Looks Like Christmas, Tastes Like Summer

I very rarely get so excited by something that I cannot stop thinking about it.

Okay...that's a total lie.  Quite frequently I become obsessed with something I tend to annoy the hell out of everyone around me.

There was that video by Florence + The Machine with the blue go-go girls and Florence herself looking so totally BA that I dressed my high school aged Titania in the same hot pants, flowy white dress situation for my production of Midsummer.  There was that brief yet all-encompassing love affair with that tickle kitty on YouTube I kept showing my classes.  And how can I ever forget that glorious time during the mid-90s where every thought was of Ricky.

And now...it is pickled onions.

Yes, those tasty little treats I made as gifts for my mother and sister have taken hold of my brain.  I think of them constantly, and I have made them twice already this week.  The benefit of making a gift of food is that, inevitably, you are the lucky beneficiary who gets to make short work of the presents.  The ginger blueberry preserves were fantastic, and the strawberry rhubarb jam is awesome on toast.  But the big hit in my mind were those gorgeously neon pink, pickled onions.  Tart yet slightly sweet they make the perfect addition to green beans which works beautifully as a salad for a red wine marinated flank steak.  The colors look like Christmas, but the bright, fresh flavor is pure summertime love.

Give them a try, and I promise you won't be able to get them out of your head.

Mmmmm....pickled.

Pickled Red Onions

If you are planning on eating them as quickly as I do, there isn't need to sterilize the jar.  If you are gonna keep them around for a while, sterilize the jars and process the onions by placing them in simmering water, almost to the lid, for ten minutes.

1 red onion, sliced into rings
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp allspice
5 whole cloves
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 dried chilies

In a small sauce pot, bring vinegars, spices, sugar, and honey to a boil.  Reduce heat, add onion, and simmer for five minutes.  Allow to cool.  Place onions in jars and cover with vinegar mixture.  Refrigerate before serving.

Green Bean and Onion Salad


1 lb green beans, trimmed
2 oz fresh dill
Yo' Pickled Onions
drizzle of olive oil
salt/pepper

In a large sauce pan, bring...oh let's say...3 cups of water to a boil.  Toss is the green beans for about 3 minutes, until they are a vibrant green.  Plunge beans immediately into ice water to shock.

In a bowl, combine cooled beans, dill and onions with a drizzle of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Easy, peasy, cool breezey.

Wine Marinated Flank Steak


1 2lb flank steak
1/2 cup red zinfandel
3/4 cup canola oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed buy intact
1 Tbl toasted cumin seeds, coarsely ground
2 Tbl soy sauce
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Combine marinade ingredients and...umm...marinate the steak.  (at least 2 hours in fridge)  Remove steak from marinade and pat dry.  For medium rare, grill steaks for 10 minutes on one side, flip, and grill an additional 5 minutes.  Allow to rest before slicing that delicousness up.

In a pickle? Pickle!

Clockwise from left:  blueberry/ginger preserves, grapefruit marmalade,  strawberry/rhubarb jam, pickled green beans, and pickled red onions.

I am the youngest of three kids, and each one of us couldn't be more different than the other.

Eldest child, Kevin, is the former Marine turned golfin', cowboy mechanic living in Vegas.  You know...that old story.  The middle child, with an incredible family of her own in Iowa, is an Episcopal priest lovingly known as Father Beth.  And then there is me...the artsy fartsy one living in the South with his big gay Valentine.

Certain accommodations have been afforded me due to birth order and financial status.  As the aforementioned artsy fartsy member of the family, my career choices have been of a more...spiritually gratifying nature as opposed to anywhere near financially satisfying.  I'm not living in a card board box talking to my pet shoe, but owning a house and jetting off to exotic lands at a minutes notice I ain't.

Which is why July is a challenge.

It is this month in which every single member of my immediate family celebrates a birthday.  It is definitely Christmas in July in terms of gift buying and spending.  So, during these economically trying times...which I call my twenties and thirties...one must become inventive when money is not at hand.

So...in a gift giving pickle?  Pickle your gifts!  In a jam about what to give?  Give jam!  If we are to believe what our mother's tell us, it is better to receive something that is hand made and thoughtful than another tchotchke or bauble to clutter up your house.

At least, that's what I'm bankin' on.

I am not going to publish recipes that aren't mine without permission (I'm nice that way).  I floated around on the interweb, borrowed from recipes, and added my own twist to them.  Now is the perfect time to play with pickling, canning, and...um...jamming.  So get out those mason jars and tongs and play with your food!