Lemon Balm Cuppa Review

The tisane recipe was a definite two thumbs up – delicious,  and I have no reservations about recommending the recipe -- but I have a couple of pointers that I’ve learned from experience.

Pointer No. 1:  The water temperature should be very hot but not boiling. Don’t make a giant pot with cold water and bring it to a boil – the resulting grass stew is horrible. Make an individual cup – much tastier!

Pointer No. 2: Rough up the leaves before putting the lemon balm into the cup and adding the hot water. The oils from the lemon balm are released and make for a very fragrant cup.

Pointer No. 3: Don’t forget to rinse the lemon balm leaves before adding to the cup. (The first cup had a friendly little critter that floated to the top and winked right at me.)

When Life Hands You Lemon Balm, Make Tisane

 

It’s been taking over huge portions of my garden, and though I love it and love the smell of it--  my lemon balm has been driving me well… balmy. Of course, I know of all the ways you can use it, but today wandering through twitter, I happened upon someone saying that they had lemon balm tisane in their fridge. Aha! But of course… I thought to myself…  I haven’t been using my little grey cells. Hercule Poirot could have clued me in on this. This famous imbiber of hot chocolate and tisanes would be rolling around in his grave, knowing that just today I had composted a large bunch of lemon balm.

But things have changed Hercule!  I have decided to try my hand at making a tisane. To whit, I have gone online and found several recipes, and many a site purporting that once I start drinking lemon balm tisane my memory issues may be resolved. This site seems to have the best lemon balm tisane recipe. So bottoms up everybody, I’ll give you a review when I’ve created the lemon balm tisane myself.

Dog Park Fascination

Yes, I know what you are thinking… am I really that kind of person? The short answer is “kinda.” No I don’t necessarily think my dog is the end all and be all -- and she doesn’t eat dinner with us at the table (maybe underneath the table…), but I do love her, and as such I clothe her in winter (sometimes for Halloween too) and I take her to the dog park. She loves it okay? She’s not too social, but she loves the smells, the dog-raderie , the ability to run free and wild amongst her peers, and the Pupperoni her delighted owners feed her whenever she does something cute. She, however, does not, enjoy the ride to the dog park. The shining rolling metal box that takes us to the park is a trial and tribulation that all must live through. We have tried every technique in the world to get her to enjoy the car ride, but nothing works. She squeaks, she pants and she squirms to get under my seat and there she remains for the 5 minute ride.

This is as calms as doggy can get. Once she gets to the park it’s a different story. She is the queen of the park and every blade must be christened. Take a gander at her in the park and you’ll see why most every Sunday “we go to there.”

Tiptoe Through My Summer Garden With Me and My Crocs…

Dorothy had her ruby slippers, the Sex in the City girl her Manolo Blahniks, Nancy Sinatra her boots and I… I have my red crocs.

Can you see how shiny my crocs are? My red crocs and I are inseparable in the garden – they keep my feet so comfy, so deliciously wrapped in foamy-goodness that I can focus on all the garden has to offer. Sometimes I wish my crocs could come out with me to the real concrete world – but I’ve been told by Tim Gunn (no less) that this would be an enormous fashion mistake so we stay together only in the backyard where my crocs and I weed and propagate, prune and survey all in comfortable (sometimes squeaky) silence. In the early morning we walk together through the wet grass making witty observations on the conditions in the garden. Come see with us what we’ve been up to – click on my crocs to see my summer garden.

Tomato Thief – CSI

Recently our resident tomato gardener rushed into the house, face pale, arm raised clasping a tomato in his trembling hand. “Someone has stolen our first tomato and bitten it,” he exclaimed. We all turned simultaneously and looked at the suspect. Shamefaced she refused to look up or even to answer some simple inquiries as to her whereabouts. It should be known that last year she was caught red-pawed with a Mr. Stripey in her mouth. Her guilty look certainly makes it hard to believe in her innocence.

As of today, the house stands divided; one camp insisting that Lydia is to blame, the other blaming miscellaneous tomato-vore squirrels. For now, Lydia is not allowed the freedom of the garden without a warden on constant watch. It seems to be working since no further tomato thefts have been recorded, but I’m worried…. yes I’m worried.

Emmaline, Emmaline Bluer Eyes I’ve Never Seen or Project 4

Yes, I’ve continued with the Ravely challenge and this little pin-up girl is Project 4. We have named her Emmaline. I plan to knit her up a small dress and other goodies for Project 5. Project 2 and 3 were socks for my little muse. Though small, they caused me many a headache as the heels were particularly difficult to knit. Still the results are quite cute -- don't you think?

The Invisible Zipper Foot and I Run Amuck

You might be wondering what’s been happening, why I haven’t been updating as often. Well dear reader, I have been bitten hard by the creative mosquito. So hard in fact, that I find it hard to focus on important things like, work and the like. And though I have scratched it hard, the creative itch continues. It has led me to retry things I thought were out of my reach. So today I’m extra proud to say that after countless tears and frustrated projects, the invisible zipper foot and I have come to a definite understanding. Since the Eureka moment occurred (early Thursday morning) I have been running amuck and this is the result.

Yes, FOUR pillows! I laugh with (and at)  invisible zippers now… thanks invisible zipper foot.

Now if I could only get the bias foot to submit to my will…

I Call It Death Corner…

It lasted eight long years. We grew it from a bulb. It got too big for our room, so I put it in the hallway. I changed the pot, I gave it fresh dirt and placed it in a sunny cornerI didn’t know it was “Death Corner.” Rest in peace Elephant Ear, you will be missed.

25th Sunday It’s Father’s Day!

Oh Daddy -- what a meal was had on Sunday! The menu was not too ambitious -- but boy it was delicious. I wish you could have been there (and you just might have…) . The grill was put into overdrive with boneless pork country ribs marinated with mushroom soy and sake, potato packets with asparagus, corn on the cob, fresh bread, refried black beans, beet salad with goat cheese and walnuts, fresh grilled green onions, fresh salsa, dark-chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. The usual suspects cooked and cleaned for the meal and a merry time was had by all. Unexpectedly and very happily we were joined by our favorite tired and very parched s’laws for dessert. Although everything was quite good, to me the star of the meal was of course the dark chocolate cake suggested by my favorite penguin. The cake recipe can be found here at this link. My one change was in the frosting where I added 1/4 cup of cream cheese to add a little “sumpin sumpin.” YUMMY!

I guess I should mention the guests of honor for whom I have only the greatest admiration, love and respect. Here’s to the Dads! Hip Hip Hooray! Below is the current favorite salad recipe of the resident Dad. Happy Father’s Day all!

Roasted Beet Salad with Walnuts and Goat Cheese:
2 small roasted beets peeled and cubed
1/4 cup toasted walnuts halves (chopped) -- use a sauté pan on low heat
2 small heads bib greens ( I like the butter lettuce best)
4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
Dressing:
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the salad ingredients then add the dressing… I know it’s hard to believe but that’s it… delicious.

24th Sunday – Just Another Fishy Sunday!

We’ve been on a fish-roll lately but no one here is complaining! Tuna was the fish called up for duty this Sunday prepared our favorite way, rolled in sesame seeds  and pan seared. We tried a new recipe  from Fine Cooking with a new vegetable -- kohlrabi. Our final judgment - kohlrabi is a  funny little vegetable with a very light radish taste and we give it a thumbs up. The kohlrabi salad was delicious, the brown rice was rice-nificent and the sweet potato fries with chipotle seasonings were just right. A red wine (sorry don’t remember what but it was good) was served for the adults and for the local soda-addict a new flavor and a new soda.  The verdict on the soda – a thumbs up. To please the man of the house I made a blueberry cobbler with a twist -- instead of a biscuit topping I make a sugar cookie topping. The cobbler was served with ice cream and within seconds it was gone. Have I told you how much I love our Sundays? Well  in case I haven’t -- I do.

Clickety-Clackety Climb Aboard the Knitting Train … It’s Project One

 

 

My young muse is coming to visit me soon  -- so I’m dedicating the next knitting projects from my 52 Projects in 52 Weeks to her. First up was the gnomey hat. The lovely green color is not translating well in the picture. Doesn’t it make you think of forest glens, ferns and little gnomey creatures hiding in the bushes?

A Project, an Injury and a Satisfied Client

Last week I took a book out of the library called Ready Made. The book contains projects that allow you to “reuse” items that may have been winging there way to the trash. Two projects stood out  -- one a dog bed made out of recycled jeans and the other making a messenger bag from fused plastic bags. Each project has a very clear picture followed by a short set of instructions. Having a surplus of jeans and a very outspoken puppy-princess demanding a new bed… I decided to try the jean bed. On the page, the project looked very easy – however, one very sore finger later and three pairs of jeans later I can attest that the instructions were not very good. I did manage to finish not one but -- TWO beds and I have tips to pass on.

1. Make a  straight tube from each pant leg.  Cut the triangle fabric at the but section
2. The bigger the jean, the bigger the tube, the happier the puppy.
3. It’s easy to overstuff the bottom and cause the puppy not to fit into said bed.
4. Cut out the big seams on the jeans before sewing the tubes together.

52 Projects in 52 Weeks

Just some of the patterns I’ve researched.

I joined a little group in Ravelry that is going to attempt to finish 52 projects in 52 weeks. Wait… I know what you’re thinking… she must have mad knitting skills to be able to accomplish so much but unfortunately, I don’t. What I have is mad magical thinking. I don’t know how I’m going to do it but I’m going to give it my knitting all. I’ve gone to the library, I’ve researched patterns and I’ve got my yarn all ready to get started on June 1st our official starting date. As the beginning date has loomed ever closer, I've noticed myself starting to hedge my bets. At the beginning of my research -- sometime in mid May-- I was thinking I could probably finish a baby sweater a week, maybe even a blanket. Now I’ve started telling myself that each sock should count for two projects so that a pair of socks should equal 4 projects. (toe and heel count for one, leg and cuff for the second –see?) but I think my heart is in the right place -- lets just hope my hands and needles are there too. Wish me luck, I'll be posting my work right here.

Showering with Satan

Having grown up in a large family I learned early on the trials and tribulations of sharing everything. My parents were loving but pretty strict. They emphasized the importance of family, education and economy. It was my parents belief that we would develop stronger ties if we shared rooms and everything else. Accordingly we were paired up with a sibling of the same gender and closest in age. In my case, I shared a room, a bed, clothes (unwillingly) and even the shower with my little sister. We got along as most sisters do, with what my mom called “tiger” love. Loosely translated, we loved, and bickered, and laughed, and hated each other in equal amounts every day.

For most of our childhood we went to Catholic school and religion class was something I enjoyed very much. The majority of the classroom time was filled with high drama. Our young minds were fed highly-colored stories of saints, martyrs, miracles, heaven and hell. Being a very imaginative child with a flare for the dramatic, the class suited me to a tee. Each nun or priest had a different style of teaching – one nun was particularly good at capturing our imaginations. Her specialty was gory detail, and as a result her classes were very scary and fascinating. If you ever wanted to know how many whips the devil carried or how much pain a person could suffer in purgatory – she was the one to go to. She never tired of telling us stories and I absorbed everything she said with mouth wide open. As a result I was scared out of my pants about everything.

One story that really stuck to me was about “junior devils.” Junior devils spent their time on earth trying to turn you into one of them. They started out as ordinary people but became possessed by the devil because they had opened the door to evil. According to her, just about anything -- from being selfish, to not praying, to swearing to telling lies opened the door to evil. In the playground we discussed ways that we could tell an evil possessed person (junior devil) from a “good” person. We all agreed that a j.d. would not be able to handle holy water (sizzling would be a dead give away), would not be able to say prayers for longer than a minute and would definitely not survive in church without horrible pain. As a matter of fact, if you stared hard enough into their eyes you might be able to see hell fires dancing deep within. (That particular tidbit was my own concoction.) By the time I left 5th grade, I felt holy and pretty prepared to identify evil doers. I even had a little altar complete with bath crystal “incense” in my room to help me pray for the souls in purgatory. I wasn’t sure about the whole becoming a martyr thing, but I felt my perfect prayer hands and holy head position (eyes slightly lowered with faraway holy-thoughts middle distance focus) might help make up for that.

One evening as my sister started washing my hair it occurred to me that she was a classic no-goodnick, a sinner really, and thus was open to becoming a junior devil-- if she was not one already. But what could I do there in the shower? I couldn’t really check her eyes for hell fire (my own were closed tight against the shampoo) and would be unable to for at least 5 minutes. I had no holy water on hand to check the sizzle-factor and the shower was no church. What if at that moment she was thinking of ways to make me like her and take me to hell? I thought about my poor parents, and the hell fires as I searched through my mental catalog for ways to identify j.d.’s. Then I hit upon it… singing church songs. It was practically like being in church, singing hymns was like praying in rhythm. Quickly I suggested that we both sing one of our favorite hymns “Hallelujah” and we both began to sing. When she didn’t start shrieking out in pain, I knew we were okay. From that day forward, whenever it came time to wash our hair, I would begin to sing the hymn of the day and she would join in thus ensuring that Satan was not in the shower.

Having dinner with her recently we began to reminisce about the old times and I told her my suspicions of her junior devil status in the shower. She couldn’t believe that I had thought she was the devil. Junior devil, I corrected her and she got a little miffed then started laughing. It was dark outside so we got up, paid the the check, got in the car and started the long drive home. We were both quiet, a little too quiet… if you know what I mean… so I began to sing “Hail Mary.”

21st Sunday It’s A Birthday!

This birthday was so special we had to celebrate it twice -- this time with the grandparents. Last week was all about the fish and cake, this week the young master requested meat and pie and so it was. A delicious flank steak was prepared by the father of the lucky boy with an Emeril-inspired marinade. To round out the meal, fennel rice (a Williams Sonoma recipe) a spring salad with goat cheese, refried brown beans and guacamole. For dessert a Key Lime pie from Cooks Illustrated was quickly scarfed down so quickly in fact, that the pie disappeared before a picture could be taken. This particular pie recipe has been a favorite since the first time I made it. The pie is easy to make, appears complicated and it’s really scrumptious -- what more could one ask for? Suffice it to say it is amazing. Below is the recipe for the Cooks Illustrated Key Lime Pie. I’m licking my lips just looking at it.

Cooks Illustrated Key Lime Pie
Key Lime Filling
4 teaspoons grated lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice from 3 to 4 limes
4 large egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Graham Cracker Crust
11 graham crackers , processed to fine crumbs (1 1/4 cups)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Whipped Cream Topping
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 lime , sliced paper thin and dipped in sugar (optional)

Instructions
For the Filling: Whisk zest and yolks in medium bowl until tinted light green, about 2 minutes. Beat in milk, then juice; and set aside at room temperature to thicken. The process takes about 40 minutes.
For the Crust: Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add butter; stir with fork until well blended. Pour mixture into 9-inch pie pan; press crumbs over bottom and up sides of pan to form even crust. I use a glass to press it in well. Bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
Putting it Together: Pour lime filling into crust; then return to oven. Bake until center is set, yet wiggly when jiggled, 15 to 17 minutes. Put pie to cool on wire rack; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. (Can be covered with lightly oiled or oil-sprayed plastic wrap laid directly on filling and refrigerated up to 1 day.)
For the Whipped Cream: Up to 2 hours before serving, whip cream in medium bowl to very soft peaks. Adding confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, vanilla, and continue whipping to just-stiff peaks. Pipe the whip cream over the filling and garnish with optional sugared lime slices.

Rub My Belly or Winning Fascination

Rub my belly or just rub yours and pretend its mine. I'm officially lucky. I've competed (really just been assigned randomly) in two Ravelry pools and have won two.*

My second win -- Dancing with the Stars ,with an underdog no less, Shawn Johnson, just occurred on Tuesday. Do I sound smug? It might just be that the enormous smile on my face distorts my voice or it really might just be smugness. In fact, I feel very smuggy, and I don't feel like apologizing. I got more gifts yesterday from my original win. In case you want to know, the brown long yarn is made from llama fur. Please feel free to drool again. If you want to see more of my winnings click on the picture.

* In the interest of the complete truth - I've also lost two pools, (American Idol, and Top Chef) but I don't really count those and neither should you.

Yes -- I am A Pod Person, Take Me to Your Leader

Growing up there were very few things that I would not try or eat, one them was yogurt and the other granola. It helped my cause that both my parents thought that one was bird food and the other hippy-food. If anyone had told me that I was to become a granola-eating, yogurt lover, I'd have laughed (maybe even hysterically) right in his/her face. However, about two years ago, I just up and decided (after watching husband do it for years and years and feeding it to my kids too...) to give it a whirl. It wasn't love at first taste, but it was not bad. Now I love it -- plain yogurt with fruit granola and a dab of honey, well, it's the bomb!

Not to toot my horn too much, but TOOOT... I make a lovely granola using Kathleen Daelemans' recipe as a base and adding a couple of tweaks here and there. I make a double batch which usually lasts about a month and a half but only because I add a ton of healthy cereals to the granola base. It gives us much needed fiber into all of our diets and makes a handy healthy snack to boot. I've added the recipe for your review. Try it, I think you'll like it.

Kathleen's Granola Recipe with my Tweaks (which make it that much better)
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup water
3 teaspoons cinnamon
5 generous teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups old fashioned rolled oats
4 cups chopped pecans, walnuts, slivered almonds
1/4 cup flax seed
dried raisins, fruit to taste
Healthy cereals to taste

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine the brown sugar and water in a large microwave-proof glass measuring cup or bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes or until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the microwave, add vanilla, salt and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside. Grind the flax seed and combine with nuts, and rolled oats in a large bowl. Add the sugar syrup to the oatmeal mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Spread the mixture on the cookie sheets and bake for 6o minutes until golden and crunchy. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. You can add dried fruit and store in an airtight container or you can take the base granola and combine it with healthy sugar-free, high-fiber cereals to add more fiber and grains to our diet. I use cheerios, bran flakes and others of that ilk. This stuff is darn good!

20th Sunday is Really a Saturday and a Pre-Birthday Dinner

This delicious gathering was a pre-celebration for a very special someone who was born to a very young couple on a stormy evening in May. Our beautiful, blue-eyed boy with the lopsided grin, who for the most part has made his parents very proud, was of course the guest of honor. His younger brother carefully decorated the cake and set out a special table setting for this most momentous occasion. Having a special engagement on Sunday we moved our usual Sunday dinner to Saturday and prepared some of the boy’s favorites. Dinner was a joint effort with many hands on board for prep (including the birthday boy’s). On the plate – Cedar Plank Salmon with a miso-ginger glaze (specialty of the Pater), green rice, refried beans, roasted asparagus with parmesan and lemon, and fresh roasted corn. (I’m not a huge fan of salmon, but this salmon was incredibly delicious. Maybe the creator of the miso-glazed salmon will honor us with a glaze recipe.) Despite the heaping amounts of food consumed, a chocolate cake with strawberry preserves and cream cheese frosting was dispatched within minutes. A well-fed group then toasted the birthday boy and presents were opened. Huzzah, Huzzah, another year under the belt!

Ravelry and the Race!

I dabble in a web community dedicated to the needle-arts (mainly knitting, crocheting, spinning) called Ravelry. I can't tell you how many happy hours I've wasted looking through all the incredible yarns, designers, fellow crafters and projects. I've gotten involved in several groups one of which was a pool to see who's team (randomly assigned) would win the Amazing Race. A most exciting game followed, and after much nail biting and screaming at the tv and at my team, they won. That's right... I won! For having won, my fellow racers are sending me little knitting presents. Today my first package arrived -- beautiful, beautiful sock yarn. Drool away -- oh and thanks Oona!

New Addition

Most of my friends and family are unaware that Saturday night of last week I became a mom again. It seems almost serendipitous that Mother's Day was on Sunday but that's how life works out. I met our new little guy and knew immediately that he would fit in to our family unit. Yes I know, more men in the household, believe me I know, but he brings many unique qualities. He loves art, has a great sense of humor and is just plain happy. He wears his emotions on this face. You can easily tell when he's had enough, or he's happy or sad (though we really haven't seen this yet). He's pink like his dad but looks quite a bit like his older brothers. His name is Bruce and he is the sweetest companion a mother could ever hope for. I don't want his brothers to be jealous but... I think he may be well on the way to becoming my favorite. Aunties get ready to dote.