Pickled Beets

Ok, I'm a dork for taking that photo, I know this.  But, I have always loved pickled beets, they make me smile.  It totally stems from my mom.  I think she would have them with dinners at least once a week when I was a kid.  Plus, salad bar pickled beets. Who doesn't love those? My boss is on a major pickled beet kick right now, so it sparked my interest to making them.  I brought her a jar of them this afternoon and she immediately grabbed a fork.  She is taking the jar home, which tell me that she really likes them.  I consider her to be really picky, so if she's taking something home... success.  I also made the cake pops for her... needless to say those made the cut too.  Anyway, these beets were really simple, and didn't take too much effort.  Just a little time.

What you'll need:

3 baseball sized beets (or a little smaller)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/2 tablespoon whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon pickling spice
1 cup sugar

Cut the end off the beets, where the stem was.  Boil beets like you would potatoes.  Cover them with water, bring to a boil, reduce slightly, and cook until fork tender.  About 1 hour.  Remove from water and allow to cool until you are able to handle them.  Remove skins (I used a butter knife to scrape and just peeled it off).  In a large pot, add all ingredients, except beets, and bring to a boil.  Reduce and simmer for 5 minutes.  Slice beets into about 1/4 inch rounds.  If they are pretty big you can cut them in half.  Place beets into pot with the pickling liquid and allow to simmer for a half hour.

I had 2 pickle jars that were basically empty in the back of my fridge that I used to store my beets in.  I washed them really well and removed the labels.  Place equal amounts of the beets into the jars, trying not to get too much of the spices into the jars.  One you have all the beets removed from the pickling liquid, pour it through a fine mesh strainer into the jars so that it just covers the beets.  Allow to cool and store in fridge.

Kam said I looked like Dexter while making these. Knife, blood (beet juice), and an apron.

So I am really happy with these babies.  And, this might sound gross to some people, but I think when the beets are gone, I'm going to give pickled eggs a go.  I have eaten one bite of a pickled egg in my life, and I don't think the pickling liquid was right.  So, with the knowledge that people LOVE pickled eggs, and always seeing them on those shows on the food network and the Travel channel, I'm doing it.  I will let you know!  Enjoy!