The Easy Herb Garden

Home chefs think longingly think about starting a garden when the temps heat up. The problem with that idea is that it requires a lot of work. There's fertilizing, checking for aphids and fungus along with pruning and protecting fruits and veggies from hungry critters. Also many  don't have that green thumb that it takes to grow ruby red tomatoes and plump eggplants. An easier solution would be an herb garden. You can still have that fresh grown taste without all the problems of a regular garden.

One of the best things about herb gardening is that theywill be used in all sorts of dishes. Plant the ones that you use the most.You can also plant the easiest to grow too, but all herbs are easy to grow. , Remember , like other plants , they do need space.Rosemary , sage, mint and marjoram need three to four feet of space while basil, thyme, tarragon and savory need only two feet of land around them so reserve a plot of land for them in the back yard  and them. If you have very little land to work with then plant cilantro , dill, chives or parsley.Prep the soil with compost - leftover fruit and vegetable detritus , Herbs can also be grown in large pots on the patio. They can be clay or plastic and anywhere from 8" to 18" in diameter. You can combine herbs that have the same watering requirements in one pot .Fertilize with  herb or vegetable fertilizer. Dig deep holes for the plants and once planted, gently press down on the surrounding dirt. water when the dirt is dry  to the touch.They should also get four hours of sunshine on a daily basis. For harvesting cut off about 1/3 of the branches when the plant reaches between 6" to 8 " tall.

Home chefs get excited when their herb gardens start growing. They want to snip and cut, eager to scatter a handful in a salad or marinade.However there is a way to cut them and  to pick the right leaves to get their optimum flavor. Basil growers will tell you that the tastiest leaves are the smallest or the "baby" ones.Leave the larger ones. These are like the solar panels of the plant, keeping the stems and shoots  warm.Also gather herbs early in the day., after the dew has dried but before their essential oils  get baked by the midmorning sun(try anywhere between seven and eight AM).If you've collected stems then strip them of their leaves U
se a small scissor when you're dealing with parsley, bay or tansy.What about storage?. You can do what our colonial ancestors did and gather herbs in to a bouquet. Wrap ten to fifteen stems tightly together by either a rubber band or twine. Hang the bunches on a drying rack if you have one or make one. A plain old hanger works just as well as does a nail in a wall. Strip crisp dry leaves off of stems before hanging. Herbs can also be stored in  airtight glass or ceramic containers away from heat and light., They will last up to a year after picking.

Herbs are and easy was to include that just picked taste into any dish. It takes very little work to come up with a lush green plot that's full of fragrant leaves and stems. It's the perfect garden for a  busy home chef

Cool Down, Slim Down

Hot weather means one thing: icy treats to cool us down. Unfortunately those cones and Popsicles come with a price: calories. which leads to - what else - fat Not a good thing to have in bathing suit season. However there is a way to enjoy frozen goodies without worrying about extra inches. Go for the low cal, Same effect and taste, no fat added.

Skinny Cow was one of the first companies to come up with low calorie ice cream.Since  1994 this Nestle owned company has created all sorts of yummy cold treats. Their ice cream cones are an ice cream lover's dream. Crispy sugar  cones are filled with either chocolate or vanilla ice cream and have a dribble of chocolate or caramel sauce. The best thing  - well besides the fun surprise of a chocolate bullet at the bottom of the cone is the calories. The chocolate  cones, are 150 calories while the chocolate mint is 160. You can even be greedy and have two. Their sandwiches, reminiscent of the classic Dairy Queen Flying Saucers are only 150 calories too. These come in all sorts of flavors from chocolate mint to snickerdoodle but the classic chocolate and vanilla are the best. Skinny Cow also has frozen truffle bars as well as a new addition , frozen candy bars. The  last is coffee ice cream in a bar  form. It's just a perfect little snack on a hot day.Weight Watchers  , another of the older brands, also has come up with some tasty guilt free treats. They too have bars, cones and sandwiches too. with even less calories than Skinny Cow. A similar cone is only ninety calories while a fudgesicle is only forty-five.The sandwiches are a mere eighty however there isn't the variety of flavors that Skinny Cow has,

Another sweet and not so fattening treat are fruit bars. These are refreshing and don't have many calories. Edy's known, for their luscious ice cream also is famous for their thirty calorie fruit pops.If you want a super healthy snack then try Dryer's Outshine Bars. This is not only a mélange of frozen fruit juices but each flavor has the added boost of vegetables. Kale and spinach are added to the apple pops while peach mango contains s caratenoid from both fruit and veggie .Best of all they're only sixty calories a pop so you can eat two of them if you really want to cool down. Usually supermarket brands don't have any stand out products however that's not true with Stop & Shop's Chocolate  Fruit Bars. This is not only a fruit pop but one dipped in luscious dark chocolate . The flavors are delicious, from the tropical mango and coconut to strawberry and banana. They make a nice dessert or just a cool treat after doing outdoor chores. Of  course anyone can make their own fruit bars. Take fresh made or bottled juice and just pour into mold. Just remember to not use juices that are high in fructose and corn syrup. You can also puree any of you favorites like cantelope or any of the berries and make your own concentrated fruit pop.

A sweet iced treat can cool you down during the hot days. Choose a low calorie one and enjoy it. You 'll not only feel refreshed but also happy about snacking smart.

Your Mother's Day Recipe Guide

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and with that comes a plethora of home made dishes, every one made with love and a few egg shells. These are your basic ones. Anybody can make them.They're pretty easy to whip up not just for Mother's Day bot for all year round.

MIMOSA

This is an all time Mom favorite. Add a pretty blossom to jazz it up.

Champagne or sparkling white wine
Orange juice

Fill 2/3 of a champagne flute with fresh squeezed or bottled orange juice. Top off with the champagne. if you want a boozier version fill glass with 1/3 champagne.


EGGS BENEDICT (for four)

4 English muffins split and toasted
4 eggs
Hollandaise sauce
Canadian bacon

Hollandaise sauce can be home made or made with packets of pre made powder. Of course it tastes better with the real deal.
Hollandaise:
makes 4 servings. This is a microwave recipe taken from allrecipes.com        

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

•                         
  4  egg yolks
•                         
  1/2  lemon, juiced, or to taste
•                         
  2 pinches salt

•                         
  2 pinches cayenne pepper
•                         
  1/2 cup salted butter, melted                             

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1. Beat egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a microwave-safe bowl until smooth. Slowly stream melted butter into the egg yolk mixture while whisking to incorporate.
2. Heat in microwave for 15 to 20 seconds; whisk.

Poach eggs in a large skillet, using an inch of water. Drop eggs into water and cooked until the white is solid. while the eggs are cooking brown the bacon .When done top each muffin slice with the meat first and then the egg. . Top with three to four tablespoons of Hollandaise sauce.

Variations: Eggs Florentine- sub in spinach for the Canadian bacon
Eggs- Benedetto, use pancetta for Canadian bacon
Seafood Benedict Add cooked crab meat instead of meat

Quick Omelet

2 eggs
your choice of extras, such as ham, olives, any kind of cheese or veggie, mushrooms,

Melt butter or margarine in a large skillet Beat eggs until frothy and add ingredients. Be creative or make what mom likes.Serve with toasted croissants .

Eat Your Veggies Chopped Salad

Romaine lettuce, cabbage, iceberg lettuce,
Mom's favorite veggies
Croutons/Almonds/Sunflower Seeds
Mom's favorite dressing

Using any of the above greens or all three as a base, chop into bite sized pieces. Chop what ever Mom likes, whether tomatoes, broccoli or carrots. If you want a colorful salad toss in red, green and yellow pepper.For crunch you can choose from croutons, almonds slices or sea salted sunflower seeds.Drizzle on the dressing right before serving. You can add a hot buttered roll with it to finish ot off.

You have these easy recipes.Go to the kitchen and make your mom the best breakfast lunch, brunch or even dinner ever!

Organo Beverages: Tea with A Touch Of Mushroom

Can a mushroom add anything to a good cup of coffee, hot cocoa or tea? Most people would probably laugh and say no. Yet there is one company,Organo that adds Ganoderna lucidum, a mushroom used in Asian medicine to make their beverages super healthy. This fungus adds a  boost to that daily cup of tea or joe.


What is this mushroom? It is  a fantastic-looking mushroom, resembling something supernatural, or straight out of Alice in Wonderland. The Ganodermas  are unique in that they grow on wood, mostly out of large trees (living or dead) in forests in the more tropical regions of Asia. They're like your average everyday mushroom  however their coloring is unique. Their long woody stems are brown while their caps are a bright  orange.,They thrive in such heavily forested areas. The fungi were first discovered in 1888 by westerners however  they have been used in Eastern medicine for centuries. They can help in lowering blood pressure as well as protecting the liver. They are antibacterial and antiviral .It's also called reishi in Japanese where its ground up into a powder. Many add it to their foods as an additive however it can also be added to beauty products like soap and toothpaste. The founders at Organo,Bernardo Chua, and Shane Morand  realized rhis and started the company in 2008 .The company has expanded to include all sorts of products, from coffee and teas to hot cocoas and powdered spores.

 I would drink their teas and coffees even if there wasn't Ganodermas Lucidum in them. Their green tea is a great way to start the morning.It is crisp, an adjective not usually associated with green tea. It has a nice aftertaste and is good hot or cold.Their coffee is the same. It makes for a nice rich brew, perfect to balance a rich dessert or a hearty breakfast. What I also like about it is that it it comes in little sachets with the right amount of coffee. There's no second guessing.It comes out perfect every time. Organa also makes an instant latte that's just as good as what you'd get ant your favorite coffee shop along with a sinfully rich hot cocoa. There are also teas from the uber healthy red to black. For Kruepps lovers there are all sorts of cups, with  yummy flavors such as chocolate almond, toasted hazelnut and caramel vanilla>These come in twelve packs so there' good for a little over a week. Organo also sells the Ganoderma spores in easy to swallow capsules along with grapeseed oil.Organo also sells toothpaste and soap with the fungi blended in.

Coffee and tea have benefits  but Organo's has the extra boost of that amazing mushroom, Ganodermas LUcidum.This makes the beverages super healthy and the perfect drink for those aware of their health.Not only that they are delicious - something that normally doesn't go hand in hand for good for you.

Tea Redefined

Tea is one of those ordinary must haves that no one thinks about and is used daily. However there much more to it than just a morning drink or a soother after a hard day, There are different types and different ways to brew this bunch of exotic leaves.It's more than just a  cup, it's a work of nature's art. meant to be sipped , not guzzled.

Newcomer Susan Chira wrote about this ancient and fascinating drink in yesterday's New York Times Food section, For years the beverage took a back seat to coffee, especially since the growth of Starbucks. That's all changing thanks to the same company buying Tea-vana, a throwback to the tea emporiums of the 19th Century. Tea sales have reached 11 billion last years and sales will most likely increase/ thanks to more and more restaurants featuring  the drink.    Teas vary and with them taste as well.Just as with grapes for wine and champagne where teas leaves are grown influence how they'll taste. Everything   from  elevation to soil quality , origin to age are important on how the final product will taste. There are even comparisons of the leafhoppers in oolong leaves have comparisons to botrytis,the fungus that is attached to Bordeaux wines. Even the prices are hitting the same stratosphere as the wines, An aged pu-erth is a whopping $45,000 for one cake of compressed tea leaves.New Yorkers can experience less expensive but still delicious leaves at such hangouts as Fang. This tea house, run by a Taiwanese family has more than seventy teas to try and at a more reasonable price range of five to ten dollars.

Tea lovers can try gourmet teas at home. There is a how to with the article, on how to brew a proper pot.It starts with the water. If the water is too hot it can burn the leaves and ruin the flavor. The temp for white tea should be 180 degrees while green tea should be brewed with water that's been heated to between 175 and 180 degrees.The same heat should be applied to the Japanese match a tea.Oolong tea requires more heat, from 175 to 200 degrees because of the way it's prepared.They're partially oxidized and deliberately bruised to release oils and flavor, then heated to set the taste. They range from the green teas to more heavily roasted kinds. Black tea is the hardiest, and has to be brewed to a near boiling 200 degrees.This is because they're completely oxidized. This is done by taking oxidized leaves and allowing them to wilt, then are rolled. This exposes the oils to the air. if you're lucky to have the unusual puer-eh tea them cook it to a rolling boil of 212 degrees.Also avoid putting tea in balls or infusers since they're too small to allow the leaves to expand and release their full flavor.  For iced tea go the cold infusion way,Take one tablespoon of loose tea, put in a pitcher of cold water and  let   it steep overnight in the fridge.

Tea isn't just that cup that's sipped after a hard day or as a thirst quencher on a hot day. It's a complex beverage that's as layered as a fine wine. Try  an oolong or white or the puer-eh and discover this.

True Family Legacy Recipes

All families have legacies, They could be old records, tintypes , jewelry and even clothing. Nothing, however connects us to our ancestors like recipes.  They give not only a taste of the past but of our culture and heritage. A family dish is what ties us to our grandparents and great grandparents and it's what we leave to future generations.

Kim Severson wrote about this in her column in today' New York Times Food section.It resonated strongly with her because her mom left her a legacy of all sorts of recipes. There is a sadness to these because her mother is suffering from both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Chats about cooking are few and far between for them however there are her mother's recipe cards and old cookbooks to still connect them..These have notes and stains on them;. unique marks that identify them immediately as dishes and treats made during Ms. Severson's childhood and adolescence.Other home chefs have been this personal and messy with their cookbooks .It has been this way since there where "receipts" and cookery books of the 18th and 19th centuries In fact one of the country's most famous cooks' Julia Child left her cookbooks splotched and dirtied, perfect for their display at the Smithsonian.Ms. Severson's mother not only kept her recipes in cookbooks but also on backs of bridge score sheet and notepads from moving companies. There are quotation marks and questions., a secret code that only her mother knew.

Family lore and dishes are also on display in a new book. Three Nashville writers, Erin Byers Murray, Cindy Wall and Jennifer Justis got together with eighteen cooks to create an exhibition of well loved dishes and the stories behind them.One  writer , Alice Randell, has contributed and also is the author of "Soul Food Love::Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family."Her grandmother, a Nashville librarian, read cookbooks like novels and owned a whopping one thousand different ones..They broadened her world.by introducing her to her  favorites  Italian fish stew, salmon mousse and Russian food.Theses varied dishes also connect her to the current generations as those who visit the display will see ,The recipe exhibit itself will be first seen in Nashville  and then  on permanent display at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans.

Family recipes are the greatest legacy that can be handed down. They connect us with our ancestors and family who first made them. They also will be what will be given to the next generations of cooks.

What Woods Work For Grilling

Cooking over wood is one of the nicest ways to flavor barbecues. What woods work though? Specially chopped apple or cherry woods? That handful of twigs picked up during a woodland hike? what you do eventually choose will have a big impact on your outdoor meal. It could make or break your barbecue, so be prudent with what you use.

The first question asked is what kind of wood do you want.Most home chefs use whole logs if they're cooking meat in a pit but make sure they're not full of sap or water. This could hinder the wood sparking and ruin the whole cooking process, They also take longer to heat up.An easier alternative are wood chunks, These are usually golf ball size and burn more slowly than the popular wood chip however they also retain heat much longer as well. They're also not costly,, Chips are used most often because they're easy to handle being  nothing more than scraps or shavings. They ignite pretty fast but also burn just as quickly too.One of the biggest advantages is that they're found in a variety of different places from your local grocery store to the big box DIY ones.What about twigs? Can those sticks gathered from a country walk work? Yes,Use ones that are one to two inches in diameter. You can also use the smaller ones but remember these will flame up and then turn to ash quickly.

The next step is what kind of wood should be used. Pine should never be thrown into the grill.The resin  can dampen the wood and create problems. Mild  woods like apple and cherry provide a delicate flavor with a slight fruity, sweet taste.Use this for barbecue, pork and chicken.If you're cooking pork or beef then try a cherry wood chip. Another plus is that it gives a bright red color to the meat. Cherry wood's intensity can be balanced by adding hickory , oak or pecan. Another good fruit wood is surprisingly grape vines.They are  perfect for any meat including fish. The only down side is that is does get pungent and does smoke a lot. Pecan is good too but don't cook food too long over it or its' strong flavor can overpower any meat. Most home chefs prefer oak and hickory.Oak is a heavy duty kind of wood that can work for any meat .It also imparts that smoky oaky flavor which is just right for a good grilled sirloin or rack of beef ribs.Mesquite is one of the more popular woods , used for the last twenty years, however it is powerful. The only cut that can stand up to it is brisket.If you want a versatile wood that's not going to overpower your grill then go with maple. It imparts a light , sweet  flavor, perfect for ham, pork ribs  and chicken,

Nothing beats meats cooked over a fragrant wood barbecue. Any kind of tree adds a delicious flavor to ribs,  wings or brisket. Try a variety  to create tasty mix of classic grill favorites.