Showing posts with label herbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label herbs. Show all posts

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Herbs Spices and Seasonings

Introducing a new MEME
Welcome
Today lets talk about our spice of the week
Herb of the week...


ANISE

This is the dried ripe fruit of an easy to grow garden annual belonging to the carrot family. Native to Egypt, it has been planted in European gardens since the Middle Ages. Anise seeds are brownish with tan stripes, oval and tapered to a point. The sweetish flavor is potent and the highly aromatic spice is a powerful flavor enhancer.

Now for all you exotic tea lovers out there, if you'd like and especially tasty treat; Try adding a teaspoon of anise seeds to a cup of boiling water and let stand for five minutes. If you like licorice, your palate should be pleasantly surprised!


When using a spice or herb for the firs time, follow a good rule of thumb…you can put more in, but you can’t take it out! Use only about scant teaspoon to start.

When using a spice or herb for the firs time, follow a good rule of thumb…you can put more in, but you can’t take it out! Use only about scant teaspoon to start.
Now 
Tell us how you use this wonderful Spice



Monday, October 25, 2010

Herbs Spices and Seasonings

Introducing a new MEME
Welcome
Today lets talk about our spice of the week

Allspice
As the name suggests, this versatile flavor enhancer is a spice because it comes from the berry of a West Indian tree, (Pimenta dioica) of the myrtle family. It has a rich, brown color and a pleasant, mild, sweet, spicy flavor.

While allspice is a familiar flavor in some dessert dishes, such as pumpkin pie, it also provides a delicate taste sensation for those seeking that special difference that it can make in a main course and even vegetable dishes.

No doubt the method of preparation of any food is very important in the resulting flavor. One additional variable affecting the end result is the skill with which the cook utilizes the vast resources of flavor enhancers, otherwise known as Herbs and Spices

When using a spice or herb for the firs time, follow a good rule of thumb…you can put more in, but you can’t take it out! Use only about scant teaspoon to start.
Now 
Tell us how you use this wonderful Spice




Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Meal Plan Monday Spices/Herbs

Well a little late here but if you only knew...
of course if you have known me long you'll have a pretty good idea:)
Taxes are done and mailed!
Felt so good to hand print my final copy and send it off.
We got almost everything back.
Itemizing takes a lot of effort and time.
That old saying..." time is money"

So now onto meals
click on any image to enlarge

yes we have hens but we will give them a bit of support here and there:)
A word here on the lost art of "Gleaning". Now Ruth of old she was good at it and took care of loved ones practicing the humility of doing so.
It takes an art of knowing when to hit the stores. Right after holiday's is a real good time. 
See the stores bought too much inventory...see the eggs and the ham.
So menu is set accordingly. There were several other items but I need to get done.
Oh a good early investment in all marriages is a freezer to store such meats for later use. Freezer love beef. Remember that beef also likes to age a bit. So the day of use is even a better choice as long as the store keeps it real cold.
In The west our grocers carry a line of products for our Hispanic citizens.
These spices are VERY GOOD AND INEXPENSIVE!
Same thing as in the bottles or tins.

Yes my friends I really do use many herbs and spices.
Think few pantry stock items cooked many different cultural ways.
Oh the spice of life!
the saying goes with good reason
I have spoken before about buying in bulk at a health food store or at ethnic stores.

Herb of the week...
Basil

Ever-present in most Italian recipes, this herb is an easily grown garden annual. In India it is thought to be sacred to Hindu deities and regarded as the protecting spirit of the family.  The leaves are dried and crumbled for use in a wide variety of dishes that are enhanced by its mild, sweet flavor.  The intensity of the flavor may be judged by the color of the leaves. Purple basil is more flavorful than green.

Cheese and egg dishes lend themselves to the effects of the delicate, unique flavor of basil. For Italian tomato and mushroom dishes , it is a real must!

The Idea behind the use of spices and herbs in cooking is for flavor enhancement- not to overpower the natural flavor of foods. It takes time to get amounts right for your taste.

other uses
Soups, meat pies,stews, peas, and string beans.

Enjoy!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Meal Plan Monday


Photobucket
click to enlarge

Every few months my shopping takes me to a health food store here in Mesa to purchase herbs and spices in bulk. The cost are so minimal in compare with getting them at a grocery or kitchen store.
Notice the costs on the containers 

click to enlarge
Herb of the week...
Arrowroot
This is actually a starch from the rhizome of a West Indian plant. It is neutral in flavor, therefore, Arrowroot does not mask the natural flavor of foods. Its value is the clarity that it lends to sauces and dressings when used as a thickening agent.

Substitute Arrowroot in place of flour or cornstarch when making fruit sauces, pie fillings, puddings, salad dressings and dessert sauces, as well as meat glazes and vegetable sauces. Use only the amount of Arrowroot and lower the cooking temperature though!
The oils in spices and herbs are the source of their flavor and aroma. Ground or powdered forms lose their potency much more quickly than whole leaves and seeds.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Meal Plan Monday



Click to enlarge
This weeks Herb is 
ANISE

This is the dried ripe fruit of an easy to grow garden annual belonging to the carrot family. Native to Egypt, it has been planted in European gardens since the Middle Ages. Anise seeds are brownish with tan stripes, oval and tapered to a point. The sweetish flavor is potent and the highly aromatic spice is a powerful flavor enhancer.

Now for all you exotic tea lovers out there, if you'd like and especially tasty treat; Try adding a teaspoon of anise seeds to a cup of boiling water and let stand for five minutes. If you like licorice, your palate should be pleasantly surprised!

When using a spice or herb for the first time, follow a good rule of thumb...you can put more in, but you can't take it out!  Use only about a teaspoon to start.



Friday, May 22, 2009

Home made Herb Tea Mix


A wonderful invitation to tea....
Last evening after the kids were to bed my darling came in searching the cupboard....
Asked I, what he was trying to find?
"The tea pot said he...lets have a pot of tea."

GLEE!!!!!!!!
A pot of tea with the man I love.
JOY!

Late evening so I mixed a sleepy time type concoction

Peppermint 2/4 parts

Peppermint (Mentha piperita ), a popular flavoring for gum, toothpaste, and tea, is also used to soothe an upset stomach or to aid in digestion. Because it has a calming and numbing effect, it has been used to treat headaches, skin irritations, anxiety associated with depression, nausea, diarrhea, menstrual cramps, and flatulence. It is also an ingredient in chest rubs, used to treat symptoms of the common cold. In test tubes, peppermint kills some types of bacteria and viruses, suggesting it may have antibacterial and antiviral properties.

Fever Few 1/4 parts

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium ), a member of the sunflower family, has been used for centuries in European folk medicine as a remedy for headaches, arthritis, and fevers. The term feverfew is adapted from the Latin word febrifugia or "fever reducer."

Feverfew is also used to treat menstrual irregularities, labor difficulties, skin conditions, stomach aches, and asthma.

Migraine Headaches

Feverfew gained popularity in Great Britain in the 1980s as an alternative to conventional medications for migraine headaches. A survey of 270 migraine sufferers in Great Britain revealed that more than 70% of individuals felt substantially better after ingesting an average of 2 - 3 fresh feverfew leaves daily. Several controlled human trials have been conducted using feverfew for migraine prevention and treatment. Overall, these studies suggest that feverfew taken daily as dried leaf capsules may reduce the incidence of attacks in patients who experience long-term migraine headaches.

  • A clinical study used a combination of feverfew with Salix alba (white willow). White willow contains components similar to aspirin. The product was given twice daily for 12 weeks. The frequency of migraine attacks and the pain intensity and duration were significantly reduced in patients taking the combination.
  • Another study found that a carbon dioxide extract of feverfew decreased the frequency of migraine attacks from 4.76 per month to 1.9 per month. A 3 month study in 49 subjects found that a combination of feverfew with magnesium and vitamin B2 provided a 50% decrease in migraine attacks.
  • Some studies in humans have not been positive. Whether feverfew helps improve migraine pain depends on which feverfew supplement you take. Talk to your health care provider.

Arthritis

Although many laboratory tests and case reports demonstrate anti-inflammatory properties of feverfew, a human study concluded that feverfew was no more effective than placebo in improving symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Until further studies are conducted, it appears that the safety and effectiveness of feverfew in people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis has yet to be scientifically proven.

Comfrey 1/4 parts

Comfrey has been known for centuries as a priceless herb for wounds, sprains, bruises, and even broken bones in both people and other animals. Farmers have long fed comfrey to their livestock for various ailments or as a spring tonic after a long winter of standing in the typical barnyard mire beneath overcast skies. Farmers have also fed comfrey to their families as a nearly unparalleled source of protein, potassium, calcium, and vitamins A, B12, and C. To that end, it can be eaten in salads, sauteed along with other vegetables, or drunk as a comforting tea.

While comfrey has finally gained some acceptance from the “official” medical community, there is also a quite a bit of fear surrounding the consumption of comfrey. Recently, the FDA banned comfrey from all commercially produced herbal supplements. Bear in mind that the FDA decided to ban the plant only after injecting unnaturally large amounts of the plant's inherent alkaloids into animal test subjects, which then died of liver failure, just as they would have had the alkaloids been extracted from a carrot, concentrated, and injected into their bloodstreams. If nothing else, know that under no circumstances should a pregnant or nursing woman ingest comfrey. That's a commandment that should be heeded and taken seriously for many herbs. Consider yourself fairly warned in the name of science.

Fortunately, it is not necessary to ingest comfrey to reap its greatest medicinal benefits. Used externally, comfrey is completely safe, even for babies, and it is in its use as a wound dressing that comfrey's magic shines through. The next time you get a wound, sprain your ankle, burn yourself, or even break a bone, turn to comfrey for comfort. Of course, if you break your bone or get a serious burn, you'll want to head to the doctor right away, but as was mentioned before, even doctors are often forced to admit comfrey's power to speed the healing process. Comfrey's success as a healing agent is due to allantoin—a substance that speeds the production of new cells and aids in wound granulation (healing). Whether you're suffering a bruise, sprain, burn, cut, or busted bone, try making a comfrey poultice as the per the following instructions and prepare to be amazed:

Making a Comfrey Poultice

What you'll need:

  • enough comfrey leaves to cover the affected area in a paste
  • Purified water in some form—preferably distilled water or spring water
  • a clean piece of gauze, large enough to cover the affected area
  • something like an Ace bandage to wrap around the gauze and a pin or tape to hold it in place
  • a blender or mortar and pestle
  • a saucepan

Grind the leaves with a a mortar and pestle or place them in a blender with about half as much purified water as leaves. Grind or blend away at the comfrey and water until a paste is formed. If it's too soupy, add more leaves. Once you've got your leaves mashed in one way or another, you're ready to heat the paste. In a small saucepan, over very low heat so as not to scald the herbs, heat your mixture to a comfortable, soothing temperature, stirring constantly. Once the desired temperature is achieved, spread the paste thickly onto the gauze, place the gauze onto the wound, sprain, etc., and wrap with the bandaging material securely around the gauze pad. (NOTE: If you have an open wound such as a bite or gash, place a fresh gauze pad between the wound and the poultice paste so as not to introduce debris into the wound. For a scrape or scratch, direct introduction of the comfrey should be fine.) Secure with a safety pin or other sturdy fastening, and leave in place until the poultice has dried out, at which point you'll want to replace it with a fresh one.

The Fever Few is great for my Darlings headaches. He has had from youth due to a car accident where he was rendered unconscious. It works wonders. He also uses it in capsule form.

This tea mixture into an effusion ball, Honey in the pot all stirred and steeped.

Relaxing Bedtime Tea.

I slept very well last night.

We had a very nice visit on the porch in the rain of the evening.
It was so relaxing.

I am my Beloveds and He is mine.


I hope everyone is having a great day!

Older women likewise teach the younger women...

• how to love their husbands
• how to love their children
• how to be self-controlled
• how to be pure
• how to be keepers at home
• how to be kind and submissive (not subservient) to their own husbands. (See Titus 2:3-5)

Blog Archive

By Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
That a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean living,'
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain...
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Words have power. Here are a few of my favorite sayings.

  • A warm cup of tea is like a cuddle with a friend.
  • The North American Indians have a more eloquent word for ‘friend’ than we do in English. In their language, the word for friend literally means, “the one who carries my sorrows on his back.”
  • Return with Honor
  • The sage anticipates things that are difficult while they are easy, and does things that would become great while they are small. All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy, and all great things from one in which they were small. Therefore the sage, while he never does what is great, is able on that account to accomplish the greatest things."
  • "HOME IS WHERE YOUR STORY BEGINS"
  • “Live so that when your children hear these words they think of you… Fairness Caring Integrity Honesty Love Trust.”
  • "O Lord help my words to be gracious and tender today, for tomarrow I may have to eat them."
  • "No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes"
To The Ends Of The Earth
Sisters by Heart

Click here for all crafts

e patterns My sister told me of this site

Please pray for her parents and family

Please pray for her parents and family
Amy has clicked her heals and flown to her real home. There is no place like home.




This was given to me for the third time in just a few weeks.

Zephaniah 3:17 NLT
"For the LORD your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song."

Thank You Ross

Getting to know Me

What warm hearts you all offer

Thank you all for the kindness you have shown me with every Award. I am embraced. You Are a blessing.

Thank you Michelle

Thank you Michelle








































Thank you Annette they are beautiful
Thank You Annette
neno award from Kat


Autism Awareness