Gluten Free-zer Friday – Cucumber Freezer Sweet Pickles

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal?

 

Visit MJ’s site for Freezer Food Friday.  She always has something tasty over there!

If you have a freezer recipe to share that is gluten free, link back here and join in on Gluten Free-zer Friday.  I’ld love to have ya join in!

Participating in Gluten Free-zer Friday: 

1. If you would like to participate in Gluten Free-zer Friday, simply email your post link to your gluten free freezer recipe (angelas_kitchenATcomcastDOTnet) or leave a comment below and I will add you to the roundup.

2. Link back to this post on the post with the recipe you have linked. 

 

 

I am not super fond of making sweet pickles.  For one thing, I pretty much only like dill pickles and tangy style pickled veggies.  Sweet ones?  Blah!  Not my favorite, though I do make a nice sweet relish I like (I am a woman of many moods).  The big thing about the traditional way of making sweet pickles is all the soaking of the cucumbers below the sweetened brine so MOLD (ew) doesn’t grow, picking out SLIMY cucumbers, and letting it sit around for DAYS.   It’s just too much for something I don’t even like!  However I do have family members who like the sweet pickle (weirdos) so this is for them.  It’s much easier to make, the cucumbers stay crispy, and they aren’t too bad, even for my anti sweet-pickle self.  I am going to try a couple of batches this summer with half agave or something for the sweetener and see how they freeze and thaw.  Even if you aren’t a sweet pickle fan, these are nice chopped up and sprinkled on your summer hot dogs, or mixed in your tuna or potato salad, which is how I usually use them.  I also like to add them to the pickle tray for the holidays.

 

Cucumber Freezer Sweet Pickles

(makes about 3 pints)

 

7 cups cucumbers, thinly sliced with the peel (about 1/8- 1/4 ” thick)

1 large sweet onion, cut in half then slice into 1/4″ slices

1/2 cup green pepper, sliced as thick as the cucumbers

1/2 cup red sweet pepper, sliced as thick as the cucumbers

2 cups sugar (I usually use dehydrated cane juice crystals – be aware this makes the brine not as crystal clear as regular sugar)

1 cup white wine or cider vinegar (brine will be a different color depending on vinegar used and flavor will be slightly different – I use either depending on what I have on hand.) 

2 Tablespoon pickling salt

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

In a small sauce pan, heat sugar, vinegar, salt, celery seed and pepper just until sugar dissolves.  Cool to room temp (you can cool this quickly in the refrigerator, freezer, or in a water bath).  

 

When brine is cooled, mix all veggies and brine in a not reactive container.  I usually use my 8 cup glass container that has a lid.  Cover and refrigerate for 3 days.  Stir the veggies every day.

 

Pack into freezer containers (1/2 pint canning jars, freezer jam containers, or heavy duty small freezer bags all work well).  Pack in small portions dividing the brine evenly between containers, just the amount you would use at a time.  For our family that is about 1/2 pint size.  Label the bag with contents and the date you are freezing it.  Freeze.  

 

To use:  Thaw before serving.

 

Variation:  Freezer Bread and Butter Pickles:  Do not add the green and red pepper.  Increase celery seed to 1 Tablespoon and add 1 Tablespoon mustard seed.

Menu Plan Monday – May 25, 2009

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal?

 

Happy Memorial Day, everybody!  We are going to a barbeque latter today with the families from my mom’s Bible study.  I am so excited!  If you have kids, you may like these Memorial Day printables.

 

For TONS of menu inspiration, see the queen of menu planning, Laura, at Menu Plan Monday.  This week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap is being hosted by me!  I have picked avocados as the theme ingredient.  Besides quacamole, we like avocados on sandwiches (especially BLT’s in the summer), simply scooping out with a spoon, in smoothies (really) and it was one of the first foods all my kids ate as babies.  Checking around the web you can find information on how to grow an avocado tree, how to cut an avocado, and even recipes for avocado ice cream.  To use in a smoothie we blend 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, 1 cup orange juice (or or orange-mango juice), 1 ripe avocado (peeled and pitted), 1/2 cup almond or coconut milk, 1 tablespoon honey or agave, 2 teaspoons lime juice and 1/2 cup ice cubes.

 

 

Come of back through out the day and see who is contributing to the Gluten Free Menu Swap.  I can’t wait!   Be sure to check each week with Gluten Free Goodness for the temporary swap headquarters for Gluten Free Mommy.    

 

Ester of The Lilac Kitchen is leaving her menu simple yet tasty as her kids are home this week from school.  She has been baking up some delicious sounding muffins (check out how yummy they look), savory and sweet, is wondering what makes a makes a muffin a muffin and when does it become a cupcake?

 

Cheryl of Gluten Free Goodness loves avocados and even has one for the logo of her nutrition practice!  She has linked a Southwester Quinoa and Bean Salad and a Chocolate Banana Pudding both using avocados.  I am really intrigued by the pudding and am going to have to try that one!  Don’t forget Cheryl is hosting a yum-e-baby-shower for Sea, so please join in with recipes and good wishes for Sea and her little one.

 

Sea of the Book of Yum has an delicious menu of Avocado-cream cheese sushi rolls, vegan eggplant lentil soup and a Caribbean Pineapple Black Bean Bake that I just have to try.  She found a vegan fudge using avocado in the recipe that sounds interesting, but usually she uses avocado on sandwiches, pizza, tofu breakfast scramble and sushi and onigiri.  Onigiri is a favorite here as my kids fell in love with them when they were little, so I am going to have to try an avocado version.  Thanks, Sea!

 

You guys are such great inspiration to me every week!  Thank you so much for sharing your menus and your passion! 

Sunday:  My hubby ran the Stillwater Marathon.  Great job, honey!

 

 

 

Monday:  Memorial Day/Barbeque with friends

    Bring hot dogs, veggie and chicken kabobs for grilling, and bring Napa Cabbage Slaw and a dessert to share.  I am leaning toward gluten and dairy free whoopie pies and vanilla cupcake with red, white and blue sprinkles… 

 

Tuesday:  orthodontist/piano practice (last one until fall)/baseball game/first soccer game of the season

    Leftover night, salad and veggie sticks

 

Wednesday:  mommy volunteer in school library/track meet

    Stir fry and rice

 

Thursday:  middle school transition meeting/mom help in kindergarten/track practice/Girl Scout Bridging and Bronze Ceremony/baseball game (hmm… something will have to loosen up here…)

    Slow Cooker Turkey Meatloaf, salad

 

Friday:  So far NOTHING!  I can’t believe it!  Woo!  

    Dinner nachos with cashew “cheese”, quac, shredded zucchini, tomatoes, and black olives and salad

 

Also this week:  Make cupcakes for up coming piano recital, kindergarten Sunday School party, and Girl Scout Bridging and freeze, start walk training back up after taking off the past 3+ weeks due to yuckiness, make mini pizzas for upcoming pizza parties and freeze, harvest more rhubarb, etc…

 

Countdown to the 3-day Walk: 13 Weeks

Your Training Schedule for This Week:

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	3 miles	Easy walking
Wednesday	30 minutes	Moderate cross-training
Thursday	5 miles	Moderate walking
Friday	45 minutes	Easy cross-training
Saturday	11 miles	Easy walking
Sunday	5 miles	Easy walking

 

I am hoping my week goes smoother than last week…  This past week blew up on me a bit as the kidney infection decided that I am such awesome company that it wanted to hang out with me for awhile.  I know, I know, I’m a slacker who doesn’t like going to doctors and it’s no wonder that it has lasted so long.  I like to think I’m a really healthy person who totally thinks that things get better by themselves if you just wait and drink lots of water.  I know this is a particularly dumb theory for someone who obviously had something really wrong with them a couple of weeks ago.  The irony isn’t lost on me…  

 

On the plus side, I am feeling so much better now.  Better enough that my urge to experiment with food is back which has floundered of late.  Who knew feeling yucky sucks the creativity right out of you?  Luckily, menu planning and having food in the freezer has kept our family fed while mommy was a sicky.   If you haven’t tried menu planning before, I suggest you try it.  It really has saved me time, money, and has been so helpful during busy times.  I love not having to figure out what we are having for dinner, just check the list.

Gluten Free-zer Friday – Chicken Kabobs

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal?

 

Head over to MJ’s for Freezer Food Friday.  

If you have a freezer recipe to share that is gluten free, link back here and join in on Gluten Free-zer Friday.  I’ld love to have ya join in!

Participating in Gluten Free-zer Friday: 

1. If you would like to participate in Gluten Free-zer Friday, simply email your post link to your gluten free freezer recipe (angelas_kitchenATcomcastDOTnet) or leave a comment below and I will add you to the roundup.

2. Link back to this post on the post with the recipe you have linked. 

 

 

 

For all the grilling time coming up, here are some Chicken Kabobs.  Yummy!  I like to cook the chicken, onions, and peppers on the same skewers for my kabobs, but thread the more delicate veggies (summer squashes, mushrooms, etc.) on a separate skewer as they cook quicker.  That way you can better control the cooking time the different ingredients need to have.  

 

Chicken Kabob Marinade

 

6 or 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1″ chunks

6 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup finely minced onion

1/2 cup finely minced cilantro

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

 

Combine all ingredients in a large zip-seal freezer bag.  Mix ingredients until chicken is completely coated.  Remove as much air as possible and seal.  Label bag, flatten and freeze.

 

To serve:  Thaw chicken in refrigerator.  If using bamboo skewers, soak skewers in water for 30 minutes.  Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade.  Thread chicken on skewers, leaving a bit of space between.  You can use onion or pepper slices between the chicken if desired.  Grill or broil kababs (flipping half way through cooking time) until chicken is golden and juices run clear.

Menu Plan Monday: May 18, 2009

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal?

 

I think the upcoming week is completely crazy…  Why, oh why, do the things for summer start before the things end at the end of the school year?  It’s nuts!  On top of that, I am not sure why I thought scheduling dental cleanings this week was a good idea…  hmmmm, maybe I am the nutty one.  I will be relying heavily on my menu plan this week and try to have most meals made before the kids get home so we can we dinner as a picnic at the various activities.  That worked pretty well last week.

 

Head over to Laura’s for Menu Plan Monday.  Sea of Book of Yum is the host for this week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap.  She has picked zucchini for the week.  I don’t have it in my garden yet, but we have planted the seeds.  Yum!  

 

Be sure to join me on Friday for Gluten Free-zer Friday and next Monday when I am hosting the Gluten Free Menu Swap.  I have chosen avocados for the theme ingredient. 

 

 

The crossed off things on the week are things scheduled, but due to not being able to clone my kids or myself, and being unable to warp the space-time continuum, we will not be doing…  Ha!

Monday:  Son:  Boy Scouts/Baseball Game/Band concert   –   oldest daughter:  orchestra day/track practice  -  youngest daughter:  dance practice  -  Mom: prep for class

    Hamburgers, french fries, spinach salad

 

Tuesday:  son:  piano lessons –  oldest daughter: piano lessons (grandma is bringing them)/soccer practice  -  youngest daughter:  dental cleaning  -   Mommy finishes prep and teaches class

    French Bread Sandwiches (with ham, turkey, tomatoes, spinach and sprouts), fruit

Wednesday:  mommy volunteer in school library  -  oldest daughter:  first track meet/last drama club for year

    Taco Chili, tortilla chips, quac, fruit

 

Thursday:  oldest daughter:  Fifth Grade Folk Festival/soccer practice    –  Mom goes to 9:45 a.m. Folk Festival and video tape it/help with kindergarten to “have lunch” at school/leader at last Daisy meeting of year  -  Youngest daughter:  Have “lunch” at school like a 1st grader/Daisy meeting

    Maple Chile Pork Tenderloin, sauteed zucchini 

 

Friday:  dad and mom to middle school transition meeting at 7:30 a.m.  -    Oldest:  dental cleaning/baseball practice

    Pizza, salad

 

I hope you all have a great week!

Countdown to the 3-day walk: 14 Weeks

Your Training Schedule for This Week:

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	3 miles	Easy walking
Wednesday	30 minutes	Moderate cross-training
Thursday	5 miles	Moderate walking
Friday	30 minutes	Easy cross-training
Saturday	10 miles	Easy walking
Sunday	6 miles	Easy walking

Gluten Free-zer Friday – Fruit Popsicles

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal?

 

Head over to MJ’s for Freezer Food Friday.  If you have a gluten free freezer recipe, you can share it here, also!

If you have a freezer recipe to share that is gluten free, link back here and join in on Gluten Free-zer Friday.  I’ld love to have ya join in!

Participating in Gluten Free-zer Friday: 

1. If you would like to participate in Gluten Free-zer Friday, simply email your post link to your gluten free freezer recipe (angelas_kitchenATcomcastDOTnet) or leave a comment below and I will add you to the roundup.

2. Link back to this post on the post with the recipe you have linked. 

 

With summer coming up, I thought I would share our easy-peasy fruit popsicles.  The fruit we use depends on what is the least expensive, most in season and our moods at any given time during the summer.  Even my super picky girl who turns her nose up at most fruits will eat them in popsicle form.  Heh, heh, heh…

 

Freeze in any shape popsicle mold you have.  Or pour in paper cups, partially freeze the mixture then add popsicle sticks, so the sticks stand upright.

 

Fruit Popsicles

makes about 8  2-ounce popsicles

 

2 cups pureed peeled and pitted fruit**

1 to 4 Tablespoons sweetener of choice

1/2 to 2 Tablespoons lime or lemon juice

 

**Note: You can puree fruit very smooth or coarsely depending on the texture your family likes.  For really thick purees like mango you may want to use 1 1/2 cups fruit and 1/2 cup juice, water, coconut milk or liquid of choice.

 

Mix fruit puree with the amount of sweetener and lime or lemon juice needed to taste.  Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.  I find it takes at least 2 hours to freeze solid enough to un-mold, depending on the size and shape of the popsicle mold.  

 

In mango pops I like to use coconut milk to thin the puree and stir in large flakes of unsweetened coconut before freezing.  Yummy!

Menu Plan Monday – May 11, 2009

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal?

Hi, all…  I hope you all had a great weekend.  My mommy’s day weekend started on Friday when my littlest one came running off of the bus with her card and gift for me:  coupons for chores and hugs.  So sweet!  My son helped put up a fence with my dad for my garden (those deer don’t have a chance this year – thanks, guys!), the girl’s got flowers in their favorite colors (purple, pink and lime green) with daddy’s help and made cards.  Lot’s of snuggling and hugs…  Yeah, a very good weekend!  

I also was feeling good enough to harvest some of our rhubarb which was out of control, about 20 cups total.  I made 4 pints of Sunshine Rhubarb Juice Concentrate (similar to this recipe), and a double recipe (16 half pints) of Spring Conserve (with rhubarb, pineapple, frozen strawberries and pecans) with my bounty, both recipes from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Yum.  I also did my first attempt at altering my grandma’s strawberry rhubarb custard pie to gluten and dairy free for my mom for mother’s day.  And, eh… it was okay.  I discovered that my grandma’s recipe didn’t actually have strawberries in it as you would think from the recipe title, but strawberry flavored jello.  Weird.  Sorry, grandma, gotta change that up!  I need to work on the proportions a bit more to get the pie just the way I remember it, but it was an okay first attempt.  The scary thing is that I will probably be able to pick more rhubarb today or tomorrow…  The stuff grows like crazy.  I will be freezing quite a bit of it, making more of the juice concentrate, Victorian Barbeque Sauce (from the Ball book but close to this one), and some fruit leathers.

This week I need to get more seeds into the garden and finish weeding and prepping the beds for the seedlings (tomatoes, peppers, etc) that will be going into the garden in a couple of weeks.  I love the beginning of the season with the garden so full of possibilities, but not yet out of control!  I think I will be able to start harvesting my salads this next week.  I am very excited!  

Head over to Laura’s for Menu Plan Monday and see what is on everyone else’s plate this week.  The Gluten Free Menu Swap is being hosted this week by The Lilac Kitchen.  She has picked potatoes as the theme ingredient this week.  We love our potatoes around here!  I am very sure my kids all got the “deep fried potato gene” from me, but we also love them oven roasted with olive oil and rosemary, mashed, fried (fried potatoes and onions are the only way I made it though all my pregnancies – there is no accounting for cravings!), and of course in our gluten free bread baking.  I am still working on a gluten free “potato bread” to replicate one my husband really liked back in our gluten filled past.  That would be lovely…

Come back on Friday for Gluten Free-zer Friday with a freezer recipe to share.  Let’s help each other get some gluten free freezer meals into the freezer so we are ready for the lazy days of summer!

Baseball practices will probably be added…

Monday:  Bake gf French bread and banana muffins/orchestra day/dance/track/first baseball game of season

  Black Bean Patties, Apple Slaw and Guac

Tuesday:  piano lessons/first soccer practice

  Molasses Drumsticks, Potato Salad and mixed greens

Wednesday:  Mom volunteer in school library

  Spinach Hamburgers with Cucumber Sauce and stir-fried zucchini

Thursday:  Mom help in kindergarten/Junior Girl Scouts/soccer practice??- will probably skip this due to girl scout meeting overlap

  Chicken Satay Skewers and Sesame Snow Peas

Friday:  Mom Bible Study (last one for summer)

  Fish and Rice Noodle Salad (the fish will depend on what is on sale…) and Green Beans with tomatoes

Also this week:  prep for upcoming class, work on garden, harvest/preserve rhubarb as needed, get back into walking after being a sicky last week, make kimchee, finish GFCF cake packet, work 15 hours typing data entry (at least – 20 would be better, but doubt I can do that much), and work on getting clothes that are too small out of the girl’s closets – maybe…  We will see how much of that gets done, but it’s good to have a goal!  

Countdown to the 3-day Walk: 15 Weeks

Your Training Schedule for This Week:

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	3 miles	Easy walking
Wednesday	15 minutes	Moderate cross-training
Thursday	5 miles	Moderate walking
Friday	30 minutes	Easy cross-training
Saturday	10 miles	Easy walking
Sunday	6 miles	Easy walking

I’m walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-day!  Will you help me reach my goal?

Gluten Free-zer Friday – Freezing Rhubarb & Strawberry Rhubarb Smoothie

I have been knocked for a loop with a kidney infection this week.  Yuck.  I am hoping to slowly get back into the swing of things without having to need a nap every few hours…  Yeah, I’ve been pretty pitiful…  It’s been so bad I am afraid of being accused of having a man cold!  ”Poor little bunny…”

 

I said a couple of weeks ago that my husband hates rhubarb with the burning passion of a thousand suns, however, the rest of us love it!  So, I like to freeze some to prolong the torture harvest.  I then can make jam with other fruits when they are in season (or when I have time and energy), make rhubarb strussel muffins, smoothies, rhubarb leather (I use the recipe with some tweeks in Mary Bell’s Complete Dehydrator Cookbook), my grandma’s strawberry rhubarb custard pie…  Mmmm…   My rhubarb is now up enough to start harvesting this weekend.  As I am still feeling a bit worn out, I am getting help to freeze some for later when I am more perky.  I may have to make a pie, however.  I have gluten free pie crusts made in the freezer that have to be used up, after all!  

 

Head over to MJ’s  for Freezer Food Friday and see what’s in her freezer.   She has chicken stock this week.  A great tip for us all.  It very close to how I make mine, except I usually use my big roaster after I have cooked 3-4 chickens (freezing the chicken meat to use on salads, etc.) then toss in whatever I need to from my crisper in the fridge, basically using the roaster like a giant slow cooker.

Freezing Rhubarb

 

Gently twist the outside rhubarb stalks to harvest them and remove leaves (leaves are toxic – DO NOT SAVE!)  I try to harvest them when they are the thickness of my thumb or thinner.  Stalks that are too thick may be tough or have lost flavor.  Wash rhubarb.  cut off any bad spots and slice your rhubarb into the thickness you prefer.  I slice mine about 1/2 inch thick.  

 

Line a rimmed baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel.  Fill the baking sheet with rhubarb, smoothing the rhubarb out until it is in a single layer.  Place the baking pan into the coldest part of the freezer.  When the rhubarb is frozen, place in bags in amounts you will use.  I like to freeze 2 cup or 4 cup bags as that is what most of my recipes call for.  I also like to use my vacuum sealer to seal the frozen rhubarb to guard against freezer burn, however a heavy duty zip-close freezer bag also works well.  Label bags with contents and date.  

 

This freezing technique is called loose-pack freezing.  You can open the bag, remove what you need and reseal.  I use it for all berries and fruit, veggies, and meatballs.  I like being able to remove what I need for a recipe without wasting the extra.

 

To use:  You do not need to thaw rhubarb before using.  If making muffins, etc., I simply stir the amount of frozen rhubarb needed into the batter and bake (as you would with frozen blue berries).

 

One way to use up that yummy frozen rhubarb:

Strawberry Rhubarb Smoothie

makes 2 servings

 

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen rhubarb

1/2 cup frozen banana pieces (I freeze banana in 1 chunk pieces)

1 cup dairy free yogurt (I use coconut yogurt)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar, or to taste 

 

place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until very smooth.