Perspective

Puts things in perspective a bit, don't you think? How many of these are directly tied to our food system, whether through carcinogenic food additives and coloring agents, pesticides, HFCS, and so on?

All too often I hear " it doesn't matter how our food is grown". But is that really the truth? Or better yet, who's truth is it?

All too often we sacrifice whole foods with price. When the truth is eating whole, organic foods cost less when we factor in other costs like health. Giving up processed, sugary foods increases energy and improves our mind, body and spirit.

Remember what Mom use to say? You are what you eat!

Whole foods equals whole body!

Recipe Box-Orange Hazelnut Biscotti

One of my all time Favorite cookies!

I found this recipe on-line many years ago and have enjoyed making them ever since. They go great with an afternoon tea or all by themselves. If you like biscotti but were always afraid to try making it this recipe is a sure hit. It's that easy!

I would love to share this recipe with you!

Orange Hazelnut Biscotti

1/2 Cup organic hazelnuts
1/2 Cup organic butter, very soft
3/4 Cup organic sugar
2 large free ranged organic eggs
4 teaspoons Cointreau or any orange liqueur
2 teaspoons organic orange zest
1 teaspoon organic anise
2 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons organic all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon aluminium free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Method:

Spread nuts on baking sheets and place in 350 degree oven until lightly toasted, just as it becomes fragrant. (5 minutes) Remove from oven and place on dry towel. Rub hazelnuts in towel until you remove most of the skin.
Coarsely chop hazelnuts, set aside.

Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl cream together butter until light. Slowly add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl. Add eggs and continue beating until smooth. Beat in anise, liqueur and orange zest. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until blended, fold in hazelnuts.

On lightly floured surface divide dough into two equal parts. Shape each the length of cookie sheet and about 2 1/2" wide. Place on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake in 325 degree oven about 25 minute, until set to touch. Remove from oven let cool 5 minute. Cut on diagonal about 2 1/2 " wide and return to cookie sheet placing on side. Bake another 5 minute or until lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool. Store in air tight container.

* Try dipping them in White Chocolate for a little added treat....

ENJOY!

Wild Craft-Lemon Verbena

One of the most fragrant of herbs is the Lemon Verbena, sometimes called vervain. It is generally acknowledged to be the most strongly scented and intense of the lemon scented plants. This plant grows well in hot climates and can not survive in temps below 40 degrees. Lemon Verbena is a perennial but because it can not survive in the north it is often grown as an annual.  To grow as a perennial in colder zones it is best to plant in a clay pot and bury the pot to the rim in the garden. Once the fall temperatures begin to drop remove the plant, still in it's pot, and bring inside setting in a sunny window. Water once a week to prevent drying out. It will more likely lose it's leaves but they will return again in the spring after you have replanted outside in your garden.

There are many ways to use Lemon Verbena. 

Tea made of lemon verbena has been used to soothe colon and stomach spasms, lower fevers and calm itching. It has a relaxing effect, and can help ease muscle tensions. As a culinary flavoring, lemon verbena has been used as everything from ice cream flavoring to pepper substitute. The licorice and camphor content do make the volatile oils from the plant stronger than most other lemon-scented herbs, so it's advised to use it sparingly as a flavoring.

Lemon Verbena Mint Tea

1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves (not the stems, they're bitter), rinsed, lightly packed (about 20 leaves)
1/2 cup of fresh lemon verbena leaves, rinsed, lightly packed (about 10-15 leaves)
2 cups of water

Method

Bring a pot of fresh water almost, but not quite to a boil. Put the mint and verbena leaves in a teapot. Pour the hot water over the leaves. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Strain into tea cups.

(any fresh green herb should be brewed at a lower temperature to prevent the "green" bitter taste)

Lemon Verbena Lavender Ice Cream 

Makes: 1 quart

Ingredients:

3/4 cup granulated organic sugar
1/2 cup of fresh organic lemon verbena leaves packed (if you can't find fresh lemon verbena, use the zest of 2 lemons)
1/4 cup fresh organic lavender
2 cups whole organic milk
2 cups heavy organic cream
8 egg organic yolks
sprigs of fresh organic lavender and lemon verbena for garnish

Method:

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, lemon verbena leaves, lavender, milk and cream. Bring to a boil and steep for 20 minutes covered. Strain. In another bowl whisk together egg yolks and sugar.

Whisk one cup of hot cream into egg mixture. Slowly whisk in new mixture to sauce pan with remaining milk. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Immediately remove from heat and cool in an ice water bath or refrigerator until completely cool. Strain. Add the mixture to the electric ice cream maker. Process according to the manufacturers' directions.

Lemon Verbena is an herb that everyone needs to try! 

Bee Update!

Last week I  installed the bees in their new hive but had to leave the queen in her cage all seemed well for the first few days. I went back three days later to see if they had been able to released the queen. As I opened the hive I saw that there was a cluster around the queen cage so knew right away she had not gotten out of the cage.

I had to smoke the bees and lift the cage up to inspect. Turns out the shipper used a cork to trap the queen in her cage. Something I had not noticed when I installed her. No way the workers were going to be able to release her without my help. So like a good bee mama I removed the cork and set her free!

Once she walked out of the cage the worker bees swarmed her and that was the last I saw of her. I will go back one more time to see if she is laying eggs then I will close it up and leave it alone until sometime around the end of June.

Still Trying To Figure This Out

I was able to get the old format back. But, I seem to have a new color scheme.

Guess I have some more work to do!

NEW BLOG FORMAT?

I am trying to figure out this new format...My last post ran together......Why do some think new is better?

Rhubarb

Rhubarb! The first vegetable of spring.


It's hard to think of rhubarb as being a vegetable especially since we tend to use it like a fruit. One of my favorite recipes using rhubarb is strawberry rhubarb pie. I wait every year just for the moment I can pick and bake my first pie of the season.

Nancy's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe
(I use organic ingredients but non organic will also work)





Crust:
 2 cups sifted organic all-purpose flour
 2 Tablespoons sugar
 1/4 teaspoon sea salt or table salt
 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 8 pieces
1 large organic egg yolk
2 to 3 Tablespoons ice water

 Filling: 
 2 1/2 cups fresh Rhubarb, chop into 3/4" lengths
2 cups fresh strawberries
1 1/4 cup sugar 3 Tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or orange juice
2 tablespoons(1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
6 Tablespoons organic all-purpose flour

 Method: 
Crust Place the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl into a food processor with dough blade. Sprinkle butter pieces on top and add egg yolk. pulse until mixture resembles coarse gain. ( I use a bowl and pastry blade and work by hand) Add 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse until dough masses together into a ball. (I also do this by hand)Add other tablespoon water if needed. Divide dough in 2 parts. one slightly larger than the other. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 1 hour. Method Filling Preheat oven to 350 Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl toss to mix and set aside. Roll out dough into 2 rounds and place the larger in your pie pan. Pour filling into pan and using the larger dough round place over filling and pinch ends to seal. Cut several slits into the top crust. Place pie on preheated cookie sheet cover with foil (it could get messy)and place in oven. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour or until crust in browned and juices are bubbling. Let cool and ENJOY! You will love this recipe.