Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickle Chips

Contributed by Cindy Iverson, Martinez Ward

One year we had a generous harvest of cucumbers (one of which was hooked over into a round fat "U" shape). My husband decided to try his hand at making some homemade pickles. He researched various recipes online and then created his own hybrid recipes of all of them. The recipe is as follows:

8 cups thinly sliced fresh cucumbers
1 medium onion
1 red bell pepper
2 cups sugar
2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 tsp Kosher salt (do NOT use iodized salt)
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp ground turmeric (for color)
1 tsp ground cloves
8-10 whole peppercorns

• Slice cucumbers, onion, and bell pepper and set aside in large bowl. 
• Combine remainder of ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves and mixture is at a slow boil. 
• Shut off heat immediately. 
• Combine heated mixture with vegetables in the large bowl and let cool to room temperature. 
• When cooled, transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator for at least 24 hours before serving. 
• Will keep in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks (but it won't last that long).
  

My husband is the pickle fan in the household so he's the one that can offer an official opinion on how they turned out. Here's his direct quote:

"The pickles are sweet--but not too sweet. The peppercorns add a nice little bit of heat along with the slight edge of the red bell pepper. These pickles taste much fresher than the pickles you find at the grocery store. Of course, you can't beat the crunch. They're very crunchy. They would be great on hamburgers although they're tasty right out of the container. It was a grand experiment that actually worked this time. That's all I have to say about that..."

Apparently, he's the Forrest Gump of pickle-making.

Non-Coffee Coffee Cake

contributed by Cindy Iverson, Martinez Ward

Have you ever wondered why a cake that has no coffee in it continues to be called "coffee cake"?

I never did, until my husband brought it to my attention after we got married. I grew up eating my mom's "coffee cake" and never questioned the name--just like I never questioned the reason why we called the piece of furniture in front of our sofa a "coffee table". It just "was". Who cared that we never drank coffee? It was just "coffee cake".

The cake is a moist and dense crumb cake that isn't overly sweet in order to balance out the sweetness of the crumble topping. It can be eaten hot or cold (it's really good the day after baking). I don't know how many calories are in it, and I don't want to know. Sometimes, I just need a taste of being a kid again.

Combine the following dry ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix well and set aside.

Combine the following wet ingredients in a separate bowl:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 2 beaten eggs

Mix the wet mixture well.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 9" x 13" pan or pyrex dish.

Prepare the topping in a separate bowl by combining the following ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp butter

Mix until crumbly. Dot and crumble the topping mixture over top of the batter.

Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes until a test toothpick (or other probe) comes out clean.