Sharon P. gave me this recipe to share from Lois M., who attended the Conference at the MSU campus in East Lansing. Horseradish is the Herb of the Year for 2011, and these mashed potatoes featuring horseradish were served at the conference banquet at the Kellogg Center. Lois mentioned some great horseradish-laced cheese spread, and some intriguing horseradish-encrusted pork chops. (I want THAT recipe!)
Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
(Make a pot of mashed potatoes and) stir in 1/2 cup finely grated fresh horseradish, and 1/2 cup sour cream.
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 03, 2011
January Meeting
Big news! Ulrike reported that we have been invited to participate in an herbal garden outreach event on June 12, at a local Fenton herb farm. Stay tuned!
The Herb Study on Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, was presented by Norma Jones. We sampled sugar cookies flavored with some fresh rosemary that she found in her planter under the snow. There was a good discussion of rosemary, and Norma provided a handout with some recipes.
Here is Norma's recipe for Rosemary Roasted Walnuts
(makes 1 cup)
1 cup walnut pieces
1 Tblsp. olive oil
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine walnuts and olive oil, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
We rounded out the meeting by making Valentines to donate to a local nursing home.
The Herb Study on Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, was presented by Norma Jones. We sampled sugar cookies flavored with some fresh rosemary that she found in her planter under the snow. There was a good discussion of rosemary, and Norma provided a handout with some recipes.
Here is Norma's recipe for Rosemary Roasted Walnuts
(makes 1 cup)
1 cup walnut pieces
1 Tblsp. olive oil
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine walnuts and olive oil, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
We rounded out the meeting by making Valentines to donate to a local nursing home.
Friday, April 09, 2010
April meeting
I enjoyed the meeting last night at the Carman Ainsworth Senior Center. We met in the big main room, because the other group that usually meets there was absent. Old business done*, Symposium business updated*, then Norma Jones gave us an informative herb study covering "Huckleberries", a topic she wanted to study after trying some huckleberry tea. As Sue (humorously) exclaimed, "You've ruined my childhood memories of going huckleberry picking!", Norma told us that the berries that so many of us have picked "Up North" are not huckleberries, as our folks told us, but are instead a plant known as "low-bush blueberries."
Huckleberries are actually a plant know to herbalists as Billberry!
Huckleberries grow in the western U.S. in elevations of 2,000 ft and above, and are tall bushes. The berries we pick in Northern Michigan are definitely below waist high.
(I have dear memories of picking low-bush blueberries in the sandy soil piney woods in the UP when the boys were young, and every year I visit one of my favorite low-bush blueberry picking spots near Ludington, but you won't get that spot from me easily. I never get much more than memories there, because our vacation week is just a tad early for ripe berries, but the memories are delicious.)
They won't transplant easily to lower elevations, and there is some thought that the very deep snows of the western mountains protect the shrubs from deep cold temperatures and killing winds.
While Norma talked, some of us served her hot Billberry tisane (made from berries) to the gals. She searched "fruitlessly" for a huckleberry tea like she had before, but finally found these Billberry teabags at Dale's Health Foods store. I think it needed sweetening - Billberries are apparently not a sweet fruit.After her talk, I was reading the package, and it told of WWII pilots having eaten Billberry jam before night time flights, because they swore it improved their night vision!
Norma gave me the website address for an informative site she was able to find on Huckleberry and Billberry:
http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/sandpoint/Huckleberries and bilberries.htm
*NOTE: One note about our business meetings - since I'm not officially reporting on our meetings - that is the Secretary's job! - members who need to catch up should refer to the Yahoo Group which is restricted to members of the GCHS, or call someone who was there. I'm using this blog space to tell about our herb studies, our activities, our projects, our history.
Well, after we helped ourselves to refreshments, we listened while Lois Meldrum spoke on Tea Tips. I took some notes to share ... but really, if you would like a speaker on "everything Tea", Lois is the one to call.
Here are a few highlights, just skimming the surface:
Tea is like a sponge for kitchen odors - buy small quantities and store in a sealed box.
Black tea has a longer shelf life.
You can buy excellent tea in tea bags these days, not like in the past when teabags earned a bad name.
For instance of today's good tea, a tea by Revolution comes in silk bags and you can see the whole leaf.
Use just boiling water - you need to preserve the oxygen in the water to make good tea.
To de-caffeinate tea, pour off the water after 30 seconds and recover with fresh water. The first rinse removes 75 percent of the caffeine, without losing the flavor.
Stronger tea? use more time, not more tea.
No milk with lemon, add sugar before lemon.
Lois has a recipe for tea for a crowd- but I didn't get it all. Call her!
At a Tea, it is considered an honor to be the "Mother" of the teapot, a guardian who is trusted to keep the pot warm, full and poured.
Lois had some sweet suggestions for sharing tea. One was to give a Tea Shower for a new bride, a useful suggestion considering how well-stocked so many independent young ladies kitchens are these days. Shower her with all the things she would need to have a proper tea party.
Or... for a birthday of a close friend, ask her and a few friends to lunch, but arrive at the restaurant early and ask the waitress if you could "dress the table" before your friends arrive. Set the table with real china, cloth napkins, a centerpiece, you get the idea - it will be a special lunch, and you don't have to clean the house!
Or... for a hospitalized friend, bring a thermos of hot water, some muffins or special treat, and table setting - again those real napkins and china - and set up a tea for two on the rolling table in the hospital room.
Lois gave us recipe suggestions for tea sandwiches, and interesting additions to flavor tea. I'm definitely going to try adding berries to my hot tea.
She shared buffet hints, and this very handy tip about keeping tea sandwiches fresh: put your prepared sandwiches on a plate or tray in a single layer, cover with waxed paper, then cover the wax paper with a wrung out damp tea towel. Refrigerate until serving time.
Here is a recipe Lois shared for Orange Honey Butter that several gals were copying down:
To one stick of softened butter, stir in 2 Tblsp. thawed orange juice concentrate and 2 Tblsp. honey.
Allow flavors to meld in the refrigerator overnight.
"Finally", Lois told us, "Have fun with it! Tea is supposed to be relaxing, not stressful!"
Amen, Lois, and thank you.
Huckleberries are actually a plant know to herbalists as Billberry!
Huckleberries grow in the western U.S. in elevations of 2,000 ft and above, and are tall bushes. The berries we pick in Northern Michigan are definitely below waist high.
(I have dear memories of picking low-bush blueberries in the sandy soil piney woods in the UP when the boys were young, and every year I visit one of my favorite low-bush blueberry picking spots near Ludington, but you won't get that spot from me easily. I never get much more than memories there, because our vacation week is just a tad early for ripe berries, but the memories are delicious.)
They won't transplant easily to lower elevations, and there is some thought that the very deep snows of the western mountains protect the shrubs from deep cold temperatures and killing winds.
While Norma talked, some of us served her hot Billberry tisane (made from berries) to the gals. She searched "fruitlessly" for a huckleberry tea like she had before, but finally found these Billberry teabags at Dale's Health Foods store. I think it needed sweetening - Billberries are apparently not a sweet fruit.After her talk, I was reading the package, and it told of WWII pilots having eaten Billberry jam before night time flights, because they swore it improved their night vision!
Norma gave me the website address for an informative site she was able to find on Huckleberry and Billberry:
http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/sandpoint/Huckleberries and bilberries.htm
*NOTE: One note about our business meetings - since I'm not officially reporting on our meetings - that is the Secretary's job! - members who need to catch up should refer to the Yahoo Group which is restricted to members of the GCHS, or call someone who was there. I'm using this blog space to tell about our herb studies, our activities, our projects, our history.
Well, after we helped ourselves to refreshments, we listened while Lois Meldrum spoke on Tea Tips. I took some notes to share ... but really, if you would like a speaker on "everything Tea", Lois is the one to call.
Here are a few highlights, just skimming the surface:
Tea is like a sponge for kitchen odors - buy small quantities and store in a sealed box.
Black tea has a longer shelf life.
You can buy excellent tea in tea bags these days, not like in the past when teabags earned a bad name.
For instance of today's good tea, a tea by Revolution comes in silk bags and you can see the whole leaf.
Use just boiling water - you need to preserve the oxygen in the water to make good tea.
To de-caffeinate tea, pour off the water after 30 seconds and recover with fresh water. The first rinse removes 75 percent of the caffeine, without losing the flavor.
Stronger tea? use more time, not more tea.
No milk with lemon, add sugar before lemon.
Lois has a recipe for tea for a crowd- but I didn't get it all. Call her!
At a Tea, it is considered an honor to be the "Mother" of the teapot, a guardian who is trusted to keep the pot warm, full and poured.
Lois had some sweet suggestions for sharing tea. One was to give a Tea Shower for a new bride, a useful suggestion considering how well-stocked so many independent young ladies kitchens are these days. Shower her with all the things she would need to have a proper tea party.
Or... for a birthday of a close friend, ask her and a few friends to lunch, but arrive at the restaurant early and ask the waitress if you could "dress the table" before your friends arrive. Set the table with real china, cloth napkins, a centerpiece, you get the idea - it will be a special lunch, and you don't have to clean the house!
Or... for a hospitalized friend, bring a thermos of hot water, some muffins or special treat, and table setting - again those real napkins and china - and set up a tea for two on the rolling table in the hospital room.
Lois gave us recipe suggestions for tea sandwiches, and interesting additions to flavor tea. I'm definitely going to try adding berries to my hot tea.
She shared buffet hints, and this very handy tip about keeping tea sandwiches fresh: put your prepared sandwiches on a plate or tray in a single layer, cover with waxed paper, then cover the wax paper with a wrung out damp tea towel. Refrigerate until serving time.
Here is a recipe Lois shared for Orange Honey Butter that several gals were copying down:
Lois's Orange Honey Butter
To one stick of softened butter, stir in 2 Tblsp. thawed orange juice concentrate and 2 Tblsp. honey.
Allow flavors to meld in the refrigerator overnight.
"Finally", Lois told us, "Have fun with it! Tea is supposed to be relaxing, not stressful!"
Amen, Lois, and thank you.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
March Meeting
March was a very good meeting - easy driving weather, plans for the Herb Symposium are moving right along, and the refreshments were great (see the previous posts - Sharon's scones and cranberry tea). We had one guest who found us over the internet. We learned of our very own Lois Meldrum being honored as the Michigan Herb Associates person of the year at this year's conference. Ulrike reported that Lois' Tea Talk at the conference was extra special. I know she does a beautiful job.
As we were admiring Lois' green and white corsage from the MHA conference banquet - which incorporated the Herb of the Year, dill, I wrote down some tips from the discussion:
Dill will retain its green shade if dehydrated in a paper bag in the refrigerator. Ulrike told us she presses orchids and calla lily flowers between wool pads in the refrigerator as well. The discussion turned to the practice of dehydrating herbs in the car during the summer - a sort of solar dehydrator - and Lois told us it was mentioned at the MHA conference that lavender might be the one herb we shouldn't car-dry ... the fragrance can put one to sleep!
Lois also brought a hot off the press copy of the Herb Society of America's great yearbook on Dill, which will go into the GCHS library next month. I have just quickly leafed through it, but it does look like good reading for "we herbies".
April 24, 2010 Herb Symposium: our speakers will be Iris Lee Underwood, owner of Yule Love It Lavender Farm, and Jan Burns, from Seven Ponds Herb Group.
Sue Doyle provided an Herb Study on Stevia, including some commentary of the controversy over this natural sweetener versus artificial, growing and harvesting directions, and a sample of lemonade made with Stevia extract. She told us her recipe:
Our meeting ended with an extra treat, Sharon Paulsen brought a crafty project for us all to make and take home - these embossed paper butterfly bookmarks featuring lavender. After putting them together, Sharon provided her own homemade lavender powder to dust them with, giving them an extra herbal touch. Thanks Sharon!
As we were admiring Lois' green and white corsage from the MHA conference banquet - which incorporated the Herb of the Year, dill, I wrote down some tips from the discussion:
Dill will retain its green shade if dehydrated in a paper bag in the refrigerator. Ulrike told us she presses orchids and calla lily flowers between wool pads in the refrigerator as well. The discussion turned to the practice of dehydrating herbs in the car during the summer - a sort of solar dehydrator - and Lois told us it was mentioned at the MHA conference that lavender might be the one herb we shouldn't car-dry ... the fragrance can put one to sleep!
Lois also brought a hot off the press copy of the Herb Society of America's great yearbook on Dill, which will go into the GCHS library next month. I have just quickly leafed through it, but it does look like good reading for "we herbies".
April 24, 2010 Herb Symposium: our speakers will be Iris Lee Underwood, owner of Yule Love It Lavender Farm, and Jan Burns, from Seven Ponds Herb Group.
Sue Doyle provided an Herb Study on Stevia, including some commentary of the controversy over this natural sweetener versus artificial, growing and harvesting directions, and a sample of lemonade made with Stevia extract. She told us her recipe:
Sue's Stevia-Sweetened Lemonade
2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juce
8 cups water
2 tsp. stevia extract
Our meeting ended with an extra treat, Sharon Paulsen brought a crafty project for us all to make and take home - these embossed paper butterfly bookmarks featuring lavender. After putting them together, Sharon provided her own homemade lavender powder to dust them with, giving them an extra herbal touch. Thanks Sharon!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Sharon's Cinnamon Scones
Sharon Paulsen served these delicious cinnamon-y scones at our March meeting last evening.
Cinnamon Chip Scones Recipe
12 Servings
Prep: 25 min. Bake: 10 min.
Ingredients
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup buttermilk
1 package (10 ounces) cinnamon baking mini-chips
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk just until moistened. Fold in chips.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 10-12 times or until dough is no longer sticky. Divide in half; gently pat or roll each portion into a 7-in. circle. Brush with butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
Cut each circle into six wedges. Separate wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen
Mock Devonshire Cream
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup whipping cream
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and salt; stir until well blended.
Stir in whipping cream.
With an electric mixer, beat mixture until stiff. Store in refrigerator
Cinnamon Chip Scones Recipe
12 Servings
Prep: 25 min. Bake: 10 min.
Ingredients
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup buttermilk
1 package (10 ounces) cinnamon baking mini-chips
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk just until moistened. Fold in chips.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 10-12 times or until dough is no longer sticky. Divide in half; gently pat or roll each portion into a 7-in. circle. Brush with butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
Cut each circle into six wedges. Separate wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen
Mock Devonshire Cream
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup whipping cream
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and salt; stir until well blended.
Stir in whipping cream.
With an electric mixer, beat mixture until stiff. Store in refrigerator
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