Carrot Raisin Salad

OK, this one is so easy that I couldn't even find a recipe for it!  It's one of my favorite childhood recipes.  My mom used to make it in the fall.  I had some carrots left over from Christmas dinner; I had tried a new salad recipe that was terribly disappointing, but at least it allowed me to make this recipe again!

Carrots, grated

Raisins

Enough mayonnaise to moisten

That's it!

Watermelon Rind Pickles

I had made these Watermelon Rind pickles last August, but didn't want to post the recipe until I was sure they tasted like what I remembered.  Well, I served them this evening for Christmas dinner, and my brother and younger sister both said they tasted just like they remembered - hooray!  Somehow we lost the recipe somewhere along the way, but my sister had copied down the ingredients, minus the directions, so I was able to use her ingredient list plus some directions I found on line.

Source:  Mother

1/4 c. pickling or non-iodized salt

8 c. cold water

4 qts. 1" cubes pared watermelon rind*

1 piece ginger root

3 sticks cinnamon, broken

2 T. whole cloves

8 c. cider vinegar (5-6% acidity)

9 c. sugar

In a glass bowl, stir together water and salt until salt has dissolved.  Add watermelon rinds and any additional water needed to cover them.  Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.

The following day, drain watermelon rinds from the salted water and place in a large saucepan.  Cover with fresh water, then place over high heat and bring to a boil.  Boil rinds for 30 min., then drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, tie the spices in a piece of cheesecloth.  Place into a large saucepan along with the vinegar and sugar.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from heat and let stand for 15 min.  Stir in the drained watermelon rind, then return to the stove over high heat.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until the rind is transparent and syrup is slightly thickened, 45-50 min.  Remove and discard spices after 50 min. 

Ladle into hot sterilized 1 pt. jars, leaving 1/2" head space.  Wipe jar rims.  Seal jars with lids and rings.  Process in boiling water bath for 10 min. 

Yield:  7 pints

*Note - a 14 lb. round watermelon yielded exactly 4 qts. of cubed rind.

Also, I had quite a bit of syrup left over, so I'll try the recipe again next summer and make the appropriate adjustments to the recipe.  Stay tuned!

Spicy Broccoli

The last of the year's broccoli went into this recipe.  So sad to see the broccoli season come to an end....

Source:  Adapted from Everyday Food magazine, December 2011

1 t. olive oil

1/2 T. soy sauce

1/2 T. rice vinegar

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/8 t. red-pepper flakes

1 1/2 c. broccoli florets

In small bowl, combine oil, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and red-pepper flakes.

Set steamer basket in a saucepan with 2" simmering water.  Add broccoli, cover, and steam until crisp-tender, 4 minutes.

Toss broccoli with soy sauce mixture.

Serves 2.

Note: The broccoli is intended to be accompanied with glazed salmon and brown rice, and works great for leftovers.  Here's the link to the original recipe:
http://allthingsandrea.blogspot.com/2011/12/tonights-dinner.html