Fresh Herbs, mixed for cooking, more chia recipes

  In our area, we have had a long stretch of frequent rains lately, things are in need of drying out. But one thing has come of it, the garden is producing lavishly. I have been shredding, cubing, pickling and anything else I can think of, zucchinis and cucumbers the last few weeks. the cupboard is now full of pickles. I might consider relish in the future, but no more pickles.
  The herb beds have also been growing abundantly so a lot of my herbs are being dried or frozen or refrigerated for future use.  A good way to keep your herbs ready for cooking later is to put a few leaves in an ice cube tray, fill each area with water and freeze. Then pop them out and put in bags, labeled, for use another time. They are like cooking with fresh because they keep their color and flavor.
 Many times a recipe will ask for a combination of herbs, and sometimes the recipes are hard to find, so today I am going to gve you some ideas for combinations.
    BOUQUET GARNI
 This is a French combination  of :
  Bay leaf
  Thyme
  Parsley.
Tie these together in a bundle and add to your cooking pot. You can adapt this to other herbs if you have some you like to use, but this is the classic version.
    FINES HERBES
  1/4 cup of chervil
  1/4 cup of chives
  1/4 cup parsley
  1/4 cup of tarragon
This is a mix of fresh herbs thats good in salads or sprinkled on melons. Not good made of dried herbs.

   HERBES de PROVENCE
  1 tablespoon of basil
  1 Tablespoon marjoram
  1 Tablespoon savory
  1 Tablespoon thyme
  1 teaspoon lavender flowers
  1 teaspoon cracked fennel seeds
This is very flavorful, use in small amounts.  Good on eggs, pizza, fish and in stew.

    GREMOLATA
  3 cloves of garlic
  1/2 cup parsley
  1 tablespoon of lemon zest
Ususally served over meats, or as a garnish on pasta and great on baked potatoes or squash.

   ITALIAN HERB BLEND

  2 and 1/2 tablespoons oregano leaves
  2 and 1/2 tablespoons basil leaves
  1 tablespoon marjoram leaves.
This can be used fresh, or dried.  If added to olive oil, you can use it as a dip for bread, maybe adding a little crushed garlic too.
 
 A few times ago, we talked abou chia seeds and all their uses and benefits. I have a drink for you to try.  A  Berry Chia Cooler.
  Put a tablespoon of dried hibiscus tea, made with peppermint and orange peel,  plus a handful of dried hibiscus flowers, into a tea pot of hot water. Stir in 2 tablespoons of raw, local honey, stirring til mixed. Set this in the refrigerator overnight. Next day, add a handful of fresh or frozen berrys, your choice. Then stir in 4 tablespoons of chia seeds. Let sit for an hour, so seeds  produce gel. Strain and drink chilled. Ah yes, crush the berrys before adding. The tea I use is called Good Nature(brand) and is an organic mix of hibiscus, rose hips. I bought it from Swanson Vitamins.
  Hope you have a good week, a little rain, a little sun, a little breeze to cool you. Take care, stay well.

Hair Help, Bug deterrant, produce cleaning

  It's been a nice break, cool and rain this last week, but as it always seems, too much rain. The garden is not likeing being so wet, needs a little sun. We are sure to go from cool and wet to another hot and dry spell, isn't that life!
  Today I have some ideas for home made hair rinses to make your hair soft and super shiny, and very inexpensive.
  These are all made the same way, depending on your hair color, pick what works for you.
  Brunettes,  boil 2 cups of water,  add 1/4 cup fresh or dried sage, and steep for 15 minutes. Strain, put in container. After washing hair, pour over as a final rinse, do not wash out.
   Blondes, use same thing but  put 1/2 cup of chamomile flowers into the boiling water. (omit sage)
  Red heads,  substitute 1/4 cup of hibiscus flowers.
  If you want a home made shampoo that will make your hair shimmer, try mixing 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of castile soap and 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil together, suds away. Castile soap is easy to find on line, just type it into your search engine, it's not very pricy and good for a lot of things. Have not been able to find it in stores, used to be used for babies all the time as it's so gentle.  If you want to add herbs to this shampoo, dried chamomile, lavender, etc can be added as you like.  To add body and bounce, add 1 cup of beer, this needs to be reduced from 1 cup to 1/4 cup by simmering. When we were stationed in the Phillipines, the beauty shops all used a beer based shampoo on our hair, made it look great.  How about some home made bug repellant? 
  1/2 ounce citronella oil
  1/4 ounce lavender oil
  1/8 ounce tea tree oil
  1/8 ounce jojoba oil.
 Add 16 ounces of almond or oil of your choice, blend and put in spray container.
  Or try 3 and 1/2 ounces of witch hazel
            1/2 ounce lemon juice
            1/2 teaspoon eucalyptus oil
            1/2 ounce citronella oil   combine all in small spray bottle.
 On to fruits and vegetables. If you are buying them at the store or local farmers markets, they need to be cleaned. A great wash is made by combining the following:  8 ounces purified or distilled water, 1 cup vinegar, juice of 1 lemon, 2 teaspoons baking soda and a drop of orange extract, which I think could be omitted, mostly for scent.  Cut the lemon in half and squeeze out juice into a bowl, add soda, oil and if using, extract. Mix well then add vinegar. Whee , fizz all over the place, kids will love watching this. Pour this into a bottle, and when cleaning your produce, spray it well, let sit at least 30 seconds then rinse thoroughly. Some of the dirtiest produce includes potatoes, apples, peppers, celery, peaches, blueberrys, strawberrys, grapes, spinach, lettuce, green beans, kale, avocados, cantalope, eggplant, kiwi and watermelon. Just wash them well and they will be healthy additions to your diet.
  Hope you have a great week, stay well.
  By the way, any of the ingredients I use  in these recipes are available at Mountain Rose Herbs, or on Amazon.
          

 

Home made Sunscreen, recipes to cool you off, summer storms

  The country is caught in a heat wave, and a lot of severe storms have plagued the whole area lately. we had our turn last night. We were lucky here on the mountain, the wind went screaming across the peaks for a short time but all we got was needed rain. Our neighboring cities were not so lucky, wind damage, trees down, power out in a lot of places and 2 deaths in the Smoky mountain park area.
  So lets look at some ideas to keep us cool and snack healthy. One of my everyday pleasures is Greek Yogurt, made with one ingredient, organic skim milk. No sugar or other stuff added. This allows you to add what you want, fresh fruit, honey etc. If you are a chocolate person, this is a great recipe. To one cup of yogurt, stir in a heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder, a teaspoon of honey and a splash of vanilla. Stir well and enjoy. I am thinking of tossing in a few nuts next time. Chopped pecans would be my pick.
  How about some chips? Banana chips that is. Slice some bananas thin, can't be over ripe, dip in lemon juice, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees for 2 hours. Flip them over and bake another 1 and 1/2 hours or til crisp. Store in baggie or other container to keep fresh.
  Something really cold? How about Frozen Spiced Chai?  In a pan put 1 pint of half and half, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 4 chai tea bags and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, let sit 5 minutes and remove the tea bags. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then pour into a blender with 2 cup of ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Serve in dishes with whipped cream and shaved chocolate, or just plain.
  How about some quick cookies?   Try mixing 1 cup of Nutella with 1 egg and 1 cup of flour. Mix well, shape into small balls and bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.
   Here's an idea I heard this week, if you are avoiding eggs or don't have one and need one in  a recipe,  soak 1 tablespoon of flax seeds in 3 tablesoons of water until gelatinous, and use in place of one egg.
  On my Grit site this am I was given many ideas for the abundant supply of zucchini we are having this year, one of my favorite dishes is Eggplant Parmesan, but I found out you can use zucchini the same way. So I just sauteed up a batch of them, breaded, and when they are cool I will freeze them in suitable sized containers for future use. The article assured me they are good keepers fixed this way. Of course, will have to try some for supper tonight. Their idea was to put spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a baking dish, then cooked sausage, then layer the zucchini and more sauce, bake adding cheese toward the end of baking.
  If you are watching labels and finding stuff in sunscreen you do not like, you can make your own. Some of the bad for you ingredients are  Oxybenzone, Retinol Palmitate, Methoxycinnamate, Padinate or O/Paba, and any kind of Nano particles. So lets start. In a heat proof bowl, that you will put over boiling water, like a double boiler, put 4.05 ounces of beeswax, 4.25 ounces of shea butter, and 5.25 ounces of coconut oil. Heat til the beeswax is melted. Remove from heat and use an immersian blender or just a regular mixer and beat til whipped. Store in jar. This is a SPF 30 sunscreen, goes on a bit milky but soaks right into the skin.
  Hope you have no bad storms this next week, just gentle rains and maybe less heat. Stay cool and healthy!
 

What's your purse hiding, natural fertilizer and Air Spray etc

  I have a site I follow that gives me classes on using herbs. It has so much to offer, love reading their information. There was a quote this week I would like to share with you. Credit goes to El Corazon, who said " No medicine cures what happiness can not."
  Do you know what's lurking in your purse? I found out some things this week, one I don't like too much,  if you use emery boards, they are meant for one time use then toss them out. Now who of us would do that, we all tuck them into our purse, or keep them handy for smoothing off rough nails. Fact is,  they breed fungus germs. Recommendation is to get a metal file and clean it often.  I never really liked metal ones, and I hate tossing an emery board after one use, hmm, dilemma.
  And that lipstick we all use, it contains lead. If you lick your lips, you are ingesting it all the time. The big brands are leaders of the pack, Cover Girl, L'Oreal, etc. Back to reading labels.
  Your cell phone can carry MRSA and other nasty stuff, be sure to clorox wipe it every few days, and if you have a flip phone,open it and clean the inside too.
  And of course, the purse itself. You take it with you and set it down on tables, floors, ( in restrooms sometimes) and who know what else, so be careful where you put it when you get home, you can bring all kinds of stuff in with it. You may need to wipe it off or wash it if it's fabric, often.
   Are your plants in the garden needing some fertilizer? Here is a recipe for a very simple, natural one. Place a bunch of roughly chopped fresh herbs in a bucket.. Add water, four parts water to one part herbs. Set aside and let brew for three days,stirring once or twice a day. Strain out the herbs, toss them into your compost or put them around needy plants. Spray the full strength liquid onto your plant leaves, or use a watering can and pour around the roots.
  And last today, a recipe for safe, home made air freshener. I have lavender and rose made up, like them both. 
   Put 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 1 and 1/2 cups of water and 12 to 15 drops of essential oil of your choice into a spray bottle. I make half a recipe, this is a lot at one time. Oils that work great are  grapefruit, lemon, orange, all citrusy, or your choice of floral ones, lavender, rose, etc.
  The US seems to be cooking this week, so many places suffering from extreme heat. Hope you all find a way to keep cool. Also saying a prayer for the folk in Colorado, facing that huge fire, and those in Florida, recovering from the hurricane. Too bad the excess rain from that didn't go help Colorado's fire. Funny  how we can't control those things.
   Take care, stay well and cool!

Weeds, sprays, salves and more

  It's been an eventful week. had an award picnic in the park Tuesday, where volunteers in our community were recognized. There were a lot of us, my daughter in law got a well earned award too. The food was good, and so was the company, met the mayor, news paper people etc.
  Today started with a 2 hour battle on a flower bed I have ignored for many years, out on a slope at the front of the house.  It was a good fight to tame the overgrown area. I have a good stand of yarrow and tulip bulbs that might stand a chance now.
  I started the week sitting on my porch and cutting up pine needles.  My son brought an armload of branches down and after much cutting, I ended up with 3 quart jars full of snipped needles. And a lot of bare branches.  to the jars I added a couple of spoons full of grated orange peel, and a couple of tablespoons of juniper berrys. That was covered with oil, some olive, some apricot kernal, some jojoba and some grapeseed. I was using up bits of leftovers and combined them. After stirring, the jars have been set aside, and will brew for a month. At that point, we will talk about the rest of the recipe, it will end up as a salve for sore muscles, achy joints etc.
   I have a recipe for you today for your garden and flowers, an insect spray.
   In a blender, toss 12 large cloves of garlic, 6 hot chili peppers, fresh or dried, 2 cups of water and puree til foamy. Let this stand overnight. You should have a coral colored mixture with stuff at the bottom. Strain this through a coffee filter or cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer, no stuff left or it will clog your spray bottle. After its strained, pour it into a jar, add a tablespoon of  liquid castile soap, I think dish soap might also work, and a few drops of cinnamon or eucalyptus essential oil.  This will keep for most of the summer. When you use it,  add 2 tablespoons of mix to a quart of water in a sprayer. U se in the late part of the day so sun won't burn your plants. Reapply as needed.
   I am getting ready to brew up some lemon balm leaves and see if they' re strong enough flavor wise to make some lemon jelly  out of, if it works, I will share my recipe next time.
  Find some shade, stay cool. I am going back to work on a baby blanket for my coming grand daughter, catch ya later.

From Chia Pets to Chia wonder Seeds

   Remember when your mom had a Happy Hank, or some other  form that was covered with growing chia seeds, and looked like grass growing inside the house? My Mom had Happy Hank but lately, there must be dozens of different chia pets available.
  Maybe it would be healthier to start eating these seeds. I have become quite fond of them, add some to cereal or make pudding with them. It is a new food to me so still in the experimental stage, and I wonder how come I didn't know about them sooner.
 Lately there are articles and recipes in magazines, and on tv with all the information about their health benefits. Here are a few of them.
  They help you loose weight because they keep you feeling full for a long time, and are much cheaper and healthier than diet pills.
  They help balance your blood sugar so are good for diabetics, no sugar needs to be used in their preparation.
  They prevent diverticulitis. The outer shell is insoluble so helps them to pass through your system, cleaning out debris. They are kind of slick and slimy so move easily through your system.
   They contain lots of healthy omega 3's.  Also antioxidants to slow aging. Because they fill you up, you have fewer cravings. They are loaded with fiber, protein etc. Chia was used by the Aztecs and Mayans, considered to be a staple in their cultures.  They have a minimum amount of calories , 11 grams of fiber per ounce, and 18% of your daily calcium needs.
   Recipes, these are so easy it's ridiculous.

    Chocolate peanut butter pudding

2 cups milk  (I use soy or rice)
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
3/4 cup splenda, or stevia or agave to your taste. The latter 2 take small amounts.
Combine all in a food processor and chill at least 45 minutes. I like to put mine in ramekins or individual dishes.

   Pomegranite Chia Pudding

1 ounce chia seeds
3/4 cup pomegranite juice.
Let set 45 minutes after combining. This can be run through a processor or left as is.
  I am thinking apricot nectar, apple sauce, the combos would be endless, rev up your imagination. Personally, I like the chunkyness of unprocessed seeds, its a personal thing I am sure.
  Chia seeds are easy to find on line, I get mine from Swanson Vitamins, they have their own brand for $9.89 a 16 ounce container, or a Nutiva organic brand for $6.85 for a 14 ounce package.
  Hope you give these guys a try, they are soooo good.
  See ya soon.

E-coli again, Pink Slime, clorined Chicken

  The news this morning is telling of an outbreak of e-coli again, in the southern states. A little girl has died and many more are ill. So far the source is not known, but usual ones are lettuce, sprouts, and of course hamburger. If you are buying produce, be sure to wash it well.
  I watched an interesting show on the Doctors this week. Let's start with Pink Slime.  A gooey mixture containing amonia hydroxide. At least 70% of the hamburgers consumed in the US are made from parts of animals not otherwise used. Bone, gut, whatever is leftover. And combined with the slime to make it look edible. Sounds tasty, yeah?Wait, there's more.  The buns, along with breads made in the US contain Potassium Bromate. This substance has been banned in the UK and Canada as it's highly carcinogenic. There is another bread aditive called azodicarbonimide. Check labels when buying bread and avoid those. So now put the Pink Slime and carcinognic. Put slime and buns together, you have such a wonderful meal!
  I gave up on hamburger years ago when it kept being recalled for e-coli.Instead, I started buying more chicken. Well, I am going to upset you even more. The chickens, even organic ones, are killed, cleaned and tossed into cold water as if they are not chilled at once, e-coli starts growing. But the cold water contains a solution of up to 50%chlorine. Yep good old bleach. And because it leaves a bad taste, salt water is injected to kill the chlorine taste. So you are getting salt in your diet you didn't know about, and bleach too. Tests run in a lab in CA have proved this method doesn't kill salmonella, so may be worthless. Reputable chicken companies air chill their chickens. You can tell by checking   thelabels for salt what you are getting. The best option is free range organic chicken.
  Well, that gets us to dessert. Who doesn't like ice cream.  Did you know that because real vanilla is so expensve, pipronal, used to kill lice, is used instead. And if you are going for fruit, or pineapple flaver thats made from ethyl acetone,a substance in nail polish remover. And the topper, any red dye (40 in particular) is known to cause ADD in children and yet the FDA has not banned it's use. Natural color, like beets could be used. The safest ice creams are the ones with the fewest most natural ingredients.
  This is only a partial listing of harmful ingredients, go to thedoctors.com to get more, and some safe options.
 If you would like to make a safe dessert try mixing frozen strawberrys, stevia or agave,  a little lemon juice andwater and eating that.
  Hope I haveleft you something youlike to eat, I am cooking a pot of beans that will be mixed with fresh peppers, onions andmushrooms for supper.
  Have a good week.