Spicy Pickled Green Beans

First time pickling green beans, over here. I think it went well...I guess we'll find out in a few months! My in laws are on vacation and told me I could harvest in the garden. I'd wanted to try simple green bean canning and since my beans are coming to an end, I'm jumping at the chance to pick some of their green beans!

Are you pickling/canning/putting anything up this year?

Spicy Pickled Green Beans
Food.com
Makes 4 pints

3 pounds green beans
4 long thin red chilies (use gloves when handling!)
3 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1/4 cup fresh dill
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup salt

Trim and remove string from green beans. Cut to fit into jars. Prepare jars, rings and lids for canning.

Bring water, vinegar and salt to the boil.

Fill each jar with beans until they are snug. Insert chilies and garlic. Divide peppercorns amongst jars. Divide dill amongst jars. Ladle the boiled pickling liquid into the jars leaving headspace. Wipe rims of jars, apply lid and screw on rings. Process in boiling water bath for 12 minutes.

Remove carefully and allow to cool to room temperature. During this cooling time, you'll hear quiet pops letting you know your jars have sealed. If by the next day, some of the jars haven't sealed, you can store in refrigerator to be eaten as soon as possible. Allow the sealed jars to sit at least one month in a cool, dark place before opening.

Fabulous Fried Green Beans

Fabulous Fried Green Beans

I have been under the weather for a week so there's been zero cooking, crafting or cleaning at my house other than what the hubby and kids have done! I shared this wonderful recipe with my Frugal Front Porch readers last year so I thought I would share it with you all today. Fried green beans are a fast and versatile dish. Serve it as a side dish to compliment a roast or grilled chicken or serve as an appetizer during your next dinner party. Either way you can take them from frozen to plate in under 15 minutes.

Here's my easy method to prepare Fried Green Beans. 

Ingredients

Frozen Green Beans
2 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Corn Meal
Spices

Directions

Preheat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet on medium heat. Mix flour, corn meal, and any spice combo you like in an oversized bowl. Toss the frozen green beans in a bowl of water or milk to partially thaw them while helping the flour mixture stick to the green beans. Place a few wet green beans in the flour mixture and coat well. Fry in small batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towel lined dish and enjoy!

Jenn's Tips: The wetter the beans the better your flour coating will turn out. Soak the beans in milk or water while you mix your flour coating for a crunchy coating. You can also try an egg wash before you flour your beans.

Spice Ideas: Include 2 tbs of chili powder or taco seasoning in flour mixture for some heat. Mix in parmesean cheese, garlic powder, oregano powder for an Italian version. Add nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon for an nutty earthy flavor.

Fried foods are a southern tradition! We fry EVERYTHING! If there's a doubt about how to prepare a dish, we proud southerners have a few guaranteed cooking methods that'll make anyone's mouth water with anticipation: add sugar and/or butter or simply fry it! That's right, southern cooking is THAT easy and it's a method pleasing the masses for generations! What's your favorite fried dish?

 

Jenn also blogs at Frugal Front Porch where she writes about food, crafts, gardening and raising a family on a budget. Visit the community and stop by the new Strut Your Stuff blog meme where you can link up your favorite blog posts, new and old.

Frittata - sort of!

I am overrun with eggs here on the farm and constantly thinking of ways to use them. This dish is a favorite of mine. Not exactly a quiche and not exactly a frittata, it's quick and easy.


This one has about 1/4 cup of red bell pepper in it.

If you've always wanted to make a frittata but don't because your skillet can't go in the oven try this version.

4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 dried red chile, crushed (or use 1 tsp red pepper flakes)
1 potato, finely diced (1/4" dice)
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese (optional)

You can put anything in here! I always use onions and garlic but the other vegetables change depending on what's in my fridge. I frequently add diced red bell pepper and something green because the red and green colors look beautiful in this dish. What you use and how finely you dice it determines how much prep you will need to do. I always pre-saute the onions, garlic and red chile. If you fine dice the potatoes you won't need to pre-cook them. Asparagus and broccoli should be blanched before you put them in. Use common sense and practice to see what works. The vegetables in the finished product should be tender. When you're trying to decide what will be good think of what you like in omelets and quiches.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees

Heat up your skillet and add the olive oil; add the onions and crushed red chile, saute until the onions are translucent, add garlic, salt and pepper and saute for an additional 1 or 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.

If you are using vegetables that need to be blanched, prepare a bowl of iced water, set aside, boil a pot of water and put the vegetables to be blanched into the boiling water. Remove the vegetables after 2 or 3 minutes; green vegetables will be bright and vibrant. Remove the vegetables from the boiling water and plunge them into the iced water to stop the cooking. Remove from the iced water and set on paper toweling to drain.

I use a glass pie pan for this dish but have also used an 8 x 8 baking dish. Put the sauteed onion mixture and all the other vegetables in the baking dish and mix them evenly. Whisk the 4 eggs and cup of milk together in a bowl and carefully pour over the vegetable mixture. Salt and pepper and top with a couple of tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until set. Check it after 30 minutes and if the center still jiggles, cook it 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with fruit and a salad.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Join me everyday over at SimplyForties where I write about navigating mid-life - grown children, finances, relationships, social responsibility and yes, food!