Neck Candy: Bread and Butter Pickles

Back when I was pregnant with Thatkid, I was looking for something else when I stumbled upon these mother/baby bird necklaces.  I fell instantly in love and knew I had to have it.

I love the symbolism of it, and it fit so well with the bird-themed nursery I had for Thatkid.  I still wear it pretty religiously, but recently I decided I needed to upgrade.  After all there's only one baby bird on this necklace, and soon I'll be having two under my wing.

I asked for a 2-baby option for the holidays, but when it didn't materialize as a gift, I decided to take matters into my own hands.  Except, the whole symbolism of the birds isn't as meaningful this time around because Oppo-baby isn't getting a bird nursery.  The nursery this time is going to revolve around rockets.  And so I went looking for a rocket necklace. 

I wasn't finding anything that really fit the bill, so I contacted an Zealous Bee on Etsy and asked if they could help make my vision a reality.  They agreed, and together, after several back and forths, we designed exactly what I was looking for:

Pregnancy is a fun time to splurge.  On things like necklaces or things like ice cream sundaes.  Personally, I'm always a fan of vinegary things when pregnant.  Like salad dressing.  And pickles.  And while I prefer dill pickles, I've been really enjoying the mustardy tang of bread and butter.  I can eat them by the jar.  Which is why I thought it might be a good idea to make my own.

Bread and Butter Pickles (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

6 cups thinly sliced cucumbers

1 lb onions

1 green pepper, shredded

1/4  cup salt

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 Tbsp mustard seed

1 tsp celery seed

2 cups cider vinegar

1. Mix the cumbers, onions, green pepper, and salt.  Cover and let stand for 3 hours.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a large pot, bring slowly to the boiling point, and boil for 5 minutes.
3. Drain the vegetables in a colander and rinse them well with cold water.
4. Add them to the hot syrup and heat to just below the boiling point.  Spoon into hot sterilized jars, fill with cooking syrup leaving 1/8 inch headspace, and seal.

15 Years: Dill Pickles

Yesterday Thatboy and I celebrated the fact that we have been together 15 years.  15 years ago we took the first step in our relationship.  It's so crazy to think about, such a huge chunk of time.  And the people we are now are so very very different than the people we were then.  Not in the major ways, because people don't really change, but we are so much older and wiser.  We've weathered storms, we've grown up and become more responsible, we're parents!

We had decided we weren't going to do anything to celebrate.  We tend to acknowledge this anniversary with a simple "Happy Anniversary!" and use our wedding anniversary to really celebrate our relationship.  However, yesterday Thatboy texted me and told me he really wanted to head out to dinner.  While on our wedding anniversary we tend to go out just the two of us, last night we headed to a family dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.  Thatboy drank beer while I drank root beer.  Ahhhh pregnancy. 

One of the stereotypes of pregnancy is the idea of pickles.  I don't know how true that is, but I know the vinegary things are high on my list of favorites.  I can't entirely blame pregnancy, I've had a thing for pickled onions since making them last summer.  But I do know that olives and pickles are some of my favorite snacks.  And while olives have a little bit of a complex brining process, pickles are easy.  So much so that I've been making them at home, on my own.  So easy, not terribly time consuming, and just as delicious as what you've picked up in the stores.  So much so, Thatboy has become just as addicted as I have become.  And he certainly can't blame pregnancy!

Dill Pickles

 12 cucumbers (3-4 inches)

1 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup salt

dill sprigs

1 peeled garlic clove

1. Put the cucumbers in the sink and cover with cold water.  Let stand overnight
2. Drain and pack the cucumbers in a hot, sterilized quart jar.
3. Combine the vinegar and salt with 2 cups of water in a pot and bring to a boil.  Pour over the cucumbers leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
4. Add sprig or two of dill and garlic clove to the jar and seal.