Friday, September 09, 2011

HERBAL GOODIES



 Garden Herbs

I have made my own bouquet garni in the past, but none looked as beautiful as those from my friend Ang, over at Parisienne Farmgirl.
Taking my cues from her, I gathered up what I could from my own herb garden and set to work.

 
 Provencal Bouquet Garni

The end product, tho not as visually appealing as Ang's, will be just as tasty!

I am drying these out in the sun for a couple of days, but I think to hasten the process I will pop them in my dehydrator for a few hours.



 Magic Sauce ingredients

olive oil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sweet paprika, garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, sea salt, lemon juice

One of my favorite food blogs is 101 Cookbooks, written by Heidi Swanson.
She recently posted this recipe, and I knew I had to try it.
Easy-peasy for sure, and I had all of the ingredients on hand so....



I have already drizzled a bit on homemade hummus (mmmm...)
and also on a bit of leftover humdrum rice.(yummo)
I will also be trying it on a chicken/sun-dried tomato pasta dish later this week. 

The only thing I did differently was to just break my bay leaf in a couple of pieces, not grind it up.
Just my own personal feelings about eating bay leaves...
tho Heidi says it is perfectly fine.
Perhaps with fresh bay, which is very soft and tender...
which mine is definitely not.

I would definitely say this is a keeper...

I have been extra busy this canning season, using my OLD pressure canner to can pinto beans, ground beef, stew, salsa, tomatoes, and peaches.
The beauty of pressure canning is the lack of heat in the kitchen. 
No steamy hot water baths, just a medium flame on the burner, with no heat escaping the pot.
Now...if only I had a canner that wasn't from the Flintstones era, I think I would be happy!
NOT cheap...I have checked Craigs List and e-bay....
So I will continue with my "vintage" one until something better comes along.

In Christ alone,
Cindy




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5 comments:

Donna said...

Hmmm, that recipe sounds good! I'll be harvesting a lot of our basil this weekend. We'll be going out of town again in a couple of weeks, and I know the plants will be ka-put by the time we get back. We're going to have a pesto-making party!

Enjoy your harvesting, Miz Cindy!

Lady Farmer said...

I have been wanting to make some of Ang's Bouquet Garni, also. I think I will have to go gather the herbs today and do just that!
The Magic Sauce looks, well, Magic! Think I may give it a try, too!
You are such a busy gal ~ I'm sure everyone at your place eats very well!
Blessings!

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Our gas grill has a burner on it so a lot of times, I'll can outside on the gas grill. Helps keep the kitchen from getting so steamy.
Headed to have a look see at the magic sauce.

Maria said...

Hi Cindy! Oh you must have been reading my mind! I just walked passed my basil, parsley and rosemary. I love the idea of the bouquets! Oh that's such a GREAT idea! I'm smiling over it! I was wondering how much pesto I could make ... and freeze, but now with these dried bouquets... it's perfect!

I also would love to buy some of your soaps. Do you have any lavender left? I'll check for your email address!
*happy weekend*
~Maria

Susan said...

Oh, I can't wait to try these wonderful little bundles........what a great idea! these would go great in the Christmas baskets I'm putting to gether with dried herbs form the garden and homemade vanilla....ranch mix....and Im thinking an infused olive oil.........fun! thanks for posting this
Blessings Cyn.......I need to buy some of your soaps