I love all things tangy, briny, or “vinegary”. My favorite flavor of potato chip is hands down, Salt and Vinegar (YUM!). So of course, I love to make my own “pickles”- however, these probably can’t really be considered real pickles. They’re more like quick pickles. Let’s call them “Quickles”. Hehehe…quickles….. Anyway, anytime I go to the Dallas Farmer’s Market, I always linger over the short little pickle-sized cucumbers and think, “I could SO make my own pickles”. But I never do and still never have, really. Someday, though, I promise, I’m going to dive head-first into this whole pickling thing- pickles, beets, okra, you name it! Until then, these “quickles” will have to do.
Basically, I slice cucumbers (any size will do, but these little ones work perfectly!), throw them in with some vinegar, water, salt, sugar, pepper and dill; let them sit in the fridge for awhile and voila! Quickles! You can add in anything you want, really- garlic, cayenne pepper…the possibilities are endless! I like mine extra “puckery” so I use plenty of vinegar, but you can use less if you like a more mild pickle. These measurements are just approximations, as I just throw everything in without measuring, so think of them more as “guidelines”.
Quick and Easy “Pickles” (or Quickles!)
10-12 small pickle-sized cucumbers, cut into thick slices
1/2 – 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons dill (fresh or dried)
1 – 2 teaspoons salt (depending on how salty you like them)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Check for seasoning. Make sure all the cucumbers are covered by the liquid. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Serve cold.
*I should mention that these small cucumbers are delicious by themselves with just a little salt and pepper – a great side dish!
And now onto more important matters- the winner of the Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Cookbook! And the winner is…………
Congrats, Jen! And thank you to everyone for your sweet comments! I’m so lucky to have such wonderful readers!!!
*On a separate note: if any of you are having issues with my blog not loading…please be patient- hubby is working on it. Once again, (it seems like this stuff never ends!) thanks to Go Daddy.com, we’re having server issues. Sometimes it kinda sucks hosting your own site……
Oh cool!! Fresh pickles!! I will have to keep this recipe in mind. Lovely photo.
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Comment by Memoria — April 9, 2010 @ 1:12 PM
Looks refreshing and delicious. I love cucumber pickles, great with spicy food. I always add pineapple and chilies to the cucumber pickle.
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Comment by MaryMoh — April 9, 2010 @ 1:50 PM
Oh how fun! And so easy. Thanks for sharing, I’m going to have to try these this summer. I totally laughed out loud at “quickles.” Love it!
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Comment by themilkmanswife — April 9, 2010 @ 7:21 PM
Oh, my favorite chips are salt and vinegar as well! They are so tangy and salty and just plain delicious! Unfortunately, they make my husband gag when he smells them. I don’t really let that stop me from eating them, though. Haha!
I’ll have to try the quickles! They sound amazing!
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Comment by Karly — April 10, 2010 @ 4:25 PM
I have never done my own pickles, but these look so easy! I will definitely be trying these!
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Comment by shelly (cookies and cups) — April 11, 2010 @ 11:50 AM
These are quite good!
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Comment by Joel — April 12, 2010 @ 10:35 PM
I am definitely going to try these!! I’ve never made pickles before, but similarly, I’d go to the Farmers Market in Weatherford, look at those little cukes and think about making my own pickles, lol!! I love the name “Quickles” 😉
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Comment by Amy Brown — April 13, 2010 @ 10:58 AM