Basil... It's A Wonderful Herb!

I planted three plants of basil this spring. I grew some last
year too, but I didn't realizethat I could have harvested
MUCH more then I did had I picked it every few weeks! 

Just so you know, you pick the individual branches just
above the bottom 2 sets of leaves closest to the ground!
I read that by picking more often I should get
about 20 cups of leaves PER PLANT!

Here is a picture of the plants this afternoon
prior to my picking it!

And... here are the plants afterwards!

The harvest....

 Add the basil leaves, some minced garlic, olive oil

and Parmesan cheese to the food processor...

Press the 'go button' and VIOLA!!

FRESH, DELICIOUS PESTO!

And now it's ready for the freezer!

Oh, and one more thing, some people add
pine nuts or pecans when they are making
pesto. Personally, I like to add fresh
slivered almonds when I am
making a dish calling for pesto!

At this rate, I'll be able to make a few batches of pesto,
dehydrate some and even freeze some leaves whole in
ice cubes for that 'close to fresh' flavor in
spaghetti sauce later in the winter!

SERIOUSLY....  the hardest part of making pesto...
picking off the leaves and
getting the food processor off the back shelf to use!

Sharing this post on Simple Lives Thursday ...
a fun and AWESOME place to visit!

Home Made Pesto Chicken

I was planning on making one of our family favorites for

dinner tonight.... PESTO CHICKEN!!

I had it all figured out only to discover that
I didn't have a jar of pesto in the pantry...

THEN, I stopped and thought about it...

I MADE PESTO IN THE FALL!!

I HAVE ALL THE PESTO I NEED IN MY FREEZER!

Here are a few blocks (ice cube sized) and

the bowl in 5-6 blocks all thawed & stirred! 

 The basic ingredients for my pesto chicken dish are:

pesto

cooked chicken

sliced almonds

sun dried tomatoes

pasta

 I boiled down a chicken (that we raised!) cooled it

and picked the meat off!! AND, I have almost

 3 quarts of chicken broth for a soup!!

 OK, my second dilemma was...  I didn't have any sun dried

tomatoes on hand either!  :( 

THE POOR PLANNING ON MY PART

turned into a terrific brainstorm!

I roasted 4 tomatoes (sliced, sprinkled with a little bit

of oil & garlic powder on a baking sheet).

 Roasted at 400* for about 20+ minutes... and YUM!!

I think I like this even better then the way I've been

making this dish over the past few years!

 I used ravioli instead of angel hair pasta!!

Boil the ravioli (or other pasta) until cooked, drain

and return to the pot.

Add the cooked chicken ... bite sized pieces,

sliced almonds (amount varies on amount of pasta)

I think I used about 3/4 cup.

Mix the chicken & almonds in then add the

pesto and re-stir well! NOW... add the final touch

roasted tomatoes!! Gently mix... and serve!

I may look odd, but the flavor was phenomenal!

GROWN AT HOME:

chicken (grown & processed at home)

basil (grown at home & made into pesto)

these tomatoes weren't grown at home,

but they were roasted at home!!

(This summer some of our home grown

tomatoes will be designated for roasting!)
Now, to check out making my own pasta!!

Shared on Simple Lives Thursday 44th Edition!!
Check out the awesome ideas everyone is sharing this week!!

Mom's Breakfast Sausage Recipe!! DELICIOUS!

We got the unsmoked portion of our pork back

from the  butcher last week!

                                So far, we've tried the pork chops & ground pork!                                

  Here's my mom's recipe for breakfast sausage!

It is beyond wonderful!

                                  

Using 1 pound of ground pork add:

1 tsp. salt

2/3 tsp. ground sage (I add a little more)

dash of thyme

1/2 tsp. black pepper  (I omit this and add at the table)

dash savory   (summer savory)

(did you know there is both summer & winter savory?)

                           

 

Mix by hand or spoon then form patties and cook!

I add a little water to the pan so it won't stick

and to cook out some of the extra fat.

You can also use this recipe with ground turkey

or chicken and probably with any ground meat!

I ALSO FOUND AND TRIED A RECIPE FOR

SWEET SAUSAGE!!

I won't be buying sweet sausage all prepared anymore!

I'll share that next time I make it.

It was VERY good as a pizza topping!

Pesto...

FINALLY, I got the courage up to try a new recipe! My son has been pestering me to get the pesto made or dry the basil leaves because he really likes the fresh basil! I poured over various cookbooks & online recipe sites for just the right recipe. But, basically, the recipes are all very similar.... so perhaps it was procrastination that caused me to wait so long before attempting this VERY EASY task!!

Basic ingredients: fresh basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, garlic & olive oil!

Fresh picked basil.... aromatic and delicious! But now what? Admittedly, I waited longer then I should have before I picked these, but all is not lost! :) After picking off all the leaves, tossing the stems & flowers,       I washed them in cool water.

                        

I added the basil by the handfuls to my food processor and layered the ingredients....

The ratio that I used is: 1 Cup Basil, 1 garlic clove (or 1 tsp. minced garlic) 4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese to 1/4 Cup of olive oil.

(Taken from my cookbook 'Saving the Seasons' )

I layered the ingredients, put the lid on, turned on the processor

and the machine did the rest of the work!

After it was all chopped and blended I added

more and hit the go button!

Here is the end result and yum, does it smell good! I put it by spoonfuls into

ice cube trays to freeze and then into freezer containers!

Now it is all ready for me to use for added flavor in soups or spaghetti sauce

or for one of our favorites; "Pesto Chicken"!!

NOTE: I didn't add any pine nuts, walnuts or almonds. The recipe has them as an optional ingredient added in a 1/3 cup ratio. But I'm opting to add slivered almond to my recipes as I make them!!

2nd Attempt.... "Rosemary Mint Wine Jelly"

Ok, here's my second attempt at the 'herb' thing for April! I found this recipe at Epicurious.com purely by accident and I was very excited to find that I had already bought the rosemary & mint for other recipes that I had opted NOT to try!

 

Rosemary Mint Wine Jelly                        
(yield: four 1/2 pints)

2 1/2 cups firmly packed fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves

2 cups dry white wine

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (plus additional if needed)

3 1/2 cups sugar

3 ounce pouch liquid pectin.        

                     

In a food processor or blender blend together the mint, rosemary and 1 cup of wine until the herbs are chopped fine and transfer the mixture to a bowl. In a small saucepan bring the remaining 1 cup wine to a boil, add it to the herb mixture. Let it stand, covered, for 45 minutes. (I put all the wine in a small saucepan and used a knife to cut up the herbs. I was looking for a mild flavor so I didnt' wait the 45 minutes.) Over a large measuring cup strain through a sieve lined with several layers of rinsed & squeezed cheesecloth. Press the solids to get all the liquid and add 1/4 cup lemon juice. (I used a reusable coffee filter with wonderful resuts.) There should be exactly 2 cups of liquids... if there is less, add additional lemon juice to measure 2 cups.

 Transfer the liquid to a kettle, stir in the sugar, stirrring until the mixture is combined well. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in the pectin quickly, bring the mixture again to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat, skim off any foam with a large spoon and ladle the mixture immediately into 4 sterilized 1/2 pint Mason-type jars. Fill to within 1/8 inch from top. Wipe the rims and seal the jars with lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Store jars in a cool, dark place.  ENJOY!

Not being a wine drinker, I had NO idea how this would work out. I had everyone taste this, and we all agree, it has a wonderful flavor! Again, thanks Tigress for the reminder to post even though I missed the deadline!

Better Late Then Never.... "Dandelion Herbal Jelly"

After much thought and a little research I opted NOT to go with my brainstorm idea or my tried & true recipe and to go back to my original first choice!! DANDELION HERBAL JELLY! I had tabled this recipe because it was way too early for dandelions around here and I wasn't sure how dandelions were classified....  weeds, flowers, herbs?! Friday afternoon my husband came in and told me that the lower yard area had a bunch of them growing! Yippee!! I thought now, maybe I can try my hand at making this jelly! BUT then immediately I wondered again if they were considered 'herbs'. (Wow, not only a procrastinator, but a waffler too! I have been waffling between this recipe and my tried & true one, still concerned about classification.)  I finally took the bull by the horns (so to speak) and checked online at http://nccam.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance.htm  and I discovered they are listed as an herb! TA DA! Happy dance! Now for my recipe:

Dandelion Herbal Jelly         (herbgardens.about.com)

1) Pick at least 10 cups of dandelion blossoms. Remove the milky stems to avoid a bitter taste.

2) Snip of the base of each dandelion flower until you have just the yellow petals.

3) Pour boiling water over petals. Steep until room temperature or overnight if possible.

4) Strain through a coffee filter to remove spent petals.

5) Add additional water until tea measures 3 cups. 

6) Combine tea, lemon juice, box of pectin, sugar in a larger saucepan.

7) Boil until jelly sheets on the back of a spoon.

8) Pour into hot jelly jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.

9) Secure lid & ring to seal.

10) Water bath 5 minutes.

TIPS:

1) you can keep petals in freezer to store until you have proper amount.

2) Some recipes add food coloring, if desired add 2 drops annatto coloring. (A natural coloring found in cheese making supply stores.

3) If your jelly does not set up properly open & reboil to thicken. REMINDER: You MUST use new lids to reseal & process.

4) ONLY pick flowers from a fresh, UN SPRAYED area!

WHAT YOU NEED:

* 4 cups dandelion petals

* 4 1/2 cups sugar

* 2 TBsp. lemon juice

* water

* Large saucepan or soup pot

* Long spoon for stirring

* jars, lids & rings

* saucepan or water bath pan

Dandelions are so pretty in the fields! Around these parts, it is usually the first flower that children pick for you! :) Here's a walk down memory lane... 22 years ago, May 1988, "Dandelion Sunday"! (All we need is to add Louis Armstrong singing "It's A Wonderful World" for background music!) Ok, I know there REALLY isn't such a day, but my mother-in-law created that day when her kids were young! It's the peak day for dandelions blossoming in the fields! GOTTA LOVE IT!

NOTE: Thank you Tigress for the reminder to post anyways!! I'd really hate to have forfeited the rest of the year of jamcans! I am also in process of making a "Herbal Wine Jelly" hopefully it will be posted by tomorrow at the latest, just in case there is a question on the dandelions...