The Queer Hipster Kitchen

... But they are my mama's beets. Cinnamon Pickled Beets have been a family recipe for years.  I talked a little about my mom's beets in a previous post , but they have converted many folks who swear they do not eat beets.  People have been contacting her to ask if there are beets available yet.  (There are not.)  However, if you've got beets, you can have some cinnamon pickled ones from the comfort of your own kitchen! Oddly, I am the holdout.  I love beets, but I'm the only one who's not obsessed with my mom's.  (Don't get me wrong - they're delicious - but I prefer my beets roasted.) Go figure. Ingredients: 4 pounds beets 2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar 1 1/2 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon mustard seed 1 teaspoon whole allspice (NOT GROUND) 1 teaspoon whole cloves 3 cinnamon sticks, broken The Process: Wash and drain beets.  Leave 2 inches of stems and tap roots. Cover with boiling water and cook until t...

We’ve been out and about this past week, visiting family.  This presents some challenges: my parents eat very differently than we do at home.  The single biggest difference is the sheer quantity of meat.  Some weeks ago, my mom commented that they (two people) go through two or three pounds of ground beef a week.  Karen and I had no idea how that was even possible, but we’ve seen it first-hand the past few days: beef shepherd’s pie, meatballs, burgers.  My charming mom asked if we wanted chicken for the grill since we don't eat much meat - to quite a lot of laughter from me and Karen, who don't consider chicken a vegetable.  Luckily no one’s offended at our gentle modifications to amplify the veggies at every opportunity.  (Neither are my folks signing on to eat the delicious hummus, cheese, and veggie sandwiches I made for yesterday’s picnic.  Sigh.) They are supportive folks, even if they are deeply suspicious of hummus, so today we were off t...