The Charmed Kitchen

Fresh Basil

This time of year I am looking to preserve as many herbs as I can, to enjoy during colder months. Basil is one of my favorites and I grow, and use, a lot of it. It can be tricky to dry as it loses its color easily. I do have a dehydrator for drying, but since not everybody has one I thought I’d give you three simple ways to save your basil and enjoy it year round.

Freezing in Oil

To use basil in pesto sauce, dried just won’t do. You can easily freeze your basil in olive oil and have it ready whenever you want it. Just place clean basil leaves in a blender or food processor and add olive oil. It is important that you use olive oil because it freezes solid. While the machine is running pour in oil until basil is blended. I use very little oil for two reasons. It takes up less room in the freezer and I don’t need so much oil. I can add more oil when I use it, but this way if I am doing a big batch i don’t go through all my oil. Once the mixture is blended pour or spoon it into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen solid pop out the basil cubes and put in freezer bags and return to the freezer.You can also freeze chopped basil without the oil. I like it better in the oil, but I freeze other herbs by just chopping them up and freezing them.

Frozen Basil Cubes

Process basil and olive oil until smooth

Spoon mixture into ice cube trays and freeze

Microwave Drying

If you don’t have a dehydrator you can dry herbs in your microwave. It only takes a couple of minutes per batch. Just place a handful of fresh, clean basil leaves in a linen-type kitchen towel. Fold the towel over the herbs and place in the microwave. Be sure to put a raw potato in with the herbs in the oven. If you only put the herbs in, it is like running the oven empty and can damage the microwave. Just put the potato off to the side. If you do several batches you will have a baked potato. ? If you have a turntable, just cook on high for 2 minutes. Check and see if they are dry- you might need a little more time. I need about 2 1/2 minutes in my microwave. Better to put them in for 15 more seconds at a time than to over dry them. If you don’t have a turntable microwave on high for a minute. After the first minute turn the herbs 1/4 turn and cook 15 seconds, turn again and cook another 15 seconds. Repeat four times in all. You can dry other herbs in the microwave. Small leaved herbs like thyme are done even faster. Remove the herbs from the oven and allow them to cool. check if they are dry enough and return, wrapped to cook longer if needed. Store in containers in a cool place.

Microwave dried basil on the left and fresh basil on the right

Place fresh basil on a towel and fold towel over the herbs

Place in microwave with a potato

All microwaves are different. Some will take longer and some even less time. Watch your herbs carefully. While I have never seen it happen I was told once that theoretically, they could catch on fire if left in too long. Urban legend perhaps, but just be careful.

Herb Vinegars

When I grow basil I try to keep the blossoms pinched off. Better for leaf production. But by this time of year some are blooming. Rather than dumping the blossoms you can use them to flavor vinegar. Just snip off the blossoms* and place them in a sterilized bottle or jar. Use several sprigs of basil flowers for every 2 cups of vinegar. Make sure the vinegar is at least 5% acidity. I like to use different vinegars for different herbs. I often use cider vinegar, red wine vinegar (for purple basil)  and white wine vinegar. Leaves can be used, too. Vinegar should be heated up to 190 degrees- or just below the boiling point.  Close up the jar and store in a cool place (50-70 degrees) for a couple of weeks. Before using  strain out the herbs and filter- I use coffee filters  or you could use cheese cloth. Store in a pretty bottle, if you have one. They can be kept for up to a year when stored in the fridge.

Basil blossoms in vinegar

Snip off basil blossoms

Place blossoms in a jar or bottle

*It is also recommended that the herbs be sanitized. To do this combine 1 teaspoon of bleach with six cups of water. Dip the the herbs in this solution briefly and then rinse well before placing in the jar.

Peach Pancakes

Fresh peaches are one of my favorite fruits. The ones at the local markets have been wonderful. I got more than I could eat fresh, so I have been cooking with them. I thought adding them to pancakes might be a good idea. I was right. The pancakes were so good. They were fluffy, studded with diced fruit and very tender. I added some cinnamon and vanilla to the batter for extra flavor. I served them with a little local maple syrup. Shared them with a friend- who also thought they were yummy. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!!

Peach Pancakes

2-3 peaches, pitted and diced – I left the peels on
¼ c. sugar
1 2/3 c. flour
3 T. brown sugar
4 t. baking powder
1-2 t. cinnamon
½ t. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1¼ c. half and half
¼ c. oil
2 t. vanilla

Place diced peaches in a small bowl with the sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Best if you can let this mixture sit for a couple of hours. I did it the night before and left them in the fridge overnight, to get juices out of the fruit. If you just can’t wait- leave the peaches steeping for at least 30 minutes. Mix dry ingredients together and set aside. In another bowl combine the eggs with the half and half, oil and vanilla. Stir in peaches, with any juices, into egg mixture. Fold in dry ingredients until just mixed. Oil a hot skillet or griddle and spoon batter into pan- about ¼-1/3 cup at a time. Cook over medium-low heat, flip when pancakes appear a little dry around the edges. Keep pancakes warm until all of them are cooked. Makes 10-12- or more- depending on the size you make them.

Potatoes O’Brien

Sometimes you just want to go with an old time classic. For a recent dinner with some friends, I wanted a simple side dish. I also had some potatoes that weren’t getting any younger. I am not sure why I even thought about Potatoes O’Brien. Hadn’t had them in years, but I knew I liked it when my Mom made them. Potatoes O’Brien are hash browns, with onions and diced peppers. The combination is so tasty. To speed up the cooking process, I cooked the potatoes in the microwave first. It was a really hot day and I was trying to keep the kitchen cooler. You could also just use raw, diced potatoes. Either way, the end result is sure to be a hit.

Potatoes O’Brien 

oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 c. chopped sweet pepper- I used baby peppers, sliced in rings

2 lbs. potatoes, diced, peeling is optional

salt and pepper

fresh parsley and thyme, optional

In skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil. Saute onion until tender, add peppers and cook until they peppers are tender. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add a few more tablespoons of oil to the skillet and let it get pretty hot. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are browned. They should be cooked, tender in the middle, crisp on the outside. Note: I cooked the potatoes in the microwave first, then diced them once they were cool enough to handle. This made them cook up faster, but raw potatoes are fine, too. Return onion mixture to skillet with the potatoes, season with salt and pepper to taste and add the fresh herbs, if you like. Stir together until heated through. Serves 4-6.

Homemade Fruit Sodas

It is hot out, and we should all be drinking plenty of fluids. I drink a lot of water, but sometimes you want something other than water. When friends stop over, I want to offer them something more than just ice water. Alternatives might include fruit juice or soda pop. I sort of combined the two into a fruity, fizzy drink that is fun to drink. Not bad for you, either.

When it’s hot- and even when it’s not- cold, fizzy drinks are fun to drink. No special equipment is required to make these, and they are better for you than commercial soda pop. I use 2 ingredients- club soda and either concentrated fruit juice or fruit syrups. In every grocery store you can find juice concentrates in the freezer section. Just place a spoonful of the concentrated juice in your glass- add club soda and stir gently to mix. Add ice and serve. Ready when you want it.

One benefit is that you can control how much juice to add. Make it more or less sweet to suit your taste. Sometimes I add just a little, so it is more like infused water than soda. If you like it sweeter, fine.

You can also use fruit syrups- sold in lots of grocery stores and beverage stores. Read the label. The ones I buy have 2 ingredients- fruit juice- which is listed first and sugar which is listed second. That’s  it. No high fructose corn syrup or a bunch of artificial ingredients and most of what is in the bottle is juice.

I’ve make “soda” from frozen concentrated grape juice, orange juice, apple juice and pineapple juice. I’ve used fruit syrups made from blueberries, sour cherries, strawberries and blackberries.  You can use them individually or do combos. They are fun for kids to make, too.

Dress them up with fancy ice cubes. I add small pieces of fruit or mint leaves to ice cube trays and then fill with water and freeze.  Also nice when guests stop over.

Is this stuff better for you than water? I suppose not. I actually drink water most of the time and really like it. Sometimes we want something different. For me this is a nice option- fizzy fruit juice.

Lime and Blueberry Cheesecake

This recipe combines limes and blueberries for a cheesecake that is perfect for summer. The citrus pairs well with the berries. I had made this cheesecake before, with the blueberry puree swirled into it, but without the lime. I thought the limes would be a nice addition this time. I must say, I really like the flavor  the lime zest and juice adds to this dessert. Adds a nice zippy flavor. Leftovers can be frozen.

Lime and Blueberry Cheesecake

Blueberry Puree

1 ½ c. blueberries

¼ c. sugar

2 t. cornstarch

1T. fresh lime juice

Crust

1c. graham cracker crumbs

2 T. sugar

2 T. melted butter

Filling

3 (8oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 c. sugar

8 oz. sour cream

Zest from 2 limes

Juice from 1 lime

2 t. vanilla

4 eggs, at room temperature

2 T. flour

For puree, combine berries, sugar and cornstarch in saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Puree in blender with lime juice and cool completely. For crust, combine crumbs, sugar and butter and set aside. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Press crumb mixture firmly into bottom of 9 or 10-inch springform pan and bake 10 minutes.  For filling, beat cream cheese until fluffy and beat in sugar until smooth. Beat in sour cream and vanilla, zest and lime juice. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour and pour batter into springform pan.  Drizzle blueberry puree over batter and use a knife to swirl it around. Place a roasting pan on lower rack of oven and fill with one inch of boiling water. Place springform pan on upper oven rack.  Bake 1¼ hour or until just set. Turn oven off and let cake stand in oven 1 hour more. Remove pan from oven. Cool down and refrigerate overnight. Remove pan side before serving. Serves 12.

Crispy Chicken Wings

These wings are super crispy, even though they are baked in the oven, not fried. It may have to do with a rather unusual ingredient. I got this recipe from a local television show and have made it a couple of times now. Thanks, David Moss, for this one. The wings are coated with a little salt and baking powder. Yes, baking powder. I am not sure how it works, but the combination leaves you with wings that are super crisp on the outside and juicy inside. The only thing I changed from the original recipe, is that I use a little less salt.

Super Crispy Chicken Wings 

3-4 lbs. chicken wings

2 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

Hot sauce and butter- or assorted dipping sauces

Cut wings into three pieces- discard tips, or use to make stock. Pat the wings dry. This step is important. The dry skin helps them to get crisp.  Place baking powder and salt in a plastic bag and add the wing pieces, a few at a time, shaking to coat evenly. Continue until all the wings are coated.  Place wings on a rack that is placed on a baking sheet. Bake wings in a preheated 250 degree oven for 30 minutes. Turn the heat up to 425 and continue cooking 45 minutes more. Remove wings from oven. You can melt butter , mix with some hot sauce and toss the wings in that mixture, or just serve the wings with your favorite sauce.

Coconut Cracker Snacks

It was all about the sweet life in cooking camp today. The kids made cookie pops, a cracker snack that is crisp, like brittle, and dirt cups. We also had frozen grapes, one of the simplest ways to beat the heat. So here are some of the pictures of what they made, and recipes.

Coconut Cracker Snacks

This dessert is surprisingly easy. The end result is crisp, like a brittle. You can omit the coconut and use nuts, if you prefer, or even use no topping.

36 saltine crackers, we used whole wheat crackers

1/3 c. butter

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 c. coconut

Cover a baking sheet with foil . Place the crackers side by side in a single layer. Melt butter in microwave, then add sugar and heat together 1 minute on high. Drizzle this over the crackers and then sprinkle on the coconut. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until coconut is toasted. Cool on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Break into pieces. Makes 36.

Grapescicles

Freeze green or red seedless grapes. Eat right out of the freezer. Great snack in hot weather.

Cookie Pops

These are a fun and easy dessert to make with kids. Great when you don’t have the time to bake, either.

Vanilla wafers

Chocolate – you can use melting discs in different colors

Popsicle sticks

M&M’s

Melt the chocolate. Dip the end of a stick into some melted chocolate. Press 2 cookies together on the end of the stick. Press firmly.  Allow to set up a little. Dip the cookies into the melted chocolate until covered. Allow excess to drip off.  Place cookies on wax paper. Decorate your “pops” to look like flowers- we used M&M’s. Allow them to dry/cool then you can just peel them off the wax paper.

You can get M&M’s in so many colors, the “chocolate” discs, too, that color combinations are pretty limitless. You can make them for different holidays or in school colors. Nice to make in hot weather, too, since there is no baking. You can also use frosting or peanut butter to stick the cookies together.

Frozen grapes- great summer snack

We had a lot of fun making pizza in camp today. The kids all made dough from scratch, rolled it out and decorated their “pies”. Their ages range from 6-12 years old. Only a couple said they had made pizza from scratch before. I was really impressed at how well they all did. Following are some of the pictures I took, and the recipe we used.

Homemade Pizza

1 packet active dry yeast

1 t. sugar

1 2/3 c. warm water

4-4½ c. flour

2 t. salt

3 c. pizza sauce

16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Cornmeal

In bowl combine 2 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Add the water and stir to blend. Add flour gradually and keep stirring. Stir until soft dough forms. Place dough on floured surface and knead until stretchy and smooth, about 10 minutes. Allow dough to rest 3 minutes and knead a few more times. Place in bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Dust back of baking sheet with cornmeal and place dough on cornmeal, pressing down a little. Slide dough off sheet and onto a clean baking sheet. Place half of the remaining ingredients on the dough and repeat with remaining half of dough. Add more toppings, if you like and bake in a preheated 450-degree oven for 13-15 minutes. Cool a few minutes before cutting. Makes 2 pizzas.

Mini Pizzas: You can also divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll them out into 6-inch rounds. Then let each person make his or her own pizza. Bake a few minutes less than the big pizzas.

Chocolate Cabbage Cake – made by my camp kids

What a day to be working with chocolate. It was really hot in class today. Temps here are around 90, and the camp is in a kitchen with no air conditioning. I knew it would be challenging, but the kids managed to do a great job. They dipped all sorts of goodies in chocolate, but the hit of the day was the chocolate cabbage cake. I invited the parents to come to pick the kids up early, so they could get pics of their kids with the cake.

The cake is actually all chocolate, it just looks like a head of cabbage. We started with two chocolate cakes, baked in bowls. We also used a chocolate buttercream to frost it. When frosted together- they become a round cake. Then we used cabbage leaves and melted chocolate to create the magic. The leaves are brushed with melted chocolate and put in the fridge to harden. We carefully peeled away the cabbage leaves. Now we had a whole bunch of chocolate “leaves”. Each of the kids got a chance to add them to the cake. It was a lot of fun. Here are some more pics from camp. Kids range in age from 6-12. I was so proud of how well they worked together to make the cabbage cake so special.

Brushing on the chocolate

Some leaves were pretty big

Starting to place the leaves on the cake

Almost done

The Finished Cake