January 4, 2012: Shrimp, Potato and Pea Salad Recipe

I know I’ve talked about the need to lose weight on and off over the past year but now it’s time to get serious about it. I attended a Weight Watchers meeting last night as the guest of my friend Kathy. I was NOT impressed by the organization – I wasn’t allowed to use the scale (really? I snuck up there anyway) and at the end of the regular part of the meeting I wanted more information but was told by the gals manning the tables in back that they were “closed”. They gave me a flyer advertising a special deal and sent me on my way. This was not the way to get me to sign up and spend my money with Weight Watchers!

So…when I got on the scale I wasn’t too surprised to see that my weight was even worse than I’d thought. So my goal is to lose 36 pounds over the upcoming year. I did some sleuthing online and found out that to lose one pound with light activity (I walk about 3 – 4 miles in the park as often as possible but I guess walking isn’t considered even moderate exercise) I can only take in 1,214 calories per day. Okay, that’s difficult but not impossible. My usual breakfast of yogurt, string cheese and a few crackers along with two cups of coffee and creamer came out to 433 calories. That leaves me roughly 800 calories for the rest of the day. I’m doing my best to stick to that.

Here’s a recipe my Aunt Jean wrote out for me some years ago. She found it in a book from the library but I have no idea which one so I can’t give credit where it’s due. Anyway, by changing the regular mayonnaise to low fat or non fat or even substituting Greek yogurt, this recipe is very healthy and a great lunch or brunch dish.

Shrimp, Potato and Pea Salad

1 ½ lbs. cooked shrimp

5 medium-sized red potatoes, cooked, cooled and diced

1 10-ounce package frozen peas, cooked and cooled

3 medium dill pickles, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise (low fat or non fat or substitute Greek yogurt)

3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 T. minced fresh dill weed

¼ t. black pepper

In a large bowl, combine shrimp, potatoes, peas, pickles and onions. Cover and refrigerate.

In a small bowl mix dressing ingredients. Add to salad and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate a couple hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

Serving suggestions: serve with fresh sliced tomatoes and cucumber sticks along with a bread thin spritzed with spray margarine and garlic powder. Or serve with bran muffin and fresh fruit.

August 22, 2011: Crunchy Kosher Style Dill Pickle Recipe

I just learned how to can foods last year. My dear friend Margaret patiently showed me how to do it. That one time was all it took for me to become passionate about canning fresh foods. I made pickles from some big, fat cucumbers our friend Darrell shared with us but they turned out awful! The flavor was good, but they weren’t crisp and the skin was tough.

So this year I decided I’d try again. Armed with the knowledge of what went wrong last time, I bought the proper type of cucumbers from the farmer’s market, and made sure that I processed the cans for the minimal amount of time in a boiling water bath. It’s going to be a few weeks before all the flavors are absorbed into the cukes, so I can’t tell you for sure whether these are better than last year’s batch, but they already look better and I’m sure they’re going to be flavorful thanks to all the extra spices I added.

Crunchy Kosher Style Dill Pickles

2 ½ pounds pickle cucumbers (the kind with spiny knobs on the skin)

3 cups water

2 ½ cups vinegar

2 ½ ounces kosher dill pickle spice mix (I used Ball brand and it contains salt so you don't need to add extra)

10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

20 black peppercorns

10 sprigs dill weed

10 small sprigs fennel

Clean and slice cucumbers into spears or chips. Place in a large bowl and cover with ice water. Put in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, sterilize 10 pint-sized jars. Place the water, vinegar, dill pickle mix, and garlic cloves in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

In each jar, place as many of the cold cucumber spears as will fit. Add one garlic clove (strained from the vinegar mixture), two peppercorns, one sprig dill and one tiny sprig fennel. Pour in the boiled vinegar mixture to one-half inch from the top of the jars.

Prepare a large canning pot with bottom tray by adding water to the halfway mark and bringing to a boil.

Clean the rims of each jar and top with a lid; screw a band on each to finger tightness.

Using a jar vice, carefully place the jars of pickles in your canning pot. Make sure the boiling water covers the lids by half an inch; if necessary add more boiling water. Cover the pot and process for 10 to 20 minutes (10 minutes at low altitudes, 20 minutes for altitudes above 6,000 feet). When processing is complete, turn off the heat and uncover the canning pot. Use your jar vice to remove the pickle jars. Set them on a cloth on a table and let rest for at least 12 hours before moving.

Allow 3 to 4 weeks for flavors to penetrate the cucumbers before eating.