Use Fresh Herbs In Your Cooking

Many common herbs that you might use in cooking are well known for there healing properties. Using them in cooking is a great way to incorporate the healing attributes of natural herbs with your meals. Chances are you probably already use some herbs in your cooking like basil and thyme but experimenting with even more herbs can add taste to your dishes while improving health.

Cooking with fresh herbs is just as easy as using dried herbs. Just chop up a bit of the herb and season to taste. You will need to use about twice as much of the fresh herb than the dried. You may want to wait until the last 20 minutes of cooking to add the herb so the taste stays crisp. Herbs can be used to flavor any foods. Commonly used in pasta sauces, herbs can also be added to soups, oils, eggs and even desserts and drinks.

You can grow your own herbs in the garden on window sill and have fresh herbs all the time. Some grocery stores have fresh herbs right in the produce section and, of course, you can always find dried herbs in the baking section. If you grow your own herbs, you can freeze them or dry them yourself in a dehydrator to have for future use.

Here's some food and herb combinations that I like to use when cooking with fresh herbs:

Eggs with dill
Pesto with basil
Mint in any tea or punch
Parsley with salad
Rosemary and Thyme on oven roasted potatoes
Basil and sage added to flavor butter

If you have a special condition or illness that might be treated with herbs, then feel free to incorporate the herbs into your usual cooking. Start by adding a small amount of the herb(s) and taste - add more to suit. This is a great way to realize the healthy benefit of herbs without having to remember to take pills.

Lee Dobbins writes for pet and health related websites. Visit http://www.herbs-home-remedies.comfor more on natural home remedies and herbs. Dont forget to check their extensive article database at http://www.herbs-home-remedies.com/index2.html

Frugal Cooking With Herbs

Herbs are fun to grow and easy to use. Herbs can
be a frugal cook's best friend because they can
enhance even the simplest fare making it seem
grand! Herbs are easy to grow--you can even grow
them on your kitchen windowsill.

The addition of herbs can change completely the
flavor of foods-from homemade breads to soups,
stews and vegetables. And they can add variety
and excitement to your diet.

A beginner should use herbs with care, adding a little
at a time and adjusting to your own taste. Each herb
has its own individual flavor and certain herbs also
have well-known associations with particular foods.
Basil is often paired with tomatoes, rosemary with
lamb, chives with cream cheese and cottage cheese.

Fresh herbs are wonderful as garnishes. Herb vinegars
can be used in salad dressings, soups and marinades.
You can also add fresh herbs to mayonnaise or butter
for a different flavor.

Fresh herbs will keep in the refrigerator for several
days. A good way to freeze herbs such as basil, oregano,
and dill is to chop, place in ice cube trays, cover with
water and freeze. Then just add to stews and sauces
when needed.

Some easy herbs to grow are lemon balm, rosemary, oregano,
dill, basil, parsley, peppermint, lavendar, sage.
Of course, you can buy herbs to cook with at the
supermarket, also.

Here are some simple recipes to get you started
using herbs in your cooking.

Lemon Chive Dressing

1 clove garlic
dash of salt
Rind of 1 lemon, finely grated
and the juice
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Put the garlic and salt in a bowl and crush together.
Add lemon rind, juice and mustard, stirring until
smooth. Slowly whisk in the oil. Fold in chives
and season with black pepper, if desired.

This is a good dressing to pour over warm, cooked new
potatoes. Add finely chopped green onions.

Mint Iced Tea

Wash 8 sprigs of fresh mint, 12 inches long (any mint,
spearmint, peppermint, applemint will do). Place in
blender with 4 cups water and liquefy. Let it set for
about 1/2 hour and strain.

Herb Butter

1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons fresh herbs or 2 teaspoons of dried herbs

Soften the butter to room temperature. Finely chop the
fresh herbs. Blend herbs and butter well. Store in
fridge.

Use to season vegetables, as a spread on bread, biscuits
or baked potatoes. Anywhere you normally use butter.

Here's something different: not really cooking, but a
recipe that you might find fun!
Basil-Lemon Facial Mask

Pulverize a handful of fresh basil leaves. Peel 1/2 of
an avocado and mash. Add avocado to basil in blender,
along with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon honey.
Mix until smooth.

Apply to clean face and leave as long as desired. Rinse
off with lukewarm water.

In short, you don't have to be an herb specialist to
learn to enjoy using herbs.


Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the bi-weekly newsletter
"1 Frugal Friend 2 Another", bringing you practical,
money-saving tips, recipes and ideas. Visit her online at
http://www.cynroberts.comto subscribe and receive the
Free e-course, "Taming the Monster Grocery Bill".


The Mystery of DecantingdaniellaDecanting is a strange word to many people. Some do not even know what it means exactly. Taking the sophistication out of it, decanting literally means pouring the wine from the bottle to a special glass container. This is done in order to expose the wine to oxygen and enrich it.

What is the meaning of this process? Do all wines benefit from decanting or not?

The wine experts are not in agreement. Some say wine should be decanted in order to allow it to breathe and develop fully before consumption. Others claim decanting does not contribute to the quality of the wine.

So who is right? Well, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Decanting does seem to benefit certain wines more than others. Most red wines, except for the very aged and some white ones would definitely benefit from decanting 1-2 hours before serving. Young red wines, on the other hand, which are low in tannins, light and fruity, would not improve if allowed to oxidize. There are also wines that would actually suffer from decanting. Those are the aged reds. Their quality could worsen if allowed too much contact with air.

Another important factor in decanting is keeping the right temperature of the wine until its time to serve it. When it comes to white wine, one could easily place the decanter in a bigger bucket filled with cold water or ice. That would guarantee a crisp wine ready to serve and enjoy. However, when it comes to red wine, keeping the ideal temperature for serving is more difficult. The same technique as for white wine could be applied but with a minor difference - the temperature of the water in the bucket should be controlled by a thermometer. It may seem like a hassle but the exercise is well worth it.

Finally, a few words of wisdom - dont be afraid to experiment! Sooner or later youll be surprised to find that you also have an opinion about decanting which you could adamantly defend!