Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

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Dill Pickles

Homemade dill pickles just like the ones my mother used to make are on my 'to do' list every summer. There's just something about homemade dills that can't be found on the store shelf! This is my mom's recipe...the same pickles I grew up with.


Ingredients:
  • 10 pounds of pickling cukes (yield about 8 jars)
  • 5 cups white vinegar used for pickling
  • 13 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup pickling salt…coarse
  • garlic pieces (peeled and cut in half)…two pieces per jar
  • fresh dill
  • small dried red chili peppers…one or two pieces for each jar

Method:
  1. Wash cucumbers well and leave in tub of cold water while packing jars.
  2. Mix vinegar, water, sugar and the salt in a large pot. Stir the mixture well. Heat to a rapid boil on medium-high, then keep simmering while filling jars.
  3. Prepare wide-mouth 1-quart jars. In each jar, put 1 piece of garlic, one head of dill, two small chili peppers and then enough cucumbers to fill the jar. Then add one more garlic piece and another sprig of dill.
  4. Fill jars slowly with the hot brine and seal (being sure to clean all residue from the top of the rim of the jar first).
  5. Place the lidded jars in boiling water bath for about 15 minutes…water in canner should cover the tops of the jars.
  6. The pickles should be stored in a cool place for two months before serving. (So they say...I’m not sure we ever waited that long!)

    *If your water is hard, high in mineral content or has chlorine added, use bottled water.
    ** Pack the cukes into the jars really tight. They shrink as they are processed.
If you like a little zip to your pickles...be generous with the red chili peppers!


Enjoy!

Two Bite Brownies


These irresistible fudgy little bites come inspired by Martha Stewart's Chewy (pan) brownies.  I made a few adjustments to make the recipe fit 36 mini muffins and they turned out to be the perfect tiny treat to add to a lunch kit or gift box.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons oil (in 1/8 cup measure *)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cups white sugar
  • 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F and generously grease 36-count mini cupcake/muffin cups with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper cups. (parchment paper does not stick to the brownie and can be removed as soon as brownies are cooled off)
  2. In top of double boiler, (or heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water) melt butter with chocolate chips and oil. 
  3. In small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  4. Once chocolate is melted, remove from heat. Stir in both sugars, stirring vigorously (use wooden spoon or whisk) until well blended. 
  5. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well for about a minute, after each addition.
  6. Stir in vanilla and then the flour mix.
  7. Using unwashed *1/8 cup measure that was used to measure the oil, scoop a measure full of batter into each prepared muffin holder. 
  8. Bake for 18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out moist with no dough. Do not over bake.
  9. Cool in pans on wire rack. Twist to rotate cooled brownie bites before removing or flipping pans. These can be kept in a sealed container for several days (room or fridge) or frozen.


If you want to make them in a pan, use a 9-inch square pan. Bake 35 - 40 minutes, until toothpick comes out moist with no dough. Cut into 25 - 36 pieces.