Spices and Herbs

Spices and herbs add wonderful flavor to the food we eat.  Have you ever wondered what the difference is between the two? How would you describe the difference between an herb and a spice?  It's really quite simple once you figure it out. Herbs are the leaf of a plant that is used in cooking. Cooks refer to them as culinary herbs. Spice also comes from plants, but they come from other the other parts of the plant. A spice can come from the plant buds (cloves), bark (as in cinnamon), roots (like ginger), berries (as in peppercorns), aromatic seeds (cumin) or a flower stigma (saffron). Holiday cooking and baking nears with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up in the next few weeks. How many of these different plant parts will you use in your holiday meal preparation? A bit of trivia, perhaps, but interesting, don't you think?

Feasting on Focaccia

Here's another easy recipe for holiday gatherings. Although simple and delicious, your guests will think you've been working for hours to prepare this tasty treat.


Olive Focaccia


1 package bread-stick dough
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed, drained, and chopped
4 Tbsp. sliced calamata olives (or your favorite)
1 Tbsp. rosemary, fresh
1/2 tsp. salt
Olive oil
1/4 cup green onions, sliced


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide the bread-dough stick into 8 sections. Place each section, flattened, onto a baking stone. Brush each section with olive oil. Then sprinkle with sun-dried tomatoes and olive slices. Sprinkle with salt and rosemary. Bake for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, top with green onions, and serve.


*If packaged bread-stick dough is not available, use premade frozen bread loaf instead (or make your own).

Holiday Finger-Foods

Have you checked your calendar recently? The holidays are near!  They are a time when families or friends gather to celebrate and share quality time together. From family dinners to holiday events, food usually takes center stage. Although some enjoy spending time preparing complicated recipes, it's helpful to have a stash of quick and easy recipes at your fingertips for informal gatherings with loved ones. A finger-food feast can be just as rewarding as a full-course dinner. . .and a little less stressful on the host! Here are some ideas for such a feast.


Start with a supply of bruschetta toasts, pita bread, chips, crackers, tea sandwich breads, or fresh, raw veggies. These serve as a good base for the topping recipes that follow:


White Bean Spread


1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic,  minced
1 pinch red peppers, crushed
1 - 15 oz. can white beans, drained (save liquid)
1/2 tsp. rosemary, fresh and chopped
2 Tbsp. parsley, fresh and chopped
Salt to taste


Place olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper in a medium skillet. Saute' for one minute. Then, stir in the white beans and 5 Tbsp. of the reserved liquid. While heating, mash beans with a wooden spoon against the sides of the pan until a chunky puree forms.  Stir in the rosemary, parsley, and salt. If needed, add more bean liquid. 


To serve, spread 1 tablespoon, heaping, onto toast, chips, or veggie bites.  Makes 12.


Artichoke Topping


1 - 14 oz. can artichokes, water-packed
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. green-olive tapenade
1 tsp. light brown sugar
Salt to taste


Drain the artichokes and place them in a food processor. Add olive oil, lemon juice, tapenade, brown sugar, and salt. Blend until mixture is smooth.  


To serve, spread 1 tablespoon, heaping, onto toast or veggie bites.  Makes 12.


Red Pepper Topping


1 jar roasted red peppers, water-packed and drained
1 clove garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. bread crumbs, fresh
3 Tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes
Salt to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. If needed, add a small amount of the oil that the sun-dried tomatoes were packed in. 


To serve, spread 1 tablespoon, heaping, onto toast, chips, or veggie bites.  Makes 12.


Pinto Bean Hummus


1 - 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained
1/2 cup salsa
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. cumin, ground
1/2 cup cilantro, fresh
Avocado slices (optional)


Place beans, salsa, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, and cumin in food processor. Blend until smooth. Place mixture into a bowl and stir in cilantro. Use immediately or refrigerate and chill.


To serve, spread 1 tablespoon, heaping, onto toast, chips, or veggie bites. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Verses for Autumn

 Go, sit upon the lofty hill,

And turn your eyes around,

Where waving woods and waters wild

Do hymn an autumn sound.

The summer sun is faint on them —

The summer flowers depart —

Sit still — as all transform’d to stone,

Except your musing heart.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.
 
Stanley Horowitz

It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.  

P.D. James

A woodland in full color is awesome as a forest fire, in magnitude at least, but a single tree is like a dancing tongue of flame to warm the heart.  

Hal Borland

There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!  

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Autumn's Joy

I wish I were a poet, because verse and rhyme seems the most apt way to express pieces of autumn's beauty and the joy it brings. Since I am not, I will try to capture bits of autumn through the camera's eye.

Sunshine, clouds, and a balmy day in autumn worked together to create beauty in such simple ways.  A large and mighty river winding through the shrub-steppe landscape seems even mightier from a bluff above it.

Beautiful sunflowers and bachelor buttons refuse to give up their bloom just because summer is past. Although the landscape around them is dry and beige, their vibrant faces smile upwards and speak to my heart.

Little bits of trivia add a dash of romance to the day. An island on the river contains a cabin and a boat landing. The only privately owned island on the river seems so appealing from afar.

Oak trees in all stages of colorful change dot the volcanic ridden soil, mixing black with copper for a pretty effect.

Autumn is passing quickly. Snow is predicted for this week-end. Winter approaches and autumn's colorful glory will be missed. I'm enjoying it while I can. I hope you are too!

Fabric of Friendship

Constant use will not wear ragged the fabric of friendship.

Dorothy Parker 


*If you like buttons, check out the book called "Button Ware" by Amy Barickman on Amazon. It is filled with great ideas for making things with buttons!