Pickle lovers, this dip is for you! It’s creamy, tangy, and fresh. It tastes like an easy, grown-up alternative to fried pickles with ranch dressing. If you’re looking for the perfect dip for game days, look no further.

To make it, you’ll need sour cream or Greek yogurt, dill pickles plus some pickle brine, fresh dill and chives. That’s it! It’s so simple to stir together on a moment’s notice and tastes even better the next day.

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I consider myself a pickle connoisseur, and I dare say that these pickled jalapeños are the best. These pickled jalapeños are fresh and lightly crisp, with the perfect level of heat. They’re so much better than their store-bought counterparts, which have been sitting on the shelf for who knows how long.

To make this recipe, you’ll need fresh jalapeños, vinegar, water, an optional garlic clove, and salt. That’s it—the rest of the magic is due to the method.

These pickles will taste fully pickled after a four-hour rest in the refrigerator, so make them earlier in the day or the night before you need them. They retain their lovely flavor for about one month in the refrigerator.

These pickled jalapeños offer the perfect spicy pop to my meals! I hope you love them as much as I do.

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What took me so long to make classic pickles? As it turns out, homemade dill pickles are simple, easy and delicious. They’re the perfect little summertime project, if you even want to call it that. These pickles are ready after a short chill in the refrigerator (as little as one hour), and they keep for several weeks.

These pickles are tangy and refreshing, nice and crisp, and offer garden-fresh flavor. They remind me of Claussen or Grillo’s pickles—but they’re even better. In short, I’m in love with this refrigerator pickle recipe and I think you will be, too.

These pickles are made with simple ingredients. You’ll need vinegar (I prefer rice vinegar’s mild flavor), fresh dill (technically optional, but delicious), a couple cloves of garlic, and a few basic seasonings.

I added a touch of sweetener, too—just enough to cut the bite of vinegar. These pickles are decidedly tangy, and nowhere near “bread and butter” territory. However, the sweetness level is entirely up to you.

These pickles aren’t overwhelmingly salty, either, yet they’re fully seasoned. They are irresistibly just right—perfect for burgers, for snacking, and more.

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Forget everything you know about pickled relish! This jalapeño relish is fresh, bright and spicy, but not too spicy. It’s unsweetened, but the apple cider vinegar tames the jalapeño heat a bit. This relish is for more than sandwiches and hot dogs—think nachos, quesadillas, tacos and burritos, too.

Jalapeño relish makes staples like scrambled eggs, beans and rice much more exciting. Basically, anywhere you would add pickled jalapeños, you can use this homemade relish instead.

If you’ve ever tried pickling your own jalapeños, you know that hot vinegar combined with spicy peppers makes you cough and fills the kitchen with the undesirable fragrance of vinegar.

So, this relish is the perfect homemade alternative to pickled jalapeños. This no-cook, hands-off version is irresistible and keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Are you as excited about this as I am?

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Do you love pickled onions as much as I do? Pickling transforms raw red onions from pungent and crunchy to irresistibly tangy and crisp. I add some red pepper flakes for extra spice and a splash of maple syrup or honey to round out the other strong flavors.

These onions are the perfect condiment for tacos, burgers, salads, and more. The best part?

These quick-pickled onions are ready to serve after a brief 30-minute cooling period. Start your meal prep with these onions, and they’ll be ready to go by the time the rest of your dinner is ready.

These onions are incredibly easy to make, too. I like to keep them on hand for any meal that needs some extra oomph. Leftovers are so much more exciting with quick-pickled onions in the fridge!

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I have been craving all the briny things lately. Kalamata olives, tapenade, capers even, and pickled everything. Trader Joe’s started carrying spicy quick-pickled vegetables in the refrigerated section, and I’ve been enjoying those with hummus or avocado on toast. Also on salads, or just plain. Did I mention that I’m really into the briny things lately?

These pickled vegetables are modeled after traditional Mexican jalapeños en escabeche, an amazing pickled carrot, onion and jalapeño mix that you might receive with your order at a Mexican restaurant (if you’re lucky). I tried several recipes when I was recipe testing for the cookbook, but couldn’t get them quite right, so I gave up.

Trader Joe’s version inspired me to give them another shot, and I’m pleased to report that I’ve finally figured them out. Funny how it’s easier to think straight when cookbook deadlines aren’t looming.

Unlike traditional jalapeños en escabeche, which are often cooked in some oil, I used just vinegar, water and spices. These pickles are fresh and light additions to any sandwich, salad or dish that needs a punch of briny flavor.

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If I had to characterize the past week in two words, they would be: pepper problems. These peppers gave me all sorts of trouble! I’d made quick-pickled peppers a couple of times already, but my locally grown jalapeños were way spicier than the others. Just one little nibble of raw sliced pepper made me feel like one of those silly, red-faced cartoon characters with steam shooting out of his ears.

Then, when I was rinsing the sliced peppers under running water in an attempt to cool down their spiciness, the pepper fumes made me cough-cough-cough-cough-cough. I used my shirt as a nose mask to get through it. So beware of pepper asphyxiation. (I know I sound dramatic right now, but I’m serious.) I’m still recommending them because none of my other batches gave me such trouble.

The final result, though, is totally irresistible. Fresh, spicy, with a light sweetness thanks to the bell pepper and honey, and a nice, crisp crunch. You’ll see in the photos that I made a control batch with plain distilled white vinegar and no bell peppers, but I so prefer the gourmet version with honey that I’m going to insist that you go with that one. (Follow this recipe for true pickled jalapeños with no added sweetener.)

Really, it was only a matter of time after pickling radishes that I turned to peppers. These peppers are fantastic on nachos, tacos, quesadillas and so much more.

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My refrigerator shelves are one knock away from an avalanche. I have plastic wrap-covered bowls of leftover sorghum stacked precariously on top of pickle jars. I’ve snatched a falling jar of precious pine nuts from mid-air at least twice. (Side note: I once snatched up a free-falling baby by the ankle. That was a relief.)

I have a hard time finding cooking inspiration when my fridge is jam-packed with leftovers to be consumed by yours truly. And to tell you the whole truth, every time I find myself cooking a family-sized meal, I hear a little whisper of a worry in the back of my head. “I hope I don’t cook alone forever,” it murmurs.

Growing up, I always enjoyed the creative aspect of combining different ingredients in the hopes of a delicious outcome. I didn’t formally take it upon myself to learn how to cook until after college, though. At the time, I was working as a waitress and reading books about the food industry and nutrition. I wanted to eat well and couldn’t afford to eat out all of the time, so I decided it was time to learn how to cook for myself.

That was the perfect stage to start cooking—if I’d had others to feed at that time, I would have resented the obligation and felt insecure about my limited skill set. Cooking had always seemed like a form of domestic defeat but I found cooking for myself to be empowering. Independence! Self sufficiency! Hell yes!

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