My Christian Faith

I am a Christian and I take my faith very seriously. Simply put, I love God. And if I both love God and believe that mankind is created in His image, then I must necessarily love people too. All of them. Every single one.

Extra Sour Refrigerator Pickles

Started off making Alton Brown's Bread & Butter Pickles, which are very good.  But if you like your pickles on the sour side, you'll like this modification, which I've developed over the past couple of years.  

2 to 4 cucumbers (depending on size, about 1 1/4 lb.), thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
4 tsp. minced garlic
3 Thai chilies (optional)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons pickling salt
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. ground tumeric (or 1 tsp. fresh grated tumeric)
1 tsp. celery seeds
2 tsp. mixed pickling spice

Pickling cucumbers work best  but regular slicers will do as well. Layer the cucumbers, onions, and garlic (and chilies, if used) in a quart canning jar.  (Spring-top jars are ideal.) Pack them in fairly tight, or they'll all float to the top when you add the liquid.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour the hot vinegar mixture into the jar, filling it to the top.   Let the jars cool to room temperature.  Use any leftover vinegar mixture to top off the jar (some liquid will absorb into the cukes -- and that's a good thing.)  Fasten the lid and refrigerate.

The pickles will be ready to eat in about 2 days, but the flavor will be even better if you wait a little longer.  They'll should keep in the frig for 6 weeks, although they've disappeared long before that in my experience.

Other modifications.  You like dill pickles?  Replace 1/2 cup of the white vinegar with water.  Increase the sugar to 1/2 cup. Reduce the pickling spice to 1 tsp and add 1 tsp of dill seed and 1 tsp of dill weed.  It's won't be quite like a fermented kosher dill, but you'll get a hint of that dill flavor.

Hot & Sour Soup

This is a pretty easy recipe. This is just my variation of a fairly standard recipe.  

Hardware:

• 4 qt. saucepan or stockpot
• small mixing bowl
• assorted measuring spoons/cups

Software:

• 2 qts. low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 c. cooked & shredded chicken breast
• 1 c. brown mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic chili sauce
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper (preferably white)
• 1/4 c. white vinegar
• 1/4 c. rice wine vinegar  
• 1 can (8 oz.) bamboo shoots, julienned
• 7 oz. firm tofu, diced in 1/4" chunks
• 1/4 c. cornstarch and 1/4 c. cold water
• 2 eggs, beaten thoroughly
• 4 green onion stalks, diced
• 1 tsp. sesame oil

Algorithm:

1. Bring broth to boil in stockpot.  Reduce heat to simmer.
2. Add mushrooms, soy sauce, chili sauce, and chicken.  Simmer 5 minutes.
3. Add vinegar, bamboo shoots, tofu, and pepper.  Simmer for another 5 minutes.
4. Combine the corn starch and cold water in a sealed container and mix thoroughly.  
5. Add the cornstarch mixture to the soup.  Stir in.  Simmer for another 5 minutes.  Soup will thicken some.
6. Beat eggs in small bowl thoroughly.  Pour egg very slowly into the soup in a fine stream.  Stir for 1 minute.
7. Add green onions and sesame oil and stir in.  Remove from heat and serve.

Output:  Approximately 10 servings.