Blog Hop - Herbal Picnicking

This is a post that is part of a special Blog Hop!

Those who follow the Blog Hop all the way to its conclusion will collect letters.  You gather all the letters and you can cash them in for a set of electronic recipe cards. (The info you need is at the bottom.)

I’ve never done one of these before so this should be fun!

The theme for all the blogs in the hop is FOOD!

That was an easy one for me…

Today I thought I would share a perfect Herbal Tea Picnic.  It consists of three salads and an Herbal Tea.  You can make everything in advance and chill overnight in the refrigerator, then load into you cooler and have a grand time outside in your favorite herb garden.

These are all crafted from the savory flavor family, so the blends are not sweet and have a hint of mustard in each recipe.  I am still experimenting with the items I picked up while visiting the National Mustard Museum – check out my post!

Carrot Salad with Fennel

2 Tbls. fennel leaves, chopped

3 Cups grated carrots

2 Tbls. olive oil

1 Tbls. lemon juice

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

Mix together the fennel and carrots.  Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice and mustard together, pour over the carrots and toss well.  Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving.  Stirring occasionally.

Chilled Italian Herb Vegetables with Herbs

2 lbs. new potatoes, cut into chunks

½ tsp. salt

1/3 cup olive oil

2 Tbls. red wine vinegar

1 small clove garlic, minced

¼ tsp. dry mustard

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. basil, crumbled

1 tsp. oregano, crumbled

1/8 tsp. rosemary

dash ground red pepper

1 cup fresh or frozen cut green beans

1 cup chopped red pepper

¼ cup scallions

2 Tbls. capers

1 Tbls. chopped parsley

Cook potatoes with ½ tsp salt in water to cover, 12 minutes or until tender, but still firm, drain.  Mix oil, vinegar, and garlic with mustard, black pepper, ground red pepper and herbs.  In a large bowl, toss cooked potatoes, beans, red pepper and scallion.  Add dressing, toss to coat.  Cover.  Chill for 2 hours.  Serve topped with capers and parsley.

Summer Spiral Salad  

1 12-oz. bag tri-colored spiral pasta, cooked

2 cups cucumber, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

¼ cup green pepper, chopped

¼ cup green onion, chopped

1 can crab meat, flaked

1 cup mayonnaise

½ cup dressing made with Backyard Patch Italian Dressing

1 Tbls yellow or grainy mustard

1 tsp. dill weed

Combine pasta, cucumber, tomato, green pepper, green onion and crab meat in a large bowl.  Combine Mayonnaise, Italian Dressing, mustard and dill and whisk together in a small bowl.  Mix dressing mixture into pasta and chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Lemon grass

Harvest Iced Tea

1 quart boiling water

2 Tbls. raspberry leaves, dried

2 Tbls lemongrass, chopped

1 Tbls. hibiscus flowers, crumbled

Pour boiling water over herbs.  Steep for 20 minutes.  Strain into ½ gallon container.  Fill with cold water.  Serve with ice and an herb leaf for garnish.

My letter for the Blog Hop is E

 

Link to the next blog:  Lilac Lane --   http://melissaslilaclane.blogspot.com/

If you want to start this Blog hop from the beginning: go here: Supporting Artist Blog Hop