Oh Shit: For Jim

I lost my dear, amazing friend Jim this week and in going through hundreds of his emails I came across this picture from him simply titled "Oh Shit". Still makes me laugh every time.

I was lucky to have known Jim. My words will never express what he meant to me, so I leave you with much better words, HIS words:

"Wow, Katy.

Until just a few seconds ago I'd been operating under the assumption that my own childhood had been the most irregular of all.

That detailed description of you exsanguinating the pickles with a drinking straw... I feel like I just saw you naked, but in a not sexy way. More like I walked in on you attending to a large, inflamed hemorrhoid.

Very troubling indeed. I'm eager to hear more."

Ahhhhhh Jim. I love you and I miss you terribly.
Katy

To really read how wonderful he was and how much we all miss him:
www.squarebooks.com

Really?

A simple google image search for "deli pickles" quickly went awry.

Naturally I took a look at the website for Mr. Pickles and found something else far more curious:

Special custom orders are available for bar owners, hunters, special occasions and other groups or events. (Mr. Pickle once did a wedding!)

HUNTERS...hmm... well, I'll be damned!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Pickle Week! May 15-25

Ok, so it's really 10 days but perhaps the message here is that every 10 days is a week and that every week is pickle WEEK. Wait. I'm confused. I need one of these calendars



I celebrate every day (really, I DO... I wish I were kidding), but you should visit www.pickleweek.com and print some coupons, send pickle e-cards to your boss and loved ones, and order some pickle gear.

Aside of Pickles

"On a hot day in Virginia, I know nothing more comforting than a fine spiced pickle, brought up trout-like, from the sparkling depths of the aromatic jar below the stairs of Aunt Sally's cellar."...Thomas Jefferson

Pickle Candy: WTF?

My sister told me about these sweet pickles that she calls Pickle Candy and I thought I had to give 'em a try. In her own words they are: "So delicious, and nothing at all like those "sweet" pickles wimpy people talk about. This stuff is ready for the candy store."

You've been warned "wimpy people".

Start with 2 jars of hamburger dills. I used Del Monte "Zingers".


Drain the pickle juice of both jars into a container and set aside and put the pickles in a larger container that will have a tight lid


Then pour a 2 pound bag of sugar all over the pickles and shake gently down until it all "settles"


Next slowly begin to pour your reserved pickle juice back into the container of pickles..I thought about skipping this photo but I thought you should be prepared for how it's going to look...


Finally, take a spoon and stir all the sugar in until it dissolves


Now you're ready to put the lid on and stash in your fridge. They need to "sit" for at least 2 days (but the longer the better) and you need to flip them upside down whenever you think about. I am terrified that my cheap-o plastic container lid won't hold and will spill the sticky pickle/sugar sludge all over my refrigerator, so I'm just taking it out and stirring it up with a spoon.

These pickles are also called "Upside Down Pickles" and I've seen other recipes for sweet pickles that include using cinnamon sticks and Red Hot Candies! So if we've been adding Red Hots to our pickles it just makes sense that soaking them in Koolaid is a good idea too. If anyone out there knows of other sweet pickle recipes I'd love to hear them!