Pickling is the process of preserving foods in an acidic solution, usually vinegar, or brine. Using vinegar is the easiest, quickest, and least intimidating method of pickling. You can use either white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar as long as the acidity level of the vinegar is 5%. I brew my own vinegar at home but for quick pickling like in this recipe, I use store bought vinegar to make sure of the acidity level. The old-fashioned way to make pickles is through fermentation, which is a longer process but also more beneficial to health. If you want to learn that method, you could sign up for my online workshops where I teach you how to ferment many vegetables full of good bacteria called probiotics.

Dulce de Leche is a caramel like confection from Latin America. Dulce de leche is used to flavor candies or other sweet foods, such as cake, cookies and ice cream. My favorite uses of it are in a Banoffee Pie, filled in Tarts or swirled in a Brownie Batter like in this recipe Dulce de Leche Brownies which is absolutely Aah-MaZing! It also makes a good fruit dip.  Dulce de Leche is not available ready-made in many countries, and that is why had the dire need to teach myself how to make it at home. A homemade form of Dulce de leche sometimes is made by boiling an unopened Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk for two to three hours in a pot of water or 30 to 45 minutes in a pressure cooker. I love using the pressure cooker, it saves so much time in preparing meals or in this case a terrific confection.