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Easy Sugar-Free Refrigerator Pickles Recipe {1 Hour}

August 13, 2020 by Wendy

Fast & Easy Refrigerator Pickles Recipe {1 Hour}

Whether you love bread and butter pickles, dill or sweet pickles, you will love how easy this recipe is!

Sugar-Free Refrigerator Pickles?

I make my 1-hour refrigerator pickles sugar-free with Stevia natural sweetener instead of sugar. So, the whole jar is under 200 calories (that’s under 3 calories per slice or 15 calories per wedge!)  Adding the cup of sugar adds 773 calories, so Stevia is a great alternative!

Fast Pickles

My garden is doing great, and the produce just keeps coming! I planted two types of cucumbers: pickling and burpless. Some of us love pickles, although my stepson has coined the phrase “pickles are nasty!” lol

A few years ago I tried making refrigerator pickles for the first time. I was surprised how easy it is! Compared to the all-day affair of canning real pickles, this was a fantastic and quick treat! You can enjoy fresh pickles in about an hour.

Now’s a great time to make 1-hour refrigerator pickles because of the abundance of fresh vegetables from the garden. That not only makes them available to those of us who garden, but it makes them available at better prices for those who shop farmer’s markets, local grocery stores and CSAs.

Be sure to see my tips below, about buying pickling cukes at the grocery store!

Although quick pickles like these are yummy, they’re not quite as tasty as canned pickles. And, they won’t keep as long.

Get creative! You can pickle any crisp vegetable, such as onions, peppers, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, shallots, asparagus, and of course cucumbers! I’m going to try zucchini, although they’d have to be harvested quite small to make that work, I think. You can even pickle eggs! I like to add in extra things for flavor. Typically I use pickling cukes and add in a few onions and peppers. It’s delicious!

After many attempts – some delish and some not-so-much – here’s my tried and true recipe for 1-hour refrigerator pickles!

TIPS to making the best pickles ever:

  1. Brine Recipe: Although I give an exact recipe, you can change it up however you want! The pickling brine consists of vinegar, salt, sugar and pickling spices.
  2. Vinegar: typically white vinegar is used, but you can also use cider vinegar, white or red wine vinegar, almost anything can be used (except balsamic vinegar). Depending on the recipe, you’ll use straight vinegar or you might dilute it with water.
  3. Salt: Brine wouldn’t be brine without salt. Salt helps to remove water from the veggies while promoting good, useful bacteria.
  4. Sweeteners can be changed up, from sugar to brown sugar or honey. I’ve also had great results using Stevia natural sweetener to make sugar-free refrigerator pickles!
  5. Pickling spices: you can actually buy a product called “pickling spice” or you can buy the spices separately (or grow the herbs yourself!) Pickling spices that can be used include mustard seed, dill seed, dill weed, bay leaf, turmeric, peppercorns, celery seed, cloves and garlic.

Step by Step

Prepare your produce.

Step one is choosing the vegetables you want to pickle. This goes all the way back to deciding what to plant in your garden! There are “pickling cucumbers” that make great pickles. For example, varieties of cucumbers that are good for pickling which you might see are “Kirby” or “Liberty” cucumbers.

Compared to slicing cucumber, which are tasty when eaten plain or with lemon pepper sprinkled on top (not pickled), pickling cucumbers are usually less flavorful, and are short, thick, irregular shaped, with bumpy skin that may have white or black spots on them.

PRO TIP: If you want to pickle cucumbers but you don’t have a garden, I don’t recommend buying cukes at the grocery store and try to pickle them! Because, grocery stores coat their produce in  wax, so the brine will not soak in properly. You can buy unwaxed cukes at a farmer’s market or CSA. But, I recommend growing them yourself!

Step two is picking or harvesting your produce at the best time. I recommend harvesting cucumbers when they’re less than 2″ in diameter, but that may vary depending on the type of cuke. The bigger around they get, the more seeds will develop. However, they’ve actually have created hybrid cucumbers that are “burpless” or, quite literally, they don’t make you burp. And of course, you can pickle many different types of veggies – not just cukes!

Step three is washing and trim off any roots, ends or bitter peels (if you don’t want them). Then, slice or cut into the shape you want. For example, you can do spears as shown, or slices.

Since you’re not preserving your pickles for long-term storage, you can sterilize the jar in your dishwasher or by dipping in boiling water, but the typical canning process is not used in this recipe. This is much easier and faster!

Add your prepared veggies to the clean, dry glass container and pour boiling brine over it to cover completely. If you don’t have quite enough liquid, add cold water to cover.

Leave a little headspace (room at the top of the jar left empty) so it can mix easily, but don’t worry about specific headspace since we’re not actually canning these in the traditional sense with a hot water bath.

 

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Fast & Easy Refrigerator Pickles Recipe {1 Hour}


  • Author: gimmie
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 3 quarts 1x
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Description

Easy and fast 1-Hour Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles. Plus, a sugar-free variety with less than 5 calories per slice! Includes best cucumbers to pickle, and which vinegar to use and what not to use!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6–10 pickling cucumbers, sliced thin or in wedges
  • ~ optional other veggies (e.g., onion, carrots, etc., see list)
  • 1 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 Tablespoon Kosher coarse (or pickling) salt
  • 1 cup sugar or Stevia natural sweetener (great sugar-free snack!)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seed
  • 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
  • 3 clean quart jars with lids

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients except veggies in a large pan, bring bring to a boil on stovetop.
  2. Prepare veggies and add to jars, leaving 1″ headspace
  3. Add brine to jarred veggies (if not quite enough liquid, add water to fill completely, this will vary depending on how packed veggies are)
  4. Cover jars and turn over several times to mix.
  5. Place in refrigerator, turn jars to mix again in one hour. Then turn 2x daily to keep them mixed.
  6. I’ve heard they keep in fridge for 2-3 months. Mine never last that long!

Notes

Other foods that are great pickled: asparagus, beets, bell peppers, blueberries, cauliflower, carrots, cherries, fennel, ginger, grapes, green beans, jalapeño, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, peaches, peppers, radishes, ramps, rhubarb, strawberries, squash, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon…even hardboiled eggs are great pickled! (List adapted from Epicurious)

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Condiment
  • Cuisine: American

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Filed Under: Gardening & Canning, Recipes, Side Dishes, Snacks Tagged With: brine, cucumbers, cukes, garden, pickles, refrigerator pickles, vinegar

Southern Style Smashed Potato Salad Recipe

July 4, 2015 by Wendy

Southern Style Smashed Potato Salad Recipe

Last month we went to Arkansas and Texas to bring my mother-in-law to a bluegrass festival. While there we enjoyed all the southern cooking, sweet tea, and I actually got to try something new that I fell in love with:  Southern Style Smashed Potato Salad!!  Forgive me, I’m from Wisconsin originally and had never tried this. All I can say is YUM!

What is Mashed Potato Salad?

It’s basically the same as regular potato salad, but you mash – or smash – the potatoes before you mix them in. Cook them a little more firm than you’d cook mashed potatoes. So, they’re not mushy.

Also, Southerners seem to be torn on whether to use mayonnaise or Miracle Whip in this recipe. So, I compromised and used half of each.

When I cook, I like to try new things. While that’s awesome, it also means that I may never make something the same twice. It’s also hard to write down what I’ve done after the fact!

Smashed potatoes are the perfect side dish for your summer barbecues and picnics. If you like potato salad, you’ll love it!

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Southern Style Smashed Potato Salad Recipe


  • Author: gimmie
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8-10 1x
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Description

If you haven’t tried this spin on traditional potato salad, you’re missing out! Southern Style Smashed Potatoes is served all over the South with mouth-watering barbecue and sweet iced tea. You can’t beat it! But, now you CAN make it!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 lbs yukon gold or russet potatoes, cut into chunks
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup Miracle Whip (or use total of 1 cup Mayo instead of half of each)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup sweet pickle juice
  • 3 Tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
  • 3 hard-cooked large eggs, chopped
  • 3 green onions, sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles (I used baby gherkins)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 – 14 ounce can black olives, sliced (optional)
  • smoked paprika (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare potatoes (see notes) by washing well and cutting into medium-size (about 1″) chunks.
  2. Put the cut potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and add 1 T salt. Bring to a boil over High heat. As soon as it starts to boil, reduce heat to Medium. Then, cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
  3. Pour potatoes into a colander to drain water. Place 3 cups of potatoes to a large bowl, and add 1 T vinegar to it. Then, coarsely smash them with a potato masher. (Coarsely, meaning you don’t want smooth mashed potatoes – you want them a bit chunky.)
  4. Spread out the remaining potatoes on a cookie sheet, and drizzle 1 T vinegar, tossing carefully to mix. Let them cool completely.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk the mayo/Miracle Whip, water, pickle juice, yellow mustard, Cayenne seasoning, along with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Mix well, and then add this mixture to your smashed potatoes.
  6. Finally, fold in the eggs, celery, green onions, pickles, onion and the rest of the potatoes.
  7. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled (about 2 hours).
  8. Season with additional salt & pepper if needed and sprinkle with smoked paprika if desired.

Notes

If using russet potatoes, remove peels. If using Yukon Gold or Red potatoes, then you can leave the peels on.

Don’t forget, the salad needs to be refrigerated for a few hours before serving!

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 35
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: potato salad, picnic, barbecue, southern style, smashed potatoe salad

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Filed Under: *Lunch, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetable Tagged With: evergreen, picnic, recipe, side dishes, smashed, southern, southern style, summer, summertime

Cranberry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

October 23, 2013 by Wendy

Cranberry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Sure, they’re kind of funny looking, but they taste SO sweet and yummy!  Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious and are loaded with antioxidants and even have anti-inflammatory properties. They are a good source of complex carbohydrate, beta-carotene, manganese, vitamin B6 and C as well as dietary fiber. The spinach and cranberries add to the flavor and also to the health benefits!

So, put your microwave to use and bake up some super good and good-for-you Cranberry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes!  This recipe will take you less than 15 minutes from start to finish and your dinner guests will think you’ve slaved over a hot oven for hours. It’s a very inexpensive meal item, I paid just 69 cents apiece for these, and you can find them at your grocery store all year round.

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Cranberry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes


  • Author: gimmie
  • Total Time: 1:25
  • Yield: 3-4 Servings 1x
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Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 large (or 4 medium) sweet potatoes, peels washed
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350℉.
  2. Pierce sweet potatoes a few times with a fork and place onto baking sheet lined with foil.
  3. Bake for 1 hour, until sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork or sharp knife.
  4. Remove from oven and let sweet potatoes cool slightly.
  5. Slice open lengthwise and smush together from ends to force middle to open. Use a fork to mask the pulp.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients, except maple syrup.
  7. Add mixture to sweet potatoes and put back in oven for another 15 minutes
  8. Drizzle maple syrup on top, and serve warm.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe on Walnuts.org

  • Prep Time: :10
  • Cook Time: 1:15
  • Category: Side dish

Nutrition

  • Calories: 454
  • Sodium: 231 mg
  • Fat: 20 g
  • Saturated Fat: 6 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
  • Carbohydrates: 67 mb
  • Fiber: 8 g
  • Protein: 5 g
  • Cholesterol: 20 mg

Keywords: sweet potatoes, maple syrup, side dish, sides,

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Filed Under: Recipes, Christmas, Holiday, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving Tagged With: autumn, Christmas, Cranberry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, evergreen, fall, halloween, holiday., recipe, season, thanksgiving, winter

Spicy Grilled Sweet Corn Recipe

July 7, 2013 by Wendy

Spicy Grilled Sweet Corn Recipe

This Spicy Grilled Sweet Corn Recipe tastes great! Serve it at your next cookout and dazzle your friends and family!

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Spicy Grilled Sweet Corn Recipe


  • Author: gimmie
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Description

Grilled sweet corn is soooo good! But add this spicy butter mixture for a kick you’ll love. Spice up your summer!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 large ears sweet corn in husks
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions

  • Peel corn (leaving husk on) and remove silk. Replace husk and tie closed. Soak in cold water for 1 hour.
  • Lightly coat grill with cooking oil (be careful! a long tong works well for this).
  • Cover and grill corn over medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally.
  • While corn is grilling, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the garlic, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and chili powder. Serve it with grilled corn.

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Filed Under: Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetable Tagged With: evergreen, recipe

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