Blog and Recipes

Enjoying Valentines Day with The Plants of Romance

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The Plants of RomanceAlmost 2,000 years ago Ovid lamented, “Alas, there are no herbs to cure love.”

This may have  well been true, but the addition of herbs certainly enhances many sweet pleasures that are important to a well-lived life.

On a personal level, I have reached an understanding of herbs that reflects a relationship with others-in who I once was and who I will become. I call herbs the plants of romance.

As I’ve come to know herbs, they have twined around my hearts’ qualities and preferences.

Herbs grow up close and personal. They are not just flowers, but calendulas, nasturtiums and roses. They are garnishes, but cinnamon and lemon  basil, apple mint and chocolate mint, parley and lavender and thyme.

They are not bulbs, but garlic and chives, dill and fennel.

Come and visit us at URBANherbal to discover something new, time for little sprigs and blossoms of beauty and grace. Herbs can make your meals more flavorful, your work more enjoyable and your life more pleasurable.

Wishing you herbs, health & happiness,

Bill Varney

P.S.  Watch for our new class schedule coming soon from March 2013 – March 2014

Blog and Recipes

Ginger Pumpkin Cheesecake

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What you’ll need:

CRUST

  • 1 – 1/4 cups ginger snap cookie crumbs
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter (unsalted), melted

1) Spray a 9″ to 10″ spring form pan with a butter-flavored vegetable oil (e.g. PAM).

2) Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Pat this mixture into the prepared pan. Set aside.

FILLING

  • 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 – 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons evaporated milk or whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

How to Cook:

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2) Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and four, until smooth.

3) Add pumpkin, eggs, evaporated milk, and vanilla.

4) Mix until no traces of pumpkin remain.

5) Pour filling mixture into prepared spring form pan, and bake 1 hour.

6) The center will be soft.

7)Turn off oven and let cake cool with door closed for several hours or overnight.

8)Refrigerate cheesecake. May be served with whipped cream, a lemon verbena sprig and thin twist of lemon.

Blog and Recipes

Homemade Turkey Stock

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What you’ll need:

  • 3 pounds of turkey wings
  • Turkey neck and giblets, but not the liver as it can make the stock bitter
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large white onion, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1 medium celery rib with leaves, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lovage, minced
  • 2 cup of fresh parsley chopped, I (prefer flat leaf)
  • 2 tablespoons sage, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, minced
  • 2 cloves of fresh garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground peppercorns
  • 3 fresh bay leaves

How to Cook:

1) Chop the wings and neck into 1 1/2 – 2 inch pieces  Also using a sharp knife cut away any membranes from the giblets.

2) In a large stock pot, heat the oil over medium  to high. In batches, add the turkey wings, neck and giblets, turning and cooking until golden brown. It should take about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pot and cook, stirring often., until tender. It should take about 7 or 8 minutes.

3) Return the turkey to the pot. Add enough cold water to cover the turkey by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, skimming off the foam that rises to the top. Add the herbs and peppercorns. Reduce to a simmer for about 6 to 12 hours adding more water to keep the bones covered.

4) Strain the stock through a colander into a large bowl. Let stand for about 5 minutes, then skim off the clear yellow fat that rises to the surface. If desired remove the giblets and neck and let cool and then chop and get the meat off the neck to use in making a gravy. Cool the stock completely and refrigerate or freeze. If frozen in an airtight container it can keep up to 3 months.

Blog and Recipes

Rosemary Spiced Cranberries

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What you’ll need:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup of our Cranberry & Herb Vinegar
  • 4 cups cranberries
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon crushed cardamom pods
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

How to Cook:

1) Cook sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.
2) Bring to a boil, add cranberries, vinegar, spices and herbs.
3) Cook for 10 minutes or until cranberries pop.
4) Remove from heat and cool.
5) Refrigerate, covered until serving time.
6) Serve cold or at room temperature, Garnish with a few fresh rosemary sprigs.
Serves 4 to 6.

Blog and Recipes

Fresh Herb Brined Turkey. Yum!

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What you’ll need:

One FRESH Turkey (about 20 pounds)

turkey_brined.jpg

  • 2 cups Kosher Salt
  • 3 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
  • 3 tablespoons fresh thyme (I love to use Lemon Thyme)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
  • 3 tablespoons fresh marjoram
  • 1 tablespoon celery seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fresh cracked peppercorns
  • 1 large red onion, chopped
  • 1 large celery rib, chopped
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1-1/2 quarts Homemade Turkey Stock (see separate recipe)

How to cook:

This recipe only works with turkeys that are fresh. Self basting, frozen, and kosher turkeys have already been salted.

You will need a large container, big enough to hold this size turkey and brine. A six gallon stock pot or larger should work.

To estimate the amount of brine you will need to place the turkey in the pot and measure in enough cold water to cover the bird completely. The portions in the recipe are for 2 gallons of water, but the amount of brine can be adjusted as needed. For each 2 quarts of water, use 1/2 cup kosher salt, and 3 teaspoons each rosemary, thyme, and sage, and 1 tablespoon each marjoram, celery seeds, and peppercorns.

The turkey must be chilled during brining and kept below 40 degrees.

The night before roasting, rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water. Use the turkey neck & giblets to use in gravy.

In your large stockpot mix in the 2 gallons of cold water with the salt and herbs and stir until the salt dissolves. Place the turkey in the pot. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 F.  In a small bowl, mix the onion, carrot, and celery.

Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well, inside and out. under cold running water. Pat the skin and cavities dry with paper towels. Turn the turkey on its breast. Loosely fill the neck cavity with the onion mixture. Using a thin wooden or metal skewer, pin the neck skin to the back.Fold the turkey’s wings behind the back or tie to the body with kitchen string.

Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Rub all over with the butter. Tightly cover the breast area with aluminum foil. Pour 2 cups of the turkey stock into the bottom of the pan.

Roast the turkey, basting all over every 30 minutes with the juices in the bottom of the pan.Lift up the foil to reach the breast area. Roast and keep basting until a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh area, but not touching a bone reads about 180 degrees F, which should be about 4 1/2 hours. If the dripping evaporate add more turkey stock. Remove the foil the last 45 minutes to hour to allow the breast to brown.

Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter and let it stand for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Blog and Recipes

Beat the Heat with Herbs!

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If you need Summer heat relief from working in your garden, or just from being outside here are a few ideas:

Reward yourself with a cool refreshing bath or shower with a mint or eucalyptus body scrub or bath & shower gel.

Spice things up with one of my lavender sprays or lotions.

Kick back and enjoy a nice cold glass of mint iced tea.

OR cold glass of herb lemonade with mint and lemon verbena.

Impress your friends with an iced cold Cucumber-Rosemary-Lemon Drink. Here is the recipe;

  • 2 cucumbers, peeled and diced
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 5 tablespoons sugar(or other sweetener)
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary, finely minced
  • San Pellegrino Water

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend well. Fill a glass with ice and halfway with San Pellegrino water, top off with the cucumber blend, stir well. Can add a jigger of vodka if you want an adult beverage. Garnish with a slice of cucumber and sprig of rosemary.