Drying Herbs

315.  My herb garden was ideal this year with beautiful plants and hardy growth.  Thyme, parsley, oregano, dill, rosemary, cilantro and chives to name a few.  To step outside and pinch off a few branches to add to my cooking is always a delight.
But once the cool air creeps in and plants slow their growth or frost stops them, you have to depend on grocery bought products.   So my solution is to dry the fresh and save them for cooking.  When there are more herbs than I can use on a daily basis, I will cut off bunches and secure them in bundles with a rubber band.  Then hang them in my kitchen to dry.  Or you could place them in a dehydrator or the oven on low temperature.  I find air drying them works best for me.

Once the herbs have become completely dried through I take them down and crush the leaves in a bowl.

Saving herbs by drying them may take time and effort but will save you money. And, in the long run you will see the difference in flavor.

"Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get."

-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Saving Herbs

314. Fall tiptoed into our lives this past year with beautiful sunny days into November.  My herbs were still growing beautifully and some had began to throw seed.  When this happens I like to collect seeds for the next growing season, as well as drying the herbs for use in cooking all winter long.My dill was beautiful this year and it was mostly seeds that started themselves from last years random seed drop sown into a variety of different destinations.  It was a delight to see a dill plant spring up out of seemingly nowhere.
Because it did so well, I saved seed from several plants.  I let them go beyond the flower stage and completely dry.  Next, I carefully cut off the dried stem and then rubbed my fingers over the seed ends at the top of the dried stem.  The seeds drop off easily.

Once they were sorted through I placed them in envelopes and marked them with the year date of collection.  Now to buy a packet of good seeds you would spend around $2.99 to $5.99 depending on the brand.  You would only get about a teaspoon of seeds in each packet.  I had so many seeds I could have filled 50 packets...and multiply that times $5.99...well lets just say, I could have made a few dollars on this gold mine!

I also dried dill branches for cooking by collecting the stems and tying them with a rubber band.  Then hang them in my kitchen till they are completely dry.

 I then placed the dried branches into a bowl and crush it with my hands.

The branches must be very dry to crumble easily.  

Make sure they are small enough pieces in order to fit through the plastic cap with holes for sifting.

 Then I place the crumbled pieces in a store bought jar as a refill.

This is such a great addition to your spices because the flavor is stronger and fresher than most store bought products.

It's so simple to do, it just takes a little of your time and effort.

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them."

-Eeyore

Vanilla Cake

313. My summer beach reading has meandered through a few classics, food magazines and a surprising memoir by NY Times Food Critic Ruth Reichl, "Garlic and Sapphires"

A dear friend sent me this book and suggested it as good reading.  Thanks Colleen!  Not only have I enjoyed following Ruth all over Manhattan disguised in pseudo personalities but reading the descriptions of the decadent foods she ingested.  My desire to cook, bake and create culinary delights has increased significantly.  My favorite chapter was following Ed Levine, "the ultimate connoisseur of New York food."  

It was a captivating book that was hard to put down.  A delightful addition to this book are the recipes sprinkled throughout the book.

So this is my homage to Ruth Reichl, making her son's favorite recipe "Nicky's Vanilla Cake"

I cut the recipe in half and used my small vintage fluted tube pan.  The batter was thick, glossy and beautiful and oh so aromatic.  Baking for 30 minutes was perfect.

The cake came away from the pan without a fight and was beautiful.

I then made a blueberry syrup using 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water and 1 Tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Once cooled the cake sliced easily and even the crumbs were irresistible.

I whipped heavy cream with a touch of vanilla and powdered sugar.  A drizzle of blueberry syrup and a dollop of whipped cream on top.  Delicious ★★★★

"Always do right. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest." 

-Mark Twain

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich

312.  Summer is here and ice cream should always be on the menu!

The recipe I used is one of the absolute BEST chocolate cookie recipes.  They are soft in the center, firm and crispy around the edges.  I made the cookies larger to accommodate the ice cream.

You can find the recipe here:   Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I allowed the cookies to cool to room temperature.

I filled each cookie with a scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream then topped it off with another cookie pressing down to distribute the filling.

Then I rolled the edges in mini chocolate chips, wrapped each in waxed paper and placed them in the freezer immediately.

WOW!  What a delight!  And the cookie paired so well with the ice cream.

Try making your own ice cream sandwich cookies using your favorite ice cream.  You could roll the edges in sprinkles, peanuts or coconut.  Go crazy!

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." 

~ Gen. George S. Patton

Fresh Peach Blueberry Pie

311. A slice of fresh peach blueberry pie is on the dessert menu tonight.  

Using free-stone peaches is a breeze.  You are able to remove the peach pit quickly and clean leaving the beautiful peach in perfect shape.

A little sugar, corn starch and lemon juice with a pinch of salt and dash of cinnamon makes your filling light and perfectly sweet.

Instead of the traditional top crust I'm using my star cutters to make a random pattern, perfect for July⭐️ 🇺🇸.

If the stars are all the same it makes your top crust too uniform.  So I cut three different sizes and star frames as well.

A sprinkling of water and a few corse sugar crystals finish off the top.

With the left over pie crust I cut out little stars and sprinkle a sugar-cinnamon mix over.  My mom would make these for me when she had extra dough. 😋

I used Joy of Cooking to check my ingredients.  The recipes are always spot on and reliable.

And here is the finished product for your viewing pleasure!

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." 

~Steve Jobs, co-founder & CEO of Apple

Egg Brunch Muffins

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

310.  "Happiest of New Years"
A delightful resolution would be to enter a New Year by embarking on new and unexperienced recipes.  Are there any flavors you have desired to taste or new regional favorites you have longed to introduce your palate to?

Or simply taking one of your favorites and adding or "tweaking" the ingredients.  This is how I started this blank cooking year.  It is a challenge to elevate any recipe with complete confidence, but once you take a risk, you will be delighted with the outcome.

A simple egg muffin was on the brunch menu and rather than having multiple items of choice, I placed them all in one neat, convenient little bundle.  A standard egg muffin recipe can be found here:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/scrambled-egg-muffins

I altered the recipe by adding chives, tabasco, fresh parsley and sweet potato crinkle cut fries.

Of course, layering everything from the bottom up, then baking till bubbly and light brown on top.


They double in size and each morsel is packed with flavor and so fulfilling.

Step out of your cooking box and try something you never have before, or edit an old standby recipe.
Make this New Year one filled with delight, unexpected flavors and new favorites!

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.  Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world.  You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something."

~Neil Gaiman