Friday, June 15, 2012

Drying Herbs


Oregano


Parsley








Oregano in the dehydrator

Parsley in the dehydrator

Dried Oregano

Dried Parsley



Parsley and Oregano ready to flavor a variety of winter meals.



Friday, June 8, 2012

Herb Butter


The Oregano needed pruning!



After snipping about half the height from the
plant...


..I added most to the dehydrator.


(The parsley wanted to go to seed
so it was trimmed, also, and shared
half of the racks in the dehydrator.)


The aroma was so fragrant
it made me hungry for a tasty
treat of a lightly toasted roll
with herb butter.

To make my Oregano, Garlic and
Parmesan butter I first
stripped the leaves from the stem by grasping
the top with the fingers of one hand
and pulling down the stem with the fingers
of the other hand.
(the stems go to the compost)


Chop leaves fine ~
about 3 Tablespoons


Add to 1/4 cup softened butter


Add a heaping Tablespoon of minced garlic
(I usually use fresh, but didn't have any so
used this garlic in a jar.)



Add 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese


Mix up with a spoon and place in a pretty little
crock or bowl.


I spread a roll with the butter and
toasted lightly!
Mmmm! Delish!

You can use a variety of herbs
such as Rosemary, Parsley, Thyme, Marjoram,
Basil, and Sage
or any combination of the above.
Be creative ~ add Garlic, lemon, pepper,cheese.
It can be used on meats, fish, chicken and vegetables.
It's perfect for grilling ~
add a pat and let it melt it's herbal
goodness right down into what ever you are cooking.
Tastes so good!
Freezes well and keeps for about 3 months.
Fill up a pretty jar and
present it to your host at that next
Bar~B~Q!

~*~
Linking to these blog hops:

Homestead Barn Hop






















Thursday, May 10, 2012

Farmhouse French Vanilla Ice Cream

Gentleman Farmer gave me an ice cream maker
attachment to my KitchenAid Mixer
for Christmas.
This is my first experience making Ice Cream.

Here is a recipe I tweaked from the
KitchenAid Recipe Booklet.



Farmhouse French Vanilla Ice Cream

5 cups whole milk
(I use raw Jersey Milk ~ highest in milkfat
I let the cream come to the top and pour that into
a measuring cup. You can substitute half and half and
whipping cream, light and heavy cream, whole milk, or any combination 
as long as the liquid measurement stays the same.
 The more fat [cream] the
richer the flavor and creamier the texture!)
8 egg yolks
(mine are farm fresh and organic ~ straight from the nest!)
1 cup sugar
(you guessed it ~ organic!)
4 teaspoons Real Vanilla
(I would have used a Vanilla Bean if I'd had one!)
dash of salt


In a saucepan,
heat milk/cream to 170*
Do not boil
Stir often.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix egg yolks and sugar in a bowl
until well blended and slightly thickened.
While mixer is going, very slowly add
heated milk/cream.
Return cream, egg, sugar mixture to saucepan
and heat on medium, stirring constantly, until small bubbles
form around the edge of the pan  and
mixture is steaming.
Pour into a large bowl and stir in vanilla and salt.
Cover and chill in refridgerator overnight
(at least 8 hours)

Pour mixture into Ice Cream Freezer/Maker
and process according to
your machine's directions.
In a KitchenAid, on Stir for
20 minutes, until desired consistency.
Eat now for 'soft serve' texture,
or freeze 2-4 hours to harden
and ripen flavor.

You can add up to 2 cups fresh fruit
during last 5 minutes of processing.



What will you have on your delicious fresh ice cream?

(I had Chocolate Syrup ~
Gentleman Farmer topped his with fresh Rhubarb Sauce.)

Yum any way you serve it ~ even plain!
;~P

~*~
Joining Deborah Jean's


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Busy Time Starts Now!



With the harvesting of the rhubarb
so begins my canning for the season.
I start off with rhubarb sauce and a few loaves
of rhubarb bread in the freezer.




Soon will be berries
for jams and jellies
and pies and smoothie packs...
but that is another post!



Joining
 Jami at An Oregon Cottage
for
Tuesday Garden Party

Amy at Homestead Revival
for
Barn Hop #61

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Springtime Farmhouse Quiche

My quest for Spring has brought me back to a favorite
dish that is good anytime, but I love it for a quick
meal to incorporate my abundance of farm fresh
eggs and tasty springtime Asparagus!
You can find my recipe for Farmhouse Quiche


Tonight's version uses sausage and asparagus.

Quiche is one of those dishes that are so
easy to prepare, uses just a few basic ingredients
 yet is impressive enough to serve to
company. It is a lovely Easter Morning
Breakfast dish!

Joining:

 Kathy at A Delightsome Life
for
Home & Garden Thursday!

Deborah Jean at Dandelion House
for
Farmgirl Friday!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

A quick lunch with ties to the past


My Grandma was ahead of her time! Back when I was a child, she would fix this for a quick lunch that seemed oh so special to me.  Kids love this sort of thing, and I still adore it today! Top Ramen wasn't even invented yet! (My kids would say, China and Chinese Food wasn't invented yet when I was a kid! :~O ) Good thing about the ramen ~ this is way better .
Here is her 'recipe'!
1 can Campbell's Beef Consomme Soup
1/2 package of Red Rose Gourmet Chinese Egg Noodles(found in the Asian Isle of the grocery store)
Chopped Green Onion

Mix soup according to directions on can ~ (one can water to dilute)
Heat consomme to gentle boil and add noodles.
Cook till soft.
Serve with topping of chopped green onion (and any other additions
as you would ramen soup ~ leftover bits of vegetables and meat or fish, but
I prefer it simple ~ just the way Grandma made it!)