Succulents for Holiday Decorating

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Succulents for the Holiday

This year succulents are all the rage for the holidays.  You can use them as a table decoration.

This is from a great Etsy shop with wonderful succulent wreaths

This is the Thanksgiving arrangement I made at the Garden Club meeting just a week ago.  We will be using it as a Hostess gift as we are having a Friendsgiving celebration this year!

Garden Club memebers each made our own arrangements and they looked amazingly cool!

You can use succulents to make a Christmas tree, by covering a foam cone with moss and chicken wire, or cutting floral foam into a cone as the base into which one pokes the succulent stems.

On WGN I saw a decorated tree where they put living succulents in little pots into a faux tree and it was an amazing effect.  I think I will be trying it myself.  Using succulents in Holiday Tree decorations was made that into a decorating challenge back in 2014 at  DIYSHOWOFF.com where you can see how they meld wonderfully in a natural scene.  I think they will look great with my pine cone tree decoration theme.

Care of Succulents
The best part of using succulents indoors in winter is that they are mostly dormant and do not mind the dry weather of a heated home.  Don't over water them.  Only about once a month is needed in winter and only if the leaves start to show some withering meaning they have exhausted the soil moisture and the water reserve in their leaves.  No more frequently than every two weeks is recommended, just make sure the soil is completely dry before you wet it again.  A sunny location is perfect, but they do not need direct sunlight.

National Indian Pudding Day

Do not let the name fool you.  This is not a Native American dish.  It does, however, seems appropriate to hold this day in mid November, as we approach Thanksgiving. With Native Americans and the foods they introduced the starving settlers to very much a part of the first Thanksgiving feast, this dish made with cornmeal is a perfect complement.  It is slightly possible these puddings were served, and enjoyed, at that first Thanksgiving.

Early colonists brought with them to America a fondness for British “hasty pudding,” a dish made by boiling wheat flour in water or milk until it thickened into porridge. Since wheat flour was scarce in the New World, settlers adapted by using native cornmeal, dubbed “indian flour,” and flavoring the resulting mush to be either sweet (with maple syrup or molasses) or savory (with drippings or salted meat). In time, Indian pudding evolved into a dish that was resoundingly sweet, with lots of molasses and additional ingredients such as butter, cinnamon, ginger, eggs, and sometimes even raisins or nuts. Recipes for Indian pudding began appearing in cookery books in the late 1700s.

Indian puddings are as diverse as the population making them.  Generally, they include molasses and cornmeal. Apples were often an ingredient, or raisins, and they were usually baked.

Make sure to enjoy your American heritage, and a dish or bowl of Indian pudding, as you celebrate National Indian Pudding Day.  These days they generally a baked custard with milk, butter, molasses, eggs, spices, and cornmeal. The name is likely derived from the cornmeal, which was known as indian meal way back when, not from the American Indians.

Now served as a dessert it is rather unappetizing looking as it is a lumpy brown mush.  But served with a bit of vanilla ice cream, it can be a great holiday pleaser. I looked for the oldest version I could find and this one adapted from a book published in 1980 called An Olde Concord Christmas, may be the best tasting and closest to the authentic New England tradition.

New England Indian Pudding

6 cups of milk

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup molasses

3 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 cup golden raisins (optional)

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250°F. Scald the milk and butter in a large double boiler. Or heat the milk and butter for 5 or 6 minutes on high heat in the microwave, until it is boiling, then transfer it to a pot on the stove. Keep hot on medium heat.

In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, and salt; stir in molasses. Thin the mixture with about 1/2 cup of scalded milk, a few tablespoons at a time, then gradually add the mixture back to the large pot of scalded milk. Cook, stirring until thickened.

Temper the eggs by slowly adding a half cup of the hot milk cornmeal mixture to the beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture back in with the hot milk cornmeal mixture, stir to combine.

Stir in the sugar and spices, until smooth. At this point, if the mixture is clumpy, you can run it through a blender to smooth it out. Stir in the raisins (optional).

Pour into a 2 1/2 quart shallow casserole dish. Bake for 2 hours at 250°F.

Allow the pudding to cool about an hour to be at its best. It should be reheated to warm temperature if it has been chilled. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

How to make Stuffing

1. Cook vegetables, fruits, herbs and/or meat in butter, then add broth.
2. Toss with beaten eggs and cubed bread.
3. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter or drippings. Bake, covered, at 375 degrees F, 30 minutes; uncover and bake until golden, about 30 more minutes (or cook the cooled stuffing in the turkey).

Here are two variations on that theme that you might like to try this year.

Cranberry-Apple Stuffing

Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 chopped apples and 1 cup dried cranberries with 2 cups each diced onions and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 cups turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a large bowl; add 16 cups cubed stale white bread, then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes. (Or stuff in your turkey and bake.)

Bourbon-Pecan Stuffing

Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups each diced onions and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 3 minutes. Add 2 chopped pears, 1 cup chopped pecans and 1/2 cup bourbon to the cooked vegetables and cook another 2 minutes. Add 3 cups turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a large bowl; add 16 cups cubed stale white bread, then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes. (Or stuff in your turkey and bake.)

Thanksgiving Herbs

As I do every year at this time, I was looking for new recipes to try for Thanksgiving.  We are entertaining this year and I wanted to do a few new recipes.  My husband however, had other plans.  He said we would be doing traditional and that would not include doing something we have not done in the past.  So no brine for my turkey this year, even though I think it would be a great thing to try.  We will instead do a traditional butter, seasoned with herbs, pressed under the skin. It is not like that will be bad!

Here is the buttered turkey we did a couple years ago.  We blended 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter with 2 Tbls. BYP Poultry Seasoning.

Have you ever wondered why we have a taste for certain flavors at different times of the

year? For example, why do we look for foods like pot roast, baked turkey or roasted ham in winter? Why do foods like spicy chili, corned beef and cabbage, beef stew or chicken pot pie not appeal to us in the summer? The answer is in the need of the body for warmth or cooling and the inherent properties of the herbs to provide this warming and cooling.

In warm weather we crave foods and flavors that help cool us. In winter, our cravings turn to foods that warm us, and give us more fat, a bit like a bear before hibernating.  This may be why pumpkin pie is only a winter food.  There is the issue that pumpkins aren't ready to eat until cool weather, but the spices we traditionally use for pie making - cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg - are all warming herbs. In summer, those spices would make us feel hot and clammy. They're not spices that cause sweating (and thus cooling) like hot peppers do. So in winter, spice cake, pumpkin pie spices, spicy Indian chai tea is what our bodies crave. It's the way our bodies adjust to the changing seasons.

rosemary

savory - 2015 herb of the year

The herbs considered by many to be traditional holiday seasonings include rosemary, thyme, savory and sage. Not surprisingly, those are all warming herbs, seasonings that not only give us  a warm feeling spiritually, but also add a warming effect internally.

Winter warming herbs traditionally used with the heavy, fatty winter meats. Roast goose, a seriously greasy food, was traditionally seasoned with hyssop, winter savory, onion and thyme. Those herbs helped cut the greasy taste while still warming the meal.  The same holds true for pork. Back in the days when most people raised their own pigs and butchered privately, putting up pork loin, pork roast and bacon, each had more fat left on than you will find today. Historically, people used the fat for flavor and richness adding herbs that helped manage the fat and increased the warming. Rosemary, thyme, savory, sage and hot peppers went into sausage, seasoned roasts and was used in mixes for curing the meat.

Our tradition and tastes for the foods like dressing or stuffing, the seasoning in our gravy and on a roast turkey, all come down to us from those customs from the past that placed certain actions with needs of the body and the spirit.  Poultry seasoning, a must-have in the traditional dishes, is a mixture of sage, thyme, rosemary and savory. Even though today the modern turkey isn't as fatty, our yearnings for seasonings are still there.

So enjoy your winter season herbs and know that they are good for you and will help you enjoy the winter change of seasons.

12 Herby Ways to Make Stuffing

How to make stuffing:
1. Cook vegetables, fruits, herbs and/or meat in butter, then add broth.
2. Toss with beaten eggs and cubed bread.
3. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter or drippings. Bake, covered, at 375 degrees F, 30 minutes; uncover and bake until golden, about 30 more minutes (or cook the cooled stuffing in the turkey).

Yield: Each recipe serves eight and is enough to fill a 12-14 pound turkey.

Lets start with a classic stuffing that you can then modify in herb influenced ways.



Classic Stuffing
 Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups each diced onions and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 cups turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a large bowl; add 16 cups cubed stale white bread, then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes. (Or stuff in your turkey and bake.)


More Herby Versions:

1 Apple-Herb Stuffing: Make Classic Stuffing (above), cooking 2 chopped apples with the onions

2. Apple-Fennel Stuffing: Make Classic Stuffing (above) with potato bread. Use diced fennel bulb instead of celery. Cook 1 cup each chopped apples and dried cranberries with the onions and fennel.

3. Porcini Stuffing:  Make Classic Stuffing (above) with shallots instead of onions and rosemary instead of sage. Cook 4 ounces chopped prosciutto and 1 pound sliced porcini mushrooms with the shallots and celery.

4. Sausage Stuffing:  Brown 1 pound crumbled sausage in 6 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups each diced onions and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 cups chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a bowl; add 16 cups cubed stale white bread, then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F, 30 minutes; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes.

5. Kale-Garlic Sausage Stuffing: Make Sausage Stuffing (No. 4), adding 4 cups chopped kale and 1 head peeled roasted garlic cloves with the broth. Use semolina bread.

6. Herbed Cornbread Stuffing: Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups each diced onion and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 cups chicken or turkey broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a large bowl; add 6 cups cubed stale cornbread and 8 cups white bread, then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F, 30 minutes; uncover and bake until golden, about 30 more minutes.

7. Mustard-Ham Stuffing:  Make Herbed Cornbread Stuffing (No. 6), but cook 1 pound diced ham in 6 tablespoons butter before adding the vegetables. Use rosemary instead of sage. Add 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard with the broth.

8.  Herbed Rice Stuffing:  Brown 2 cups each chopped onions and celery in 6 tablespoons butter. Toss with 8 cups al dente cooked white rice, 1/4 cup each chopped parsley and chives, and 1 tablespoon chopped thyme; add salt and pepper. Transfer to a buttered baking dish, drizzle with 1/4 cup chicken or turkey broth and dot with butter. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F, 50 minutes.

9. Cranberry-Rice Stuffing: Brown 1 cup each diced onion and celery in 6 tablespoons butter. Toss with 4 cups each cooked wild rice and al dente cooked basmati rice, 1 cup dried cranberries, 1 cup crumbled goat cheese, and salt and pepper. Bake as directed for Herbed Rice Stuffing (No. 8).

10.  Spiced Rice Stuffing:  Brown 1 pound ground beef with 2 cups diced onions in 4 tablespoons butter. Toss with 8 cups al dente cooked white rice, 2 teaspoons cumin, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, and salt and pepper. Bake as directed for Herbed Rice Stuffing (No. 8). Top with toasted sliced almonds.

11. Vegetable-Rice Stuffing: Toss 10 cups mixed chopped vegetables with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees until golden, about 40 minutes. Toss with 4 cups al dente cooked white rice, 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, and salt and pepper. Bake as directed for Herbed Rice Stuffing (No. 8).

Easy ways to dress up a Holiday Event

I am traveling around the holidays this year, but in between I still intend to have a party at my place and perhaps do some decorating., so as result I am dusting off my information on Prepping for the Holidays and I thought I would start with a few easy items.  How to dress things up and give a Holiday flair.

Food Presentation

Before slicing a cucumber, run the prongs of a fork down the length of the sides at intervals.  The slices will then have a fluted edge.

Make radish spinner garnishes.  Trim off the top and bottom of a radish.  Then cut two 1/8” thick slices.  Cut reach slice from the center to the outside gently push the two slices together where they have been out as a right angle to form a spinner.

Craft a cucumber blossom.  Peel long, thin strips from a cucumber.  Boil strips for 3 minutes.  Remove and cool.  Cut ¼ inch wide slits in the center of strip, being careful not to cut through the edges.  Gently wind strip into circles forming a flower.  Secure with a toothpick. 

Serve your dips in a hollowed out pumpkin or colored cabbage.  Use red and green peppers on your Christmas table.  Fill each vegetable with dip.  Line the inside with plastic wrap before adding the dip.

Create a cucumber spring.  Chop cucumber into 3 inch pieces.  Poke a wooden chopstick into the knife hits the chopstick.  Continue turning and cutting around the cucumber.  Remove the chopstick and gently pull the ends to form a spring.

For extra fancy veggies use a crinkle cut knife or madeline blade to chop carrots rounds, cucumbers and even pepper rings.

Garnish with strawberry fans.  To make, start at the tip and cut the strawberry into thin slices with out cutting through the end.  Spread slices open to form a fan.

To make a tomato rose garnish you need a large tomatoes and a serrated knife.  Stating at the bottom end of the tomato use the knife to saw off a continuous strip of tomato skin about ½ inch wide around and around the tomato.  Carefully roll this strip into a tight coil, then let open up slightly to create a blossom.

Make Carrot/Cucumber rings.  Cut cucumbers into 3 inch lengths, hollow out the seeds and insert a carrot into the center, then slice the combo into ½ inch slices.

Table Dressing

Do you have fall leaves or pine cones on the lawn?  Bring them in and place in a clear glass vase for a holiday festive natural decoration.  Closer to Christmas or if snow is on the ground, use colored holiday glass or plastic bulbs inter-spaced with sticks of cinnamon and star anise.  It will create a colorful and seasonal scent.

Seasonal Pomaders (oranges decorated with cloves) are a great seasonal decoration that only gets more fragrant as the season continues.

Choose a solid color - make the table all green or all red with a solid color runner, solid color Christmas bulbs in a bowl and an accent plate of the same solid color it makes whimsy without clutter.

One of my standbys is a poinsettia table cloth that was my grandmothers.  I then put a plain white runner down the center to remove clutter and accent with poinsettia flowers in bud vases.

Sometimes simple is perfect.  A pine or juniper branch in a clear champagne flute may be just the elegance your table likes.

Ideally, large parties should have more than one food location with different choices at each spot.  This motivates guests to move from place to place and thus circulate and socialize.

Join us again as we share more ideas for "Prepping for the Holiday" in the coming weeks.

Black Friday - Cyber Monday all in one Craft Show!

The Backyard Patch is online at a craft show Thanksgiving weekend.  Show opens at 6:00 PM Thanksgiving night and runs through Midnight on Monday, December 2.  You can shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday at this great show.  Here is a link to my Booth at the show. EZ Craft Show - Backyard Patch

When you need a break from the family and want to avoid the black Friday crowds, here is your solution.  For a few minutes you can browse the show.  There are more than 70 vendors with items that range from soy candles to baked goods to home decor.

There are three new recipes for Bouquet Garni we are using for a Secret BOGO!

For me it is the perfect way to enjoy the holiday with my family, yet still be able to show my wares.  And you can enjoy it t too!  There will be crafters from all over the country all in one place.

To get the details, see sneak peaks, and check out the discounts ahead of time, visit this special Facebook page.

Beginning 6 PM. Thursday night and running through Monday at Midnight I will be giving away a Sample of our Cinnful Dessert Blend with a slew of recipes with every purchase.  And I am bringing back the BOGO promotion.  If you buy three or more items we will give you one item (your choice or ours) as a buy one get one free.

I have placed Backyard Patch under the Food & Drink heading at the show where you can sample some of my herbal teas, cooking mixes and blended herbs for preparing dips and seasonings.  For the Bath and Green Cleaning items you will need to look at our Etsy Shoppe.

Check out the new Scone and Shortbread blends!!

There will also be some automatic BOGO items (you buy 1, you get 2) and some items that will ship free of charge!

So please visit us in our first venture into an online Craft show and avoid the cold weather and or ferocious crowds!!

Shrimp Boil Garni blend!

I have placed Backyard Patch under the Food & Drink heading at the show where you can sample some of my herbal teas, cooking mixes and blended herbs for preparing dips and seasonings.  Cannot wait to see the booths of my fellow crafters!  Hope to see you next weekend too!

Herbed Roasted Roots - Holiday Weekend Recipe

Traditional dishes for Thanksgiving are always fun.  So since it is fall the  root vegetable are abundant.  This dish is easy, delicious and nutritious. I do not peel any of the roots, so as to retain all those lovely minerals. Use any combination of herbs you enjoy. I usually use rosemary, sage, parsley and thyme. ♪

 

Herbed Roasted Roots

2 medium beets

2 medium potatoes

2 medium turnips or parsnips

4 or 5 medium carrots

1 medium sweet potato

1 large onion

2 -3 cloves of garlic

2 – 3 tablespoon of fresh herbs or

            2 melted herb cubes (see blog post from 10/1/2013) *

1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and get out a large baking pan. Lightly oil the bottom of the pan. Scrub all the roots real well then cut into sizes that are similar so they will cook evenly. I cut my sweet potato larger because that is one root that cooks faster. Lay them out in the baking dish. Chop up the onion, mince the garlic and herbs then sprinkle over the roots. Drizzle the olive oil over the lovely mess and toss to coat evenly. Bake for about 30 – 40 minutes or until the biggest potato is easily pierced with a fork, stirring once or twice. The house will start to fill with the best aroma ever! Take out and season with the salt and pepper. Serve hot and Enjoy! 

*If you did not make any herb ice cubes, then use 2 Tbls. fresh herbs of 3 tsp. dried herbs.  Any combo of robust herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme and savory are perfect for this dish.

What are you doing on the day after Thanksgiving?

The Backyard Patch is online at a craft show Thanksgivings weekend.  Show opens at 6:00 PM Thanksgiving night and runs through Midnight on Monday, December 2.

When you need a break from the family and want to avoid the black Friday crowds, here is your solution --  EZCraftShow.com

For me it is the perfect way to enjoy the holiday with my family, yet still be able to show my wares.  And you can enjoy it t too!  There will be crafters from all over the country all in one place.

To get the details, see sneak peaks, and check out the discounts ahead of time, visit this special Facebook page.

Stop Back to the Blog or my Backyard Patch Facebook Page on Thanksgiving for the links to the show.

This Tower box is filled with scone and Shortbread Mixes.  You will only be able to get it at the online show.

We also have a couple new tea cups, packaged like these with herbal tea, honey and a scone recipe.

And special for the event every purchase will include a sample size of our Cinnful Dessert Blend with a folder of recipes to try, just in time for the holiday season!

And don't forget our Recipe-a -day Advent Calendar will start December 1.  You will be able to see the calendar two places this year.  Daily on our Facebook Page, and also updated each day on our website.  Until then you can check out the 2011 and 2012 Calendars that have been specially posted.

What to do with leftovers? - Weekend Recipe

My husband likes a turkey sandwich the next day, but after that he would rather I put away the turkey in the freezer for a time several weeks int he future.  I on the other hand can eat cold turkey sandwiches for weeks after Thanksgiving and Christmas and be very happy!

This idea came from his need to put food away for later.  I actually saw an improvement to it in the November 2012 Better Homes and Gardens!

Take pie dough.  You can make your own from scratch or use some store bought pie crust.  Press the crust down into muffin tins and bake in a 425 degree F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.  Then you fill these mini pies with left overs.  A bit of turkey with gravy and some cranberries.  Or maybe turkey with gravy and green beans.  top them with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with chopped chives, thyme and parsley.  You can serve them at room temperature or pop the filled crusts into the microwave to make a warm left over treat.

I fill the pie crusts and seal with the mashed potatoes creating a mini pot pot.  Then I pop them out and place them in a freezer container.  One makes a mini meal, two a dinner, so you can relive Thanksgiving or Christmas all through the rest of the winter.

Spiced Apples

I love to make spiced apples this time of year.  the fruit is fresh and the smell of cinnamon makes me nostalgic.  this quick recipe can be served as a side or as an ice cream topping at Thanksgiving!

Spiced Apples

with Cinnful Dessert Blend

1/2 cup butter or margarine

8 large Granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp. Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add apples and remaining ingredients.  Saute 15 to 20 minutes or until apples are tender.  Serve warm with biscuits, shortbread or over ice cream.

If you want some Cinnful Dessert Blend, check out our Etsy listing, and use the special code BOGO when you check out and get two packages for the price of one.

Weekend Recipe - Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce

This fall specialty is perfectly enhanced with a few herbs and spices.  And this is a truly easy recipe to whip up for the big day especially because you make it a day before you serve it so that it can chill and set.

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

4 cups cranberries (1 lb. package)

1 Tbls. grated orange zest

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. almond extract

1 ½ tsp. lemon balm

Bring water and sugar to a boil.  Boil for three minutes.  Add cranberries and return to boil. Boil until berries pop (about 5 to 7 minutes.)  Mix in the spices and seasonings and stir well.  Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerator until completely cool.  Serve the next day.

If you have Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend, you can substitute that for the Cinnamon and Nutmeg called for the in this recipe!

Weekend recipe - Herb Flavored Pita Chips

I am getting into the holiday entertaining mode.  My best freind came for a visit at the end of October and I had a small Herb and Wine get together with a few freinds.  I served these seasoned pita chips at the party.  They are quick and easy and so much better than potato chips.  I don't want to sound cruel to potato chips, becasue I will eat those in a second if given the opportunity (I am no snob!)

Herb Flavored Pita Chips

There are many different ways to make seasoned pita chips.  If you like a robust flavor use something with rosemary or thyme; sweeter use dill; savory try oregano or basil.   Each seasoning recipe below is formulated to season up to 4 pitas cut into wedges.

Pita preparation instructions:

4 pitas, each cut into 8 wedges  (if you want smaller portions for ladies try cutting them into 12 wedges)

3 Tbls. virgin olive oil

Seasoning blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine seasonings in an old spice jar with a shaker lid; set aside.  Arrange pita wedges on a rimmed baking sheet.  Brush top of each wedge with olive oil.  Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over wedges. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until nicely toasted but not hard.

Herb seasonings:

Dill Salt

1 Tbls. sea salt

1 tsp. dried dill

ground black pepper to taste

Parmesan Seasoning

2 Tbls. grated Parmesan Cheese

2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

Place seasonings in a shaker jar and use with above pita prepartion instructions.

Backyard Patch Pizza Seasoning would also works as a flavored seasoning for hand-made pita chips too.  In a hurry I used Backyard Patch Butter N Cheese Blend once.  And I think Backyard Patch Herbal Spread would work well also.

Products we recommend if you do not have time to make your own for entertaining:

Lemon Tea Bread

Date Nut Brown Bread

Lemon Cream Scones

Scottish Shortbread

Friendship (chocolate chip) Scones

Jam Surprise Muffin Mix