Bourbon Vanilla Rooibos & Blueberry Crepes

Crepes are a favorite family food. And since the family is altogether for Father's Day, it's only natural that crepes are on the menu. Although the menu sounds fairly traditional, it wasn't without its unique variations. 

I keep a can of coconut milk in the fridge door. It's chilled through and ready to be made into coconut milk whipped topping at a moments notice. It's easy enough. Simply open the can, spoon the mixture into a bowl, and whip with an electric mixer {Kitchen Aid} until creamy. I happen to like the little globs of coconut fat solids, so I don't whip it until it is completely creamy, but you can if you try this yourself and would prefer it. I added a 1/2 tsp. of stevia for sweetness and some of our homemade vanilla.

Pear sauce is another simple filling for crepes and could be used for filling or topping. Our family enjoys this even more than applesauce. We use home canned Bartlett pears and put them in a blender {pears and juice} and blend until creamy. Tasty!

U-picks at the blueberry patch down the road start this week, so I need to use up as many of our frozen berries as possible to make room for a new batch. Usually I heat the frozen blueberries in a kettle with water and stevia or with fresh apple juice. 

This time I decided to try something different, so went to my tea cupboard to find something that I thought would be flavorful with the blueberries. I chose a tisane of bourbon vanilla* rooibos that I steeped and then added to the bluebeerries. They were sweetened with 1 tsp. of stevia and thickened with a cornstarch slurry.

Homemade crepes {gluten free} filled with pear sauce and rolled. Then topped with warm blueberry sauce and coconut milk whipped cream {it melts into the warm blueberries upon contact of cold with warm}. Delicious and just right for Father's Day! 

The china is Royal Doulton Carolyn from the Romance series. 

*From Wikipedia: 

• Bourbon vanilla or Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla, produced from V. planifolia plants introduced from the Americas, is the term used for vanilla from Indian Ocean islands such as Madagascar, the Comoros, and Reunion, formerly the Île Bourbon. It is also used to describe the distinctive vanilla flavor derived from V. planifolia grown successfully in tropical countries such as India.

The Herbs of Autumn

Bee Balm

The first October freeze looms near. The air was chilly this morning, reminding me that it won't be long before a killing frost hits the garden and changes my world!

Grape Leaves

By now you probably realize that I love spring and summer because of flowers and the wonderful gifts that nature provides. When October arrives I start taking jaunts through my yard, simply to appreciate the late season blossoms and greenery.

Bay Laurel

Unlike spring, the foliage this time of year is worn and weary. You have to look for the beauty and appreciate what each water spot or tattered leaf represents.

Sage

It's time to harvest and dry the herbs for winter use. Meadow tea is my favorite way to use homegrown herbs. The dried herbs look so pretty mixed together in a gallon jar, just waiting for infusion in a hot cup of water or a seasonal teapot.

Rosemary

More Rosemary

The rosemary did extremely well this year. I also dried a lot of homegrown lavender. It's time to make my own version of "Rosemary Hill" tea. The recipe will be simple: rosemary leaves, lavender buds, and a great quality black tea.

Stevia

The sweet leaf, stevia, makes a delightful addition to meadow tea as well. Just dry, crumble, and add to the other dried herbs in the jar. The sweetness of the leaf enhances any tisane.

Mint

And of course, one cannot forget the mint. It's been plucked, picked, and appreciated all summer long. The last of the leaves are small and not very prolific this time of year, but the flavor they add to anything on a chilly day cannot be beat!

Have you walked through your yard today to check things out? What's growing in your autumn garden?

For Calming

Funky Fennel Tea

This tisane works as a gentle digestive and calmer of nervous and anxious stomachs. Green fennel seeds work best, but brown or gray work well too. If you have green fennel fronds, they also work well for this tasty beverage.

2 - 4 Tbsp. fennel seeds (or a handful of fennel greens)
4 cups of boiling water
Honey or stevia for sweetening

Use a mortar and pestle to bruise the fennel seeds so that they release their fragrance. If using fresh fennel greens, squish them in your hands.

Place the seeds or greens in a teapot. Cover with boiling water and steep for about ten minutes. You can steep longer if you desire a stronger tea. Because this is a tisane, it will not become bitter with a longer brewing time.

Serve hot or cold. Sweeten if desired, but fennel has a natural sweetness that you might enjoy all alone.

Lavender 'n' Lemon Tisane

With winter fast approaching, efforts are being made by those who enjoy and grow herbs to harvest and preserve them before cold weather arrives. Naturally dried herbs from a home garden make a great addition to recipes like tomato sauce, soup, breads, and cookies. And they also make delightful tisanes. 

Here's a recipe for Lavender 'n' Lemon Tisane that is sure to bring comfort and joy during the coldest months of winter.

1 cup lemon verbena, dried and crumbled
1 cup lemon balm, dried
1/3 cup lavender bud, dried
1/2 cup chamomile, dried

Blend ingredients together in a small bowl. When well mixed, transfer to a pint jar and seal with a lid. Tie jar with a raffia or satin bow. Include a handmade gift tag that has these instructions:

To brew tisane:  Use 1 1/2 tsp. per 8 ounces of boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes. Then strain. Sweeten with honey or stevia. Enjoy!

If you prefer a more full-bodied tea, you can add loose leaf black tea to the ingredient mix. You may want to steep less time with this addition. Or instead, replace the chamomile with your favorite green tea. The possibilities are endless!

HerbLIST Swap

Last week I enjoyed a quiet day creating recipes and product for an "herb swap" with some of the members of TEH online chat group. Although I did a lot of measuring and packaging, it was a soothing and relaxing process. The fragrance of fresh herbs is such a delight! My packages have been sent off and several of those sent to me in exchange have arrived (I will share a picture when they are all here). I made enough of everything so that I could have some for home use as well. It's been much fun to use the bath tea, to make seed crackers, and to use my seasoning packets when I make dinner. It's amazing how flavorful fresh, dried herbs are as compared to ones that have been sitting in a jar for awhile. Like black tea, fresh herbs that haven't been pulverized seem to retain their full flavor better than powered herbs that sprinkle out of a bottle. Here's a sample of some of the recipes and products I made last week:


* Lavender Relaxation Foot Soak
* Lavender Oatmeal Tranquility Foot Bath


* Rosemary Chamomile Bath Tea
* Golden Meadow Tisane


* Herbal Splendor Bath Tea
* Lavender Sugar


* Rosy Meadow Tisane
* Mary's Lavender Black Tea


* Rosemary Sea Salt
* Lavender Sea Salt


* Herb d' Provence
* Italian Seasoning


* Seed Cracker Recipes and packets of seeds
* Walla Walla Sweet Onion Jelly


I hope the recipients of my packages enjoy the contents they contain. They were packed with love and well wishes!

Beauty, Grace and Health

The hibiscus flower is beautiful and graceful, both on the shrub and in a vase in the home, but this pretty blossom also has other benefits that may sometimes be missed the the casual observer. When dried, hibiscus flowers can be used to create a rosy-colored tisane. Although tart, the flavor mixes well with the sweet herb, stevia, or other herbs to create a delicious beverage. An extract of this blossom also has been said to have the potential to prevent cholesterol deposition and may be very useful in preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases. God's gifts to use are always multiple in blessing. From beauty, to use for flavor or health, He created all things for our joy and benefit.