Right now as I sit here and type, I am eating perhaps the best mac and cheese I've ever made. Allen is out with the guys, doing guy things - whatever that means - and Macie is finally in bed (yes, the "finally" was necessary). Today has been a sort of long day in the mom world. It started this morning, it raining outside. It wouldn't be more than a slight nuisance to me if I didn't happen to have a car with no roof. Yes I know that is my own fault. I took the top off the jeep a couple weeks ago and the other night Allen and I were talking about putting it back on because it was supposed to rain this week and yet... we didn't. So back to this morning - it was raining and I needed to go to the grocery store for a few things. AGH. Luckily for me, Miranda and Beckett came to our rescue and took Macie and I to the grocery store, and yes, I did feel like an old lady being picked up for her weekly outing. Thanks. Since we were already out we HAD to go to lunch. For some stupid strange ambitious reason, Miranda and I thought it would be a good idea to go to a real restaurant with the kids and not say, Chick Fil A. Dumb Dumb Dumb. Macie threw a fit over bread (she's a carb lovin' girl), didn't want her lunch and had a diaper blow out, Beckett didn't care too much for his lunch and threw some on the floor and Miranda and I, well, we tried to eat quickly and pretend to carry on a conversation. Good times!! After all of that and then coming home with an over tired child that didn't want to nap, toys all over the house, one too many tantrums over wanting to watch Super Why, a slight canning mishap and feeling scattered all day long with pretty much everything, I decided to make a little mac and cheese just for me. I deserved it - the cheesy goodness - I needed it. I swear it's like a warm blanket after a long day. You want some don't you? Ha. Well guess what - you'll have to wait for another day because today I am going to tell you about some pickles I made.
Pickles?? Yup, I told you today was a scattered kind of day so why not have a scattered kind of post? Welcome to my life! Don't feel cheated. I'll tell you about the mac and cheese later and these pickles really are good. They are so easy too. I think I made the whole batch in under 15 minutes. I had been looking on Pinterest for a recipe for easy pickles that I had the ingredients for (if you follow my canning board, you know it's true). Of course, Marisa from Food in Jars didn't disappoint. She had an easy Refrigerator Dill Pickle that was calling my name.
I basically followed every part of the recipe with one exception -- hot pepper vinegar.
Don't laugh at my vinegar, I've had this bottle a long time! Growing up my grandmother always had an old bottle that had been stuffed with hot peppers from the garden and filled with vinegar. the older the bottle, the hotter the vinegar and the better it was for collards or whatever else you wanted to use it for. I've added hot pepper vinegar to all sorts of things so why not pickles? I used half hot pepper vinegar and half apple cider vinegar to give the pickles a little extra kick and that's what they have! A kick!!
These pickles are crunchy with a little garlic, a little dill and a little heat. Perfect. If you want to make your own pickles, head to Food in Jars and if you want a kick, try it with hot pepper vinegar - so worth it.
And I promise on a less scattered day, you'll hear all about my amazing mac and cheese - now excuse me while I go finish off the bowl.
