It's April. 

The beginning of a season full of new life, fresh flowers, and flavors. Sign me up! A couple of months ago I posted about one of my favorite simple syrups - lavender syrup. Its a staple in my fridge and makes the yummiest 'pick me up' afternoon iced coffee or latte.

Well, friends-- today I'm going to tell you all about another favorite of mine. Honey Rose syrup. It's made with beautiful and fragrant dried rose petals or rose hips, you can find them at a tea or spice shop or maybe even a store like Wegmans. Now, not only does it taste delicious but it also adds a few neat nutritional extras to your coffee. For instance, I try and always use raw unpasteurized honey because of its natural enzymes that help your digestion, metabolism, and immune system and dried roses can help with skin, hair and have a very relaxing effect on the nervous system. A friend of mine picked up dried rose petals for me at the Spice and Tea exchange located in downtown Lancaster. If you are local then you should definitely check them out!

The coolest part about these syrups, coffee, and latte creations is that it's so fancy sounding and tasting but so SIMPLE to create!

I've been trying different 'refrigerator pickle' recipes for several years now and this has become my favorite-- it's totally customizable, easy ingredients takes a very small amount of time to accomplish and gives a really beautiful jar of pickles. They usually come out very crisp with a nice crunch. You can add more or less of the ingredients to the jars and do it your way! Enjoy.


Easy Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles

*this recipe makes 4 - one-pint jars*

ingredients:

-pickling cucumbers
-water
-white distilled vinegar
-kosher salt or pickling salt
-fresh dill
-minced garlic
-whole black peppercorns
-red pepper flakes

directions:

1. Sterilize your jars and lids (if using canning jars) You can use any heat/cold sensitive storage containers.

2. Wash and slice your pickling cucumbers - you can slice them into spears or chips. I personally think the chips look the prettiest in a bowl on the table but-- it's completely a personal preference.

3. Start your brine on the stove - 2 cups of water, 1 cup of vinegar & 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring it to a boil.

4. While your brine is coming to a boil start filling your pint containers with your other ingredients.

Each one-pint jar will get:
- 4 sprigs of dill
- 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp of minced garlic
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- a tiny (or big) pinch of red pepper flakes

Once those ingredients are in the bottom you will stuff your jars with your sliced cucumbers-- but, be sure to leave enough room for the brine to fill in and around them.

5. Pour the boiling brine over the cukes, enough to cover but also enough headspace so you can give the jar a good shake once it's sealed.

6. Since this is a refrigerator recipe you do not need to use a water bath to seal your jars. Just simply put on the lids and seal with the rings. Give each jar a couple good twists to get everything mixed up.

7. Let the jars cool an hour or two before placing them in the refrigerator. It's best to let them sit for six days to reach full flavor but my husband usually tried to get into them around day five. I also give them a little shake every couple of days to get all of the flavors/brine mixed around.

After six days, pop them open and enjoy!

[they will last up to three weekends in the fridge]

Remember last year when I talked about creating a love list? 

No? 

That's ok, I'll refresh your memory.

Last spring I read a book called Soulful Simplicty by Courtney Carver. 

In the book Courtney says, "Make a love list including every possible thing you would like to consider in life, love, business and relationships. What would you really love to do? What would you like to see? Who will you be and who will you be with? Before you start your list, eliminate the roadblocks and dream killers. This is not a list for accountability. You won’t be crossing things off or crying over your undone tasks at the end of the year. Instead, use your list to fuel your creative pursuits and to encourage routine breaking behavior. Let your love list remind you what is most important in your life."

Well, today Charlotte and I sat down while Naomi was napping and we came up with a few things that we would love to accomplish this spring.