The Art of the Gift

The art of the homemade gift is fading. I remember as a kid making many of the gifts I gave.  In fact, my first tween girlfriend, Julie Lowry,  was the recipient of my basement made agate necklace.  With the help of my crafty neighbor Christopher’s rock tumbler, I fashioned a large polished stone from the corn field onto a cheap silver chain and presented it to her at the Skatin’ Place on a wintery Saturday night in 1976. She loved it, and gave me my first kiss stained with orange Bonnie Bell Lip Smacker.   It makes me sad that the tradition of making home spun gifts is dying.  Yet, I remain hopeful! If you think about it, the art of cooking and baking is one of the last vestiges of the self-made offering.

What I love about my cupcake in a jar, is it that it makes the cupcake more presentational and glam.  Simply take your favorite cake batter (mine is hands down my Chocolate Zucchini Yogurt cake) and fill your mason jar a little over ½, set on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until complete (about 20-25 minutes). You don’t need a water bath for this I promise.  Allow the cupcakes to fully cool.  Decorate with frosting, candies, sprinkles or shaved chocolate…whatever floats your boat.  Attach your lid and tie a string around the top with an eating utensil and BAM!  You have a killer gift made with heart.  When I serve this for dessert, everyone makes happy sounds when presented with this on the table.  It’s a childhood smile in a jar!

Cooper’s Cheesy Balls (Only 3 ingredients and GLUTEN FREE!)

Ingredients:

1 cup of sour cream (DO NOT USE LOW FAT or FAT FREE…THEY WILL FLOP)
1 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp of Yucca and/or Tapioca flour (Bob’s Red Mill)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make small balls by rolling about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough in the palm of your hand. Use the extra yucca flour to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes (Remember no peeking!) Remove from oven and serve immediately piping hot.

Click here to print Cooper’s Cheesy Balls

CHECK OUT COOPER MAKING HIS CHEESY BALLS ON GOOD DAY ATLANTA!

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/23783902/country-living-fair-stone-mountain-park

Stuffed Cream Cheese Corn Muffins

Summary: “Perhaps my greatest invention.”

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups yellow corn meal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup shredded zucchini, optional
• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• Ingredients for Stuffing:
• 1 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease one jumbo muffin pan or
2. “Texas” sized muffin tin. In a bowl cream oil and sugars. Beat in eggs, milk and salt. Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cumin and cayenne pepper in another bowl. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture until well combined. Fold in zucchini (if using) and corn kernels.
3. 2. In another bowl thoroughly mix cream cheese, cilantro, garlic powder, salt and pepper until well combined.
4. 3. Spoon 1/3 cup of batter into each muffin tin. Scoop about 2 ounces of the cream cheese mixture and roll into the size of a golf ball, then place in the center of each tin. Pour more batter into each tin to fill almost to the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are golden brown.

Number of servings (yield): 6

Acorn Cookies

(GREAT FOR KIDS TO DO….ages 10 and up)

 Ingredients:

• Mini Nilla wafers
• Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses
• Pretzel sticks (the skinny kind)
• ½ cup of chocolate chips (melted)

Instructions:

1. Melt/temper chocolate chips in microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir, then repeat until just melted.

2. On mini-Nilla wafer, spread a small amount of melted chocolate  on flat side of cookie and adhere Hershey’s kiss (flat side) …flat meets flat.

Dip small amount of chocolate on the end of a pretzel stick (break down to 1/2 inch) and adhere to the other side of the cookie (curved side).  Set (pointy end of Hershey’s chocolate side down) into a bowl of uncooked rice or popcorn seeds to dry. If you don’t do this step the stem/pretzel stick with fall off before drying to the rest of the cookie. Drying only takes 5 minutes.

Apple Butter Crumble

Summary : “Simple, earthy and crazy makin’ good.”

Ingredients

• Apple Filling:
• 7 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced on the thicker side
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup flour
• Butter Crumble Topping:
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 ½ cups of whole pecans
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients of the Apple Filling in a large mixing bowl thoroughly.
3. Fill baking dish ¾ to the top. (either a pie tin or oblong baking dish).
4. In a separate bowl, mix together Butter Crumble Topping (easiest to use your hands to mix).
5. Spread topping over apple filling until it forms a nice high mound.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.
7. Let cool for 15 minutes then serve with your favorite ice cream!

Quick notes

This recipe takes 15 minutes to prepare. You can either bake it in a round, rectangle or square dish. Hey, you can even bake these it in separate ramekins if you wanna get fancy!

Green Door Editorial: German Apple Pancake

German Apple Pancake

I’m now writing a Cooper’s Table column for Green Door Magazine, sharing my food and finds.  In writing my first column, I shared a recipe that was introduced to me by my friend Andrea Fowler of Keeping It Cozy.  I love this recipe a lot.  It takes very little effort for a big bang outcome.  It’s apple season so you have no excuse not to make this little gem.  Make sure you use freshly grated nutmeg…this is an absolute must, ok?  Ok!  Let me know your thoughts troops by sharing a comment or 10!

Pancake:

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp butter

Filling:
1 lb local tart apples peeled, cored, sliced
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
nutmeg
optional: powdered sugar

Instructions:
Pancake: Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Beat together eggs, flour, salt and milk until very smooth.  In a cast iron skillet, melt about 1 1/2 Tbsp butter.  When hot, pour in batter and place skillet in the oven.  Bake 15 minutes at 450 and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees.  Continue baking for another 10 minutes until golden brown and bubbly!

Apple Filling: peel, slice and saute apples in butter and sugar.  Using  a microplane or grater, grate nutmeg into filling. Apples should be medium soft.

Remove pancake from oven, pour apple filling into center and spread evenly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like.  Serve immediately.

Apple Infused Simple Syrup

Summary : “I wanted to use the leftover peels and cores from my Butter Apple Crumble recipe. Here it is! An autumnal syrup that’s great for pancakes, French toast, ice cream and cocktails!”

Ingredients

• 3 cups light brown sugar
• 3 cups water
• Cores and peels of 6 Granny Smith apples (leftover from some other recipe)
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 vanilla bean

Instructions

1. Combine sugar, water, apple cores and peels and cinnamon sticks in a large pot. Split vanilla bean, scrape out seeds and add seeds and pod to pot.
2. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook so apple cores soften, about 30 minutes. As they soften, mash up cores occasionally with a whisk or wooden spoon. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
3. Strain cooled syrup into a clean storage jar, squeezing syrup from cooked apple cores to extract more flavor (if you want you can add cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean back into syrup…this will only intensify the flavor). Store in refrigerator up to 3 or 4 weeks.

Number of servings (yield): 3

Limeade Margaritas

Summary : “Word on the street is…..these are the very best.”

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz.) can limeade
• 1 (12 oz.) can tequila
• 1 (12 oz.) can beer
• 1/2 12 oz. can Triple Sec
• Ice cubes

Instructions

1. Using the 12 oz. limeade can for measuring, pour all ingredients into a blender.
2. Fill to about 1 1/2 inches from the top with ice cubes and blend to your preference (smooth or chunky).
3. Serve in salt rimmed glasses.

Number of servings (yield): 8

Kale Yes!

As a kid I hated anything green.  I remember pretending to eat my Brussels sprouts and cleverly spitting them into my napkin in the midst of a well-faked sneeze.  My parents eventually caught on to my anti-vegetable protest and watched me like a psych ward patient on a 24 hour watch.  My plan was foiled. I had to swallow.

As the years progressed, so did my food palette.  Green eventuated from enemy to frenemy to friend.  Last year, my college buddy and besty  Jonel came to the farm for the weekend and brought along a Tupperware container filled to the brim with home made kale chips.  OMG!  Crunchy AND good for you?  Really?  Since then, I’ve become a perpetual fan of kale, using it in various ways in the kitchen.  Most recently, I created a recipe for a kale and bacon salad that simply put, brings kale to a whole new level.  Make it, share it and smile. Kale yes!

Kale & Bacon Salad

Ingredients

1 bunch kale

1/4 cup homemade bread crumbs

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon (5 strips)

1 medium garlic clove, pasted

1/4 cup finely grated pecorino cheese, more for garnish

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for garnish

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Instructions:

1. Trim bottom 2 inches off kale stems and discard. Slice kale, excluding ribs, into 1/2-inch-wide ribbons. You should have 4 to 5 cups and set aside.

2. Toast bread until golden on both sides. Place in food processor until mixture forms coarse crumbs.

3.  Toast pine nuts in skillet with drizzle of olive oil until golden brown and set aside.

4.  In skillet, cook 5 strips of bacon, drain fat and cool on paper towels. Once cooled, crumble/cut and set aside.

5. With the back of a knife, crush garlic into paste. Combine garlic, cheese, 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper flakes and black pepper.  Drizzle dressing over kale and toss very well with pine nuts and bacon.

6. Let salad sit for 5 minutes, then serve topped with bread crumbs, additional cheese and drizzle of olive oil.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings.

Blueberries, Bears and Buckle

We’re now approaching blueberry season here in Pennsylvania.  While I love blueberries and all the great anti-oxidants and nummy qualities they possess (yes, I’m aware I just used the word nummy), the actual picking of them is a pain in the ass. Today was especially slow going, hot and humid with Jurassic Park sized mosquitoes en masse. Does that stop us from picking? Hell no! We’re cray cray, remember? Each armed with a coffee can and a string attached (see pic below), me and Mark headed out to wrestle mosquitoes and bears for mother nature’s treats.  Bears?  Oh yeah. Bears LOVE blueberries.   Squirrel moment… change of topic. One of my favorite stories is when my friend Ana was blueberry picking and looked up to find a black bear gulping down berries on the other side of the very bush she was picking!  She kept on picking and the bear kept on eating as if nothing had happened. That’s our Ana. Now if that were me, I’d leave behind the berries, the can, my cell phone, my pride and Mark in 2 sec with a cartoonesque trail of dust behind me. I think of Ana every time I nervously reach into a blueberry bush with eyes wide open. Isn’t it funny how some stories never ever leave your mind?

Annnnnd we’re back. When we returned to the farm with our harvest, I dove right into making my Blue Berry Buckle, a treat that always gets major points at the farmhouse table. I know you’ll enjoy this recipe for years to come.

Just waiting to be picked.

Mark with his Blueberry Can/String in the blueberry patch.

The Harvest! A coffee can and a string make the perfect blueberry bucket!

Ingredients

Can you smell it? Mmm!

Blueberry Buckle

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces, 8 tablespoons melted and cooled

1 ½  cups sugar

3 teaspoons grated lemon zest

4 cups blueberries

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups whole milk

Instructions:

1. Place oven rack in middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place 4 tablespoons cut-up butter in baking dish and transfer to oven. Heat until butter is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. In food processor, pulse 1⁄4 cup sugar and lemon zest.

3.  Roughly mash blueberries in bowl and set aside.

4. Combine flour, 11⁄4 cups sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Whisk in milk and 8 tablespoons melted, cooled butter until smooth. Remove from oven, transfer to wire rack, and pour batter into prepared pan.

5. Dollop mashed blueberry mixture unevenly (in random clumps) over batter. Evenly sprinkle lemon sugar, and bake until golden brown and edges are crisp, 45 to 50 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let buckle cool 30 minutes. Serve warm.

The Art of De-Lousing Chickens

Sometimes things will always be DIY, no matter what.  I mean really, who the heck do you hire to “de-louse” your 39 chickens when they get infested with poultry lice?  You don’t.  You do the dern nasty job yourself.  Most things on the farm I really don’t mind doing including cleaning the chicken coop.  I actually enjoy that chore.  However, imagine going in to get eggs and suddenly seeing a mass of black spots creeping up all over your legs, arms, eyes, ears and other body parts I will not mention. It was a bit Amityville Horrorish, running out of the coop like two freaked out teen age girls in a haunted house.  Our feathered ladies, however, were stuck there.  Poor things!  We felt really badly for our girls who were clearly agitated and upset. We then sprang into action.

In a bit of a tizzy, with bugs all over us, me and Mark immediately went to the local Agway store in Monticello, NY.  They were amazingly helpful.  Between the information from them, the internet and from my friend Melissa Caughey who is a chicken expert, award winning blogger and author (www.tillysnest.com), we had a solid plan to rid ourselves and our girls from this hell we were in.

How to De-Louse your chickens:

Step 1:  We cleaned the coop and scrubbed out all the roosts with a solution of ½ vinegar ½ water.  We also scrubbed the floor with this as well.  The girls were quarantined in the outdoor run while we did this.  Once it was dry and the fumes had cleared we let them back in.  You see, we learned that chickens are VERY sensitive to fumes/smells (except for their own crap of course!) which can cause respiratory distress.

Step 2.  We turned the earth in the outdoor run and incorporated Diatomaceous earth into it.  This stuff is natural and basically acts like tiny razor blades against those pesky creepy crawly lice!

Step 3.  We dusted each of the 39 birds with the Diatomaceous earth.

Step 4.  We then added more Diatomaceous earth in the base of each nesting box before placing fresh pine shavings.

Step 5.  The girls then began to sing Gospel spirituals, light up cigarettes and poured cocktails.

Step 6.  We will repeat these steps again in two weeks.  Oh joy.

Ahhhhhhhhh, life on the farm!

Garlic Scapes Have Arrived!

Scapes?  What?  I know, I too was in the dark about what the hell these were until Mark introduced them to me 6 years ago.  In a nut shell, Garlic Scapes are the shoots that grow out of garlic bulbs and have a really gentle garlic flavor and texture.  THEY ROCK! People used to throw them away until they realized how amazing they actually are. They have a very short season so you want buy them on the smaller/thinner side because the bigger they get, the tougher they get. (Insert human metaphor here!).  They remind me a bit of green beans but have a bit more of a bite raw!  But, if that’s your thang then go for it! Meow! Where do you get them?  You’ll find these mostly at local farmer’s markets because farmer’s know how crazy good these are.  I’ve included a pic below as to what they actually look like before cooked so you can eye ball them at the market.  Cooking is super easy so here it goes.

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of garlic scapes

2 cups chicken stock

2 cloves garlic diced

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Clean Garlic Scapes, cut brown/dried ends and chop into green bean sized lengths.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat and “sweat” your garlic until very light brown.

3.  Add chopped scapes stirring for 8 minutes.

4.  Add chicken stock and cover.  Cook until tender

5.  Salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

*Tip.  Another way to use scapes is to make a pesto out of them. Simply substitute the arugula and basil in my pesto recipe with the scapes.  Remember go easy on the garlic for the pesto as these have a mild garlic value already.

Avocado Margarita: Welcome to Heaven

When Margaritas are served in heaven, this is what they’ll taste like. If you’re thinking “Avocado?  Really Cooper?”  Think again.  This is perhaps THE BEST Margarita you will EVER EVER EVER make.  A perfect balance, creamy, tangy and oh so sexy!  Make this one and become a star in your kitchen.  And yes, this is my mad scientist creation.

Ingredients/salted rim:

4 Tbsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Ingredients/Margarita:

1 avocado pitted and peeled

3 cups ice

3 limes juiced

5 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup tequila

1/2 cup triple sec

Lime wedges for garnish

Instructions

1. Rim Glass: On a plate, mix together the salt and cayenne pepper. Run a lime wedge around the rim of each margarita glass and turn each glass upside down into salt mixture. Turn the glass until the rim is completely coated. Set aside.
2. In a blender, combine ice, lime juice, avocado, ice, honey, tequila, and triple sec. Blend until very smooth.
3. Pour into rimmed glasses and serve immediately.  Makes four medium sized servings.

Blue Ribbon Pasta Salad

Summary : “I beat out three generations of cooks to win the Blue Ribbon in the savory category of a bake-of with this recipe. Don’t be shocked that it has no meat in it. But, even meat eaters come back for thirds for this one.”

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions and drained
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, either freshly shaved or grated
• 1⁄2 cup chopped radicchio
• 1⁄2 cup toasted pine nuts, pumpkin seeds or pecan bits
• 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup chopped Calamata olives
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 5 Tbsps olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add all ingredients, stirring well to combine. Pepper to taste. Do not salt…there is a lot of salt in the cheese!

Quick notes

-Make sure you make this one day in advance…the flavor is 10 times better the next day, and the day after, and the day after and…ok…well…you get it.

Tomato, Avocado and Grilled Bread Salad

Ingredients:

3 vine ripe tomatoes sliced

1 avocado cubed

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup grilled day old Bread (baguette, Italian bread, etc..)

2 cloves garlic minced

¼ cup pine nuts

drizzle of white balsamic vinegar

drizzle of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Toss day old bread , cubed, in olive oil and grill until toasted and set aside.
2. In skillet, toast pines nuts until golden in drizzle of olive oil, remove from pan and set aside.
3. Combine all ingredients in bowl, salt and pepper to taste.

Apple Blossom Cocktail

Summary : “This cocktail rocks! It’s fresh and good for every season. Using my Apple Infused Simple syrup you will wow your friends and family.”

Ingredients

• 1 bottle dry white wine (like sauvignon blanc)
• 2 ¼ cups simple syrup apple (see recipe)
• 1 ½ cups gin
• 1 ½ cups dry vermouth
• Juice from ½ a lemon
• 1-1 ½ cups soda water (about 12 oz)
• Apple slices and star anise, for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a large pitcher with ice. Pour in all ingredients except soda
2. Water. Stir with a spoon.
3. Top with soda water and garnish with apple slices and star anise, if desired. Serve in tumblers.

Number of servings (yield): 12

Strawberry Feta Salad

I really try to use foods that are in season.  Well, my favorite berry farm, Trapani Farm, finally showed up at the local farmer’s market that me and Mark started years back.  Anyway, I made SURE  I was there early before they sold out.  Here is my creation using strawberries in a whole new light.  I served it over a bed of locally grown kale to make the perfect summer salad.

Strawberry Feta Salad

Ingredients

4 cups (1 quart) fresh strawberries hulled and sliced

½ cup feta cheese crumbled

½ cup chopped red onion

¼ white balsamic vinegar (dark balsamic will spoil the color)

½ cup toasted and chopped pistachios

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Toast pistachios in a drizzle of olive oil until brown then set aside to cool.

2.  Mix remaining ingredients in bowl.

3.  Combine cooled pistachios with olive oil into salad.  Allow to sit for one hour before serving over bed of greens.

Raw Milk and Jesus. What A Find!

When Mark told me he found a dairy farmer in the area that sold raw milk my heart skipped a beat, and then another beat.  I had not had raw milk since visiting Sissy Kaset in Vermont a few years ago. In fact, I thought it was illegal in New York State to sell raw dairy.  I was happily mistaken.  This is the skinny. As long as you sell directly from your farm in New York State and you have a license to do so it’s cool. So, we went online, emailed our order then headed down the next morning to Freedom Hill Farm in Otisville, New York.

Pulling up in the truck we were both taken aback by how pristine this farm was, almost like it was out of a movie.  When we walked up to the retail side we were greeted with a large chalkboard sporting a biblical scripture of the day, “Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.” Psalm 16.  I strangely found comfort in this seeing this.  They embrace who they are proudly.  I love that.

We entered and looked around finding the refrigerator where our order was housed and there it was, my very own raw milk jar with C. BOONE written on it!  It was like a Dairy Christmas!  Ummmm….so, where was the cashier?  “HELLLLOOOO????  Anybody?” Nobody around.  That’s right baby…it’s an honor system.  Can you believe it? A business that trusts the customer? Dumfounded, I ended up paying more b/c I didn’t have change. Oh yeah, you can also meander over to the milking barn at your leisure and take a look at the milking “Jersey” ladies. Not for nothing, but I’ve ALWAYS wanted a Jersey Cow.

A word about Jesus. Just know, the farmers might ask you to join them in a Christian prayer circle while you are walking around. It’s not freaky in any way. They ‘re not heavy handed about this and were cool with people who declined.  Just wanted you to be aware of that.

What a find!

Pricing:

Milk is $5.00 a gallon

$6.00 in a new one gallon plastic jug

$3.50 in a new half gallon plastic jug

$5.50 in a new 2 quart glass mason jar (includes $3 jar deposit)

$3.25 in a new 1 quart glass mason jar (includes $2 jar deposit)

Plain yogurt @ $4.50 a quart (32 ounces)

or $3.00 a half quart (16 ounces)

Kefir $4.50 a quart

Address: 115 Grange Road, Otisville, NY 10963

Phone:  845-386-5798 Please no calls after 8pm

Email:  julievreeland@frontiernet.net

http://www.freedomhillfarm.net

www.raw-milk-facts.com

Cooper’s Perfect Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached self-rising flour
• 4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter cubed
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup zucchini finely shredded/drained

 Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together and mix thoroughly with your hands/fingers, making sure you are integrating the butter into small crumbles.

On a cutting board, sprinkle a hand full of flour and spread evenly.

Lightly knead dough. Result should be soft and silky, not sticky.  Shape dough into round disc. Using your rolling pin, roll dough to 3/4″ thick.  It’s better to be on the thicker side. MUCH BETTER!

Cut biscuits out with biscuit cutter (I use a juice glass).  Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.  It’s better to underbake then to over bake.

With remaining dough, form another disc, roll, cut and bake until dough has been completely used.

Coop’s Quick Pickled Onions

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 red onion, very thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Mix vinegar, water, sugar and salt until dry ingredients are fully dissolved.
2. Slice onion on mandolin for very best “thin” results
3. Place onions in a jar, pour liquid in and full cover and seal with lid.
4. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.  Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and chill. Drain onions before using.