Dill is my FAVORITE herb. I love fresh dill about a million times better than the dehydrated crap in a little bottle. Honestly, I love any fresh herb better than the dehydrated crap. Why? Because it's just that - CRAP. If you're going to cook, just do the damn thing and use fresh stuff, make it worthwhile.
So anyway, I love dill. I mean look at what dill, plu a drop of this and a pinch of that can make you - DILL PICKLES! I love me some dill pickles. Before I became a vegan, I used them in tuna salad (which I ate about once a year) and put them on hamburgers. I'd put dill relish on hot dogs. But my favorite way to eat pickles? Just plain, by themselves. I love pickles. If I ever see someone picking them off something, I'm sure to eat them. Or I love how they put the wedges of them with a sandwich. That's usually the very first thing I go for. So, a lady I know who bought makeup off me back at my old counter gave me her own recipe for dill pickles a couple of years ago, plus a few jars that she'd already made. Bless little Irene, because not only was she a sweet lady, but she sure made some good pickles. I haven't seen or talked to her since I left my counter and came down to the one I'm at now, but I am mighty grateful she gave me her dill pickle recipe. I admit, I have yet to make them because I just can't seem to find the time or ever remember to get everything to. But I plan on it one day, because her pickles were amazing.
Ingredients
4 quarts water
6 tablespoons coarse white salt (preferably kosher)
18-20 Kirby cucumbers (the little ones)
8 cloves garlic, unpeeled and lightly crushed
2 tablespoons pickling spice
6 bay leaves
1 large bunch of dill, preferably going to seed, washed
Directions
In a large pot, bring 1 quart of water to boil with the salt. Stir until the salt is dissolved, then remove from heat and add the remaining water (this is called brine). Pack three quart-sized jars with cucumbers vertically, making sure they're tightly packed. You can pack them whole or in wedges, whatever floats your boat. As you fill the jars, divide the garlic, pickling spice, bay leaves, and dill amongst them. Fill the jars with brine so that they're completely covered. Cover the jars with cheesecloth secured with rubber bands or with the lids loosely screwed on. Store in a cool, dark place for 3 days. After 3 days, taste a pickle. It usually takes 3-6 days for a pickle to ferment, and the longer you let them ferment, the more sour they'll be. Irene told me she usually left hers for 5 days. Once the pickles are to your liking, refrigerate them the same way you would any other jar of pickles.
I could make myself sick off those pickles!
I've always loved cucumber sandwiches, especially the ones at the Ferguson Tea Room in Hurricane, West Virginia. My friend Shelby and I like to go there for all sorts of special occasions, and the cucumber sandwiches are one of my favorites. I make mine a little different than theirs, because I get a loaf of that party rye bread and just use one slice so I guess that makes mine more like open-faced sandwiches.
Ingredients
1 loaf party rye bread (it's the little tiny squares of rye bread that are really thin - you can usually find it in the bakery)
1 small cucumber
2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
Directions
First off, I mix one tablespoon of the chopped dill into the cream cheese. Then, I slice the cucumber thinly. Next, just spread some of the dill cream cheese on the slices of rye bread. Top with a cucumber slice (one usually fits perfectly on the bread) and sprinkle the top with the rest of the fresh dill. YUM!
The last recipe I have is for a cucumber salad that I made not too long ago that I just loved. It's really refreshing and uncomplicated and just plain good.
Ingredients
1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced finely
2 medium cucumbers, sliced thin & peeled if you so wish (seedless do better with this recipe so it doesn't end of up soggy)
1 dash black pepper
Directions
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Put in the fridge and let the flavors blend in together for about a half hour, then serve. It's pretty freakin' easy if you ask me, and super yummy. For people who don't like to do the yogurt thing, you can do sour cream (or in my case vegan sour cream) instead for an equally refreshing taste.
By the way, don't you love the green in the pictures? I love the color green, even so much that my wedding colors were black, white, and lime green. I even wore lime green shoes with black jewels on them! I'll only put a few wedding pictures because my 1-year anniversary is coming up next month and I'll have to do a post in honor of that, anyway, so I'll put a bunch then.
Me and my 'chacha shoes' as my friend/bridesmaid Stephanie called them :)
The settings at one of the tables for members of the wedding party and their guests. Each of the tables were named after mine and Durb's favorite movies, and this one just happened to be 'Sex and the City.' I still love those tablerunners, too - they were handmade.
Pretty green hydrangeas going up the side of my cake (which indeed has an Eiffel Tower on top of it!) And I loved my beautiful toasting flutes and cake cutting doomaflotchies my darling sister in law Meredith got us.
