Herbs and Spice and Everything Nice

Good Morning! It's a gorgeous day here in NC...a perfect day to hit the local market. I know it's November, and pretty close to Thanksgiving, but don't be fooled: there is usually still a LOT of fresh fruit and vegetables at your local produce stand or farmers market.
I would guess everyone thinks about the typical fall crops like winter squashes and root crops, but there's a lot more available, depending on where you live. Here in Eastern NC, apples are at their peak. Also available right now: broccoli, cucumbers, cabbage, pumpkins, late tomatoes, pecans, peanuts and sweet potatoes(mmm...fresh sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving!).
If you're in the Northeast states, there's still time to grab beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, onions, pears, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, tomatoes and turnips.
In the South, apples, broccoli, cucumbers, cabbage, mushrooms, pumpkins, tomatoes, turnips, pecans, peas, peanuts,spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, watermelon and zucchini.
In the Midwest, your local farmers are still producing apples, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, onions, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, squash and sweet potatoes.
In the Rockies, you can still get your hands on apples, carrots, onions and potatoes.
If you're the Pacific Northwest, sharpen your appetite for apples, asian pears, beets, blackberries, blueberries, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, grapes, mushrooms, onions, pears, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, rutabagas, spinach and turnips.
Californians, from what I've heard and seen-ya'll can get pretty much anything, pretty much any time. Same for you Floridians.
So see? Even though the weather outside may be getting frightful, the bounty from your local farms and markets is still delightful. There's still so many opportunities to bring fresh fruits and veggies into your daily diet!

Lemony Almond Spinach Pesto Pasta with Tuna

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb whole-wheat pasta, any shape
• 3 cups tightly-packed baby spinach (3 oz)
• 1/4 cup packed fresh mint1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
• Zest and juice 1 large lemon (2 tsp zest, 1⁄3 cup juice), divided
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted toasted almond slivers
• 1 6-oz can solid white tuna packed in water, no salt added
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced small
• 1 small zucchini, diced small
• 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans (or 1 15-oz can low-sodium white beans, drained and rinsed)
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop it from cooking further. Set aside.
2. Put spinach, mint, garlic, cheese and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse to form a chunky paste. Combine lemon juice and oil in a liquid measuring cup. With food processor running (on but not pulsing), add juice-oil mixture through the food chute in a slow drizzle until a thick, smooth pesto forms. Combine pesto with cooked pasta in a large bowl.
3.  Put almonds in processor and pulse about 10 times, until finely chopped. Stir almonds into pasta. 
4. Drain tuna and flake it with a fork. Add it to pasta, along with yellow pepper, zucchini and beans. Toss to combine and season with salt and black pepper.  

I need new mixing bowls. I've put it off for awhile, but I can't deny the necessity any more. I have only one large mixing bowl left(thank you honey), and with Christmas baking coming up I'm going to need more than one mixing bowl to get everything done. Soooo, with that in mind,  I went bowl and gadget shopping and as usual, I thought I'd share some of my cool findings....you know I can't resist neat kitchen stuff!
The first set I happened on were some awesome recycled melamine nesting bowls by Zak! in bright funky colors. As you can see below, they're not your grandma's melamine bowls! They don't really match my kitchen, but I still like them. I'd love to use them in my crafting room, though...it's the home of all things quirky and funky.

So today I went to the store, and started buying spices for my ornaments(thank you Food Lion Latin Foods section for your 99 cent spices)Each packet of cloves is enough to do one ornament...AND...they had whole allspice and star anise, which is wicked hard to find around here. So now I need to think up a few ornaments to make with those, too. Wow, my tree is gonna be FRAGRANT! and I'm going to make cranberry garlands, too, I think. Add a few "quilt balls", and I think it'll be a pretty cute tree.

I got my inspiration for Christmas tree ornaments from a few different places. Of course, I have to say that my Mopsie had various ornaments made of cloves that I loved as a kid. they always smelled so nice. If you look on the internet, you can find a number of different ideas for making ornaments out of raw spices. It takes some digging, but they're in there. These cute little balls from Grey House Samplers caught my eye immediately. Just what I was looking for. With a few bits of ribbon or raffia, something like this would be perfect for my Christmas tree.
A few other things I saw were here on the right-pomanders made of oranges
and cloves, which are, of course, the origin of these types of ornaments. This
one with ribbon is similar in concept with what I want to do with my clove
balls, although I will probably use raffia or strips of flannel or a more rustic ribbon. It's still cute. I may possibly make a few of the orange pomanders
to set in a bowl on my kitchen counter or dining room table. I like the one without the ribbon, too. Those are made with styrofoam balls, so they'll last longer. I am fairly sure I could do the same thing by hot gluing whole allspice
to a styrofoam ball for a different "pattern". With some matching paint on the styrofoam, I could make some of star anise, too, both for the tree and for the table.
I think they will look and smell extra fabulous. Best part: unlike pretty glass ornaments, my cat won't break them. I LOVE my Stinky Pete. He's the sweetest and most personable cat I've ever met. But he will be murder on my tree. I know. I'd prefer not to have to kill my sweet kitty if at all possible, so it seems to me like unbreakable things are the way to go. When Momma's happy, everybody's happy, dontcha know? Besides, these ornaments will be awesome!

Here is another cute idea I think I'm going to try also. This one has a number of different pinecones on the ball, with just hints of spice from the cinnamon sticks. But they're so pretty and rustic looking, I can't pass them by. And I like the punch of color from the berries. I was thinking that for myself, I'll go gather pinecones from the trees behind my house...they're small enough, and there are tons of them laying around. I also think that instead of the red berries, I might try and use pyrocantha berries, since we also have a LOT of pyrocantha growing wild around Tarawa Terrace for some reason. The orange berries will add an interesting bit of color to the tree. I like that!
I wave been wondering what I could do with magnolia leaves...we have so many magnolias around here, too, it just seemed natural to want to make some beautiful ornaments out of them to add to the tree. I know they'd make a pretty garland, but I don't have the time or patience to wire them together. I'll have to get on the internet and have a look see for some ideas.
These are pretty neat, too. I had already said I was going to make some cinnamon stick bundles, but when I saw these, I thought they were absolutely perfect! Although, I'm not sure where I would get whole nutmeg, I think I could substitute allspice for the nutmeg...maybe. I don't know. I'll let you know the results.

At any rate, I just thought I would share with you a few of the ideas and inspirations I found for my "Home Spice" Christmas tree this year. If anyone has any other ideas, I'd love to hear them!
What would you put on my Christmas tree?

Hey everyone! As promised, I am back with yet another post. I didn't post yesterday, because Dale and I decided to take the day to go rambling. It was such a gorgeous day that we couldn't resist. The foliage was beautiful and bright....I love Fall! We drove up towards New Bern initially, and from New Bern we drove to Morehead City and Beaufort.
I have always wondered about downtown Beaufort. We drive through the outskirts of town frequently on the way to the Cedar Island Ferry, but we've never gone down there before. I was pleasantly surprised! There are TONS of gorgeous homes(I am a sucker for historic architecture) and shops....hehehe. Antique shops, gift shops, clothing shops, novelty shops. Fabulous stuff. And restaurants for when you get hungry from shopping. Definitely my kind of place. Also just across from the Beaufort waterfront is Carrot Island. We were able to see some of the famous Shackleford Banks wild horses which apparently swim from the Banks to Carrot Island regularly. It was pretty cool.
Here are some of the homes we saw in Beaufort. I didn't have a camera this time, so I just pulled pics off the internet for ya'll:

Gorgeous! I could just drive around all afternoon and look at the houses. I wish I could find pics of the best houses; they had several that had the most amazing gingerbread trim on them. From what I read about the history of the architecture, most of the historic houses in Beaufort were heavily influenced by colonial Caribbean design. The last picture I posted is a prime example of this. It dates from the 1700s.
And the shopping! Ah, shopping! I love to investigate antique stores, little gift shops, novelty stores and such (THEY HAVE A SPICE SHOP AND A GARDEN SHOP! Hehehehe). Now I have to save up some mad money and go wandering up there for an afternoon. Definitely going to investigate when Mom and Dad are here for Thanksgiving. I needed to find another little shopping district to putter around in. Here's a small sampling of the shops in downtown Beaufort:

I AM BACK.
Firstly, I want to apologize for my absence. Herbs N' Spice has been on hiatus due to personal reasons. Now that things have settled down and Fall has arrived, it's time to get back to blogging!
I think I should start out with a confession: I've started listening to Christmas music already. I know, I know...it's not even Thanksgiving...but who cares? I like it. If I had my way and if it was socially acceptable, I'd probably be listening to Christmas music 365 days a year. I love Christmas.
I am planning on making my own ornaments for the tree this year. One thing I'm going to make is kissing balls out of cloves and "log bundles" out of cinnamon sticks. So fragrant! I am also planning on drying some orange slices to hang, too. They'll go great with my "quilt" ornaments. I can't wait to put up my tree!! I will definitely post pics as I go.
Have you ever tried Pumpkin Butter? If you're a pumpkin lover, it's a must. Totally decadent and spicy. I recently put up 8 pints for my own use and for Christmas presents. I don't dare show up to a family gathering without it. If you'd like to try it, here's the recipe:




INGREDIENTS:
1 (29 ounce) can canned
pumpkin puree
3/4 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg


DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently.
2. Transfer to sterile containers and chill in the refrigerator until serving.




I do it in the crockpot, though. Combine everything in the crockpot, stir well, and cook on high for 2 hours. comes out exactly the same. If you want to can it, you can. 


Try it! It's awesome on bran muffins, brown bread, soda bread, nut breads, etc.

Wow! It's been awhile since I've posted. Lots of stuff going on the last few days...I was sick over the weekend, and it just took awhile for me to get back in the swing of things.
But, I did have the opportunity to do some online snooping today after getting caught up on work and housework, and I found out something interesting: nothing in the resident handbook says we can't plant vegetables. 
The last time we lived in base housing, we were told it was against the rules to plant vegetables. So I assumed it was the same this go round. However, I got curious today, and looked at the handbook...and nowhere does it say, "Thou shalt not have vegetables in your backyard." So guess who's gonna be planting up a storm next summer? This girl! Although, I think I will play it safe and use containers.
Now I feel like a kid in a candy shop...so many different types of veggies....where should I start? Lettuces and salad greens are a must have, and tomatoes. Bush beans will be nice, and I can use trellises for peas and squash. Definitely need to plant some bell peppers, too. But what else? I think carrots? There are a bunch of nice compact ones that are suitable for containers...which reminds me; I found this great site that sells seeds especially for container gardening. Try www.containerseeds.com...great little site. they even have a blue sweet corn designed for containers that only grows 3-4 feet high...gotta get some of THAT!!!!
This is going to be fun. I'm itching to see how productive I can make my little 15x25 backyard next year!


MandaMac

So, I've been gone for a couple days. Stupid internet. Sorry about that. BUT...the enforced time away from the interwebs did allow me to get a lot of stuff done that I'd been putting off for awhile, so it wasn't that bad. Missed my blog, though. I did think about something while the net was gone-the fact that I LOVE my gray hairs!

I recently ran across a very intersting blog post about the carbon footprints of blogs...yep, your blog has a carbon footprint. Who'd have thunk it? "Making Your Blog Carbon Neutral For Free" on Green-Eyed View has some pretty interesting facts and figures on how much carbon dioxide is emitted by the average blog every visit. I know my little corner of the blogosphere isn't anywhere near average, but I was nevertheless shocked at the thought of my blogging causing carbon emissions, although when I stop and think about it, I do get it.
The answer? Plant a tree. One tree will neutralize the carbon footprint of your blog 100%. sounds pretty cool, but I bet you're thinking about the cost of a tree, care and maintenance, etc., right? Or if you live in an apartment, you're thinking about the fact that you can't plant a tree at all. But there IS good news: if you go to the post listed above, there are steps you can follow to have a tree planted FOR YOU....just by passing this bit of news onward in your blog. Pretty cool deal, if you ask me. 
I would urge all of you bloggers to consider this option...anything we can do to green the planet will benefit us all!


MandaMac

Ok, I ran across this post and I had to share it...because I feel vindicated:
"Night Owls vs. Early Birds: Who Will Win? Morning or Night People?" from Looking For My Life. 
See? See? There is scientific data backing me up! Hah! No more cracks about making marmalade at midnight, please. My DNA has given a statement and says it will take full responsibility for my vampiric sleeping habits; thank you DNA.
I can't help it if I sleep until 11am most days and stay up until 3am...it's just the way I am. The thought of getting up at 7am nauseates me. I have breakfast at noon. It's great...try it sometime.
so for all the Early Birds out there in my world who have ragged me about my sleep habits, and you KNOW who you are...you can rest easy in the fact that my nocturnal nature is one less thing you have in life to worry about.


MandaMac

Well, yesterday certainly was a productive day in terms of canning- I made cherry preserves, more plum jam, and lemon marmalade. everything was an unqualified success, except for one thing: the preserves. Of course, the cherries floated to the top, but a weird thing happened.Everything BELOW the cherries jelled, but the layer with the cherries in it didn't. Does anyone know why this might be?
I can't for the life of me figure out why that happened, especially since I thought I'd read somewhere that cherries are naturally high in pectin. I'm sure they'll taste really good, and all the jars sealed; but I'm going to store them in the refrigerator just to be sure. So half failure, half success. I need to figure out where I went wrong and make another batch. 
Another question for you canners out there: has anyone used the Tattler reusable canning lids? I was wondering how well they worked...I'm not inclined to pay money for them if they're not effective. If you're not familiar with them, you can check them out at the link above.


Here are the results of yesterday's venture:

It's me...again. I had hoped to get to my preserves today, but real life and work have intruded once again...darn it! LOL  Had to give both the dogs a bath, which is always an adventure. So I have included a step by step manual on how to wash my boxer, if you ever find yourself in  the position. Many of these steps and principles can also be applied to your own dog as well.

Macey can't wait for her bath....she LOVES them. Loves to chase the hose, eat the spray, try to eat the flea soap, and generally is having so much fun I can barely keep her still long enough to lather her up. So without further ado, here is my Step By Step Manual on How To Wash A Boxer:


Step 1: Call Macey outside
Step 2: Chase her around the kitchen island and into the living room
Step 3: Get the bright idea to yell the word "BATH!!!"
Step 4: Get out of the way, making sure you don't trip over the coffee table, or husband's combat boots in the middle of the floor.
Step 5: Head for the back door. Dodge Macey again when she comes looking for you.
Step 6: Shut the door. This step is critical so as to avoid step 17.
Step 7: Turn on hose. Get run over by Macey as she charges around the yard.
Step 8: Make a diving leap for Mace as she passes you. Fall on your face. Get stepped on by dog.
Step 9:Snag dog by the collar on the next pass around the yard. Maintain a death grip.
Step 10: Pick up the hose. Turn on the spray nozzle.
Step 11: Start spraying down dog. Lose your hold over collar as Macey tries to eat spray.
Step 12: Try to chase dog around the yard again, only to almost be jerked off your feet when you realize you have a death grip on the spray nozzle and the hose is out of slack.
Step 13: Retreat to restrategize. Decide to lure the dog in with...spray, yummy spray.
Step 14: Start randomly spraying around the yard, luring the dog in until she's close enough to grab.
Step 15: Finish spraying dog. Avoid spray eating if at all possible.
Step 16: Grab shampoo. Accidentally let go of sopping wet dog.
Step17: Chase wet dog around the yard and onto the porch. Realize too late that back door is not fully closed.
Step 17: Frantically try to stop sopping wet dog from getting in house. Fail miserably. Arrive in house just in time to see Mace vigorously shaking herself dry all over brand new furniture.
Step 18: drag dog back outside. Make sure door is securely shut.
Repeat Steps 7-15.
Step 19: Lather up the dog. Stop dog from trying to eat flea shampoo. Try not to get it in your eyes.
Step 20: Accidentally lose grip on slippery collar. Catch dog. Repeat Step 19.
Step 21: Rinse dog. Lose your grip when she shakes water in your face. 
Step 22: Chase soapy dog around the yard before giving up and chasing her around the yard with the sprayer. Repeat this step until dog seems to be soap free.
Step 23: Contemplate what a good job you did...until Macey rolls in the dirt.


This, my friends, is how we wash a boxer. You should try it sometime. If you'd like to practice on mine, please email me, you are welcome any time. 


MandaMac




Need a few more good laughs? Try "The 90s, back when we were cheesy and depressed" on Artistically Nuts, "Fairy Murdered Over Baby Tooth/Baby Laugh Drug War" on The Modern Sophist, and "Crimson Wanderers Gathering" on Dave Ingram's Natural History Blog. Pretty funny stuff...Have a laugh and a good night!

Hey all, just another quick post from moi. After spending the afternoon cleaning, I thought I would share some interesting ideas from a couple blogs:


"Ode To My Clothesline" from the Instead of the Dishes blog has some great ideas and thoughts about why hanging your clothes out to dry is preferable to running them in the dryer...something I would do if we were allowed to have clotheslines. "Natural Spring Cleaning" from Natural Mom, Healthy Child contains several really good recipes for natural cleaning products, something I use a lot due to chemical sensitivities AND a desire to find better ways of keeping toxins out of the ground. "Homemade Laundry Soap and Detergents" from Christian Homekeeper Network has another good recipe for homemade laundry products, although it has Fel-Naptha soap in it, which if I remember correctly, isn't exactly a natural cleaner, but worth a go for those who are interested in homemade cleaners. And finally, "Going Paperless-Paper Towel Edition" from The Diet Coke Diet has some good tips for reducing the amount of paper towels you use in your household.


So check them out, chicas, and have a good night!


MandaMac

Ah, hot July summer. Yesterday I was reading a post on Flour On My Face about blackberry picking, and it reminded me of my own childhood experiences picking blackberries in Tennessee.

Sorry I haven't been around to post: it's been a busy few days! Good things and not so good ones. BUT, it's another Monday, so back to the grind. I'm excited, because I start school in just about a week and a half....finally! Enjoy my last relatively free days before things heat up. Whoa...it's been....14 years since the last time I was in school, so this should be interesting, to say the least. I'll confess I'm a bit nervous, but I'm sure I'll be fine. And with Dale doing the same classes, I have a nice study buddy.
I haven't started on my preserves yet, since Dale is still home on leave. It's hard to get down to business when the man is so darn distracting! A boy and his dog: they spend most of the day wrestling on the floor, and the house is full of the sounds of toenails on wood, man yells and boxer snorts. Gotta love it. We don't need kids; we have Macey. Not sure if the hubby would be able to devote the necessary attention needed to raise a child for spoiling his girl.
On another note; my nephew Jonas graduated preschool recently, and I have awesome pics that I, as the proud Auntie I am, feel the need to share with all of you:

The cutest little man in the world! Thanks to Jonas' OTHER Aunt Amanda for letting me copy the photos.
Hope everyone had a great Fourth, and I'll catch you all later, 


MandaMac

Well, yesterday was a bum day for blogging. My cable and internet went out at 10:00am and didn't come back on until 11:30pm. So no interwebs for me. I think I might have started having withdrawal symptoms. The upside was the fact that it was pay day, which meant I got to go get a bunch of goodies. I ran up to Lowe's Foods in Cape Carteret to do my grocery shopping; it was my first time going there, and I really liked it. They had an awesome produce section...think all the variety of Fresh Market or Whole Foods, but the size of Super Walmart's. And prices nicely in between. I mean, around here it's rare to find such tasties as fennel bulbs, celeriac, broccolini, leeks, radicchio, fresh brussels sprouts and wonderful, huge, fresh organic portobello caps. I had fun just in the produce section! And the meat section...I can't remember the last time I've seen such a huge selection of grass-fed beef and free range chicken. Seriously. I think I've found heaven. Quality, healthy, good selection, and prices right between Wally-world and Fresh Market. LOL, I was just happy the had Gardenburgers on sale 2 for $5.00. We stocked the freezer. Manda's a happy girl right now.

After that, I visited the farmer's market for some goodies. Haven't gotten the tomatoes yet, but I got some lovely bing cherries so I can try out some cherry preserves:
And a nice bunch of beautiful lemons for some lemon marmalade:
I also got more plums to make some more of the rapidly disappearing plum jam, and some rhubarb...I am going to try and make some rhubarb sauce to can....it's so yummy on vanilla ice cream...if all goes well on my test batches, I'll buy some larger quantities to can. Gotta have something to do while the "dayball" is out! LOL Yesterday was good because it was cloudy all day, and rained all afternoon and night. I could get out and about...and my garden got a much needed natural watering.
We just had dinner; my husband made the mistake of letting me know he knows how to cook! Let me show you this awesome spicy mango grilled chicken and baby greens salad with feta cheese and a rosemary-garlic vinagrette:

It's me again. Been awhile. Sorry, I haven't been feeling the best; think I got a bit too much sun a couple days ago, and it's been wreaking havoc, as you can imagine.