down 2 sizes...Nice feeling, but still have a long way to go...I ask for God's help everyday and he is so good to me...Always there!

This Is The Best & Easiest Pickle Reicpe I Have Ever Made:

From my good friend Terri in Mississippi!
Good morning sunshine! Well, here is my recipe for my pickles. Let me tell u a few things before I give the recipe. I usually get the gallon jar of hamburger slices at Sam’s. I think they are around $3.74. Really cheap. I usually try to get around 4 jars as I want to make a few and might as well do it all at once. The secret to the pickles is to drain them well. When I first made them I learned a few things the hard way. One was draining them. If you don’t the juice will be thin and watery, they r still good, but not like I like. I pour a jar of pickles into a colander and every once in awhile, I shake it to release more juice. Then when I put them into the sterilized jars, until the syrup is done, I constantly turn the jars over and drain them to release the juice. I strive for the least amount of pickle juice. You will see what I mean when u make them. My recipe doesn’t call for peppercorns, but I put a lot in it(I get those at sam’s too), also the garlic, I put a lot of the chopped, as I love a lot of garlic in mine. I don’t use what it recommends. If I have a cinnamon stick, (and no u can’t use craft cinnamon lol lol). I use it, but mostly I use ground cinnamon. I just sprinkle some in the syrup before it cooks. You know what I put in some of mine too, I add slices of jalpenos. And I also have added sliced onions. I tried canned beets and was disappointed as they didn’t taste like I wanted. I think I didn’t drain them enough. You know I think dill pickles are very sour, where the kosher dills are milder. I might have to try the dill once to see how they do, sounds yummy. Also, something important, I have tried the whole pickles and sliced them, but they don’t turn out as good as the hamburger slices. You can try them if u want, but I don’t think you would be happy with the results. Ok, here is the recipe.

Terri’s to die for pickles

1 qt. Kosher dill hamburger slice pickles drained well
2 cloves garlic (I use the jar chopped garlic, and I use a couple tablespoons)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup white vinegar
12 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon (I use ground cinnamon, sprinkled till I get what I want, not much

Combine all but pickles, mixing well and bring to a boil. (I cook till it is like a thicker syrup, watch it run off the spoon). Cool (I don’t let it cool, I spoon right into the jars, running a knife around inside to get the air out of the jar) I have my jars ready with pickles in the jar already, draining them constantly. Process as you would with a water bath. Let jars sit for 5 days before eating, if u can wait that long, lol, I can’t wait. Enjoy!
Let me know when you make them and how they turned out. Hope you have a good day today. Take care.

A Mini Tutorial Just In Time For May Day And Mother's Day:

With May Day and Mother's Day both around the corner, these are a handy and inexpensive little gift.

Start with a 4 pack of bedding plants and try to get a good one, with lots of blooms on it.

Remove from the pots and soak the roots in water. (you can add root starter if you'd like)

Wrap the wet root ball in a paper napkin.

Wrap the wet napkin-ed roots in a piece of Saran Wrap, making sure you have it covered well, so it won't leak.

Select paper to tie up the plant in. Used pages torn from an old book!
You could use scrapbook paper, lace paper doilies, gift wrap, just about anything you'd like.

Chose a wide, ivory ribbon to tie around the plants. Raffia, rickrack, lots of things would work.

Five days later they were still in good shape to plant.
These bundles look so pretty and it is a nice presentation that takes little time or money. Its like a bouquet with a bonus, because they can be planted later and enjoyed for a long time!