Herb of the Week Recipe

Mint and Parsley Pesto
1 cup fresh mint leaves 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves 1 1/2 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Pulse mint, parsley, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan in a food processor until coarsely chopped. With machine running, add oil in a steady stream. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over pasta.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Lisa

Herb of the Week

Mint


True mints belong to the Mentha genus.  They have square stems, very aromatic leaves, and small pale purple, pink, and white flowers clustered on a terminal spike.
  The most popular of the 25 or so species are peppermint, spearmint, and apple mint.  All of which are great for teas and culinary use.
  Mint is a very vigorous plant. Given half a chance, mint will thrive most anywhere you plant it and will take over if you are not careful!  Pots are a great choice for the mint plant and will make it easy to keep close to kitchen for easy access. You can use mint leaves to garnish foods or drinks or you can steep the leaves for a nice refreshing tea. What about freezing leaves in ice cubes-so pretty in tea or fresh lemonade!
   I hope this inspires you to add Mint to your garden!

  Here is a nice refreshing salad recipe using mint:

Easy Summer Salad with Mint Dressing

2-3 large cucumbers halved legnthwise, seeded and sliced
3 large tomatoes seeded and chopped coarsely
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup chopped red onion
1 Tbl. Sugar or Splenda
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1Teas. kosher salt
3 Tbl. olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Sprig of mint

Toss the cukes, vinegar, sugar and kosher salt in a large bowl. Let stand 45 minutes stirring occaisionally. Add tomatoes, onion, mint, and oil.  Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with mint sprig.
Enjoy!

Blessings,
Lisa

Herbal Bath Teas

These are the Herbal Bath Teas I am offering for sale--3 Tea bags for $5.50.  There are several different scents available: Lovely Lemon, Oatmeal Milk and Honey, and Milky Lavender. Steep the Tea bag in 1 quart of hot water for 15 -20 minutes then pour water and tea bag into hot bath.  Use tea bag to wash with- relax and enjoy! If interested in purchasing please see my Etsy site:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HerbandBotanicals?ref=pr_shop_more
 
Blessings,
 Lisa

Herb of the Week Recipes

My family loves vegetables roasted in the oven.  Here is a family favorite--Hope you like it as well as we do! This is a must at Thanksgiving.

Rosemary Roasted Root Veggies

3 medium onions cleaned and quartered
1 lb. Carrots(short cut are easiest)
3 lbs. Potatoes cut into cubes with or without peels--your choice!
1 lb. Sweet potatoes cut into cubes with or without peels
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 TBL Dried Rosemary
Kosher salt to taste--optional

Clean and prepare veggies. Spray large pan with oil spray. Place veggies on pan and drizzle olive oil over.  Toss veggies to coat.  Sprinkle Rosemary over veggies and add Kosher salt to taste.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until tender.  Cover if you want your veggies softer and not so browned.
Enjoy!
ps--if you are a celery and mushroom fan you can include these as well--just increase the olive oil, salt and Rosemary a bit.

Blessings,
Lisa

I have 2 followers!!

I am so excited--I have 2 followers!! Yippee!  Thank you Kallie and Dicky for your kind words of encouragement--it is greatly appreciated.  I am so nervous about this whole blogging thing.  Hopefully I can figure it out soon.  It sure is a learning process and a half!  I would love to check out your blogs - please leave info in comments!
Have a great day!
Blessings,
Lisa

Herb of the Week

Rosemary

 Rosemary is an herb that makes a terrific ornamental plant as well as a wonderful addition to your kitchen.  The Latin name-Romarinus officinalis -means "Dew of the Sea".  While it originates from the Mediteranean, Rosemary can be grown elsewhere successfully.

Three tips for success:   1. 6-8 hours of sunlight
                                       2. Good drainage
                                       3. Good air circulation

You can grow Rosemary outdoors year round if your temps stay 30 degrees or higher.  Otherwise grow in a pot and bring indoors in the colder months.  Remember it will need 6-8 hours light so you may need to use a grow light.
Let soil dry out somewhat between waterings.  A fan directed at the plant will help --remember tip #3  good circulation.  Keeping these things in mind will ensure success with your wonderful Rosemay Plant!

  Here is a recipe for a lovely fragrant marinade for chicken using Rosemary:

                       Lemon  Rosemary Marinade

This marinade gives you that lemon-herb flavor that you find on so many store made chickens, but this is better.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: Makes about 1 cup of marinade

Ingredients:

• 3 large lemons
• 1/2 cup fresh rosemary (3 tablespoons dried rosemary)
• 1/4 cup of olive or salad oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced

Preparation:

Zest lemons and set aside. Cut lemons in half and squeeze out the juice into a nonreactive bowl or resealable plastic bag. Throw in the lemon zest and remaining ingredients. Mix together well.  Marinate for at least 4 hours.

Enjoy!

Hope this post and recipe inspires you to add Rosemary to your herb collection!

Blessings,

Lisa

My First Fleamarket Adventure!

Well, Saturday I attended my first Fleamarket selling my products.  Really didn't expect to sell much--just get my name out there and talk up my soap(which is curing as I write).  I handed out small sachets and business cards to many and received good feedback from them.  Soaps will be available at the next Saddle club Fleamarket on July 23rd, and available to order from here or my facebook page(Alexandria Herb and Botanicals)then. Please leave comments or a message on my e-mail.  Alexandriaherbandbotanicals@yahoo.com. Each soap is $3.50 or 3/$10.   Lavender and Castille soaps  plus several more scents/types.

Have a great day--Blessings,
Lisa

My First Post!

Welcome to my new Blog.  My name is Lisa and I am in the process of starting my own business--Alexandria Herb and Botanicals.  Running my own business has always been a dream but I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do.....so I chose a business name that would incorporate many things that I am passionate about.  Things like herbs, drying flowers, soapmaking, growing and propagating plants, making jams and jellies, and concocting lovely  aromatic potpourris.
  I hope you enjoy my journey and I look forward to making many new blog friends!