Stimulating Tub Tea - Bath Blend of the Month

This blend is perfect for energizing in the before spring doldrums.  It has lavender and lemon verbena as well as citrus peel.

The lavender is balancing and will rejuvenate when combined with citrus scents. With lemon verbena the scent is relaxing and the effect is anti-bacterial.  Add to that the antibacterial and anti-viral properties of the citrus peel and you have a blend that will stimulate as well as heal. And the lemongrass essential oil is a great germ-fighter.

Stimulating Bathtub Tea

• ½ cup lavender flower buds
• ½ cup lemon verbena (or lemon balm) leaves
• ½ cup chopped lemon or orange peel
• 10 drop lavender essential oil
• 6 drops lemongrass essential oil

Mix well in a large bowl.  Add essential oil.  Place ¼ cup of mixture into a cotton sachet or the center of a wash cloth and tie shut. 

To Use: Place sachet in hot bath water for 3 to 5 minutes before sliding in to enjoy the bath.

 

 

Making your own Citrus Bitters - How to

Bitters are a special ingredient in cocktails that lends a tang to a drink and are great in drinks based on gin, vodka or whiskey.  Bitters are also a digestive aid and these two recipes made with citrus are high in anti-oxidants and can assist with keeping blood sugar levels, well level.

Citrus Bitters

The bright flavor these lend to your ginger ale, seltzer, sparking water or spirits is amazing and unique; you may find you cannot live without it.

What you need to make these:

• 
  1 750-ml bottle of plain (unflavored) vodka
  
• 4 oranges, zest only from the entire orange
• 2 lemons, zest only from entire lemon
• 1 Tbls fennel seeds
• 1 3-inch cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp whole cloves
• ½ tsp coriander seed

Steps:

Peel the zest from the lemons and oranges, getting all the orange and yellow peel, but none of the white pith underneath.  

Add the citrus peels and the fennel, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves in a 1-quart mason jar.  

Pour in the vodka until the jar is full

Seal tightly and give it a shake to blend and get everything wet. Label the jar with date started.

Place the jar in a cool, dark area for 4 to 8 weeks shaking every other day or so.

Once infused, strain the bitters using a fine mesh strainer

Transfer the liquid to 4-ounce amber dropper jars for long term storage at room temperature. 

Recipe makes 6 4-ounce jars.

Recipes using bitters:

Old-Fashioned Cocktail

• 1 1/2  oz. Bourbon Whiskey
• 3 Dashes Citrus Bitters
• Pinch of raw sugar
• Slice of orange
• Cherry to garnish

Mixology:

In a rocks glass, muddle the sugar and bitters. Add ice and orange, then pour the bourbon on top. Stir gently to mix. Garnish with a cherry.

Bitters Mayonnaise Drizzle

This has a tangy, creamy, and slightly citrus-bitter flavor that would pair beautifully with a variety of dishes.

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. grated pecorino Romano cheese or a tangy Parmesan
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. citrus bitters

Whisk together mayonnaise, cheese, lemon peel, lemon juice and bitters. Set aside.

To serve, warm up mayonnaise in microwave for 15-30 seconds; stir well. Drizzle over hot vegetables (see recipe below).

🥔Great over potatoes: Roasted fingerling potatoes, crispy smashed baby potatoes, grilled sweet potato planks, herbed potato wedges

🐟 Fun on Seafood: Especially mild, flaky fish: Grilled or baked cod, halibut, or tilapia;  seared scallops, drizzle on shrimp skewers; Add as a topping or side dip to crab cakes

🍗 Chicken & Poultry as an aioli to serve on grilled or baked chicken breasts or thighs; roast turkey sliders, or chicken skewers with herbs

🥗 Salads & Grain Bowls can be enhanced with a warm dressing or finishing drizzle

 

Roasted Vegetables

• 1-2 lbs. asparagus spears, green beans, broccoli raab, rapine or Chinese broccoli (or a combination)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. citrus bitters
• Makes 4 - 8 servings

Directions:

Rinse vegetables and drain well. Break off tough ends from asparagus. Remove stems from green beans. Whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and 1 tsp. bitters. Brush liberally on vegetables; let stand 15 minutes.

Heat a large iron fry pan over medium heat. Place vegetables in pan in a single a layer. Cook about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. (The time depends on how thick the vegetables are.) Turn and cook 3-5 minutes more or until tender. Cook in two or three batches, if necessary.

Cheese Crostini with honey bitters

• 1/2 cup local light honey
• 1/2 tsp. citrus bitters
• French style baguette
• Tangy cheese (soft goat cheese, blue cheese, blue stilton, Gorgonzola, or brie)

Directions:

Stir bitters into honey. Pour into a squeeze bottle, if desired.

Thinly slice baguette and toast lightly; cool. Top each piece with cheese. Drizzle bitters honey. Serve immediately.

Breakfast Sangria - Weekend Recipe

For Dry January I took a typical Sangria recipe and made it into the perfect alcohol-free item to serve at a brunch.  It goes well with breakfast food and sandwiches.

This is light, bright and perfect for the morning.  It is a good make ahead beverage for entertaining. The sprigs of herbs can be removed before serving so as not to clutter the beverage.

Breakfast Sangria (makes 4 to 6 servings)

• 1 pink grapefruit
• 1 navel orange
• 2 limes
• 2 sprigs lemon balm or 1/8 cup Lemon verbena leaves.
• 3 to 4 sprigs lemon thyme
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 750 ml bottle of TOST (a sparkling alcohol alternative made with white tea, cranberry and ginger)
• 12 to 24 ounces plain or grapefruit flavored sparkling water.

Slice the citrus fruit into half moons.  Mix with the orange juice in a pitcher that holds at least 2 quarts.   Add herb sprigs, fresh is best, but dry is fine depending on season. Mix in the Tost and cover the pitcher tightly with plastic wrap.  Chill overnight or at least 8 hours before serving.

When ready to serve, remove the herbs, top off the pitcher with sparkling water and serve with lime or orange wedges.

 

 

Pineapple Mint Ice

Yesterday we shared a Basil-Lime Sorbet recipe.  Today I have a Pineapple Mint Ice which is simpler to make with just a blender and a pan to freeze the ice.

Pineapple Mint Ice

1 cup cubed fresh pineapple (or 1-8.25 oz. can unsweetened chunks)

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup grapefruit juice

15 to 20 fresh pineapple or apple mint leaves

1/2 tsp grated fresh lemon peel

2 Tbls fresh lemon juice

Springs of fresh mint for garnish

Mix all ingredients together.  Puree until pineapple is completely blended and mint leaves are finely chopped.  Place in the freezer in a backing pan until mixture is firm but not solid, about 1 to 2 hours.  Scoop out into sherbet or tall parfait glasses.  Garnish with mint sprigs and serve.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: GardAug

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)
   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)
   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)
   May - Ham and Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)
   June - Bread recipes (BreadJun)
   July - Grilling (GrillJul)
   August- Garden Delights GardAug
   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly 
   October - Squash Dishes 
   November - Pumpkin Recipes 
   December - Herbal Cocktails 

Citrus Body Scrub - Bath Blend of the Month

Dried citrus peel makes a wonderful face and body scrub.  You can make your own easily by saving the peels from citrus as you eat it, then running it through the blender or food processor.  If you want you can also purchase already dried and ground orange and lemon peel.

Citrus Body Scrub

1 Tbls dried citrus peel
2 Tbls plain yogurt or sour cream
1 tsp honey

Mix together all the ingredients and stir until smooth. Makes 1 ounce or about 1/8 cup of scrub.

To Use: Massage into damp skin and rinse well with warm water.  Pat skin dry.

Storage: Store any left over scrub in the refrigerator and use within 3 days.

Three tea blends for Summer

Here are three quick and easy blends for summertime teas that you can make with fresh herbs from the garden or market.

Citrus Peel Tea

Peel of one tangerine or orange with pith removed

5 to 7 lemon balm leaves, fresh

2 to 4 mint leaves (optional)

Tear the citrus peel into small pieces.  Place in a cup of  water in a sauce pan and simmer 10 minutes covered with a lid.  Remove from heat.  Add the lemon balm and mint (optional) while the mixture cools.  Strain out the peel and herbs.  Drink hot or served chilled over ice. This tea not only refreshing but also good from summers cough, allergy phlegm, stomach upset.

Chrysanthemum Tea
You need Pot marigold or Calendula for this or you can use white chrysanthemum petals.

            2 Tbls petals
            1 tsp. fennel seed or anise seed
           
Steep the petals and fennel in 1 cup of water, just off boiling.  Allow to steep for 7 to 10 minutes, then strain and drink. This tea is said to be good for sore throats as well as a tonic for the liver and eyesight.

 Peppermint Herbal Tea
            1 tsp. chopped fresh peppermint

1 tsp lemon thyme leaves

1 tsp. chopped fresh lemon balm leaves

Place herbs in 1 to 2 cups hot water, just off boiling, and allow to steep for 7 to 10 minutes.  A cooling tea blend perfect on a hot day that is good iced or hot.

Weekend Recipe - Citrus Salad

Nothing brings more bright and summery flavors to the table than citrus fruit.  This recipe will give you an amazing side dish for grilled foods or sandwiches.

Citrus Salad

2 teaspoons very finely grated fresh orange or Meyer lemon zest

1/2 cup fresh citrus juice
1/4 cup light, floral honey (you can use BYP Lavender Honey!)
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
1 to 3 teaspoons fruity bitters 

1/2 tsp. lemon balm or lemon mint

6 cups fresh citrus fruit pieces, such as oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, clementines, satsumas, kumquats, pomelos, and/or tangelos

Whisk together the zest, juice, honey, Grand Marnier, and herbs  & bitters in a large bowl. Taste the dressing and make sure it is balanced. The bitters should be perceptible yet mysterious. Some are more potent than others, so start with a little and work up.

Add the fruit and toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and stir gently before serving.

Bath Blend of the Month - Citrus Bath Salts

Summertime is not usually “bath time” but I think a good citrus scent will relax you and remove the day’s tensions especially from heat when you have been outdoors.  So I recommend these citrus scented salts for just such occasions.  I use them in a tepid bath after a long day of weeding!

Citrus Bath Salts

2 Cups Epsom Salts

1 Cup Baking Soda

 Fresh Grated Zest from 1 Orange or Lemon

20 drops of citrus essential oil (you can use all lemon or lemon verbena, but a mixture with tangerine, orange and grapefruit with the lemon is more stimulating).

Combine Epsom Salts and Baking Soda in a bowl.  Grate zest of orange or lemon and add to bowl. Stir ingredients together. Slowly add in about 20 drops of essential oil one drop at a time and stir until well incorporated.  

Spoon the citrus bath salts into a clean empty jar and seal. Let your bath salts sit for a day or two to get infused with the scent of the oil. If giving as a gift, embellish with a ribbon, tag or whatever you like.

To use: add one to two Tablespoons to the bath while running.  You can also use the salts as a body scrub in the shower, but watch for slipper floors.

Stinky Shoes - Spring Cleaning Occasionally Series #5

I am not one for wearing shoes.  If it were not for the snow and cold, I might never wear them at all.  As it is I still wear clogs in the winter if there is no snow and if the temps are higher than 20 degrees.  Now just because I where clogs rather than tennis shoes does not mean that I do not have to deal with perspiration odor.  So these three recipes have all worked for me.  The Sage & Citrus one that I share first came from the book "The Naturally Clean Home" by Karyn Siegel-Maier.  She gives lots of recipes for crafting chemical free cleaning solutions, so check it out.  

This recipe gives my shoes an herby smell that most people assume is from the garden and I rarely admit to anything else.

Sage Citrus Sneaker Tamer

If your sneakers advertise the fact that you've been working hard, this recipe will help you keep the news to yourself.

2 cups dried sage

1 1/2 cups dried lemon balm

2 cups cedar chips

1/2 cup baking soda

2 tablespoons grated orange rind

10 drops rosemary essential oil

5 drops lemon essential oil

Combine the dried herbs, cedar chips, baking soda, and orange rind in a glass or ceramic bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon. Add the essential oils and stir to blend. Place half of the mixture in a clean sock and tie the open end shut. Stuff another sock with the remaining mixture and tie off. Place a stuffed sock in each sneaker overnight or when not in use.

I use baking soda and clay kitty litter (the cheapest kind you can get with no fillers or odor reducers is fine) to craft shoe deodorizers.  They impart the herbal scents and work great at absorbing the odors present.  I get mine at the dollar store.

Mint Shoe Odor Remover

With this recipe you get the germ fighting aspects of thyme and lemon grass.

2 cups natural clay cat litter

1 cup baking soda

1 cup calendula flowers

1 cup lemon grass

1 cup peppermint or spearmint leaves

½  cup thyme leaves

10 drops peppermint essential oil

10 drops wintergreen essential oil

10 drops eucalyptus essential oil

Combine the cat litter and baking soda in a glass or ceramic bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. Add the herbs and mix again. Add the essential oils and blend. Place half of the mixture in each of two clean socks and tie the open ends shut. Place a stuffed sock in each sneaker overnight or when not in use.

Stinky Shoe Sachet Blend

Makes 4 sachets

2 teaspoons essential oil of sandalwood

1 teaspoon essential oil of tea tree

1/2 teaspoon each essential oils of lemon and grapefruit
1/4 teaspoon each essential oils of spruce and lavender
4 cups natural clay cat litter
4 clean socks
4 rubber bands

Stir the oils into the cat litter in a glass jar with tight fitting lid.  Cover and let the mixture age for a week. Divide the mixture evenly between 4 socks and close them each with a rubber band. Place a sachet in each shoe and leave overnight. You may reuse the sachets for as long as the scent lasts.

How Tuesday - Making Scented Stationary

I have not been good with the camera this past year.  I let several opportunities to take pictures of products I made, recipes I tried and activities I did go by without being recorded.  I vow that will not happen in 2013.

To prove to myself I can get work done and take pictures and post them, I decided to record the making of scented notepaper or cards.

Every Winter I make scented cards.  Many of them I give away near Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day.  Sometimes I also pop them into an Easter Basket.

So here are the steps to making your own scented cards.

The materials are simple:

Cornstarch, plain white envelopes, your favorite essential oils, plastic zip seal bags and several sheets of note paper, envelopes or cards to scent.

Place about 1 ounce of cornstarch in a bowl for every card you want to scent.  Use several bowls if you want different scents.  On this day I was making , lavender, citrus and rose scented cards, so I used three bowls.  I placed about 6 ounces of cornstarch in each bowl (that’s 6 Tbls.)

Add 7 to 10 drops of essential oil to each bowl, or 1 to 2 drops per ounce of Cornstarch.

Mix the cornstarch thoroughly working out any lumps.

Spoon the mixture, about a Tablespoon, per envelope, into the plain envelopes.

Place one scent filled envelop between each sheet of notepaper and corresponding envelope. 

Stack them all up together and place in the zip seal bag.  Keep the scents separate from one another in the bags.  Press out all the extra air seal closed.  Place the bags inside a box or container away from sunlight and let them meld for at least a few days, up to three weeks.  When you remove the cornstarch filled envelopes they will have imparted their scent to the note cards and envelopes. 

bagged and sealed and about to go into a box

If you are careful and do not seal the plain envelopes you can re-scent the cornstarch and make another batch of cards.

When I take these cards to shows and markets, especially outdoor shows, I leave the scented envelopes in-between the note paper and remove it only if the item is sold.  That keeps the sun and heat from robbing the notepaper of its light herbal scent.

Completed and ready for gift giving

Scented Stationary

6 oz. cornstarch

7 to 10 drop of your favorite essential oil

6 plain paper envelopes

1 plastic bag

6 sheets of note paper or note cards and envelopes

In a bowl combine the powder and essential oil.  Spoon the mixture evenly into the six plain envelopes.  Place these between the notepaper and envelopes and seal in the plastic bag.  Allow to meld for a few days or as long as three weeks so the scent will permeate the paper.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the card sets you see here, please visit the Seasonal Items Section of our Etsy Store as once these are gone they are gone!