Is there an herb you use a lot?  Do you find yourself always reaching for the italian seasoning mix?  Do you always wish you had fresh basil? 
We can spend a ton of money stocking our spice racks.  But a lot of the dried herbs are extremely cheap to grow and taste much better fresh.
I love this stuff called Laab.  It is a Thai meat salad.  It has ground pork, chicken, or beef.  It is seasoned with rice powder, thai chilis, lime juice, basil, mint, and green onion.  I have and could eat a pound of this stuff at a time.  There really is nothing quite like it.  But it takes fresh basil and fresh mint, and let's face it:  Those are EXPENSIVE to buy.  So I decided to grow my own herb garden.  With a little bit of research about what growing zone you live in, you can do your own herb garden too!  I live in Tennessee, so I can grow quite a bit. 
I grow my herbs in a raised bed up next to my house, in my backyard.  Here is what I have.
Sage:  I bought a small sage plant last spring.  Cost $2.00  It is evidently a perinnial and has grown into a big bushy plant.  I have had to cut it back quite a bit.  I dried most of what I cut off, until I had more sage than I will ever need.  Now I throw it away.  It is currently finishing up blooming and it quite pretty.
Basil:  This is an annual.  Keep pinching off the blooms to extend it growing season.  One plant grew pretty big and I let it go to seed and got more basil seeds than I know what to do with.  One plant gave me all the basil I could ever want.  You must plant more the following year.
Mint:  This plant can be very invasive.  It is supposed to be more than easy to grow.  I admit, I killed mine last year.  I have spearmint, not peppermint.  I got a cutting a from my cousin.  It is now growing in great abundance and I will have to keep it cut back, or else it will take over.  A perinnial.
Chinese basil:  I just got the seeds from a friend.  It is doing well so far.
Oregano:  It grows and grows and grows.  A perinnial.
Green onion:  I just stuck the onion bottoms from some green onions in the dirt and voila!  They grew and now I just cut the tops off.  Eventually, they bloom, and go to seed. 
Cilanto:  Plant a very good crop.  It will grow in very cool weather.  You can take cuttings off of it throughout its life, but it will eventually go to seed.  Let it and you will have all the cilantro you will ever need.  When it gets too cool, save the seeds for the next year or plant them in your indoor herb garden.
Thai Chili Peppers:  I got seeds from a friend, but they refused to grow.  So I bought a plant from Lowe's.  It said ornamental, I just laughed.  It has just got done blooming for the first time and I expect to have lots of these wonderful, red-hot chilis very soon.
I am going to plant Thyme, I have these seeds. Just need to find it a spot.
Lemon Balm:  Just got a cutting from another cousin.  I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet!
If anyone wants cuttings or seeds, send me your address and I will see what I can do.  It is, of course, first come first serve.
Jessica


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The only thing you really need to know about making cobblers is, it is NOT an exact science.

Tonight I opened 2 cans of peaches, drained one and then poured them both into a 9x9 baking dish.  I added several tablespoons of brown sugar and sprinkled some cinnamon in it.  Stir to combine it all. 

For the topping I put about a cup or two of bisquick in a bowl, enough milk to put it at the consistency of pancake batter, and then added 1/2 to 3/4 cups of sugar to make it taste sweet.  Yes, I tasted it as I was going. 

(You can also do 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of milk for the topping.)

Pour that over the top.

Bake at 400  until a knife inserted into the center of the cobbler comes out clean of dough.  It will have the juice of the cobbler on it but that is ok.

I had to cover mine with foil halfway through.


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I have really good intentions when I go to the grocery store.  I buy fruits and veggies, and all sorts of interesting things to cook.  Problem is, half of it can ruin before I find the energy find the time to get to it.  I also tend to throw away a lot leftovers.
So tonight, in an effort to combat that issue, I looked in the fridge and created this:

1 can of drained and rinsed black beans (or as close as you can get to a cup - I used left overs)
1 cup of corn.  (I used leftover)
1 tomato, diced
1 half an avocado, peeled and diced
1 half of a jalapeno, seeded and diced
3 Tbsp of chopped cilantro (or to taste - I just eyeballed it)
juice from half a lime

Dressing (mix together in a separate dish)
3 Tbsps of Red Wine Vinegar
3 Tbsps of Olive Oil
2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh oregano (you could substitute dried, I just happen to grow it)
1 tsp cumin

Measure vinegar into bowl, slowly drizzle in olive oil into vinegar, whisking constantly.  Add spices.

Mix all salad ingredients well and top with dressing.


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Southwestern Steak Sandwiches

Pack of Onion Buns
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
1/2 jalepeno, finely chopped
1/4 avocado, mashed
1 1/2 lb thinly sliced sirloin steak
1/2 bottle Chipotle Citrus Marinade
1 small Onion, diced
olive oil
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
lettuce
tomato

Mix Ranch dressing, jalapeno, and avocado.  Refrigerate.
Put steak into a dish and cover with marinade.  Refrigerate.
Spread frozen corn into single layer on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with olive oil and a bit of salt.  Roast in oven until shiny and beginning to brown.  Remove from oven.
Meanwhile, saute onion in skillet with olive oil.  Add steak slices to skillet. Discard remaining marinade. Cook until meat reaches preferred doneness.  Chop into bite sized pieces.
Slice buns open and lightly spread on olive oil.  Toast in oven or in a skillet until browned.

To assemble sandwiches:
Spread a thin layer of avocado ranch dressing on bottom bun, sprinkle on roasted corn.  Add meat, tomato slices, and lettuce.  Top with the top half of the bun.

Enjoy!

You can also nix the bun and serve over lettuce to cut out some of the carbs!

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I did it.  I finally put ribs on the grill and they came out just like I wanted them too!  I like my ribs a bit on the dry, chewy side.  Not like jerky or shoe leather, nope, I want them tender enough to come off the bone with a little effort, with no chewy, soggy fat to go through.  I finally perfected this tonight!  Wooo Hoo!  Here's how ya do it!

Heat your gas or charcoal grill up to 300 to 350 degrees.  Push all the charcoal to one side.  Place seasoned (I used the Paula Dean season my friend Kim gave me) ribs, meat side up, on the side with no charcoal.  Close grill.  Resist opening for 30 minutes. 
After 30 minutes, add 5 charcoal briquets to the charcoal, and turn meat over.  Close again for another 30 minutes.  Do not open the grill unless you think the ribs hopped over to the charcoal side and are now on fire!  After the 30 minutes if up, add more charcoal - another 5 to 10 briquets, and turn ribs again.  They should be getting nicely browned at this point and pulling away from the top of the bone.  Close lid and cook 30 more minutes. 
Now they have been cooking for 1 1/2 hours.  They should be juicy looking and just about done, depending on the size of the ribs.  If you want fall of the bone tender and juicy ribs, cook another 30 minutes over the indirect heat and mop with your favorite sauce for the last 5 or 10 minutes.  I did not however, so I pulled my ribs over to the charcoal.
Ahhhhhh, there is nothing like that sizzling sound!!!!!!  I cooked them, turning frequently, for 30 more minutes.  Hallelujah!!!!!  There was singing in my mouth as I looked at what I had done! 
They were perfect.
And I never once had to turn on the oven.  WAHOOO!

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