PICKLED CUCKES // RECIPE

What do you do when the Crop Share Association you are a member of gives you 4 lbs of cucumbers? Well you pickle them I suppose.

Pickled Cukes
2-3 Cucumbers per jar, use as many as you can fit in the jar
1/2 - 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
20 whole Black Peppercorns
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
3 sprigs of fresh Dill or 1 tbsp dry dill
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (I used apple cider because I was out of white vinegar and it was delicious)
filtered water, enough to top off jar

Cut pickles into spears. Add to jar with all ingredients except water. Once everything is in the jar top it with water and screw lid tightly. Shake the jar to distribute flavors and leave on your counter top for 12 hours. Shake again and turn upside down for another 12 hours, making sure the lid is screwed on tightly to avoid leaking. After 24 hours your pickles are ready to taste and enjoy. I like to place in the refrigerator and wait until they are cool before eating. Lasts in the fridge for a month.

Other Varieties
Add Sugar
Slice rounds and add onion and sugar
Pickle Okra or green beans instead

Also pictured:
Cucumber Lime Water
5 cucumber slices
1/2 lime squeezed
Cold water

Mix together and enjoy a refreshing summer drink.

#OBSESSEDWITHAUSSIECOLLIEMIXES

That's right ya'll - I'm obsessed with aussie collie mixes. Mother to two black rats, it's kinda hard not to be.
Here's a little background:

Lola was my first. And also the reason why I got number 2. She is the dog of a million nicknames. The most recent being "Bofty" because she is so soft of-course. I never promise that my nicknames will make sense, but they are always full of heart and love. Lola started turning grey in the face a little more than a year ago and hit her eleventh birthday. We got Lola from A's brother when she was 7 years old so to us she is only 4. We thought she'd make a great mother to a little pup, since she is the best most well behaved dog in the world. We were kinda wrong.

This January I found a Jack at the local SPCA. I fell in love with him instantly, Lola on the other hand did not. It snowed the week after we got him. The picture above is of 2 year old Jack trying to get 11 year old Lola to play. Obviously Lola doesn't want anything to do with that yappy little boy. She is still denying her new brother to this day.  

Jack is quite different from the role model Lola bear. Full of energy and extremely mouthy, I have my hands full with this boy. His anxiety is quite overwhelming. The first few months we had him he roamed the house with Lola during the day. Then one day I left a container of training treats on the entry table and went to work for the day. It was low enough for him to stick his head in and get them, so (obviously) he did. After that he began pulling things off the kitchen counters. I couldn't leave anything out. He'd chew through plastic to get to whatever yummy treat he set his mind on. The last straw was when he got in the trash and ate the remains of a peanut butter pie among who knows what else. I guess he didn't want us to be so wasteful. Now he spends his days while I'm at work behind the bars of a crate. It's helped, but there's still a lot that he needs to get over. He has anxiety over almost everything: new people, walks, strange dogs, dogs in the house, people in the house, fireworks, loud noises, thunder, storms, cars, birds, squirrels, his mom and dad leaving. I could go on and on.

Regardless, he's earned a spot in our hearts, AND bed, right next to his sister. I use the hashtag #obsessedwithaussiecolliemixes for these two and take lots of pictures and talk about them like they are my children because well, what else would I do.