Here are a mixture of recipes for you today to try and enjoy

1 1/2 lb fresh or frozen cranberries
2 1/2 pints red wine vinegar
12-14 fresh mint leaves

Save about a dozen of the best berries and put to one side. Chop the remaining fruit and place in a bowl. Boil the vinegar and pour over the berries. Cover and leave to infuse for 24 hours. Strain the vinegar though a kitchen sieve lined with muslin and press all the juice from the cranberries. Bring the juice to the boil and then allow to cool slightly. Pour into warm, clean bottles. Thread the reserved berries on to small bamboo skewers or satay sticks, with some mint leaves skewered in between them. Place a skewer in each bottle and seal with a lid or press in a cork. The vinegar will keep for abut four months.

Parsley and Lemon Oil

1 pint virgin olive oil
1 small lemon, scrubbed
3 large sprigs parsley

Cut the lemon into quarters and slide the pieces on to a bamboo skewer or satay stick. Place in a jar, add the parsley and cover with oil. Leave to infuse for between one and two weeks in a warm place, shaking the jar daily.

Herb Garden Vinegar

2 pints white wine vinegar
6 sprays each of thyme, rosemary, mint and summer savory
4 large sprigs parsley
a good handful of tarragon
2 tbsp coriander seeds
6 sticks celery, chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
12 crushed green or black peppercorns

Place all the ingredients in a large jar or bowl, cover and leave for two to three weeks in a warm place. Stir or shake from time to time. Then strain off the vinegar and bottle.

Old-Fashioned Herb Sauce

1 stick horseradish, washed and scraped
2 small onions, peeled and chopped
4 sprigs each of winter savory, basil, marjoram, thyme and tarragon
6 cloves
rind and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 pint red wine vinegar
1 pint water

Remove all the stalks from the herbs. Put all the ingredients in a pan and simmer gently for approximately 20 minutes. Then strain and when cool pour into small bottles. Cork securely. This sauce is useful for flavoring stews and heavier dishes.

Rose Petal Vinegar

Fill a jar with the petals from a dark red or pink scented rose bush. Press down well and cover with white wine vinegar. Leave in a moderately warm place for a month, then strain and bottle.

Raspberry Vinegar

This very popular vinegar is very simple to make and features in many current recipes. It is delicious in salad dressings or even in fruit salads.

3 lb raspberries
3 pints white wine vinegar
sugar

Put the raspberries and vinegar in a large jar or bowl. Leave to infuse for ten days, stirring daily. Strain off the vinegar and add 2 oz of sugar to each pint of vinegar. Place in a saucepan and boil well. When cool, bottle and seal.

Olive Oil with Oregano

1 pint olive oil
5 sprigs fresh oregano
2 garlic cloves, peeled
8 whole green peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Either pour the oil into a jar with a tightly fitting cork lid or leave it in its bottle and add the herbs. It will take several days for the herby flavor to develop. The oil can then be left as it is or strained and poured back into the container, with a fresh piece of oregano, in order to identify the oil.

The same process can be used for most herbs, but particularly successful oils are made from basil, fennel, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, tarragon and dill.

Drinks and Syrups

In this section, I have given two of my favorite recipes. The elderflower champagne definitely rates far higher than any French creations, and the rosehip syrup is delicious on ice cream or as a base for fruit salads.

Elderflower (Elderberry) Champagne

8 pints water
1 large lemon, scrubbed
5 elderflower heads
1 1/2 lb granulated sugar
2 tsp white vinegar

Heat a little water and dissolve the sugar in it, then allow to cool. Squeeze the lemon, then place the juice and the skins with the elderflowers in an immaculately clean bucket. Add the vinegar and the rest of the cold water. Leave for about four to five days, then strain and pour into sterilized bottles. It is important that the bottles are screw-topped, not corked. (Corks might pop out of the bottles during fermentation.) The champagne will be ready to drink after a week and does not improve with lengthy keeping.

Rosehip Syrup

2 lb rosehips, finely chopped
5 pints water
1 lb granulated sugar

Place 3 1/2 pints of water in a large saucepan and add the rosehips. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat and leave for 15 minutes. Ladle the mixture into a jelly bag or double thickness of muslin and leave to drain for several hours. Return the pulp to the saucepan with the remaining water and boil. Leave as before and then strain through the jelly bag or muslin. Pour the liquor into a saucepan and simmer until it reduces to approximately 1 1/2 to 2 pints and add the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then boil for five minutes. Allow to cool a little and then pour into clean, warm bottles and cork securely.

Packaging the Gifts

Both these ideas can be packaged attractively with some custom-made labels. You could stencil a design on to the label if you don’t trust your freehand drawing, or you could just rely on neat lettering. The elderflower champagne could be packaged with a pretty set of glasses or perhaps a good bookmy idea of heaven is a glass of chilled elderflower champagne and a fascinating book! The rosehip syrup could be part of a rose-themed basket of goodies, containing rose petal jelly, rose vinegar, damson and rose jam and a couple of beautiful pink roses for the finishing touch.

Herbal Cheeses

A collection of herbal cheeses, with some home-made breads and biscuits, would be well received by many friends or relatives and they are easily made and not overly expensive. They are best when freshly made, rather than frozen, and if they are rushed off to the recipient, they might even arrive still warm! If you do have to freeze these recipes you should cover them well with foil and label them. Allow them to thaw for at least two or three hours at room temperature, depending on the size of container used.

Making your own cheese is a fairly lengthy process, so I would suggest you cheat and use bought cheeses as your base.

Soft Cheese with Herbs

4 oz soft full-fat or half-fat cheese
2 oz butter
1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp mixed fresh herbs including marjoram, thyme and dill
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor, then turn out into a small bowl and keep in the fridge. This cheese can either be served in a small pot or ramekin, or molded into a shape and wrapped in a large leaf.

Curd Cheese with Mint and Orange

8 oz curd cheese
zest of 1 orange
1 tsp finely chopped fresh mint
curls of orange peel
small mint leaves

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and turn into small ramekin dishes. Smooth the tops and decorate each one with a curl of orange peel and a small mint leaf.

Cream Cheese with Basil and Garlic

8 oz cream cheese
1 tbsp finely chopped sweet basil
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix all the ingredients well and pack into small containers. This cheese is excellent stuffed in small tomatoes and eaten with warm French bread.

Herby Cheese Marbles

8 oz full-fat cream cheese
various herbs and spices, including chives, dill, parsley, mint, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, caraway seeds and oregano

Make sure the herbs are very finely chopped, then place in separate plates. Roll small amounts of the cream cheese into balls and then roll in one of the herbs or spices to give an even coating. Choose a reasonable variety of herbs and spices as this adds to the visual effect. Pile on to a flat dish or wooden platter and decorate with a bundle of fresh herbs.

Presenting Your Cheeses

All these cheeses look attractive in small white or terracotta pots. You could also wrap the pots in a large circle of gingham or spotted cotton. Several pots wrapped in coordinating or matching cotton bundles with a bundle of fresh herbs and a fresh loaf of garlic or hereby bread would be very welcome indeed.

Herbal Breads

Bread is delicious when given the careful addition of a few herbs. Garlic bread is well-known and well-loved, but these breads are a little bit different. They will prove equally popular with your family and friends.

Mixed Fresh Herb Bread

1 French loaf
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
3 oz butter
2 tbsp fresh mixed herbs, finely chopped

Mix the herbs, salt and pepper with the butter until it is smooth. make diagonal cuts roughly every inch along the loaf, cutting deep but not completely through the loaf. Spread the herb butter on each slice until you have used it all up. Wrap well in foil and store the loaf in the fridge until needed. To serve, heat it in a hot oven at 400F for 5-10 minutes.

Other possible combinations for herb breads include lemon, parsley and dill (add the zest and juice of half a lemon and change the herbs); rosemary, chervil and orange (add the zest and juice of half an orange and change the herbs).

Strawberry and Mint Soda Bread

8 oz wholemeal flour
8 oz plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 oz butter
6 oz carton strawberry yogurt
1/4 pint milk
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

Sift the flours, salt and soda into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the yogurt, mint and enough milk to make a fairly stiff dough. Shape the dough into a ball, place on a greased baking sheet, flatten it slightly and score with a sharp knife. Sprinkle with flour and bake in a moderately hot oven400F for 30 minutes. Leave to cool on a cake rack.

Cheese and Herb Scones

These are delicious eaten with soup or cheese and are made very quickly.

1 1/2 oz butter
8 oz plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 oz hard cheese, grated
1/4 pint milk
1 tbsp fresh herbs, finely chopped

Sift the baking powder, cayenne pepper, salt and flour into a bowl. Chop the butter and mix with the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the cheese, milk and herbs and stir with a knife to form a soft dough.

Form a ball and divide into eight pieces. Pat each piece into a circle 1/2 in thick. Place the scones on a greased baking sheet with plenty of space between them. Bake for 10-15 minutes in a very hot oven450Funtil they are risen and golden. Either serve immediately or cool on a wire rack. These are best eaten as soon as possible (this is never a problem!)

By: Carol J Miller

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

The author operates a retail and wholesale website for home and garden products and ideas at www.bricabrackorner.com

Save Cash By Whipping Up Your Own Salad Dressings

Odds are the shelves of your fridge are home to three or four or more bottles of Wish Bone or Newman’s Own salad dressings in various stages of consumption — each heavy in preservatives and costing $3 or $4. … You can vary the type of oil, vinegar or mustard, or replace some of the vinegar with citrus juice; you can add ground spices or fresh herbs such as chives or Italian parsley, garlic, green or red onion, or citrus zest; you can give it an Asian flavor

What’s Your Favorite Salad Dressing And Why?

I make my own salad dressing — a mixture of hemp seed oil, olive oil, grape seed oil, Italian seasonings, fresh garlic, pepper and apple cider vinegar.

Losing One Pound A Week Is Easier Than You Think

Three tablespoons of non-fat Italian dressing makes a big difference over Caesar salad dressing. (saves 215 calories); When making a 2-egg omelet, replace one of the eggs with an egg-white (saves 50 calories)

Food and Beverage Articles: Low-Carb Italian Food

You may also need to pay attention to dips and salad dressings to make sure that they are not high in carbs as well. A simple dressing made of balsamic vinegar and olive oil is low-carb and delicious. Salads Italian salads 

Technorati Tags: balsamic, bread, cheese, cranberry, dressing, garden, herb, herbal, lemon, mint, mixture, oil, olive, oregano, parsley, recipe, salad, sauce, vinegar, virgin

The secret to good Alfredo sauce is a combination of ingredients and technique. Unlike many Italian dishes, Alfredo sauce is extremely rich, having the base ingredient as cream.

This makes this dish an excellent alternative to the standard red sauces and meats normally associated with Italian meals.

When you go to make your Alfredo sauce, you should make certain you have all of your ingredients prepared in advance. The procedure of making the sauce goes by very cursorily, so you would want to make sure you have everything nearby in order to avoid the risk of scorching your cream while cooking. As scorching the cream is the most common cause of ruin of an Alfredo dish, this simple preparation can preempt disaster.
The common ingredients of standard Alfredo sauce are stated below:

Heavy Cream White Salt Pepper Parsley Parmesan Cheese Butter

Cooking times and amounts may vary from recipe to recipe . Again, ingredients may be altered depending on whether or not there are attempts at making the Alfredo more healthy. Because Alfredo is so heavy on cream, butter and cheese, it is often considered as a treat or avoided on many diets. Once you have your ingredients prepared, there are several things that you can do to prevent ruining your dish.

1: Get your Pan Ready
Scorching Alfredo is only the first of the risks. By carefully preparing your pan by pre-heating and cooling the pan a little bit with water, you can prevent the cream from scorching. As soon as the cream is poured into the pan, it should be done off of the heat, returning the cream after it must have been warmed in the pan.
2: Do not forget to stir frequently
Reducing cream by half requires patience and dedication.Alfredo is not the kind of sauce you can preserve for quite a long time. Only make your Alfredo sauce when you can dedicate your time to it. This will prevent your cream from burning.
3: Do not add cheese when sauce is on the burner

A general mistake is for individuals to add the butter and cheese to the sauce while it is still on the burner. Do not make this error unless the recipe says otherwise. The most common recipes do not add cheese or butter while the cream is on the heat, because this can lead to the sticking of the cheese to the pan or the butter to cause the cream to separate. While mainly affecting aesthetics and lengthening cleanup time, it can also affect the flavor of the dish.
4: Do not prepare your Pasta in advance
It is best to eat Alfredo as soon as it is prepared. Before you start cooking, have your water for your pasta already prepared, and the amount of pasta you want cooked put to the side. Start boiling the water part way through the sauce making process so that your Alfredo sauce and pasta finish at the same time.
5: Add toppings

Alfredo sauce is flexible. Excellent with many  Italian meats and seafoods , as well as with vegetables, one can simply turn Alfredo into a course meal. Prepare any toppings in advance, and warm them on a grill prior to serving. In the case of zucchini and other vegetations that do not sit well, put them on the grill or in the frying pan just as the sauce is nearing completion.

More on  cooking italian recipes with Alfredo sauce here:

Favorite Flavors: Alfredo Sauce

My Favorite Flavors series continues with Alfredo Sauce. If you’ve ever had the real thing, you know what a fabulous combination of flavors and textures a hand made Alfredo sauce brings to the table.

Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

Cover and Cook 17 minutes. Remove lid, add broccoli all over top and cover and cook 3-5 more minutes. Pour Alfredo sauce all over top, and top with mozzarella cheese. Alfredo Sauce: 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese 8 oz cream cheese 1/2 cup milk..

Solution to Thin Alfredo Sauce Dilemma?

So, whenever I try to make an Alfredo sauce, it never comes out thick enough to actually coat the noodles. It’s usually thin, with clumps of cheese (the recipes I’ve tried have called for Parmesan, which doesn’t seem to melt…

Asparagus and Ravioli with Dijon Alfredo Sauce

I’ve been making this recipe for Dijon Alfredo Sauce for years.

Alfredo Sauce – Learn The Cooking Tips

The secret to good Alfredo sauce is a combination of ingredients and technique. Unlike many Italian dishes, Alfredo sauce is super rich, having the base ingredient as cream. This makes this dish an excellent alternative to the standard.

Article By: Ferdinand Okeke

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Ferdinand Okeke is the author of A Beginners Guide To Cooking With Seasonings Also he has a new book How To Make Gourmet Sauces At Home

Technorati Tags: authentic, dressing, everyday, food, italian, recipes

Many people enjoy growing herbs because they are easy to grow and a lot of fun. Using them in you cooking can make even the most humble meals seem like a gourmet treat.  Fresh herbs are fantastic in soups, vegetables, breads, and stews. Herbs change the flavor of these items in may different and exciting ways. You completely change the taste whenever you add an herb.

When you first start cooking with herbs, experiment a lot. Add a little bit, here and there, see what works for you. Eventually you will get the hang of it and can easily go nuts mixing and matching flavors. Some herbs just seem to go naturally with some foods, tomato with basil, oregano with sauces, rosemary with lamb, chives with butter or sour cream. This is just to get you started. Try all kinds of mixes and matches to see what works. You can infuse vinegar with herbs to make salad dressings, marinades or soups. You can infuse oil with herbs to add extra flavor to your cooking.

You can use fresh herbs as garnishes such as chives on your potato salad or rosemary spigs on lamb chops. The possibilities are limitless and delicious.

In the fridge, fresh herbs will last for several days. After that you have to freeze them. You can freeze them by laying them on a paper towel and putting them in a plastic bag. Oncce they are frozen you can only use them for cooking but not as a garnish. A good method for preservation is to wash them, put them in an ice cube tray, cover them with water, and then freeze them. When you need them for soup, stew, or a sauce, just drop a cube in.

This will  spice up your italian cooking the quick and easy way .

My favorite herbs to grow are basil, oregano, lemon balm, parsley and mint. Mint is great but be careful, mint can over run your garden. A tip here would be to bury an empty coffee can and plant the mint in it. The can prevents the mint from “creeping” all through your garden.

Herb butters a great thing to make with fresh herbs. Mix together half a cup of softened butter and about 4 tablespoons of a fresh herb. Take a pice of saran wrap or wax paper and put the butter in the middle. Roll up your paper to form a log. Put it in the fridge. Whenever you need some extra oomph for your food cut a pice off the end. This is great on potatoes, bread, steak, noodles, or anything else you would put butter on.

Uses of herbs are not limited to the culinary. You can make a natural face mask from basil, lemon, and avocados (this would also make a great topping or dip). Put a big handful of basil in a blender and run it on high. Once the basil has been pulverized, throw in a half of an avocado and a large teaspoon of lemon juice, mix until smooth. Wash your face, pat it dry and gently rub the avocado mixture on. Leave it on as long as you like, then use warm water to it wash off.

By: Jayson Inman   Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com  Jayson Inman is a retired postal worker and a lifelong gardener. Check out his blog, Southern Gardening to find out where to buy herb seeds and other great information about what you could be doing in your backyard.

Eco Gadgets: Osmos Reuses Waste Heat And Steam To Nourish Herbs
UK based designer Jonathan Banton has started work on the a futuristic kitchen by designing a herb grower that reuses the waste steam from whatever you are cooking to nourish those herbs.

Bea’s Beatitudes/All About Herbs.: Stevia-the Sweet Herb
Bea’s Beatitudes on herbs comes from a life long journey of a wish to create a desire in others that will lead to better understanding of safe and healthy food knowledge. Which will promote better land stewards

Technorati Tags: authentic, cooking, dressing, herbs, ice, italian, pizza, recipes, sauce