This Stuffed Dill Pickle Appetizer Is All You Need At Your Next Party

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By: Augusta Statz

Magic Valley 

 

If you’re looking for the perfect savory appetizer to serve guests at your next party, look no further. Not only is this appetizer option memorable, but it’s sure to be delicious — especially for a pickle-loving crowd.

(photo by: Little Dairy On The Prairie)

 

This recipe for Stuffed Dill Pickles from Mid-Life Croissant takes the average dip situation and raises it up a notch. You’re not going to make a dip that’s placed in a bowl and served with pickles and pretzels. Oh no. Instead, you’re going to put the dip inside of a pickle that’s been sliced in half and cored in the middle — an appetizer you’ve likely never seen before.
Perhaps the best part of all is that the recipe only calls for four ingredients: pickles, goat cheese, parsley and oregano.

 

This appetizer is salty, cheesy, has pickles and is packed full of flavor. What more could you ask for?

And lucky for you, this isn’t the only pickle-filled starter dish that exists. If you’d still prefer a classic dip with plenty of bread slices and more for dunking, this recipe for a pickle cheeseball will change how you serve appetizers once and for all. Because seriously, if your appetizer selection doesn’t involve pickles, you’ve been doing it all wrong.

The recipe comes from Little Dairy On The Prairie and combines cream cheese, dill spice and dill pickles to create the ultimate topping for crackers and more:

And for yet another cheese and pickle appetizer combination your guests are sure to love, you can also easily make non-traditional cheese sticks by adding a dill pickle to the mix.

The recipe from Delish shows how you can transform pickles by stuffing them with mozzarella cheese, rolling them in an egg wash and bread crumbs and baking them right up.

Can Pickle Juice Really Cure a Hangover?

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Health

By:Kasandra Brabaw

Here’s what you need to know before swigging brine from the jar in your fridge.

 

When you wake up with a pounding head and cotton-dry mouth the night after one (or a few) too many drinks, you’ll likely find yourself Googling ways to get rid of your hangover, fast. And when you do, you may stumble upon a suggestion to throw back some pickle juice.

Some claim that pickle brine is the reason Polish people don’t get hangovers. Even Dr. Oz has endorsed pickle juice as a hangover cure. According to him, the salts in pickle juice replenish electrolytes that you lose while drinking, which can make your headache disappear. But is getting over a hangover really as easy as taking a swig from the pickle jar in your fridge?

Well, probably not. “The main thing to understand with hangovers is that they usually happen because people are dehydrated, and then also you probably didn’t get much sleep,” Tochi Iroku-Malize, MD, a practicing family physician in Long Island, New York, tells Health. So yes, salty pickle brine might help with the electrolytes you’ve lost if you peed a lot, or maybe even threw up, the night before. But taking a shot of pickle juice in the morning won’t make your hangover disappear if you’re not also drinking lots of water and nursing your hangover with a nap.

Alcohol acts as a diuretic, which means that it’ll make you pee more than usual. That’s why you may find you have to go so often during a boozy night out and one of the reasons you feel so dehydrated the morning after. Yes, you lose electrolytes in pee—but it’s the water that really matters. “When you’re losing water, you need to continue to replace that,” Dr. Iroku-Malize says. She suggests that people drink a whole glass of water with every alcoholic drink to make the hangover sting less.

The only way to really prevent a hangover is to not drink too much, Dr. Iroku-Malize says. Her definition of “not too much” is one drink a day for women and two for men. Of course, it’s not exactly realistic that you’ll stick to only one drink every day, especially when special occasions like birthdays, holidays, and New Year’s Eve roll around. The next best thing to do is drink lots and lots of water—not gulp down some pickle juice.

If you had a particularly sweaty drunken night, a sports drink might help the resulting hangover, Dr. Iroku-Malize adds. Sports drinks are specially formulated to balance athletes’ electrolytes. Once upon a time, scientists thought pickle juice might do the same thing. In 2014, a small study of nine runners tested whether or not drinking pickle juice before exercising would keep them from cramping. “This is maybe why people think pickle juice will help with dehydration,” Dr. Iroku-Malize says. There was one problem though: The study didn’t show any difference in performance or cramping between drinking pickle juice or drinking plain old water.

Then again, it didn’t do any harm, either. So if you’re invested in the idea of pickle juice as a cure—and you don’t mind the taste—go ahead and drink around a quarter cup next time you’re in need of hangover relief. But follow your pickle juice swig with a few cups of water, some aspirin or ibuprofen, and maybe a nap.

Why fermented cocktails are the next big drinks trend

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By: Kate Strick 

Evening Standard 

Adding pickle juice to your cocktail can cure hangovers

Drinking a Bloody Mary to cure a hangover doesn’t sound groundbreaking but Florence Cherruault’s concoction is super-powered. The Hackney mixologist and founder of The Pickle House says her revolutionary new cocktails will boost your immune system, curb sugar cravings and save you from a deadly headache the next day. The secret, she says, lies in a dusty Mason jar at the back of your kitchen cabinet.

The wonder ingredient is pickle juice, which is the miracle elixir behind Cherruault’s award-winning cocktail mix company and the name of her new book. It launches this month and it’s a micro-manual for surviving party season: a master guide to the capital’s hottest fermented concoctions, from a fiery Hawksmoor Bloody Mary to Cherruault’s own signature blend: spice, tomato juice and The Pickle House’s Original Pickle Juice, served over vodka.

It’s the ultimate hangover cure, says Cherruault. “The pickle juice is full of electrolytes which help rehydrate the body with nutrients, so there’s a health side to adding it into cocktails.” It’s also proven to soothe muscle cramps, boost vitamins and help with weight loss — crucial for surviving December’s revelry.

But there’s more than Bloody Marys: the book covers 50 of Cherruault’s hero recipes including a crowd-pleasing Dirty Pickled Martini, a refreshing Cucumber and Ginger Shrub and a fiery Pickleback (a shot of whisky followed by a shot of pickle juice) inspired by a trip to New York. “It’s very much a love it or hate it thing,” Cherruault explains. It’s a bit like trying your first coffee. “If you don’t like it the first time, you should always try a second.”

She’s always liked the sharp, briny taste of pickles ever since that trip to the US but understands that it can be a little “harsh” for the uninitiated. Which is why she includes a whole section on shrubs: pickles’ sweeter, fruit-infused cousin.

 

“It’s an easier way into drinking vinegar,” says Cherruault, and perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth. Try the apple and cinnamon shrub for a festive tipple or join a cucumber shrub masterclass at Pickle Juice’s book launch this Wednesday at Coal Drops Yard.

It’s a customer favourite and pairs well with a G&T, though the beauty of a shrub is it makes a perfect mocktail if you want a night off drinking. “When you’ve got apple cider vinegar or pickle juice in your cocktail, it adds a depth of flavour to it,” says Cherruault. “It’s not like you’re just having Shloer.”

 

Which is important: people want that kick that makes them feel like they’re drinking something alcoholic. “The acidity from the vinegar adds a similar depth of flavour as spirits, so you can’t drink it as quickly as a really sugary drink,” she continues. Her mocktail of choice is one part shrub to three parts soda water, an alternative to sweet cordials, and a signature blend at neighbouring The Little Duck Picklery in Dalston.

Dirty Bones, Ping Pong and Sketch also offer fermented cocktails — some of which are in the book — but the beauty of pickle juice is how easy it is to make at home (and how colourful it looks in your cupboards). She wants Pickle Juice to be a beginners’ guide for mastering the art of fermented drinks but hopes that Londoners will start to get creative. Send in your own pickled elixir for a chance to be included on Cherruault’s website (or perhaps the next book). In the meantime, stock up Mason jars and get pickled, minus the hangover.

Pickle Juice Soda Is Actually Real, Here’s Where to Find It

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By: Wide Open eats 

Rare

 

pickle juice soda be the perfect gift for your favorite pickle lover!

 

 

Pickles are just a magical thing. Whether you’re trying pickle ice pops or pickle vodka, the health benefits of pickles are what brings people back to the fermented jars every week and the grocery store. For those who just relish the taste of pickle juice, the latest concoction from Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop will be a big dill: Pickle Juice Soda.

The store, with three locations in Pennsylvania and Ohio, is now stocking 12-ounce glass bottles of the stuff for $2.65 a pop. However, if you can’t make the trip, Grandpa Joe’s will ship it to your front door for the pretty penny of $9.99 per bottle. You can also find it online at Soda Emporium for just $2.99 per bottle, without the shipping fees from Grandpa Joe’s. Could a six-pack of dill pickle juice soda be the perfect gift for your favorite pickle lover?

Believe it or not, demand has been out the door, and shipped orders could take between five and 10 days to make their way from the Midwest. The power of the pickle and the excitement around this soda is basically a lifestyle. Many say the soda tastes spot-on, and has even helped satisfy a pickle craving or two along the way for a real pickle fan.

While you could pay the price for pickle juice soda to get those health benefits, you could also try cooking with pickle juice. In fact, In-N-Out’s sauce has a secret ingredient that makes all the difference. Of course, that’s not all pickles appear in, apart from the pickled pop. Did you know people love peanut butter and pickle sandwiches?

 

This isn’t Grandpa Joe’s first foray into the world of weird and wild flavors in his candy stores in western Pennsylvania. They also stock items like bacon-flavored frosting and macaroni and cheese-scented air fresheners.

Would ever try this new soda? The carbonation with tangy pickle juice on your taste buds tastes delicious. Of course if you’re not into the idea of pure cane sugar and pickle juice together, maybe this gallon of pickle juice is for you to make your own pickle popsicles at home. That’s not all, either. Did you hear about Sonic’s Pickle Juice slushies from the summer? Now that’s an interesting way to use leftover pickle juice.

Walmart’s Pickle Lover Gift Packs Are A Dill-icious Dream Come True

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By :Callie Tansill-Suddath

Bustle

If you thought pickle madness ended with the summer, think again. Earlier this year, the (internet) world was dazzled and confused by a focus on the deli counter staple. While jars of the sour spears are present in many refrigerators, rarely have they been used to flavor everything from slushes to popcorn, the way they were in the summer of 2018; if you know someone who was plugged into the trend, Walmart has created what might be the perfect gift for a devoted pickle head. The Deluxe Pickle Lovers Gift Pack is just that: packed with everything a pickle lover could ever need (and more!).

 

The Deluxe Pickle Lovers Gift Pack from Walmart is filled with essentials for anyone who claims to be devoted to the snack. For a little under $35, you get a (reusable) tin filled with pickle bandages, pickle lip balm, pickle mints, a pickle-shaped stress toy, an “I Love Pickles” Can Koozie, an “I Heart Pickles” Wristband, and some Dill Pickle Salt. So, not only does this gift set provide you with accessory essentials, it touches on lip care and cupboard essentials. There is not one emergency, pickle-related or un-pickle-related, it cannot meet. What more could you possibly need?

Deluxe Pickle Lovers Gift Set( Photo By : Walmart)

Well, now that you mention it, an actual pickle-flavored snack would be nice. Don’t worry, Walmart has that covered, too. In fact, there is an entire section of the website devoted to pickle gift packs. You can find it on the Walmart website if you search “Pickle addicts.”

 

In the EXTREME Pickle Lovers Gift Pack, you will find everything in the standard Pickle Lovers Gift Set, as well as a bag of pickle-flavored gummy candy. If on second thought you realize you ONLY want edible pickle gifts, that is an option, too! The Extreme Pickle Candy Sampler Gift Pack offers an assortment of pickle-flavored confections; it includes pickle-flavored lollipops, pickle-flavored mints, a giant pickle gummy, and not one but two varieties of pickle-flavored hard candies (in original and spicy).

Extreme Pickle Candy Sampler Gift Pack( Photo By : Walmart)

 

It goes without saying pickles have been around for a long time — back to the B.C. era, according to PBS! — but the archaic food preservation method found new life this past summer after an explosion of pickle-flavored oddities.
Drive-in chain Sonic made headlines and earned a feature in the Food and Wine with the addition of a pickle-flavored slush to its summer sweet treat menu. Apparently, the sip was pretty well-executed, too; it’s not like you got a mouthful of pickle brine. But if that sounds good to you, artisan small batch cocktail brine is also available from Washington, DC-based Gordy’s Pickle Jar. KFC even got in on the trend recently with the release of its Pickle Fried Chicken over the summer.

Unfortunately, none of these are ideal holiday gifts, seeing as most of them were seasonal (and it’s difficult to gift wrap fried chicken). So, Walmart’s specially-designed gift packs for pickle lovers are your best bet. Those detailed above are only a few of what the online store is carrying, so be sure to explore everything Walmart has to offer to satisfy your sour soul and tastebuds.

 

 

Pickle Bloody Mary Mix Is A Brunch Game-Changer

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By Lindsay Funston

Delish 

A Pickle Bloody Mary is the new pickle trend!

 

Don’t trust people who don’t love Bloody Mary’s. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. They’re the ultimate brunch partner—they cure your hangovers, they go great with everything from chicken & waffles to burgers, and they’re so complex: salty, spicy, and briny. I’m also someone who doesn’t trust people who don’t like a pickle in their bloody. When I heard that Gordy’s Pickle Jar—the brilliant minds behind canned pickle brine—were adding their prized brine to bloody mary mix, I was SO game.

I traveled to Washington D.C. to meet the power couple behind Gordy’s, Sarah Gordon and Sheila Fain, and make some mix! This wasn’t my first rodeo making bloody mary mix (the Nashville hot chicken mix I made in Tennessee was insane), but the women’s recipe definitely sets itself apart. It’s super bright, thanks to fresh dill and cucumber juice (game-changer btw), intensely peppery, and has an intense kick; they stir in brine left over from their pickled cherry peppers.
The mix is a must-drink (and, ahem, perfect holiday gift) for any pickle or bloody mary lover.

 

Texans Eat Pickles At The Movie Theater, And They Think Everyone Else Does Too

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By: Zachary

Shared 

Pickles are the best snack at the movie theater!

 

They say you learn something new every day, and sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that we don’t know as much about the world (or even our own country) as we think we do.
Take the great state of Texas for example.

 

If you ask anyone in America to describe the Lone Star state, they’ll tell you about 10-gallon hats, pickup trucks, and ropin’ dogies.
But mention “movie theater pickles” to someone from another state, and you’ll probably get a few confused looks.

The truth is Texans do eat pickles at movie theaters, and they’re actually surprised that the rest of us don’t.

 

The internet actually examined Texas’ love for eating pickles in front of the big screen back in 2015, when a few articles about the strange fad appeared online.

But the news “broke” again this month, drawing surprised reactions from movie-goers in the 49 states that don’t offer pickles at the multiplex.

 

Even native Texans aren’t clear on how the pickle phenomenon started or why. Most just guess that pickles are salty, so they’re meant to encourage customers to buy more soft drinks.

Still, the trend is so widespread in Texas that many Texans can’t believe movie theaters in other states don’t serve pickles.

 

“I only learned this was different once I moved out of Texas!” shared one Reddit user.
Movie fans have even created rituals for enjoying their pickle at the theater. Some chains sell them in jars, while other sell loose pickles, or hand you a paper bag to keep your fingers dry.

But older movie fans have memories of when the pickles were stored in a big jar, and theater employees would “fish one out of the jar with tongs” for a quarter. (These days, theater pickle will set you back at least two dollars.)

 

Other locations will actually ask if you want the juice drained at the concession stand.
A few pickle-lovers even drop their snack into a popcorn bucket, maybe to blend the salty and sour flavors together.

While the movie theater pickle may be most popular in Texas, pickle sightings have been reported in other states as the news spreads online.
Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, Utah, and Virginia also seem to be prime pickle territory.

 

Pickle-flavored candy canes add some flavor to the holidays

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By: Jenson Strock

The Daily News

 

(Source: Accoutrements)

Make pickle flavored candy canes a big dill this Christmas !!

 

TOLEDO (WTOL) – Looking for Christmas goodies for people lacking a sweet tooth can put you in a bit of a pickle.

But now, your mind can rest easy. Pickle-flavored candy canes are coming back this year and for some people it’s a pretty big “dill.”
Pickle-flavored treats have taken the candy industry by storm the past couple of years.

On Amazon, you can find not only these specialty pickle candy canes, but pickle mints, pickle gummies and even pickle-flavored cotton candy are all featured on the site.
The candy canes go for about $9 a package and have also been seen on Wal-Mart’s website.

Who says candy canes can only be enjoyed on Christmas? With Halloween just around the corner, you may also be seeing some of these tangy treats popping up in your kids’ candy bags.
If pickles aren’t really your thing, don’t worry.

The store Archie McPhee’s sells macaroni and cheese and clam-flavored candy canes as well.
While the store’s “Clamdy Canes” sound like a hilarious prank, they seem to be pretty popular. The site even makes a note that says they are limiting the sale of this product to five per customer because of their “extreme popularity.”

So if you favor savory over sweet, these new holiday treats may be worth a try.

Copyright 2018 WTOL. All rights reserved.

Your Cocktail Game in a Pickle? Not Until You Try This Flavored Vodka

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By Molly Fosco

Ozy 

Why not have pickle- flavored Vodka ?

Photo By: ozy

 

There’s nothing quite like biting into a cold, crisp dill pickle fresh out of the jar. And if you’re pickle-obsessed like me, you’ve probably sneaked a few sips of the mouth-puckering brine too. Why do some people think it’s weird to drink pickle juice? In the U.S., we drink tomato juice, grapefruit juice and even green juice, which are all just as salty, sour and/or gross, depending on your flavor palate. So why not pickle juice?
And what’s even better than drinking pickle juice? Drinking pickle juice with alcohol in it, of course! Thanks to a few beverage companies that agree, pickle-flavored vodka exists for those of us who want that salty, sour flavor in our libations too.

 

Adding pickle flavor to liquor isn’t an entirely new concept. For many years, bars have served picklebacks (vodka mixed with pickle juice) to cut the harsh taste of the alcohol. But actually infusing alcohol with pickle juice? Now that’s where things get interesting. Yes, pickle vodka does taste like vodka, but the pickle flavor cuts the bite of the liquor. So you might find yourself sipping more quickly than expected.

Among the distillers of pickle-infused vodka, most are located in the Great White North. Canada puts the U.S. pickle vodka game to shame, boasting at least five distilleries that make the unusual liquor, including Birmingham’s Dill Pickle Vodka, Last Mountain Dill Pickle Vodka and Tall Grass Dill Pickle Vodka, among others. But the U.S. is slowly catching up; Blue Spirits Distilling on Lake Chelan in Washington makes a potent 120-proof pickle version.

While many of these companies make other creative infusions, Chilled Dills Pickle Flavored Vodka, based in Charleston, South Carolina, crafts and sells nothing but pickle-infused vodka. If that doesn’t seem like a sound business plan, think again. The company has grown its business each year since 2012, and it now sells in six states throughout the country.

The idea for Chilled Dills began when co-founders Marty Lloyd, his dad, John, and their friend Neil were on an annual family trip in Clearwater, Florida. Their shot of choice that year was picklebacks. But they quickly encountered a problem: The pickle juice kept running out too fast. “Do you think we could bottle this?” Lloyd recalls wondering aloud to his family and friends. The group agreed it could be done. When they returned home to South Carolina, they began distilling and infusing their first batch of Chilled Dills.

Today, they use a patented distilling technology that utilizes ultrasonic energy, which helps to reduce the harshness of the alcohol. The six-times distilled vodka is then infused with all-natural pickles and pickle juice, unlike many flavored alcohols that are typically mixed with a powder, says Lloyd.

Chilled Dills is smooth enough to drink on the rocks or with a splash of soda water, but other ways to enjoy it is in a bloody mary, a pickletini or a “summertime slowdown” cocktail, which combines mint simple syrup, strawberry and lemon with pickle vodka over ice.

The vodka has won multiple awards, including the double gold medal in 2013’s “50 Best Flavored Vodkas,” a silver medal in the 2014 “San Francisco World Spirits Competition,” and a silver medal in the 2015 “Wine and Spirits Tasting Competition.”

If the awards don’t change your skepticism of pickle-flavored vodka, order a bottle for yourself online — although beware of shipping costs. For example: With the cheapest FedEx delivery option to San Francisco, you’re looking at $49.37.

Chilled Dills Best Bloody Mary
Pickle vodka is the perfect companion to a spicy, tangy bloody mary at Sunday morning brunch.
2 ounces Chilled Dills pickle vodka
3 ounces of your favorite bloody mary mix
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce of your choosing
Rub lemon slice on the rim of the glass and dip in Old Bay seasoning. Shake ingredients with ice and pour. Garnish with everything you can think of.

Pickletini
For nighttime vibes, try a pickletini — a dirty martini with pickle juice instead of olive juice.
2 ounces Chilled Dills pickle vodka
1 ounce of pickle juice (or more for the true pickle fiends)
Shake with ice and serve up. Garnish with pickle slices.

 

This ‘Pickle On A Christmas Tree’ Tradition Is The Best

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By: Valerie Williams

Scary Mommy 

Your kids will look forward to this pickle ornament tradition every year!

 

If you’ve ever seen a pickle ornament on someone’s Christmas tree and wondered what the heck that was all about, buckle up — we have a little story for you. Oh, and once you hear it, you’re going to want to jump on this fun holiday tradition yourself — because your kids will freaking love it.

 

According to Wide Open Country, the legend goes that on Christmas Eve, parents put a pickle ornament on the tree and the first child to spot it is either given the first gift, an extra gift, or the coveted job of handing out the presents to everyone. Also, whoever finds it will have good luck for the next year. The custom is called Weihnachtsgurke, or Christmas Pickle, and there’s some debate over its origin.

Some think it started in Germany a long time ago, but Tampa Bay Magazine says that’s unlikely as modern Germans don’t do it. A lot of pickle ornaments are made in Germany, but apparently they’re just to send out to other countries that enjoy this delightfully bizarre little holiday ritual. Instead, it’s said that F.W. Woolworth, the owner of a huge chain of old time-y five-and-dime stores, started importing glass pickle ornaments in 1880 and used the story about letting a kid find it to help sell them to Americans.

Whatever its beginnings, it’s a fun little tradition that any family can try out, and there’s absolutely no shortage of cute pickle ornaments to choose from.But if you have a whole bunch of cousins over and the lone pickle might be the start of a rollicking holiday tantrum fest, maybe go with a full dozen and let each kid find their own. Then pour every adult in the room a bunch of wines, because it’s Christmas and we’re all in misery.

Happy pickle hunting, y’all!