Before I get to my post for today, I wanted to show you my mom’s hutch all finished and oh, so beautiful! My sister did 99% of the work and I maybe did 1%. She just knows what she’s doing and is very fast. In 2 days time, my mom’s hutch transformed from just an ordinary looking one…
…into this beautiful up to date one that really shows off her carnival glass and other old antique pieces of glassware. The cabinet has a light in the top of it, but when a picture was taken with the light on, it just sort of cast a glow on the whole top shelf and made it hard to really see anything.
So my picture of the hutch is with the light off, but you can see the way Cindy arranged and displayed my mom’s things. She “robbed” a few pieces from elsewhere in her house, but most of the pieces were in her hutch, hidden because of the dark brown color.
Needless to say, my mom is just thrilled with the way it looks now and I think she’s wishing she’d done it long ago! It really is a lovely piece in her small dining area, which is shared with her living room. We told her it would look good with an oil rubbed bronze spray paint on the hardware, but just between you and me, I think she was just too excited to get it all put back together so she could see it all finished! :o)
Yesterday it looked greenish, today it’s definitely gray!
Okay, now for today’s post…
Father’s Day is coming up on Sunday and I got to thinking of names people call him… Father, Daddy, Dad, Pop, Papa, PawPaw, Pops, Pa, My old man, and probably a few more I can’t think of. We called our’s daddy and he was a good one!
No matter what you call your’s, I’m sure he’ll like these 2 recipes… one is a bean dip (just about like a corn salsa) and the other is a refrigerator pickle recipe.
Kristoffer, (my son), made this Bean Dip for us for Mother’s Day and it was so good, I wanted to share it with you in case you wanted to use it for your Father’s Day dinners. I thought this was a recipe Kristoffer had concocted himself, but if you look up Texas Caviar on Pinterest, you’ll find hundreds of recipes called this, each one just slightly different from the next one. Many of them have 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of oil, but Kristoffer made his with just the veggies and beans, so if you’re even slightly health conscious, this is a good one to make. It required only minimal chopping and is very easy to make…and even easier to DOUBLE! If you had just outright asked me if I liked black eyed peas I probably would have said “nah…” but this recipe changed my mind about them.
Okay, let’s get started. This is what you’ll need…
Kristoffer’s Bean Dip
1 can sweet corn (drained)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can Hopping John black eyed peas, tomatoes, onions and jalapenos (drained)
1/2 of a red pepper, chopped
1/2 of a red onion, chopped
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 of a lime, squeezed
(before we get started, here’s a quick change if you want…)
You can used 1 can of black eyed peas and 1 small can of jalapeno’s (diced) instead of the Hopping John’s can.
Mix together the corn, black beans and the black eyed peas, making sure each can is drained well.
Next add your chopped tomato, chopped onion and your chopped red pepper…
Mix it well and cut your lime in half…squeeze as much of it over the bowl as you can…Stir until mixed well.
Cilantro is optional if you want to add it to taste. If you think it needs salt, add some. I didn’t.
Serve it with tortilla chips…(the blue corn chips are great!) …and ENJOY! If you like things sweeter, you can add sugar to taste…we tried it both ways and decided we liked it “the healthy way!” :o) I made a double batch and we’ve used it for 3 meals so far…we have just a little bit left! You can also use it on salads and grilled chicken and probably many other ways.
The next recipe is from one of my readers, Linda. She shared the recipe with me last year and it is ABSOLUTELY wonderful and super easy to make. You can make 2 quart jars of pickles in a flash. I’m going to add my post from before so you can see how it’s done. Make a couple of quarts for your dad! He’ll love them!
Amish Refrigerator Pickles
Linda, one of my very faithful readers, saw all the cucumbers we were getting from our garden and she sent me a recipe for Amish Refrigerator Pickles. She said they were delicious and I have been wanting to give them a try. I decided today was the day to make them. I have to admit they were super easy to make and I can’t tell you how they taste for 24 hours, as they have to set, but there’s nothing in them that I don’t like so I’m sure I will. What I liked the most about them is how quick they came together. There was no slaving away in the kitchen for hours…there’s nothing to cook…just a few ingredients, 2 quart jars and you’re all set! Here is her recipe if you’d like to give them a try.
6 cups of cucumbers, sliced
1 cup green peppers, sliced
1 cup of onions, sliced
Mix them all together…
Liquid:
1 cup cider vinegar
2 cups of white sugar (actually, I think you don’t need all that, maybe just use 1 3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoons salt
Use two quart sized jars, (I just use what I have)
pack cucumbers, peppers and onions in each jar
mix other ingredients in a large measuring cup, stirring well–(the sugar does not want to dissolve)
Pour over cucumber, pepper and onions
finish off each jar with water to top–then shake
place in refrigerator for 24 hours before serving
Thanks Linda! Guess what we’re having as a “side” tomorrow for dinner?
Here’s the recipe all in one grouping if you want to print it off for yourself…
6 cups of cucumbers, sliced
1 cup green peppers, sliced
1 cup of onions, sliced
Liquid:
1 cup cider vinegar
2 cups of white sugar (actually, I think you don’t need all that, maybe 1 3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoons salt
Use two quart sized jars, (but I just use what I have)
put cucumbers, peppers and onions in each jar
mix other ingredients in a large measuring cup, stir well–(sugar does not dissolve)
Pour over cucumber, pepper and onions
finish with water to top of jar–then shake
put in refrigerator for 24 hours before serving
Well, I certainly hope you’ll give one or both of these a try. I don’t know which one I’m addicted to the most…. oh dear! :o)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
It’s 3:17 and I have already passed on a link to your post to two friends who will be interested in the hutch and want the recipes which will be nice for this weekend and/or equally good for the 4th of July.
On my computer, the second hutch picture is sideways. I don’t know if you can fix it. On the third, the hardware shows up better, and I like it quite a lot. New paint always makes the old hardware look new and better. If not always, than often.
The quilted topper on the hutch seems to me to be exactly the right thing — you might tell us about that.
Hi Marilyn,
I told my mom about you sending the picture of her hutch to some friends and she just smiled.
I saw your comment about the picture being sideways and I was going to try and change it but I left to come over to my moms and I don’t know how to rotate the picture from my phone.
I made the runner for her birthday a few years ago.
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, your mother’s hutch turned out beautifully! Yes, the second picture is also sideways for me, but that’s OK! Her dishes look so pretty inside with the glass doors, but yes, it is hard to photograph anything with glass in front of it. I am sending a picture of my Ethan Allen hutch in a separate email. It’s not as close up of a picture as your mother’s is, but it might give you an idea.
I’ll have to try Kristoffer’s recipe sometime soon. It looks delicious, and I am hoping I can get the ingredients when I shop this weekend. And thank you for posting my Amish Pickle recipe again! Actually, it’s not “mine”,I got it off a recipe on Facebook, and it just gets better each time you use it!
Hi Linda,
My mom liked the fact that you shared your hutch picture with me. Thanks!
We are going to get a dimmer bulb today to see if it makes it better.
I had to post the pickle recipe…they are just so easy to make and are so good!
Blessings, Jeanne
Great post encouraging household delights! Thanks for taking time to share all of this, Jeanne.
Take care.
Hi Becky,
Little things are always fun to do… Cindy painted a chalkboard frame for her…just fun stuff…
Thanks Becky,
Blessings, Jeanne
Your mom’s hutch turned out beautifully. Good job Linda and Jeanne. It’s amazing how a piece of furniture can be transformed!
We have my husband’s parent’s hutch that’s similar only the upper hutch doesn’t have doors, it is just shelves. All of their furniture was beautiful Early American furniture that was “in style” at the time. My mother-in-law took such good care of it all…not a scratch after all these years. We kept her beautiful bedroom furniture for our guest room and the hutch is standing in our storage room with my tea sets and Christmas china in it. I would like to pass it on down to my son. It might be something to consider renovating it as you and Linda did.
Aww, those recipes…thanks…they both look so good.
Paula, you are mistaken in that I renovated my hutch! I just have one that looks similar to Jeanne’s mother’s, so I just mentioned that and sent her a picture. I don’t want to take credit for something that I didn’t do!!! Cindy and Jeanne are the “renovaters”!
Hutch looks great. Must be fun for your mom. It really showcases her things. Maybe you were able to get some stories behind the items?
Heading to the store today to buy dip items. I’m sure we don’t have Hoppin John’s out here, but I will look. Never has a black eyed pea touched my lips, but I’m game.
Hi Joy,
I had to laugh when you said no black eyed pea had ever touched your lips but you were game! I hope you like it!
Blessings, Jeanne
Your mom’s hutch is just charming! What a nice transformation! Kudos to Cindy, and a pat on the back to you for your help, Jeanne! I love how beautifully Cindy has arranged all of your mom’s lovely pieces. (As I recall, Cindy artfully arranged some things in a hutch for you not long ago). Everything is perfectly showcased now. Your mom must be so pleased!
Yum-yum! The recipes look easy-peasy! I can’t wait to try them! Simple and delicious is just what we all need for all those summer get-togethers! Thank you for sharing, Jeanne, and thank you for taking the time to create interesting posts, even in the midst of visiting with family. Enjoy the weekend! Dolly hugs–
Hi Anne
I just showed Cindy what you wrote about her talent for decorating. She said “awwww” so thank you.
We finished up the bean dip today and it was wonderfully versatile with chips, or whatever else we had…
Thanks Anne
Blessings, Jeanne
Great job on the hutch with everything arranged so beautifully. Don’t worry about the pictures being sideways. I have a notepad on which the picture was right side up, but on my standard HP laptop, the same picture was sideways. If you “fix” it, someone will always be seeing it in the wrong orientation. Not to worry. I’ll be trying the pickle recipe. Always interesting posts.
Thanks Susette,
Thanks for your comments…so sorry to everyone who got the picture sideways. I hope you love the pickles…they are so good!
Blessings, Jeanne