Pickled Beets

 This was my mom's recipe for beet pickles.  She made them almost every summer when the beets were ripe.  When I grow beets this is a go to recipe.  

Beet Pickles

Ingredients:

• Beets, enough to fill 6 pint jars
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups vinegar (cider or white)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 T. whole allspice
• 4 or 5 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Directions:

1. Cook whole small beets until tender.  Peel and slice or leave whole if small.  
2. Bring the rest of the ingredients (syrup) to a boil. Put sliced beets in the syrup and simmer for 15 minutes. 
3. But in to hot jars, beets and liquid.
4. Seal. (With hot jars, hot liquid and hot lids, the jars should seal.)

Vi's Church Pickles

 This recipe comes from Les' aunt Vi.  They are what we call church pickles. The pickle juice in the jar gets cloudy. Ladies would always bring pickles for church potlucks and the jars were cloudy!  An easy recipe and you can make one jar at a time.

Vi's Pickles

Ingredients:

• Cucumbers
• Dill
• Pickling spice
• 1 dried hot red pepper (can find in pickling spices, 2 if tiny pieces)
• 1 T. Salt
• Garlic (one clove, cut into pieces if large, or two cloves if small)
• 1/4 tsp. alum (her recipe said knife tip fo alum)

Directions:

1. Put dill in bottom of quart jar
2. Add pickling spices, red pepper, salt and garlic.
3. Fill jar with cold water from the faucet.
4. Add alum.
5. Let set on counter until water gets a little cloudy, 2-3 days.  
6. Ready to eat or store.

Mint Ice Box Torte

 I found this recipe in an old church cookbook, and I remember my mom making something similar.  It was a bright and minty taste dessert and I have not had it for years.  It is made with those little pastel party mints. It has to set for 36 hours, and the mints should melt.  I hope to try this soon, and will update this then.

Mint Ice Box Torte

Ingredients:

• 1 pint whipping cream
• 20 marshmallows (quartered) or 2 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups party mints
• Chocolate cookies

Directions:

1.   Line a torte or other pan with chocolate cookie crumbs.  Can add melted butter to hold them together.
2.   Whip cream.  Fold in mints and marshmallows.
3.   Put in pan lined with chocolate cookie crumbs.
4.   Refrigerate for 36 hours.