Drying Herbs at Home {Tutorial}

I love fresh herbs. I love to watch them grow, and cook with them, and even cut some off just to smell in my kitchen. They're great to have around. But what if you have TOO much? Or what if the winter is getting closer and your beloved herbs aren't going to make it? Then it's time to do some drying and storing. 

I am  no expert in drying herbs. I'm sure there are a million ways to do it, and something different for each kind of herb, but this is what works for me. I use a simple dehydrator (like for making jerky) but an oven at a low temp could work too.

I don't have time or space to hang bunches of herbs in my closets and wait for them to dry, so this is my quick, afternoon method of drying herbs at home.

 

My basil plant is out of control. I mean...it's HUGE. The smell is amazing, and I hate to throw any of it away. So I'm slowly cutting and drying it for later use. The dry herbs are just as delicious and have a long shelf life. 

Trim a few branches off of your plant. The smaller leaves of basil are the sweetest, so I tried to get the smaller branches.

Give them a quick rinse to clean them off.

Pull the leaves off of the stem and pat them dry on a towel. Then lay them out in a single layer on your dehydrator. If your dehydrator has multiple layers, use as many as you need and fill them up!

I ran my dehydrator for just 1 hour, and the herbs were finished drying. They should be completely crunchy when they're done. They loose their brilliant color, but they still smell and taste great.

Place the herbs in a sealed bag, jar, or container. Anything with a good airtight seal will work. 

These would make an adorable and thoughtful gift too! Tie some twine around your jar and add a label for a sweet gift that will last.

*I have only tried basil and parsley so far, as those are what I had on hand that needed drying. Drying times will vary for other herbs.

3 Krispy Treats: an afternoon snack

Sometimes I just want to make a little snack. Something special for the kids and me for good behavior, or a special day, or a Tuesday. If I make a giant batch of cookies, or a whole pan of rice krispy treats, more than likely some will be thrown out, because we just can't eat them all.

While eating breakfast a while back with Hubby (eating fruity pebbles), I was reminded of how we used to make krispy treats with them in college. Yummmmm! I told him I was going to try to make just three for a mid-morning snack. And it worked!!

Ingredients:

1 cup krispy cereal

3 large marshmallows (the roasting size)

1 tbsp butter

In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted, then add marshmallows. 

Stir around until the marshmallows are completely melted. 

Stir in cereal, coating it well with the sticky mixture. 

Pour mixture into a glass dish, and form into a rectangle. Just use your fingers, or a spatula. 

Cut into 3 (or 4 smaller) squares of krispy treats!

A 5 minute afternoon snack, perfect for celebrating a good day, or a Tuesday. 

And no piles of snacks leftover!

Happy Snacking!

Freezer Cooking

It was time for round two of my freezer cooking. The first round of meals went great. They were easy to thaw and throw in the crock pot or skillet, and supper was ready in no time without the messy chopping and cleaning food first.

Devoting a couple of hours to chopping and cleaning every month, making MANY bags of prepared meals saves so much time in the kitchen when it comes to preparing meals for your family. I personally hate washing dishes, so knowing I only have to scrub cutting boards and knives one time for all of these meals makes me super happy.

 

I'm including a couple of the recipes I use for my freezer bags. These are just a few of our favorites. The ingredients can be altered any way you like to make the perfect meals for your family.

 

I always do my bags assembly line style. I chop all of my meat and veggies and sort it into large bowls. Then I label my bags with what meal it is, and whatever needs to be added before cooking. Also add the date, so you can keep track of how long it's been in your freezer.

 

 I throw my meat in the bags first to make sure there's an even amount in each one.

 

Then I throw in handfuls of veggies, add the sauces and spices, and seal the bags up.

 

Freeze them flat to take up less room in your freezer.

If you've ever gotten a recipe from a southern cook, you know that measurements are less than scientific. These measurements are not exact, just estimates of what I might have used. The ingredients, however, are correct.

 

Barbeque Chicken

2lbs chicken (legs, thighs, breasts)
1 tbsp minced garlic
handful of carrots
handful of onions
1/2 bottle barbecue sauce (your favorite flavor)
*I add some brown sugar to mine to make it sweeter*
Thaw the bag and cook in the slow cooker 4-6 hours



White Chili

1lb chicken, cubed
2 cans white beans
1/2 can Rotel (tomatoes and chilis)
1 package of white chili seasoning
*thaw and place in slow cooker. Add 1 can of chicken stock before cooking*
Cook in slow cooker 4-6 hours



Pot Roast

2lbs beef pot roast
2 handfuls of potatoes, cubed
handful of carrots
handful of onions
1tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp of your favorite beef rub/seasoning.
*Thaw and place in slow cooker. Add 1 cup water or beef stock before cooking*
Cook in slow cooker 4-6 hours



Honey Chicken

2lbs chicken breast
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup brown sugar
handful of onions
handful of broccoli (I use frozen broccoli)
Cook in slow cooker 4-6 hours

*I usually start my meals on high for a couple of hours, then turn the heat down to low until we are ready to eat. After 4-6 hours our food is always cooked through and tender. Larger pieces of meat will take longer, or more time on High heat to be ready to eat.

Homemade Pizza Bites

The new kid-friendly favorite at our house is Pizza Bites!!  These pizza bites are super-easy to make, great for the kids to help, and can be made sooo many ways.

Ingredients:

 

1 large can pre-made biscuit dough.

Mozzarella Cheese

Pepperoni (or other fillings)

 

for topping:

Butter (or oil)

Parsley

Garlic Powder

 

 

To assemble, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Chop up your pepperonis, or other fillings. Other meats or veggies would be a fun variation.

Open your package of biscuits and remove one. Using a knife or your fingers, separate the biscuit dough around the center, making two thinner circles.

Flatten out the circle, spreading out the dough. Place some chopped fillings, and some cheese in the center of the circle.

 

Make sure you leave room at the edges for folding.

Begin folding the edges into the center, keeping the fillings in the middle.

Fold until the filling is completely enclosed in the dough.

Flip your little package over and place in a lightly greased baking dish.

Mix some butter, parsley, and garlic powder together and brush the tops before baking.

 

Bake until the tops of the pizza bites are golden brown. Mine took around 17 minutes.

Serve them up with some dipping sauce, and watch them quickly disappear!!

 

Cupcakes {Tutorial}

A few days before Thanksgiving, my Deddy (yes...with an "e"), asked me if I could make some Pinapple Upside-Down cupcakes that he had seen on a TV show. I said "SURE" and asked for the recipe so I could whip them up for our family get-together. Of course....he didn't have a recipe. I figured I would make them like tiny versions of the popular cake! And ya'll....they turned out adorable and oh so delicious!

So I'm sharing my recipe and how I put them together.....

Ingredients:

1 box of yellow cake mix (it's smart...not cheating)

Eggs, water, and oil that your cake mix requires for baking

1 large (16oz) can of crushed pineapple

Small jar of cherries (the kind for desserts or sundaes)

Brown sugar

Makes 24 cupcakes

I started by spraying my cupcake pans really good with cooking spray. You won't use paper liners and we DON'T want these to stick.

Place a small spoonful of brown sugar in the bottom of each cup, then place a halved cherry in the center.

Open and strain your pinapple but Save The Juice, and put it aside. I used the pinapple juice instead of the water my cake mix called for to give the cupcakes a richer flavor. Mix up your cake according to the directions.

Place about 1 TBSP of crushed pineapple in each cup in your baking sheet, covering the cherry and the brown sugar. Mash it down a little to cover the bottom of the cup.

Pour in your batter until each cup is about 2/3 full. You want your cupcakes to bake flat and not dome up over the cups.

Bake according to the box and until a toothpick comes out clean. Immediately run a knife around the outside of each cupcake to loosen it from the baking sheet.

I placed a flat baking sheet over my cupcake pan and flipped it over to remove my cupcakes. They should come out looking like tiny, adorable Pinapple Upside-Down Cakes!

Happy Baking!!

Because Gerber is Gross...take 4

One day I may run out of new baby food recipes....but today is not that day! I made Hubby and I some quesadillas the other day, and gave Gray some of the chicken and pieces of tortilla. This child LOVES spicy food whenever we give her what we're eating when we go out. So I figured, instead of throwing leftovers in the fridge to lurk until we found them, I would make her something delicious to freeze!!

Baby Mexican Fiesta!!

Ingredients:
Diced chicken (any amount that you have on hand)
1 can or 1 cup of black beans
1 cup brown rice
salsa (more or less depending on your baby and their love of spice!)
Spices: I used cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and paprika

Note: if your baby doesn't like spice, or hasn't had spices yet, you can absolutely omit the spices and salsa)

Begin  by cooking your chicken over medium heat in a fryin pan. Don't add the spices too early or it will get super hot! Once the meat starts to brown, THEN add the spices to coat the meat well.

Once chicken is cooked set aside. Cook your rice according to package directions. Once the rice is finished cooking, add the black beans to heat them up. Add to chicken. Add a little bit of salsa for flavor if you would like. I added about 3 tbs.

Place everything into a food processor, or use a hand-chopper to make the mixture a good consistency for your baby. Place in ice-cube trays and freeze!!

I served Gray's with whole wheat tortillas broken into little pieces. She loves it!!

I Have a Button!!

Happy Friday Blog Followers!! I'm super excited that I now have a Button for the blog!!! It's on the right hand side of the page, so if you have your own blog, grab the code and spread the love around!!! If you need to know how to spread the love....ask and I'll try to help you out!

I'm taking a mental break from crafting tonight and will go home and make some baby food. Our freezer is getting a little low on fruits, so I've picked up some fruit to make "Strawberry-Banana Mash" and "Mango-Peach-Applesauce". There's something therapeutic about smashing fruit at the end of a long work day!!

I'm hoping tomorrow is pretty, because I want to take Gray swimming before I come in to work. I'll let you know how that goes! She's a water-baby though so I think she'll enjoy it! Have a great night and be sure to check out the new bags HERE!

Because Gerber is Gross... part 2

When we went to the beach two weeks ago, for convenience we took a few containers of Gerber baby food to give Gray along with her table food. Convenient...yes. Delicious...absolutely not! Don't get me wrong, Gerber is a wonderful company and have tons of great products for babies, many of which we use...but the baby food just doesn't do it for me. We were running a little low on Gray's homemade entrees, so I decided to whip up a new recipe for her.

A few years ago, Hubby and I had a great meal in Rock Hill, SC, of pork tenderloin with an cinnamon apple glaze. It was fabulous!! I haven't made Gray anything with pork yet, so I decided that this would be a good option to try for her! I just wish I had made two batches, because it was delicious! That kid eats better than we do!

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:
4 small porkchops (just make sure the bones are out before you put them in the chopper...duh!)
1 large apple, I used a gala apple
3 tbs of light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut your porkchops into small cubes. This will save you steps later and help them cook quicker. Dice your apple into small cubes. Place apples and pork into a casserole dish. Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar over the top, and cover with foil.

Bake 30-40 minutes until pork is done and the juices are bubbly. Let cool for a few minutes, then place into a food chopper. Chop until it's the right consistency for your baby.You can add the pan juices if you need to. Place in ice cube trays and freeze! Voila!

Cake Pops Tutorial!!

Here it is people!! The CakePops I made for Adam and Kaileigh's graduation party! Adam requested strawberry, so that's why they're pink!! And I couldn't for the life of my find sprinkles the color I wanted...so pearls had to do! But who doesn't love pearls!!

Let's get started, shall we?
Ingredients:
1 box cake mix of your choice. (You could make it from scratch, but let's not be a hero.)
1 can of frosting of your choice. I used strawberry cake and strawberry frosting
Candy sticks
Candy melts (from craft stores)
sprinkles or other edible decorations

Bake your cake according to its directions. This is the most perfect I've ever had a cake come out of a bundt pan. It didn't last long!

Because step 2 is to destroy it!! I used an old fashioned nut chopper, but you could use anything really.

Once it's broken into little pieces, add in your frosting. Mix until it's pretty much even.

Roll it into golfball sized balls. These were pretty big. I would have prefered smaller. Refrigerate overnight.

I wrapped two floral foam blocks in paper to make them pretty. These will hold your pops once you dip them.

Melt your candy melts in a bowl for 30 seconds at a time until they reach dipping consistency. Dip the end of each stick in the candy, then place in your cake ball.

Dip each ball in the melted candy, then sprinkle before it dries!

Place in the foam block to dry, then enjoy!!

Mine were for a graduation party, so I added a little bit of ribbon in the college colors for decoration.

Here is a version I did for the 4th of July...

 

I really wanna try red velvet cake dipped in dark chocolate...but that will be for another day!!