Deck chairs out, umbrellas up and the familiar smell of freshly mown grass is in the air.
Summer 2023 is just around the corner and with it, all the traditions of summer relaxation and those casual moments enjoying your favorite beverage and some snacks with family and friends.
We’ve recently shared with you a Blog on the history and a recipe for one of the summer’s popular libations, the Blood Mary, and now, it’s time for some food.
And we’ll start with dips!
Dips are just the right choice for a between meal or a late-night snack, something to nibble on while watching your favorite sporting events or even to enjoy at a backyard picnic or barbecue.
If you want to show off your Great Lakes Pickling Pouch pickling prowess, we have a few suggestions and a recipe that we think you’ll really enjoy.
All of our suggestions or recipes use either your freshly made pickling pouch pickles, the brine you’ve created, or both.
One of the easiest to make is starting with a product universally loved by dip connoisseurs. French Onion Dip.
The most common size tub is 16 ounce and they come in many brands. All are more or less the same thickness and have nearly the same flavor so, your selection, then stir in the following:
French Onion & Pickle Dip
Makes about 3 cups
16 ounces French Onion Dip
½ cup French’s Crispy Fried Onions, Chopped
½ cup Your Choice of Great Lakes Pickling Pouch Pickles, Chopped (We Especially Like Our Spicy Garlic Dill)
¼ cup Red Bell Peppers, Minced
2 teaspoons Dry Parsley Flakes
Optional: Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Stir all ingredients together and keep chilled until serving.
Fish and pickles are a natural go-together. The tartar sauce that many people enjoy with their fried fish is just one example.
In Michigan, we’re blessed to have one of the most charming small towns in all of the Great Lakes. And that would be Leland, Michigan, otherwise known as Fishtown.
If you travel to Fishtown, you’ll quickly learn that one of their most iconic dishes is Planked Whitefish. The other is anything made from smoked whitefish.
In honor of this beautiful little town, we offer this delicious dip.
Fishtown Smoked Whitefish Dip with Pickles
Makes about 3 cups
This recipe is perfect to enjoy with crackers on the patio, on your deck, or at a picnic with family or friends. You can use any smoked fish in this recipe and after preparing it, it freezes quite well.
½ pound Smoked Whitefish, De-boned, Flaked
½ pound Cream Cheese
¼ cup Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Roasted Garlic Cloves, Minced
1/3 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 teaspoon Granulated Onion
2 teaspoons Light Brown Sugar
3 to 4 drops of Liquid Smoke
¼ teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
½ teaspoon Sea Salt
2 teaspoons Dry Parsley Flakes
½ cup Your Choice of Great Lakes Pickling Pouch Pickles, Chopped (We Especially Like Our Sweet & Smoky Habanero), Chopped Fine
Puree all ingredients in a food processor except the dry parsley flakes and chopped pickles.
Add the dry parsley flakes and pickles and stir in.
Keep chilled until served.
