Doggy Shampoo -- Weekend Recipe

Our German Shorthair, Cadi, was an outside dog.  All summer she stayed outside in her doggy condo day and night.  When she got older, however, we decided that being outside in the winter months, especially at night was too much so winter came and she moved indoors for the evenings with us.  That meant that a special treatment was needed to deal with her doggy B.O. and her outdoor friends.  This shampoo did the trick.  It smells nice and the essentials oils repeal fleas and ticks.

Fall Doggy Shampoo

• 1 quart liquid shampoo, any type (I use baby shampoo)
• 2 drops peppermint oil
• 2 drops lemon oil
• 2 drops rosemary oil
• 2 drops lavender oil
• 2 drops lemon grass oil
• 2 drop pennyroyal oil (if you can get it)

Mix all together, using amounts listed. Too much of a good thing can irritate a dog's skin. (Be careful when you use essential oils. Ingested, they are highly toxic so make sure they are well mixed into the soap.)

Bath Blend of the Month - Scented Bath Salt Blends

Bath salts are some of my easiest and most popular recipes to make. They are wonderful presents for just about everyone, and you can tailor their scents and colors for each recipient. Besides soothing tired bodies and softening skin, these salts are also easier on the bathtub than many other products.

They actually keep your tub clean, and they do not clog the pipes as other bath products can. Bath salts also soften hard water and help keep your water temperature warmer longer. Natural salts are found easily at the grocery store. 

Start with a basic salt mix of one cup Epsom salts and one cup rock salt (you can use kosher salt, sea salt or rock table salt).  Most can be found in the cooking or cleaning aisle of the grocery store.  Sometimes I find them at the dollar store too!

To craft a scented salt you want to use 100% natural essential oils.  Avoid perfume oils or potpourri oils as these can cause an allergic reaction when they come in contact with the skin.

You only need a few drops to scent a batch of salts. I use 10 to 12 drops for a 2 cup batch.  You also may combine scented oils to create your own special blends. For example, create bath time tranquility with a blend of sweet orange oil, vanilla oil and carnation oil. Or increase your relaxation with a lemon oil and lavender oil combination.

 To condense this all down into a recipe try this:

1 cup Epsom Salts
1 cup kosher salt (or rock table salt or sea salt)
10 to 12 drops of essential oil
1 Tbls. dried herbs to match scent (optional)

Blend all items together and place in a tightly lidded jar.

To USE: Add about 1/2 cup of bath salts to your tub under running water. Store your salts in dry, airtight containers.

Preserving the Harvest - How to Make Herbal Seasoning Frozen Cubes

I've talked before about freezing as a method of preservation for herbs and I have discussed making herbal pastes. This time I am going to combine the two and show you how to make an herbal paste and freeze it.

I harvested these herbs for a program that was cancelled so I needed to use them up in a hurry.  We could not cook them all so I decided that I would make an herbal paste and try a new technique someone turned me onto this summer.

These frozen nodules of goodness are great in seasonal soups, stews, gravy and sauces. And because they are the size of an ice cube, you do not have to thaw an entire jar of puree making the herbs easier to use in cooking especially when pressed for time.

How to make frozen herbal seasoning cubes

1) First off, harvest your herbs that you want to freeze and give them a cleaning and air dry to remove the wash water.

2) Next, pulse the herbs in a food processor or blender with enough broth, olive oil or water to get your desired consistency. Use just enough liquid to blend the herbs together well. It was close to 1 teaspoon or two, not a full tablespoon for this average size Osterizer.

•   for basil use olive oil (I used purple basil)
•   for thyme you can use broth or water.  I made some with chicken broth and some with water
•   for sage a lighter oil like canola is good or chicken broth if you intend to use it in stuffing
•   for tarragon or dill I suggest water because you do not want to mask the light flavor
•   for garlic or garlic chives use a bit of olive oil (If you love garlic but hate mincing fresh, this is the way to go.)
  
  
  

3) Prepare your trays or muffin tins. They should be clean and dry.  I experimented with spraying cooking oil in some of them.  I do not think it make much difference in the removal stage.  One friend suggested placing a fresh leaf in the bottom of the tray to make an imprint in the cube.  It makes them very pretty and I felt like Martha Stewart doing it - which is a good thing!

4) Plop spoonfuls of your mixtures into the cleaned ice cube trays or mini muffin pan or other suitable containers and freeze. Be sure to mark the trays with what you placed in them because except for the purple basil, they all look alike as a puree.  Allow them to freeze at least overnight, 12 hours is better than 8.

5) When they have frozen solid, pop them out and store them in a zip lock bag in the freezer.  These will keep for quite a while.  My friend said she had some from 2 years ago that she was still using and the flavors were just fine. 

frozen cubes in ziplocks in a freezer bag

I also experimented with blending a few of the herbs together in the cubes too. 

thyme & tarragon frozen

   

Thyme & Basil before freezing

When you use the herbal cubes, just take one (or two) out and toss in whatever you are cooking. It will melt down fast and incorporate its flavorful goodness into your dish. With this technique you save some sweet summer for your winter dishes.

Healing with Herbs - a new Twist

I get on a kick each fall about my health.  Most people do this either at the beginning of the year or when they realize summer is around the corner and exercising is more fun in the summer.  I do it when I finally slow down after the growing season begins to wain.  I look at my garden and start making plans for next year and I do the same with myself.  I bought a car two years ago in December and as a result I stopped riding my bicycle everywhere I wanted to go.  As a result I have put on weight.  I spend too much time, blogging, I think (wink wink!)

So part of my plans for rejuvenating me are to increase the use of healthy herbs for my immune system and general health in my average day.  That requires working with my chef (I mean hubby) to use certain herbs for certain things.  Last week I saw my opening when he asked for tea and PBS Mystery! and I was able to serve one of my own blends  “Tea Time Tea.” He loved it and drank a whole pot.  Now I have the opening to introduce several new ideas in the kitchen.

This is what I am going to start with:

1.      A few teas to have in the morning.  Not sure I can get him to give up coffee, but I never have drunk the stuff….

2.      Add a few herbs more regularly to the cooking repertoire.

3.      Include some fall fruits in our menu.

Teas

Now I have touted the benefits of green tea for years (even before it was popular)  I make three green tea and herb blends, but finally I pulled all my resources together to determine just how good it was for me.  This is the result.  Green tea helps burn fat, protects against heart disease, help lower blood pressure, help protect against diabetes, it can kill bacteria so help prevent food poisoning, It prevents the growth of dangerous intestinal bacterial strains such as clostridia and E. coli and promotes the growth of friendly bifidobacteria (you recognize that from the commercials right?) which protect against cancer, improves your immunity, protect against Alzheimer’s disease and can help fight allergies!  Since all those items play in the lives of my husband and myself I decided that perhaps when he makes his morning coffee I will have my first cup of tea at home.

Now in the winter a robust tea on a cold day is a must on an Illinois evening.  I love chai tea for that.  A Chai tea with its spices including Cinnamon and Nutmeg can aid digestion, improve circulation, boost the immune system and reduce inflammation.  My circulation is not good and once the evening temps drop below 65 my feet turn to ice, so anything that can improve circulation and work as an anti-inflammatory will be an aid to my winter.

Herbs

My father and I love the flavor of licorice which made fennel a popular herb for me, but not so much with other people I know, however, when I discovered that it helps regulate the healthy levels of cholesterol in the blood stream, I started to preserve the leaves and seeds in new ways.  It is a rich source of potassium and for those who cannot eat bananas due to diabetes and other drug interactions, fennel may be a nice alternative.  You also get the anti flatulent qualities too!

bronze fennel with swiss chard

Potassium, by the way, is an essential nutrient in our bodies and can help prevent heart disease, strokes and heart attacks.

Garlic has many properties for goodness and health.  This will be the easiest item to get incorporated into my diet.  The hubby loves garlic and onions. Garlic is another heart healthy herb.  It protects the heart against cardiovascular problems like heart attacks and atherosclerosis. Garlic has the ability to moderately lower our blood triglycerides and total cholesterol and reduce arterial plaque formation. Daily intake of garlic has been found to lower risk of most types of cancer. This anti-cancer property is due to allyl sulphides found in garlic.  Garlic is great at combating colds and flu as well due to full of antibacterial and antiviral properties.

One of my favorite herbs (second only to lemon verbena) is thyme.  Thyme contains anti-inflammatory properties and may help prevent chronic inflammation of the body. Thyme has antibacterial properties which are proven to help fight a variety of bacteria and fungi, including E.coli. That is why thyme vinegar is a must in our household cleaning.  Thyme can also help to improve bone health as it is an excellent source of vitamin K and a good source of iron, calcium and manganese which are all essential to promoting proper bone growth.

I read a study that said thyme was effective at fighting the bacteria that causes skin acne so I will be trying some in a salve this winter too. The antioxidant protection of thyme combined with its anti-inflammatory effects help to prevent cardiovascular disease as chronic inflammation is one of the leading causes of heart disease. With all this going for it, not only do I like to use thyme (lemon thyme) in teas, but I also love to cook with it.  This year we made an herb paste with it so we could freeze fresh thyme in cubes and add them to dishes while cooking in the winter.

Fruits

Fall is also the season for Cranberries.  I am missing the Cranberry Festival in Warren, Wisconsin http://www.cranfest.com/ that is taking place this weekend.  Cranberry juice is widely known as a treatment for bladder and urinary tract infections, however so much of the cranberry juice on the market is filled with sugar that then promotes the growth of bacteria they cancel each other out.  Instead I find other ways to eat cranberries.  Dried in scones, dried or fresh in tea, fresh in salads and jells.  In a tea cranberry is widely recognized as containing powerful anti-oxidant properties. You can use the drinking of this tea to help prevent and slow the progression of the gum disease, or gingivitis.   Cranberries are also said to protect the vital organs, such as the heart, from falling prey to free radical damage.  They, like green tea, are very high in anti-oxidants.  If you can keep away oxygenation of the cells you live longer, stay healthier and feel better.

The cranberry contains organic acids that actually eat away at fat deposits in the liver and kidney, flushing them out of the system. Regular intake in combination of a healthy diet can result in weight loss & can be used to cure urinary tract infections through its ability to filter the system.

This year, my goals of improving my eating through use of herbs and teas is going to be the best and easiest way to keep me healthy through the winter and give me the energy needed to ride that bicycle that goes nowhere.  I’ll keep you updated and share the recipes we create.

Creamy Chicken and Wild rice Soup - Weekend Recipe

In my former life as a museum director, I worked at a Native American Museum.  Each year we would have a brunch  in the winter time (in the summer we had a Pow-Wow!)

One of the highlights of the event was corn soup and wild rice soup.  Now since most people cannot get true Indian corn to make the corn soup, I thought I would share the wild rice recipe instead.  I love to get my wild rice from the Ojibwa in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Here is a great website for native food goods: nativeharvest.com.

Right now is Wild Rice or Mahnomin season so the best rice is to be had in the fall.  And this recipe is so very tasty on a chilly fall day.  The prep is best and easiest if you used already cooked chicken meat (dark is good too!) and precooked wild rice.  Making the rice per package direction until the skin splits and the rice curls makes it perfect.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2 tsp olive oil
2  cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 tsp. dried  thyme
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
1 cup whipping cream, heavy cream, half and half, or fat free half and half
2  tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

In a saucepan at moderate heat, pour in olive oil and heat. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté until onion is clear and vegetables soft. Pour in chicken broth and add the wild rice, thyme leaves, black and cayenne pepper, and chicken. Heat the soup for 10 minutes. Add the whipping cream. Stir in parsley and it's ready.