Basil Lime Fizz

Hello Everyone,

I’m sorry I didn’t post this yesterday. We had a storm come through our area and our internet was down! ACK!! It’s amazing how much we depend on our internet out here. The internet is my main source to connect with people, since I am home most of the time. This Basil Lime Fizz is amazing! I had 2 cups full at the meeting on Wednesday! I love it, so I thought I would post it here fo you all to try!!!

Basil Lime Fizz:

2 tbsp. basil syrup***

2 tbsp. lime juice

Chilled sparkling water or club soda

Pour the syrup and lime juice into the bottom of a 12 ounce tumbler. Fill the glass about 2/3 full with ice. Pour in the sparkling water as you stir with a spoon.

Basil Syrup:

1-1/2 cups basil leaves

1/2 sup superfine sugar

1/2 water

1/8 tsp. baking soda

Blanch the basil leaves: Plunge into a small pot of rapidly boiling water for 10 seconds, then drain and plunge them into a small bowl of ice water. Drain again and gently squeeze excess water from the leaves. Puree the blanched basil in a blender with the sugar, water, and baking soda until you have a dark green liquid, about 30 seconds. Pour the syrup through a fine strainer, stirring with the back of a spoon to help push it through. Store the syrup in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Syrup keeps for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. The pinch of baking soda helps keep the syrup the bright green. Makes 3/4 cup. From the Traunfeld, J., Herbal Kitchen, William Marrow, 2005

Well until next time everyon!

Amanda 🙂

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Herbs

Hello Everyone,

I love herbs, I love growing them, cooking, baking and eating them. I have been using a lot more herbs since we have been getting the Bountiful Baskets. They sell an herb pack, and their herbs are wonderful! My mom always said when we come to your house we know we’ll get tea and weeds! ( Thats what she calls herbs, “weeds”). I love them, despite what anyone calls them! I dried a bunch of dill Tuesday, it made the house smell so good!!

Wednesday the University had a herb class, presented by 2 different ladies. I learned a lot about growing and using herbs in a lot of cooking and baking. They even had a drink make with basil, I’ll post it tomorrow. It was very tasty!! 🙂  Here is some of the information that they gave us..

Make foods tasty without using salt or adding extra fat or sugar by adding these spices and herbs. Approximate EQUIVALENT amounts of different forms of herbs used.

1 tbsp. finely chopped cut fresh herbs

1 tsp. crumbled dried herbs

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground dried herbs

Begin with 1/4 tsp. of most ground spices or ground dried herbs for these amounts; adjust as needed. Use more herbs when using a crumbled dried or a fresh form.

4 servings

1lb. of meat

1 pint (2 cups of soup or sauce)

Start with 1/8 tsp. for cayenne pepper and garlic powder; adjust as needed. Red pepper intensifies flavor during cooking; add in small increments.

When doubling a recipe, do not double spices and herbs. Increase amounts by 1-1/2 times. Add more if needed.

As a general rule, add FRESH HERBS near the end of cooking or just before serving. Prolonged heating can cause flavor and aroma losses

More delicate fresh herbs can be added a minutes or two before the end of cooking or sprinkled on food before serving. Examples include basil, chives, and dill leaves.

Less delicate fresh herbs can be added the last 20 minutes of cooking. Examples include dill seeds, rosemary, tarragon, and thyme.

Here are some examples of herbs with different foods, feel free to mix it up to suit your taste!

Meat, Poultry, and Fish:

Beef:  Bay leaf, marjoram, nutmeg, onion, pepper, sage, and thyme.

Lamb: Curry powder, garlic, rosemary, and mint.

Pork: Garlic, onion, sage, pepper, and oregano.

Veal: Bay leaf, curry powder, ginger, marjoram, and oregano.

Chicken: Ginger, marjoram, oregano, paprika, poultry seasoning, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme.

Fish: Curry powder, dill, dry mustard, lemon juice, marjoram, paprika, pepper.

Vegetables:

Carrots: Cinnamon, cloves, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, sage.

Corn: Cumin, curry powder, onion, paprika, parsley.

Green Beans: Dill, curry powder, lemon juice, marjoram, oregano, tarragon, thyme.

Greans: Onion, pepper.

Peas: Ginger, marjoram, onion, parsley, sage.

Potatoes: Dill, garlic, onion, paprika, parsley, sage.

Summer Squash: Cloves, curry powder, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, sage.

Winter Squash: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, onion.

Tomatoes: Basil, bay leaf, dill, marjoram, onion, oregano, parsley, pepper.

I hope I have inspired you to try different herbs and adding them to your food. Adding herbs instead of a lot of salt, not only adds amazing flavor, but reduces your salt intake.

Until next time everyone!

Amanda 🙂