What's the Dill, Pickle?

I was on a Pinterest kick yesterday. Between outfit ideas, room designs, craft projects and recipes, Pinterst could keep me busy for years. I decided to dabble in a bit of everything. One recipe I have been eyeing for months is from the "One Perfect Bite" blog.  It is a recipe for refrigerator dill pickles that originated from Bobby Flay. Growing up, I was spoiled with my Nana's homemade pickles, applesauce, jam... you name it! I always wanted to make my own but I never got around to it. I decided to give it a shot.

The recipe is very simple to follow! The only trouble I came across was locating dill seeds. Publix did not have them. So I substituted the seeds with dill weed. And honestly, I wonder if it was a typo on the original recipe? Any one out there ever purchased dill seeds? If so, where did you find them?

One more thing, if you are not very familiar with different types of cucumbers, I learned "kirby cucumbers" are the small ones at Publix that are labeled "salad cucumbers." They are a short, versatile cucumber that is used for both slicing and pickling.  It's small, with bumpy yellow or green skin. 

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon dill seeds 
• 2 cups hot water
• 2 pounds kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Directions:


1) Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and dill seeds in a heatproof bowl. Add hot water and stir until sugar dissolves and liquid is clear. Cool to room temperature.

2) Place cucumbers, garlic and dill in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Pour brine over all and turn to coat cucumbers. Cover them with a plate to weigh them down and keep them covered in brine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, stirring once or twice. Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to two weeks. Yield: 1 quart.

I made enough for three small Ball jars. YUMMY! They are awesome. It is a very similar flavor to the store bought dill pickles but they taste super fresh. I would highly recommend this recipe and my hubby agrees. These pickles will last in the refrigerator for about two weeks. Make a batch and give some to friends! Enjoy 

Pinterest Makes Me Feel....

Let's be honest. Pinterest makes me feel inadequate. The houses and decor are so perfect. The craft projects are so creative. The outfits are so well put together. How can I possible live up to my pins?

I've concluded... I can't. Until I win the lottery and have beaucoup of money, it is nearly impossible to live out my wildest pin dreams. So in the meantime there is IKEA! We made a last minute late night trip to Ikea last week and started picking out furniture and decor for the guest room. It is so affordable! The only problem is that is makes me want to sell everything I own and start all over. I use to have a more traditional taste. I loved old antique furniture and anything shabby chic. But now I lean towards a modern feel. Much more clean and simplistic. I like chevron, quatrefoil, and creek key patterns.I like organized, new, and shiny.

Harper's nursery was the first room in the new house to receive a makeover. I love the way it turned out! You can check it out here.

Next up, our guest room. And we did quite a bit of work last week. I was going to take photos of the progress but my new pillows came in so I decided to wait and take some pictures when I buy inserts tomorrow.  So far, I love it. And it has been fairly inexpensive. I took several concepts I saw on Pinterest then found the cheap way to copy them.

Here are 5 ideas that I loved and tried to use as inspiration for our room:

I love these colors together. Navy blue and as I call it "preppy green" are such a great color combination. I didn't want a ton of color in this room because I was going for a very calm and comfortable feel but I wanted enough color that it doesn't seem boring. 

I love the shelf over the bed. Actually I am obsessed with the idea. It is so much easier to lean photos against a shelf rather than to try to hang them up in a perfect arrangement. 

I love this bed spread and sheet set. I love the linen color. It looks nice and cozy. It works perfectly with the color combination I had in mind. 

I love this cream headboard and white side tables. They look great together and this room loves very warm and inviting. Exactly the feel I want for my guest room.  

I love the idea of having a little "guest basket" somewhere in the room. It is so nice to have a few chocolates and waters sitting out when your guests arrive. It makes them feel like they are in a hotel. Hotel Huffman! haha.

We still have more work to do but I am excited to share the progress with you. It is already a huge improvement.