Italian Basil-Walnut Pesto

• 4 cups Italian or Genovese basil leaves*
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan-reggiano cheese
• zest & juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coarse or freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

In a medium-large food blender/processor bowl, chop and blend the basil, garlic, and walnuts.  Add cheese, lemon zest & juice, olive oil, pepper, and salt; process until well-blended.   Makes 1 cup (or a 1/2 pint jar).

* I learned if you blanch the whole basil leaves in boiling water for 5 seconds and immediately put into an ice bath it seals the bright green color.  Drain and squeeze the water from the basil before adding to the food processor with the other ingredients.

German-Style Beef, Beets, & Noodle Bowl

Place a 1-1/2 to 2 lbs beef roast in the greased crockpot and sprinkle with 1 package of beef onion soup mix.  Add a bottle of German beer plus 1 bottle of water, cover, and cook for 10 hours on the low heat setting.  Shred meat in the broth, set aside.  Add 4 oz egg noodles in boiling water; cook al dente.  Roughly chop 2 ribs of celery; add to the boiling noodles. Add 12 oz spiraled beets; cook until tender, about 4 minutes.  Drain noodles and vegetables; stir into shredded beef and broth.  Ladle in large bowls; sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs.  Makes 4 – 6 servings.

“Through cooking, touching, feeling, preparing, and savoring good, real food made from real ingredients, I get to fully inhabit my kitchen; heal my body; and connect with friends, family, the Earth, and the larger community in which I live.” ~ Mark Hyman, MD

“By taking back our kitchens – which we can do simply, easily, and inexpensively – we can create a tidal shift in our food system, homes, and communities.” ~ Rick Warren

Served at Deanna’s Cottage some weekends!  “I find a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation.” ~ Madame Jehane Benoit

Oatmeal – Fruit – Nut Crumb Cake

• 1 cup mashed fruit
• 1-1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup oil or butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg

Topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup old-fashion oats
• 1/4 cup pecans or walnuts pieces
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven at 350°F.
2. Grease a 9” x 7” or 13” x 9” pan.
3. Pour 1 cup of oats and boiling water in a medium bowl to soak until oats are soft.
4. Mix mashed fruit, sugars, butter, extract, and eggs in a large mixing bowl; blend.
5. Add soaked oats, baking powder, flour, spice of choice; mix just until blended.
6. Pour batter evenly into greased pan.
7. Blend together topping ingredients; sprinkle over cake batter.
8. Bake a 9” x 7” pan for 45 – 50 minutes at 350°F, or 13” x 9” pan for 35 – 40 minutes at 350°F.
9. Cool a bit before serving.

Makes 8 – 12 servings.

Roasted Red Potato And Cauliflower with Leeks & Garlic Soup

• 2-1/2 lbs red potatoes, 1/2-inch cubed with skins on
• 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 leek, sliced 1/4-inch strips
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 32 oz vegetable broth

1. In a large stock pot, sauté cubed red potatoes and cauliflower in olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. Add leeks, garlic, salt, and pepper; sauté for another 5 minutes.
3. Stir in vegetable broth while scrapping the bottom of stock pot; cover pot with lid and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Remove 2 cups of soup vegetables and place into a medium size bowl.
5. Mash reserved vegetables in the bowl to a puree; return to the soup pot.
6. Simmer through for another 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 8 – 10 cups.

This recipe made the Spring 2021 issue eMerge magazine!  eMerge Magazine (emerge-writerscolony.org)

Crunchy Kale Chips
1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
2. Rinse and pat dry 3 ounces of fresh baby kale.
3. Line kale on baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, toss, and spread evenly on baking sheet.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes; stir and spread on baking sheet once again to bake an additional 2 – 3 minutes.

Cleansing Drinks
1) The classical : lemon/cucumber:
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + 1 cucumber and a lemon, thinly sliced + 1/4 cup fresh finely chopped basil leaf + 1/3 of finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

2) The granite : Strawberry/Lime or Raspberry/Lime
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 6 strawberries / 0r Raspberries and one thinly sliced lime + 12 finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

3) The digestive : Fennel/citrus
First: infuse 1 to 3 grams of dried and crushed fennel in 150 ml of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Allow to cool.
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + lemon juice (put the leftover lemon in the mix) + a small thinly sliced orange + 12 fresh chopped mint leaves + the infusion of fennel seeds. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

4) The antiOX : Blackberry/Sage
Note that a part from the berries, sage leafs is the herb that has the highest antioxidant content.
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of blackberries that have been very slightly crushed + 3-4 sage leaves. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

5) WATERmelon : watermelon/Rosemary
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of watermelon cut into cubes + 2 rosemary stems. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

6) The exotic : Pineapple/Mint
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of pineapple cut into cubes + 12 fresh mint leaves finely chopped. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

7) The traditional : Appel/cinnamon
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of apple cut into cubes + 2 cinnamon sticks + 2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

8.) The zingibir : Ginger/tea
In advance: heat 1 teaspoon of ginger in two cups of tea, let it cool down.

Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water with two cups of the ginger tea + 4-5 pieces of fresh ginger cut into cubes. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

by Farmacology Organics

Insect Repellent
Here’s an easy & pleasant repellent recipe you can make at home.
Combine in a 16 oz bottle:
15 drops lavender oil
3-4 Tbsp of vanilla extract
1/4 Cup lemon juice
Fill bottle with water.
Shake.
By Farmer Blue Coral

Lavender Lemonade

1. Boil 2 cups of water.
2. Pour over a 1 heaping tablespoon of lavender flowers.
3. Steep for 5-8 minutes and then remove herbs.
4. Add 1/3 c. sugar or honey and stir to dissolve.
5. Pour into a 1 quart jar and add 1/4 c. lemon juice.
6. Fill the rest of the way with cold water.
7. Chill and taste, adjusting lemon juice and sugar/honey to taste.
8. Serve over ice, garnish with a small fresh sprig of lavender if desired.

Rosemary Lemonade:  Substitute lavender with 2″ sprig of rosemary and garnish with a small fresh sprig of rosemary.

Oriental Veggie Wraps

• 1 tablespoon hot pepper or garlic oil
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped orange, red, or yellow bell pepper
• 5 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage or bok choy
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 teaspoons freshly minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon curry powder
• dash of salt
• 1 tablespoon Thai peanut sauce
• 8 small tortillas
• soy sauce for dipping

1. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil.
2. Add to skillet carrots, celery, and bell pepper; stir for 4 – 5 minutes until tender.
3. Add cabbage, onion, cilantro and garlic; stir for another 2 -3 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with white pepper, curry powder, & salt; stir to mix.
5. Stir in peanut sauce to coat vegetables.
6. To assemble each wrap:   Place 2 – 3 tablespoons of vegetable mixture in middle of tortilla, fold over vegetables the bottom third of tortilla, and fold over each side of tortilla to create a case for vegetables.
7. Serve with a small bowl of soy sauce or peanut sauce to dip, if desired.

Yield:  4 servings

A Recipe for Life

“Make thyme to live, laugh and…love.”

“Spice a dish with love and it pleases every palate.” ~ Plautus

“The four seasons are salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.”

“Fish, to taste right, must swim three times- in water, in butter, and in wine.”

“When in doubt add more wine.”

“Home is where the cookies are.”

“Happiness is Homemade…”

“Kiss the cook.”

“Sip and savor all the flavors of life.”

“Love and cook with wild abandon!”

Greens and Nasturtium

Toss your favorite salad greens with a few nasturtium leaves and a light lemon vinaigrette. Garnish with nasturtium flowers.  You will have a healthy and colorful palette to taste and behold.

Red Noodle Beans with Slivered Garlic

• 1 tablespoon olive oil/hot pepper oil combination
• 1 – 1½ lbs red noodle beans, cut into 3” pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, slivered
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon natural rice vinegar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

1.  In a large skillet heat oil.
2. Add red noodle beans and garlic; stir fry for about 5 minutes.
3. Add sugar; stir until coated.
4. Pour water into skillet; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Toss in vinegar, salt, and pepper; stir.

Yields:  6 – 8 servings.

Chicken Au Gratin Pot Pies

Recipe for 4 pies:

• 1 ½ cups (6-oz) extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• ¼ tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 ½ cups frozen vegetable mix, thawed
• 1 ½ cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 3 cups cubed, cooked chicken
• 4 ready-made refrigerated pie crusts
• Egg wash

1. Make a roux for sauce by combining flour, salt, pepper, and butter in a medium sauce pan; heat at medium, stirring with a whisk.

2. Add milk and chicken stock to rue; stir until thickened.

3. Add paprika, thyme, and cheese to sauce; heat until cheese has melted.

4. Add vegetables, potatoes and chicken; stir.

5. Roll each pie crust to fit 7-8” oven-proof bowl; set aside scraps to roll out for each top.

6. Put 1 ½ cups filling mixture in each pie-crust bowl.

7. Place roll-out pie crust top on each pie; crump edges and pierce top with fork.

8. Brush with egg wash.

9. Bake in preheated oven at 400°F for 25 – 30 minutes.

For 16 pot pies:

• 6 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 6 cups milk
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup butter
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 4 tsp dried thyme or 4 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 6 cups frozen vegetable mix, thawed
• 6 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 12 cups cubed, cooked chicken
• 14 ready-made refrigerated pie crusts
• egg wash

Natural Pesticide Recipe for indoor plants

Mix:  1 cup liquid dish soap (or Murphy’s Soap Oil) and 1 gallon water.

Add to spray bottle an apply to plant leaves.

Herb Mixes for Your Dishes

Beans: Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Savory

Beef or Venison: Oregano, Thyme, Tarragon, Sage

Chicken: Basil (or Dill seeds), Sage, Thyme, Rosemary

Fish: Basil (or Fennel Seeds), Parsley, Chives, Dill

Soups & Stews: Bouquet Garni  of Parsley, Thyme, Bay or Bouquet Provencal  of Thyme, Rosemary, Fennel Seed and Bay.