My friend Wendy is an terrific cook. She is the one who made the gorgeous and tasty cheesy pita chips I mentioned awhile back. Despite the fact that she isn't actually a food blogger, she stopped by my place last Friday for the potluck and brought with her a couple very excellent dishes. One was a Vietnamese tofu and rice dish. I got to keep the leftovers and ate them the following morning for breakfast. The thing she brought was a batch of quick homemade pickles. These pickles were delicious. They held onto a fresh crispness while still absorbing all that puckery vinegar goodness.

At the end of the night there were but three lonely spears floating in a dish full of pickling liquid. With Wendy's permission, I poured those leftover spears and all the pickling juice into a jar. The next day I sliced up some of my own cucumbers and popped them into the jar, thus extending the life of her pickles for another week or so. Luckily today she sent me the recipe for the pickling liquid, so when this batch runs out, I'll be able to make my own. I recommend you do the same, as they bring such brightness, both in taste and in color, to fall and winter meals.Wendy's homemade pickles
adapted from Cucumber Salad in The Pleasure of the Vietnamese Table

1/2 c. rice vinegar (or white vinegar) (you can used pre-seasoned sushi vinegar,just leave out the sugar and season salt to taste)
3 Tbsp sugar
juice of 2 limes
1/2+ tsp. salt to taste
1 small clove garlic, crushed
fresh hot peppers, seeded and julienned (amount of peppers can determine spiciness)
6 pickling cucumbers cut into spear shapes
1/2 c. shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup (or more) chopped cilantro

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, lime juice, garlic in a large bowl.
Add rest of ingredients, toss to coat. Refrigerate overnight, tossing occasionally. The longer they brine the tastier they get. I haven't had them last longer than a week since they are so yummy, so I am not sure about their refrigerator shelf life.