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Sweet and Sour Asian Pickled Cucumbers

These tangy and oh-so-simple-to-make sweet and sour Asian pickled cucumbers take only about 5 minutes to make, and are one of our favorite snacks. They’re also so good served as a cooling side or a crunchy, puckery salad all on their own.

I’ve never met a pickle I didn’t like. And when a quick pickle recipe does double duty as a tangy salad or a puckery snack, I look like that little emoji girl with my hand held high 🙋. Actually, my hand is more likely IN the pickle jar instead of being raised even though my mom ALWAYS told me, “USE A FORK!”

When will I ever learn to listen? Asking for my mom, because, you know, she’s still wondering.

This quick pickled cucumber recipe is exactly one of those recipes I will disregard all of my mom’s Emily Post etiquette teachings for. It’s the perfect topping on a sandwich or burger (like my Korean BBQ Burgers), or served alongside my Grilled Chicken Satay, or for simply snagging from the fridge for a little afternoon cure-all snack. Fork, or no fork, it’s totally your choice, but I bet you know how I’ll be digging for them.continue to the recipe… about Sweet and Sour Asian Pickled Cucumbers

Grilled Shrimp With Sweet or Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce

Instead of cocktail sauce with shrimp, try Sweet Mustard with Brown Sugar and Hoisin Dip, or Spicy Mustard with Tarragon Sauce.

This post is brought to you by the makers of French’s Sweet Yellow Mustard and Spicy Yellow Mustard. I received compensation to write this post through the French’s Sweet and Spicy Influencer program. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you.

There are some foods I can go without.

Bread. I love it, but I can live without it. I know, I’m an anomaly. Steak. I could live without steak. Unless it’s this one, but even then, I’d do with just a bite. And Brussels Sprouts. Even though this year I’ve become a fan, if they were eradicated from the earth, I’d still be okay.

But then there are the food cravings I can’t bear to think of losing.

Pickles. Not a chance so don’t even think about it. Pasta. That would be a toughie. Fresh veggies and a super crunchy salad. Please. Don’t make me. Chocolate. Are you crazy, girl? And mustard. You can tell me to give mayo the heave-ho, but don’t take away my favorite spicy yellow condiment, please.

continue to the recipe… about Grilled Shrimp With Sweet or Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce

Skillet Cherry Pie

Sweet, plump cherries scented with vanilla and almond make up the filling of this easy and classic, lattice-topped pie, baked in an iron skillet.

There’s something about a pie that brings people together. It’s comforting, it’s made with love and it takes more than one to fully enjoy it.

Pies are a lot like babies that way.

Babies bring people together. They need, and give, the ultimate comfort. They’re made with love and give back more than one could ever anticipate. And it takes a lot more than just one person to nurture a baby…that baby who becomes an incredible gift to all.

Today’s post is in honor of a new baby who will soon be welcomed into the extended blogging family, to Catherine and her family of the food blog Weelicious.

I’d say nibbling on those new baby toes is the perfect excuse to nibble on pie. Oh forget the nibbling, let’s eat the whole dang thing!

continue to the recipe… about Skillet Cherry Pie

Sweet and Spicy Popcorn Recipe

Before making the change to a low-sodium diet, Jess Goldman Foung, the author of the popular blog Sodium Girl, was like a lot of Americans who ate fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, not nearly enough servings of vegetables and rarely strayed from her comfort zone of basic food groups.

With a degree from Stanford and a budding career as a Development Manager, Jess was becoming an expert at fundraising and grant writing, and loved it. Her body, however, did not.

“The autoimmune disease, Lupus, was aggresively attacking my brain and my kidneys and after three months of chemo, dialysis, and amazing medical care, I survived. My kidneys didn’t, ” she says.

After researching and educating herself, Jess realized she needed to take her health into her own hands, and she started with nutrition. “I swore I would do what I could with my own two hands to help stay strong and live a full life and that meant going on a strict low-sodium diet. But I also happened to be an extremely stubborn person, who refused to eat dull food or miss out on anything life had to offer. So that meant rewriting the low-sodium rules.”

“After a tough-love session with my mother, who asked, ‘Do you want to live five years or fifty years?” I realized I needed to quit my job and find a career that let me take care of myself,” Jess acknowledges. “It wasn’t until a fateful day when I watched two movies back-to-back —Julie and Julia and then Food, Inc.—that I realized what I should do: 1) blog and 2) write about the power of food.”

And that she does with the release of her new book Sodium Girl’s Limitless Low-Sodium Cookbook.continue to the recipe… about Sweet and Spicy Popcorn Recipe

Savory to Sweet: 6 Quick Breads and Cranberry Nut Bread

Food gifts are always a highlight of my gift giving holiday regimen. Is it because I like to cook? Or maybe because I like to eat (!).

This year I was inspired by Jaclyn of Food + Words’ article about homemade gifts in the debut issue of FoodieCrush magazine (page 18) and planned on making one of my favorite quick breads, a recipe given to me years ago by a dear co-worker.

But once I baked my loaves of Cranberry Nut Bread, my distribution intention gears changed toot sweet.

I just had to have one slice. And then another. And maybe just clean up those little old crumbs over there.The combo of tart cranberries and sweet bread with the nuts were just too good to share.

It was Christmas. I deserved a treat too, right? Right?

So instead of receiving the breads, my neighbors found my mom’s awesomest fudge in my cake-crumbed hands, standing at their doors, with a delicious holiday food gift substitute.

Today I found there were just a few slices left, so I used them in a sweet, cakey version of french toast for my daughter and her sleepover friend. Um, yeah. They licked the plates clean.

continue to the recipe… about Savory to Sweet: 6 Quick Breads and Cranberry Nut Bread

Sweet and Savory Galette. Or, the Fancy Free-Form Pie

Why is it that something made with just three of cooking’s most basic ingredients can be so terribly intimidating? A food that has the most basic of foundations that in the wrong conditions can go terribly awry, with multiple variations and nuanced secrets handed down from mother to daughter, from pastry chef to novice baker.

You know what I’m talking about don’t you?

photo > foodiecrush

Yes, I’m talking pie crust.

To lard or not to lard? Regular unbleached flour or whole wheat? And what about those gluten-free pie lovers?

With a bounty of fresh fruit and an evening BBQ that I had volunteered to deliver a dessert to, I had to come up with something fast, something proven and something delicious.

So instead of poring over recipes and waiting for ingredients to sufficiently freeze, blend and roll, I took the easy way out, dug into my freezer for my emergency stash of store bought Pillsbury roll-up pie crust and went rustic. For the galette filling you can use any combo of fruit, just keep the proportions of sugar and flour the same as in the recipe at the end of the post.

And whaddya know? Noone was the wiser.

If you’re thinking savory is more your flavor, try some of these delicious versions from some of our favorite foodie bloggers.

photo > Aran Goyoaga

Cannelle Vanille‘s delightfully succulent recipe starts with an herb pie dough that sounds like it could be a task, but is actually a basic dough with herbs and pepper artfully added in, making Aran’s Crispy Mushroom, Potato and Blue Cheese Galette takes earthy mushroom and stinky blue cheese to the ultimate savory level, and perfect to share with family. Just like she did.

photo > Sarka Babicka

In my book, nothing says savory like Sarka’s combo of butternut squash, rosemary and goat cheese in a crispy crust. Enveloped in a créme fraiche studded wholemeal pie dough, Cook Your Dream‘s Roasted Vegetable Galette is a healthy, all-in-one feast. Now, if I could just stuff the whole thing in a ravioli I’d be the happiest eater on earth. Hmm, I think I have a recipe idea…

photo > In Praise of Leftovers

Sarah’s last minute tomato harvest provides the rest of us the bounty of her latent gardening habits. Cooking the tomatoes whole and then picking through the sauce for the cooked wrinkled skins is a secret tip to perfecting In Praise of Leftover‘s Green Tomato Chutney Galette topped with brie and chutney.

And now, my super-simple, sweetened-up galette version.

4 from 1 vote

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As a final note, we have an exciting announcement coming up early next week. Bloggers, pre-heat your ovens and get ready to start your mixers, it’s Christmas in July.

Thanks for reading. If you liked this post, please subscribe to foodiecrush and follow me on twitterand Facebook and Pinterest

Sweet and Sour Asian Pickled Cucumbers

Grilled Shrimp With Sweet or Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce

Skillet Cherry Pie

Sweet and Spicy Popcorn Recipe

Savory to Sweet: 6 Quick Breads and Cranberry Nut Bread

Sweet and Savory Galette. Or, the Fancy Free-Form Pie

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How to Make the Best Potato Salad

How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad

How to Make the Best Grilled Salmon

The Best Greek Chicken Marinade

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