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Zero waste recipe: Watermelon rind pickles

By on July 1, 2012 in Featured, Recipes

So lately, I have been making lots of recipes that use up what might have normally been thrown away in my effort to live more like my grandmother would have.  She and her generation did not throw away anything that still had use.  Today I am sharing an good ole Southern favorite, watermelon rind pickles.  They are of course made with the rind (you know the white and green part you throw away after you eat the pink part).  These are super yummy and it was so nice to make them knowing that I am getting more out of my food dollar.

There are lots of different recipes out there.  I have had one from an old recipe book (not sure the name because I only saved that one page.  I tweaked the recipe and added a simple syrup at the end and they are wonderful.

Watermelon rind pickles

Rind of half a watermelon left over from eating the inside
2 quarts water
1/2 c sea salt
2 c vinegar
3 c sugar

juice of half a lemon

6 cinnamon sticks
10-12 whole cloves

Simple syrup
1 c water
1 c sugar

Cut the watermelon rind into strips and with a potato peeler or sharp knife, cut away all the green peel.  Cut away as much of the inside pink from the inside.
Cut strips into chunks and soak in water with salt overnight
The next day, rinse the chunks and cover them with water again while you make the syrup.

In a pot, cook vinegar, sugar, lemon, cinnamon sticks and cloves until it gets to a gentle boil.  Add the chunks and let it cook slowly for about an hour or until it is getting translucent and the syrup is thickened.  Put the chunks including the cinnamon and cloves into sterlized canning jars leaving 2 inches of room from the top.

Make the simple syrup by boiling 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar for a few minutes until it boils and thickens a bit.  Pour over the watermelon pickles and put on lids.  Process in a water bath of fully boiling water for 10 minutes.  Take them out and make sure all the jars seal.

I forgot to mention that early this week I got an email from Yummly letting me know that one of my recipes were featured.  That was a nice surprise.  They featured the Jello Push Pops I made for the 4th of July last year along with lots of other yummy treats.  Want to see it, click here.  Scroll down until you see my red, white and blue push pops.

About Yummly
Yummly is the world’s largest and most powerful recipe search site with millions of visitors and subscribers. Yummly has been featured by The Today Show, Reuters, FOX, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, About.com and more.
Its silly but it made my day.  They also sent me a button to display on my blog here for people who have been featured, you can find it on the side bar.  If you have a minute, won’t you visit and maybe, perhaps, leave a message about my pops : )  Thank you!!!!!

 

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or follow me by email at the top right hand of the screen to have future posts sent to you. Tricia (Crunchy Catholic Momma)

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As good as Rice to Riches Rice Pudding Recipe

By on May 10, 2012 in Recipes

I have done it!!  After months and months of mixing ingredients and tweaking recipes, I have done it.  What have I done?  Well, you already read the header to this post so you know it has something to do with rice pudding.  Not just any rice pudding…a wonderful, creamy, delectable replica of the most amazing rice pudding I have ever had.

If you have been reading my blog that far back, you might remember my trip to New York back in November. One afternoon in SOHO, I was starving but having dinner reservations in an hour I did not want to ruin my appetite, I just wanted a snack.  My cousin told me he wanted to take me to a pudding restaurant.  Um, pudding?  I was game since I’ve never been to a restaurant just about rice pudding.

I was not ready to be blown away by such a simple desert, but that is exactly what happened at Rice to Riches.  Have you ever been there?  If you are ever in the SOHO neighborhood of New York, do yourself the favor.  I had the plain rice pudding because I didn’t expect much. At the first spoonful, I just sat there thinking “how can it be this good?”  and good it was.

 Good enough to keep me thinking about it and causing a really bad pregnancy craving which I could not fill…until now.

The best part is this is so simple and easy and my goodness is it good.  In the past few months I have scoured the internet and recipe books and tried so many that were good but they weren’t as good as Rice to Riches pudding, not even close.  They were all missing one thing, warmth and creaminess.  I decided to use my custard base for making ice cream and then it happened and I stood there eating hot rice pudding right out of the pot because I couldn’t wait for it to cool.

Just as good as Rice to Riches Rice Pudding

7 c whole milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup regular long grain rice
2 eggs
1 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup of raisins

Heat to boiling the milk, rice, salt and bay leaf.  Stay nearby and stir it often until it boils or it can stick to the bottom of the pan.  Reduce to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until rice softens.

In a bowl whisk together the sugar and eggs.  Add some of the rice mixture (about a half a cup) to the sugar egg mixture and whisk quickly for about 30 seconds then add the whole bowl into the rice pudding pot, mix thoroughly.  Add the vanilla extract and the raisins and cook until it thickens up.

Enjoy!!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or follow me by email at the top right hand of the screen to have future posts sent to you. Tricia (Crunchy Catholic Momma)

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