Christmas Herb Punch

The website Sugar and Soul gave me the idea for today's cocktail, perfect for Christmas celebrations.
They called it Christmas Punch, I modified it to include my favorite Christmas herbs and changed the name to Christmas Herb Punch.  The best part about this is you can get out the punch bowl, serve this to your guests and family and don't have to be a bartender all evening.

Christmas Herb Punch 

1 orange sliced

1 lemon sliced
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup Lemon Balm leaves

2 cup cranberry juice

2 cups orange juice
1 cup pomegranate juice
2 cups ginger ale
1 cup brewed lemon grass tea
1 cup white rum, optional (or you can use vodka or whiskey)
Ice

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher or punch bowl over ice. If using a really large punch bowl, you can double the recipe.  If preparing ahead, leave out the ice and ginger ale until ready to serve to guests.

Additional Notes: if you have children in attendance, keep the alcohol on the side to allow adults to add their own as desired.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)

September 2019 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals (CrockOct)

November 2019 - Pies (PieNov)

December 2019 - Mocktails (MockDec)

Christmas Herbs – Herb of the Week

Recently Gypsy Herbal posted on Facebook a poster of Holiday Herbs.  There was a discussion about the herbs that might be missing from the image, like sage and parsley.  I am sure I have posted on Christmas or Bible herbs before, but I thought a December Holiday post with a few choice favorites of mine for the holiday would be perfect of Christmas, especially when it falls on a Wednesday.

Some herbs are seasonal symbols that can be added to a winter feast bouquet, tucked into napkin rings, added to sprays on side tables and tucked into the ribbons tied on presents as extra gifts from the garden.  All can be made into bouquets or tussie-mussies to be given to friends, hung on the door handles of neighbors'  front doors, or the bedroom door handles of visiting house guests.

• Rosemary represents remembrance for special friends.
• Lavender is a fragrant scent of the sweetness of life.
• Horehound is a wish for health.
• Marjoram is for the joy of the festivities, as is its cousin Oregano.
• Mint is a reminder of home.
• Sage speaks of virtue and long life.
• Thyme is for courage to face the darkness of the long winter nights.

Beyond the language of herbs there are stories, uses and legends that link some herbs to the December holiday season.  Like Bedstraw, Chamomile, Horehound, Thyme, and Sweet Woodruff which were said to have been mixed with the manger grasses.

Bedstraw or Wild Madder

Bedstraw also known as the Gallium plant, is an herb that may have been used in baby Jesus' manger.  Bedstraw has a sweet honey aroma that is released when warmed.  The herb is also used to make red dye.

Costmary

Costmary, Ivy and Bay Laurel --Costmary leaves were used to add spice to holiday ale, or wassail, in old Europe. Called Bible leaf they are considered a symbol of everlasting life. Ivy and bay laurel were long used, along with other greens, to help celebrate the winter solstice in early Europe, with ivy symbolizing friendship and bay laurel as a reminder that the long winter would soon melt into spring. 



Cardamom Pods



In my family traditions Cardamom (a spice) figures prominently in sweet breads and meat seasonings. 

Creativity tea

This blend of herbs and spices helps construct a creative frame of mind.

§  1 Tbls. Hibiscus

§  1 Tbls. Lemon grass

§  ½ Tbls. Basil (Holy Basil if you have it is even better)

§  1 tsp. Rosemary

§  1 tsp. Cardamom seed (if you have pods crush and extract only the seed)

Combine in a container with a tight fitting lid and use 2 tsp. per cup of hot water. Allow to steep 5 to 7 minutes.

Rosemary with Horehound above

Rosemary  is one of the most beautiful and fragrant of the seasonal herbs.  Rosemary, according to folklore, will bring happiness for the coming year to anyone who smells it on Christmas Eve.  So perhaps a Rosemary Wreath is in order. (check out this link!)

Sage is commonly used in culinary dishes.  Legend also holds that Mary and baby Jesus hid in a large blooming sage bush when King Herrod was searching for them.  For this reason, sage is known as the herb of immortality.

thyme knot garden

A list of my favorite herbs would not be complete with out the mention of Thyme. For the holiday I have chosen Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) because it is said it was collected from the fields outside of Bethlehem to make a soft bed for Mary during the birth of her child.   It is a pungent herb, thought to have antiseptic properties and was burned as incense later in history by the Greeks. Today thyme is a popular culinary seasoning but can be used in dried flower arrangements, bouquets, and potpourri during the holiday season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Herbs on the Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas!

I hope your Holiday is filled with all that you desire, from family to food to peace and quiet!

This year with the herb business expanding and my role with organizing an office move time slipped through my fingers and I ended up not getting my decoration out.  We are also traveling to Wisconsin for the holiday so in the end since I would not be home to enjoy it, I decided against putting up the tree. 

So in celebration of Christmas Day I created this virtual selection of herb related ornaments that I could have put on my tree, if I’d actually gotten it out of storage!

I start with scent.  Here are the spice and applesauce balls I made at the Palos Park Library for my November program.  These smell heavenly and are so easy to make.

Not sure if I shared the recipe to make these here before but here it is:

Apple Spice Balls

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 ½ cups ground spices

  (1/2 cup each cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves)

2 tsp. orris root powder

Gradually stir the spices into cold applesauce until thick enough to roll into balls without being sticky.  If crumbly, add a bit of water.  Roll dough into small balls and lay on wax paper to air dry.  Allow to dry for 1 to 2 weeks.  Wrap in netting and tie with ribbon.  To create ornaments, push a skewer through the center, and when partly dry, remove skewer and thread with ribbon, then continue to dry.

I also crafted a scented ornament using mulling spices.  The warmth of the bulbs on the tree lifts the scent out of the ornament and it is pretty to look at too filled with cinnamon, star anise, orange and lemon peel, lemon balm and cloves. 

A friend said she dries Queen Anne’s Lace during the summer, spray paints it gold, sometimes add a bit of glitter, then sets them on the tree branches.  

In the past I have made popcorn and cranberry garlands, especially when I worked at Kline Creek Farm with the hubby.  I remember coming home with red fingers and it wasn’t only from the cranberries.

A pomander ball, made by pressing cloves into the skin of a fresh orange is always a seasonal scented delight.  They were very popular in the Victorian era and were something I remember my grandmother teaching me to make back when I was in first grade.

Pine cones are my favorite thing to use in decorations.  This year I started working on a ball ornament that incorporated many pine cones of various shapes and sizes.  I don't think it has the final look I want yet though??

I love the attractive natural look of them.  I have decorated them with just ribbon.

Dusted them with powdered sugar or glitter to give a snow effect and painted them gold and silver too. 

I like pine cones so much that 40% of the glass ornaments I have for my Christmas tree are shaped or colored like pine cones.

Hope you have enjoyed the vitual tree and however you decorate, I hope you have a blessed and peaceful holiday season.  Please enjoy your holiday and if you are traveling, be safe!

On Christmas Eve...

On Christmas Eve my thoughts always turn back to my favorite holiday gatherings.  For years and years while my husband was Farm Manager for an 1890s living history farm called Kline Creek Farm in Winfield, Illinois, we would celebrate the night by having the volunteers over to our home for an open house then a trek down to the farm at midnight to see if the animals talked.  It was a pleasant way to spend the evening in conversation with friends.

On those nights we would enjoy serving mulled cider, exchanging a few handmade gifts, and eatting some light appetizers.

One year I did an “animal theme” set of refreshments.

            Haystacks

            Chicken Feed (a trail mix)

            Carrots with Dip (it’s a horse thing)

            Oats - meal Cookies

            Apple Nut Cake

Here are the two unique recipes if you want to try them.  Both are older family recipes.

Haystacks

½ cup butter or margarine

2 T. Brown sugar

1 egg

¼ cup water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cup flour

1/3 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. cream of tartar

¾ cup grated coconut

Cream together margarine and brown sugar replacement.  Beat in egg, water and vanilla until fluffy.  Add flour, baking soda and cream of tartar, beating until smooth.  Fold in coconut until completely blended, Drop by teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. 

Apple Nut Cake

4 cups coarsely chopped apples

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. Cinn-ful Dessert Blend *

1 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Peel apples and chop or dice.  Add sugar, stir well and set aside.  Beat eggs slightly.  Beat in oil and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, mix and sift flour, baking soda, Cinn-ful Dessert Blend and salt.  Stir into egg mixture alternating with apple/sugar mixture.  Fold in the nuts.  Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13” pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes – watch closely – or until done.  Cool cake.

You can frost it or serve with powdered sugar mixed with seasonal spices (or ½ tsp. Cinn-ful Dessert Blend).  I made a Lemon Butter Frosting that is perfect to add a tang to the apples.  Combine 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, 4 Tbls. soft butter, 2 Tbls. lemon juice, 1 to 2 Tbls. water and 1 tsp. dried lemon balm.

* An exclusive Backyard Patch product.

Do you have a Christmas Eve tradition to share?