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Thanks Lacey. I don't have a blender. I love basil with tomatoes and sauce. Do I just clean the leaves and then chop them up?
Great idea for the freezing. I didn't know that. Thanks.
Just last night I picked off some leaves and washed them and cut them up for my spaghetti sauce.
Basil needs to be pinched back....the top little leaves....to keep it from going to flowers and then dying back.....so when you are taking some big leaves....also take out the little "growing tips" from time to time....and use them too. The fragrance of fresh basil is wonderful......but with fresh herbs although they smell so great and powerful......they are much less potent than dried.....so use More ..... not less.
Lisa, you're off the grid but haven't used fresh herbs?! You're full of surprises! Fresh herbs are best used...fresh You're exactly right - just pick some - it's fine if some stem is included too - rinse it briefly, lightly pat it dry, and just julienne or shred it. Basil is usually pretty hearty and abundant so don't be shy about experimenting with it - you'll find your sweet spot with it pretty quickly. I bet there are videos online showing people chopping up fresh herbs - plus, of course, plenty of recipes if you're concerned about measurements (but it's pretty forgiving so you can just "go with it").
What other herbs are you growing? Oh, BTW, you can use a mortar and pestle to make pesto also. To me, a little bit of pesto goes a long way.
Not sure about dinner tonight - maybe soup or noodles and sauce.
Morning everyone, dinner tonight will be sloppy joes. YUMMY!!!!
Today I have a busy day getting ready for tomorrow. I need to make two pies ( apple and a peanut butter creme pie) and a pasta salad. We are going to my family on the other side of town to grill out and swim. I am really looking forward to it.
Lisa, it is very important to snip the little leaves on the top of the basil as elston said you don't want them to flower. You have to do the same thing with Thyme. I take my basil leaves and throw them in ice cube trays with water or chicken broth, when frozen I pop them in freezer bags and they are good all Winter long. Like Lacey, I also snip leaves rinse, pat dry & put into freezer bags. You have basil all year. If your basil is in a clay pot outside it needs a lot of water and lots of sun, I water mine thoroughly 2x a day, until the water goes into the saucer.
Since company will be here for dinner at 5:00 tonight, I have the stuffed peppers simmering on low in the crockpot now. Browned shallot mashed potatoes, Antipasto, rolls & butter.
I hope everyone has a safe & wonderful 4th. I will check back with y'all later. kelsie
Lisa, it is very important to snip the little leaves on the top of the basil as elston said you don't want them to flower. You have to do the same thing with Thyme. I take my basil leaves and throw them in ice cube trays with water or chicken broth, when frozen I pop them in freezer bags and they are good all Winter long. Like Lacey, I also snip leaves rinse, pat dry & put into freezer bags. You have basil all year. If your basil is in a clay pot outside it needs a lot of water and lots of sun, I water mine thoroughly 2x a day, until the water goes into the saucer.
Since company will be here for dinner at 5:00 tonight, I have the stuffed peppers simmering on low in the crockpot now. Browned shallot mashed potatoes, Antipasto, rolls & butter.
I hope everyone has a safe & wonderful 4th. I will check back with y'all later. kelsie
I cant keep up with my thyme.....it is in the ground and spreads over a 4x4 foot area......and is all in flower.....pretty but not so good for cooking. It has those tiny flowers.....couldnt possibly keep it picked back.
Good morning all. I have absolutely no clue what is going to pass as food today. After listening to several of the guys I work with whine off and on all night long (in their very best imitations of 2 year olds, "It's been soooooo long...") about the fact that it's been FOREVER (actually only two weeks) since I made them salsa, I promised them salsa tonight....so I will be making at least a gallon of the stuff and hauling it to work with me. Yes, they know as well as the biological ones (and the four legged ones) which buttons to push..... (And, yes, I do spoil them....after all, I don't have to bring any of them home!)
May just run out and get a burger. I will decide after all the taste testing!
Good morning all. I have absolutely no clue what is going to pass as food today. After listening to several of the guys I work with whine off and on all night long (in their very best imitations of 2 year olds, "It's been soooooo long) about the fact that it's been FOREVER (actually only two weeks) since I made them salsa, I promised them salsa tonight....so I will be making at least a gallon of the stuff and hauling it to work with me. Yes, they know as well as the biological ones (and the four legged ones) which buttons to push.....
May just run out and get a burger. I will decide after all the taste testing!
Have a wonderful day.
Home made salsa makes me think of my just completed job.
I just made up the base of my lobster gazpacho for tomorrow......processed up red onion, tomatoes, red and green and yellow peppers, cukes, jalapenos, mixed in clam broth, evoo, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, corriander, salt and pepper, and its setting in the fridge....next I cook up the lobsters and tomorrow mix the picked lobster meat and some chopped cilantro with the vegetable broth.....and then off we go ..... will serve it from an adorable turtle soup tureen in the crystal-ware plastic cups (it is a pic-nic) and garnish with some nice chunks of lobster set aside for that purpose.
Elston, I wish I could take off from work....that sounds soooo good. Maybe, if I whine like a two year old?????
Oh ...... you know how to push my buttons..... it is my great joy to feed people delicious food. I wish I could give you some!
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. I love basil with tomatoes and sauce. Do I just clean the leaves and then chop them up?
You're exactly right - just pick some - it's fine if some stem is included too - rinse it briefly, lightly pat it dry, and just julienne or shred it. Basil is usually pretty hearty and abundant so don't be shy about experimenting with it - you'll find your sweet spot with it pretty quickly. I bet there are videos online showing people chopping up fresh herbs - plus, of course, plenty of recipes if you're concerned about measurements (but it's pretty forgiving so you can just "go with it").
(And, yes, I do spoil them....after all, I don't have to bring any of them home!)
