Blog

If you have been following this blog, please note we have moved our blog to a more public location.  You can access our almost daily postings at www.backyardpatch.blogspot.com   Wednesday we post the herb of the week, every other Tuesday we post a HOW TO, and in between we share recipes, growing tips and ideas.  Check it out!

Tags: backyard patch, blog, diy, herbs, how to, marcy lautanen-raleigh, recipes

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Posted at: 07:40 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink

I love herbs and cooking with herbs.  I can spend hours in the herb room blending and mixing to create just the right flavor combination.  Cooking with herbs is not the difficult or dangerous activity many people believe it is, in fact using them everyday is as easy and having a properly filled cabinet. Through the years I have made and marketed more than 100 different herbal blends and I am always looking for a new way to promote the use of herbs in everyday cooking. 

 

Sunday will be National More Herbs, Less Salt Day.   In honor of this special day here are a few herbal salt substitutes you can create to use on this auspicious day!

The good news is, using less salt helps with cholesterol and blood pressure lowering as well as reducing water retention and can in many ways improve your skin.  So why not try these flavor-filled treats and help yourself at the same time.  Tomorrow I will give you a few recipes to go with these blends.

Oniony Salt Substitute

(Onion gives you the taste you are looking for without the salt so you can fool your taste buds)

6 teaspoons onion...

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Tags: backyard patch, cooking, health, herbs, recipes, salt substitutes

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Posted at: 03:50 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink

This time of year I make many of my recipes with fresh herbs because they are so abundantly available.  These two recipes are quick and easy and give you a chance to use what is in season.  Even if you don't have an herb garden all of these herbs can be easily gotten at the market.

Herbed Cheese Spread

2 tablespoons fresh thyme - chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh sweet marjoram - chopped fine
4 tablespoons green onions - sliced fine
8 ounce package cream cheese at room temperature
In a small bowl add the herbs, green onions and cream cheese. Mix together until well blended. Cover the top of the bowl with aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve this delicious spread with an assortment of crackers and breadsticks.

Chive Dip

This dip is a wonderful accompaniment to fresh raw vegetables such as carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and radishes.
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fresh chives or garlic chives - snipped with scissors
1 tablespoon fresh sage - minced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
In a medium sized mixing bowl mix add all ingredients and...

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Tags: chives, herbs, marjoram, recipes, summer, thyme

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Posted at: 08:28 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink

I just learned that May is Salad Month.  Salads are popular food when the seasons get warmer.  My husband made macaroni salad just yesterday to go with grilled burgers, while I made my dressed up Italian dressing to go on greens.

Here is that recipe that is made with Backyard Patch Italian Dressing & Marinade:

• 2 small cloves garlic
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 1Tbls onions grated
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/8 cup balsalmic vinegar
• 2 Tbls lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil (evoo)
• 1/2 cup sun flower or canola oil
• 2Tbls BYP Italian Dressing Mix
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Whisk garkic, sugar, mustard, onion, vinegars and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk together oil; add to vinegar in a streamm whisking to emulsify.
3. Whisk in herbsm celery seed, and cheese.
4. Refrigerate an hour before serving, keeps up to a week.

One of my favorite dressings (no I do not make a mix for this) is Green Goddess Dressing.  Jim Long in his book The Best Dressed Salad, included this version along with 174 other dressings.

Green Goddess Dressing Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup finely minced parsley...

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Tags: backyard patch, books, dressings, herbs, recipes, salad, salad month

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Posted at: 06:23 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink

I love the huge colorful flowers and simple ease of growing Nasturtiums.  They cascade over the edges of pots, grow easily and vigorously and on top of that they are edible. With a peppery flavor they are a perfect addition to sandwiches and salads.  The large round seeds are big enough for children to plant and make them a fun outdoor task with children in the garden.  Harvesting is possible as soon as the first leaves begin to appear.  Chop up green leaves and toss in with other greens.  If you like and use watercress, Nasturtiums are a great compliment and can be used in similar ways.  A Nasturtium sandwich with some light cream cheese rolled with the flat leaves or on bread cut in rounds the shape of the leaves are perfect tea sandwiches. 

  

Former president Dwight Eisenhower enjoyed making his famous vegetable soup with finely chopped leaves and stems of Nasturtiums added near the end of cooking.  He said one tablespoon would do it. 

  

If you get bigger leaves you can stuff them or wrap them a round tuna salad (see the recipe tomorrow).  The flowers can...

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Tags: edible flowers, nasturtiums, recipes

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Posted at: 08:00 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink