Using and Storing Fresh Herbs--Oregano

Oregano is a member of the mint family. It is a strong, bold herb that can be used to make many dishes. Most recipes call for garlic and oregano to be paired together. Oregano leaves can be snipped off and used directly. Fresh oregano stems can also be cut and stored in a plastic bag in the fridge.

(Image from examiner.com)
Drying Fresh Oregano: Click here for a more in depth description from E How.
To dry, cut stems of oregano and hang upside down in a cool,dark place. Dried oregano can then be put in a paper bag to catch the leaves as they fall. Remove the leaves and store in an airtight container.
Freezing Oregano:
If you freeze oregano, it will retain more of its flavor and aroma. Freezing is simple...cut a stem of oregano, strip the leaves off, and put them in freezer bags and freeze. Another way to do it is to lightly chop the leaves, mix with olive oil and put the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze. Be sure to label the bag, and store the cubes in a ziploc bag in the freezer!

Come back tomorrow to talk about sage.

Have a great day!
Debbie

Using and Storing Fresh Herbs--Basil

I LOVE the smell and taste of basil! My plant perfumes the entire kitchen when it is handled at all. Basil leaves can be picked and used directly in everyday cooking.

(Image is from diylife.com)
You can also cut entire stems of basil for future use. According to E How Food, cut basil should not be stored in the refrigerator. They suggest, instead, that basil should be cut and then the stems should be put into a glass of water and left out on the kitchen counter top, where it will last for days or weeks. Note: If you purchase the basil at the store, cut the stems before putting into water. Also, the cut basil should not be in direct sunlight.
Freezing Basil...
Basil is a soft herb, but it can be easily frozen:
Chop the basil and put it into ice cube trays--cover each section with water and freeze. Pop the ice cubes out and store them in a large ziploc bag.

(Image from the website Kalyn'skitchen.com)
Another great way to freeze basil, is to coarsely chop it in a food processor,(with two or three tablespoons of olive oil drizzled in per batch.) Be sure that all leaves are coated with oil, (this will keep them from turning black in the freezer.) Kalyn's Kitchen has a step by step tutorial here.
Growing Basil...
Basil requires 6-8 hours of sunlight and well drained soil. Pinch off the flowers as they begin to form. Haylie let some of her basil flower, and it changed the flavor of the leaves on that stem. She pinched off the flowers, including the surrounding leaves, and the rest of the plant tasted ok.
Read more about growing basil here.
E How has a pesto recipe that I want to try. It sounds so easy!

(Image from statenislandfoodandwine.com)
Everything goes into a food processor:
2 cups fresh basil,firmly packed
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 c. pinenuts
1/2 c. fresh parsley
3/4 c. grated parmesean cheese
1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper
Process. Then add 2/3 c. olive oil and process again.
The pesto can be eaten fresh, or it can be frozen.
To freeze, put into small containers and add a small amount of olive oil to the top. Seal and freeze!

Come back tomorrow to learn about oregano!

Debbie

Using and Storing Fresh Herbs--Rosemary

I have loved having fresh herbs available, but I was not really sure what to do with them. This week I will share with you what I have learned.

(Picture from veggiegardeningtips.com)
Rosemary is considered a hard herb. It is a wonderful savory herb that can be used for meats, breads, and any Mediterranean-type cooking. Sprigs of rosemary can be used whole, but it is more common to just use the leaves. To separate the leaves from the stem, hold the sprig by the top and strip the leaves down. I like to chop the leaves for some things, but you can also use them whole. Rosemary can be dried, but it tends to lose some of its flavor. Large stems can be soaked in water and used as skewers.
Here is a nice site about using rosemary.
You can store rosemary by picking it, washing it in cold water, and putting it in a ziplock bag. Put the bag in the freezer for a couple of weeks. Take the bag out of the freezer and roll it with a rolling pin until the leaves fall off. Separate the leaves from the stems and pack the leaves into a small canning jar with a tight-fitting lid. Label the jar and put it back in the freezer. (This works equally well for thyme.) You can read here for a more complete how-to from Kaylyn's kitchen, who says that the herbs can be stored this way for more than a year.
Growing rosemary- Most experts agree that it is easier to grow rosemary from a plant that you buy from a nursery. Rosemary can be propagated from an existing plant by following the information here.
They need lots of sunshine, and do not like to be too wet. Indoor rosemary plants need to be transplanted once a year.
Come back tomorrow to learn about how to use basil!

Debbie

An herb garden...waiting for spring

One of my favorite blogs is Budget Wise Homes,(see my sidebar), and she wrote a great post about creating a mini herb garden. I had been wanting to learn to cook with fresh herbs, so I decided to try her idea!

I bought the clear containers at the dollar store, along with a package of rocks. I put the rocks in the bottom of the vases, poured in some potting soil, added the plants and tags with the name of the herb on it and that was it!

Tomorrow I will post about how to use your kitchen herbs!

Debbie

A Little Bit of Spring...Inside

My house has been the same colors forever....neutral colors, with accents of pink, blue. A year or two ago, I bought a sage green couch and began changing my accent colors to green and a brick red. I have LOVED the colors, but my kitchen was the same old colors:pink and blue.

I was looking for a piece of fabric to jazz up my kitchen window, and I fell in love with this floral print at JoAnn Fabrics. (They were having a great sale--50% off their home decorating fabric), so... I made this valance. (My husband thinks it looks like material you would find in a camp trailer, but what does he know!) I cut the fabric 2 times the width of the window and the length I wanted. Then I folded it in half the long way and cut the arch, (I really just winged it.) I cut a second piece out of lining material, sewed the two of them together, added a casing, and in less than 30 minutes I was done.
I love how the colors in the valance match my grandma's antique turkey platter and cookie jar, that sit on top of my kitchen cabinets.

Here is another view...

And another...

I even found these aqua utensils at Shopko, on their Dollar Days sale. They matched everything perfectly.

Every time I look at my kitchen window, it makes me smile--it is a little bit of springtime...inside!

Happy first week of spring!
Debbie

Is it Spring Yet?

The radio station out of Salt Lake City says that it is time to plant peas and my mailbox is full of seed catalogs...is it spring yet? The calendar says , "yes," but the weather is not cooperating--we had snow flurries today and they are forecast for the rest of the week. I decided to take matters into my own hands and celebrate the first week of spring! Here are a few fun spring treats, sure to chase away the "Winter Won't go Away Blues!"

Bird Nest Cupcakes

Make a batch of mini cupcakes and frost them with green tinted frosting. Top them with a nest of Chinese noodles, a couple of peanut M&Ms and voila--spring treats in a jiffy.

Dirt Pudding is another quick and springy treat.

Mix up a box of chocolate pudding according to the directions. Add cool whip until the pudding is the consistency of an expensive mousse. Throw some chocolate cookies in the blender,(Oreos or cheap chocolate cookies will do). Put the "mousse" into clear plastic cups, top it with Oreo "dirt," plant a sprig of mint and you have a treat that looks like spring is here!

Keep thinking warm thoughts and maybe spring will decide to make its appearance!

See you tomorrow!

Debbie

Couponing!

Let me start by saying that my life is WAY too busy to coupon.  I love to get things for cheap but who has time to figure out all the deals and then run to 5 different stores, not to mention that I would have to tow 3 kids, 5 and under along.  After buying them snacks along the way as we marathon shop, I am sure to save nothing!  Nevertheless, I coupon.  Without kids.  And it takes only a couple hours or so a week.  How?  An online site.

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There are tons of sites out there that do the leg work for you.  They figure out the best deals, the coupon to use and you simply print out a list and you are on your way.  My personal favorite is couponsense.com.  I am AMAZED at the amount of work they do, which makes even less work for me.  They have even gone so far as to compile a list of online coupon sources. Which you can access here! Most of their resources are only available for subscribing members.  It is a $15 monthly fee and it is WELL worth it.  The deals I posted above are in the last 2 weeks.  As you can see, the savings more than pay for my newspaper and website subscription.  Your subscription supplies you with a coupon coach and all sorts of tutorials on how to get started, how to get the best deals and how to organize your coupons.
Although the site supplies you with all the leg work, there is still the problem of dragging several small children to multiple grocery stores. My solution is this: First, I limit the stores I visit to 2 a week. Usually the deals are mostly at one or two stores anyway and it has to be an amazing deal for me to spend any more time than that. I also do my shopping in the evening. When hubby gets home, we have dinner and then he does bedtime while I run out. I can tell you from experience that my trips are MUCH shorter and I stick to buying what I came for if I go without kids (or hubby)!
I have to warn you, couponing is quite addicting and you may find yourself standing at the checkout line grinning as you watch your bill go lower and lower with each beap of a coupon being scanned!