Easy How-to Dry Herbs Using an Elite Gourmet Food Dehydrator

Posted on July 24, 2023 by Jean Roman

“It’s really important to teach people how to get food, how to grow it, how to pick it, how to prepare it and what’s safe to eat.” ― Arthur Potts Dawson

Do you grow your own herbs? Well, if you do, this is a video you won’t wanna miss! Over the years, I have owned several Elite Gourmet Food Dehydrators! I just got my new one and I’m so excited to start using it.

In today’s video, I’m going to show you how easy it is to use this dehydrator to dry your homegrown or purchased herbs.

If you are interested in purchasing your own Elite Gourmet Food Dehydrator, if you click the link here, I will receive a small financial compensation. Thanks in advance you won’t regret purchasing this item!

Check out my YouTube video below for this easy how to and then scroll down for recipes on how to create your own spice blends, including Italian seasoning and taco seasoning!

Keep scrolling to see how I processed my herbs and how to store them.

Now check out how I tried my herbs!

Check out these past blog posts for herb spice blends and more!

Dry Spice Blend Recipes: Easy to make salad dressings and dips

I also mentioned there were a few other ways to dry your herbs, here it is along with more recipes for Herb Salts! How-to preserve your herbs, & bonus recipes!

Would you like to learn how to get the most out of your herbs? Well check out this post, Harvesting Herbs: Tips to get the most yield from your herbs, yummy herb butter recipes

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If you enjoyed this blog, please LIKE, Follow, Share & leave me a comment! I love your feedback~

Added bonus: You can go to my blog at http://www.fordragonfliesandme.com to purchase my original cookbook, Lovingly Seasoned Eats and Treats in either a spiral bound soft cover OR NEW, a Downloadable PDF version. The cookbook has almost 1000 recipes on almost 500 pages! Check out the Cookbook Testimonials while you’re there!

Until next time remember to,
Eat fresh, shop local & have a happy day,
Jean

Copyright Policy

All text and images on this site are copyright of For Dragonflies And Me. Unless otherwise noted, you may not use this content.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can see my full disclaimer here.

Easy Homemade Whipped Butter Recipe~ Better than Texas Roadhouse & Logan’s Steakhouse!

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Jean Roman

Have you ever wondered how to make that super yummy whipped butter you get at those big steakhouse chains? Well, here is my version of it… and boy is it delicious.

Watch how I make it at my YouTube Channel!

Here is my super easy recipe with several measurement adjustments to make it easy peasy for you to make a single, double, or large batch like I did! Enjoy friends!

Ingredients~ Yields about 1 cup finished whipped butter

1/2 cup salted butter
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 TBSP organic honey
2 TBSP powdered sugar

Directions:

Leave butter out on counter for about 24 hours to ensure it is soft.
In a large mixing bowl place softened butter and whip with either a hand mixer or stand mixer on high until well blended and smooth.
Next add the honey; whip until thoroughly blended.
Add cinnamon; blend with a spoon or spatula until mixed well into butter mixture; now blend on high with blender until thoroughly blended and no clumps or smears of cinnamon can be seen; about 2 to 3 minutes.
Next add 1/2 of the powdered sugar; blend in with spoon or spatula until well blended; add remaining sugar and repeat. Once well blended, blend on high with blender until thoroughly blended and no clumps or smears of the sugar can be seen; about 3 to 4 minutes.

Make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

Refrigerate for about an hour for the aromas to blend. Take out of fridge about an hour before you are ready to use in order for it to be soft.

Enjoy! Scroll down for easy equivalents!

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To make a large batch of this here are some equivalents to help adjust:

1 cup = 16 TBSP
1 TBSP = 1 ounce
1 cup = 48 tsp
1/4 = 4 TBSP
1/2 cup = 8 TBSP or 24 tsp

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Until next time remember to,
Eat fresh, shop local & have a happy day,
Jean

Copyright Policy

All text and images on this site are copyright of For Dragonflies And Me. Unless otherwise noted, you may not use this content.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can see my full disclaimer here.

Slow Cooked Baby Back BBQ Ribs

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Jean Roman

“Cooking requires confident guesswork and improvisation—experimentation and substitution, dealing with failure and uncertainty in a creative way.” – Paul Theroux

This super easy & delicious recipe is sure to be as big a hit in your home as it is in mine! The meat simply falls off the bone and melts in your mouth.

Our Favorite Recipes

Ingredients for Ribs:

2 Slabs of baby back spare ribs
Montreal Steak Spice
Your favorite BBQ sauce OR use my recipe

Versatile! You can interchange your favorite store brand or homemade BBQ sauce to whatever suits your taste buds.

Ingredients for My BBQ Sauce: This recipe can be found in my cookbook, Lovingly Seasoned Eats and Treats on page 407.

2 c. ketchup
½ c brown sugar
¼ honey
1 TBSP minced onions
2 Cloves fresh garlic minced OR 2 tsp jarred
¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce

For some super yummy BBQ Butter Brush-On Recipes & unique grilling ideas, check out my older blog post.

A “Green” Barbeque, Vermicomposting and some Yummy Grilling Recipe’s!

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

2. Carefully remove the membrane from the back of the ribs and discard.

The top slab in the photo has the membrane removed, the bottom photo has it on.

3. Wash meat to remove any debris; cut each slab into 2 or 3 pieces, cutting between the bones; place on a large sheet of foil wrap- enough that you will be able to wrap the slab; sprinkle both sides liberally with the steak spice; wrap so the entire piece is covered; place on a cookie sheet. Repeat the process with all pieces.

4. Place in a preheated oven for 3 to 3 ½ hours.

5. Remove from the oven and carefully take slabs out of foil; place in a baking dish side by side meat side up.

6. Turn the heat up to 350 degrees now.

As you can see the meat is super tender and is falling off the bones!

If you enjoy a more Smokey flavored BBQ sauce, you can find that recipe in my COOKBOOK on page 406.

7. While the oven is heating up, slather your BBQ sauce over the top of your ribs and spread evenly; place back in oven for 15 minutes.

Directions for BBQ Sauce- Yields 2 cups finished sauce

Combine all ingredients into a large saucepan, whisk together and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Nothing compares to fresh garlic!

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Serve with baked potatoes or beans… So yum!

If you enjoyed this post & thought this was a super yummy recipe leave me a comment.

…. and of course please LIKE, Follow & Share.

You can purchase my wonderful cookbook, Lovingly Seasoned Eats & Treats!

Be sure to check out my Facebook page & follow me there for daily inspirations, lovely photos, & of course all kinds of great home & garden tips!

Happy Day,
Jean

Copyright Policy

All text and images on this site are copyright of For Dragonflies And Me. Unless otherwise noted, you may not use this content without written permission.

Wholesale Case Pricing for my Cookbook, Lovingly Seasoned Eats And Treats!

Posted on November 18, 2022 by Jean Roman

Lovingly Seasoned Eats and Treats

My cookbook contains almost 1000 easy & delicious recipes gathered from the women at Bethany Mennonite Church in Michigan.

Wholesale pricing is available for either half case (10 books) or full case (22 books). Message me for more information.

More Organizational Tips: More on P.M.S, Root Cellars, Freezers and Canning Room, Yummy Bar-B-Que Brush On Butters and Canning Recipes!

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Jean Roman

“Disorganization….. is merely the sign of a very healthy individual trying to do more in a shorter period of time than those lazy obsessively tidy types who can think of nothing better to do than straighten objects in drawers and stuff like that which only feeds their own egos and makes them think that they are better than those of us who are truly gifted.” Author Unknown… although it could be Neil!

Obviously this above mentioned quote is a joke… just in case you were wondering! As many of you know from reading my blogs, I love canning! When I decided to write my cookbook, “Lovingly Seasoned Eats & Treats”, my main objective was not only to have all my favorite recipes in one book, but also to have a large canning section that wasn’t filled will all pickle recipes. Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against pickles, even though I don’t much care for them… I just wanted interesting canning recipes… like Chocolate Syrup, Pesto, Marinara Sauce and stuff like that! I have a lovely canning room and Neil made us a root cellar in our basement that I am thrilled to have… and equally thrilled to fill every year!

P.M.S. is looked at in such a negative light… which I fully understand~ been there, done that kind of thing! Anyway several years back, even before I discovered Sink Reflections, my best friend and I were always looking for ways to organize and structure our homes and lives. One day on the phone we came up with the P.M.S. Plan! Prioritize, Minimize and Simplify our lives. Now, my friend loves to make lists as much as I do… she is now a mother of six with bundle number seven on the way, Lord willing! At the time of our P.M.S. she only had one child and I had three… life was a bit simplier in those days… but she is one of those ladies that likes to make really long lists and is filled with an exuberant amount of energy… she even chases ground hogs with brooms… at least back then she did. As I am ten years older than her, her lists at times seemed unreasonable… she put too much work on her back… so was birthed our P.M.S. plan. The motive was to help both of us look at what we wanted to accomplish in a day or week and then prioritize that list in level of importance; then look at the list and minimize it down to the most important and then simplify it down to what was really practical for our days. After the list was P.M.S.’ed anything extra that was accomplished was just a bonus. I have used the P.M.S. way for many things, especially when creating my routine’s.

*Each spring we do an inventory of canned goods on the shelves as well as in the root cellar and freezer. This way I know what we need to preserve that season and what I have plenty of. I write this list in my Canning Journal… it is actually the first page to start each new season.
*After my inventory is complete I make a list of what items I need to can/freeze and the quantity I want to do. This is the second page in my journal for the current canning season. As each things get put on the can shelves, root cellar and freezer I have the sheer joy of crossing that item off my list! A job well done!
*As mentioned above I keep a Canning Journal… of course! Every year I date the top of the first page with the year. I include the date of item canned, what was canned, the quantity and the size of the jars used. If I purchased the ingredient, for ie. Blueberries for blueberry pie filling~ I will write down where I got the blueberries, if I picked or not, how much I paid per pound, how many pounds. I also make notes of which children or friends helped. I love making memories in my journals!
*During the canning season, we often have to move jars and reorganize if there is not enough room left for a particular item. I always keep similar items together. This makes it much easier for the children when I ask them to go and fetch me something. For example, I keep all my tomato based products together; Spaghetti and Marinara sauces, Bar-B-Que sauces, ketchup, salsa, pizza sauce and V-8 Juice. The only exception to the rule here is Tomato soup~ that goes with the soups I can. I can apple, peach, blueberry and cherry pie fillings… these all stay together; Fruits, juices, jams and condiments are beside each other; potatoes, carrots, beans, beets are together as veggies; meats are right beside the veggies, then broth and soups, and so on.
*I follow the same rule for the root cellar and freezers. I have several freezers: two hold frozen veggies and fruit, any freezer jams, and two hold meat items. I try to keep all beef, pork, venison and chicken together… again this makes it easier for the children.
*Each spring the freezers need to be cleaned out and purged. It never fails that things always seem to fall to the bottom and then the question, “where did that come from?” is asked. Be sure to always date and itemize all items put into the freezer~ this way there is no question as to what & when!
*The root cellar needs to be kept clean and organized through the winter. Unlike the jars and freezers, the items in the root cellar will spoil much more quickly. Certain items should not be strored togethe such as apples and onions or potatoes. My main goal is to always use the items that are ripening or not holding so well first and to be sure to purge and spoiled items. The old saying of one rotten apple will spoil the whole basket is true!
A great resource for root cellars is “Root Cellaring” by, Mike and Nancy Bubel, published by Storey Publishing, www.storey.com I will be going into a lot more on root cellaring this fall when the crops come in, so stay tuned!

‘Tis Grilling Season… here are some BBQ Brush On Butter Recipes along with a few more canning ones from my cookbook! Enjoy friends!

To 1 stick of salted softened butter add one of the following and mix thouroughly. Let set in fridge for at least 3 hours so flavors blend through! NOTE: The herbs are all dried.

Cajun Style Poultry Brush On!
1/2 tsp. oregano, crushed
1/8 tsp. thyme, crushed
1/4 tsp. cumin, ground
dash of red pepper
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Lemon Basil Fish or Veggie Brush On!
1/2 tsp. lemon peel, finely shredded
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. basil, crushed
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Parmesan Butter Brush On!~ great to brush on veggies or even use in pasta or spread onto bread to make garlic toast!
1 Tbsp. fresh parmesan cheese, grated
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. parsley, crushed
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Garlic Butter Brush On~ great to brush on veggies or to make garlic toast
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Chive~Tarragon Brush On~ great on red meat and veggies!
2 Tbsp. chives, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon, crushed
2 Tbsp. parsley, snipped

Canning Recipes taken from, “Lovingly Seasoned Eats & Treats”. We all love condiments but don’t know how to make them! Here are two great condiments that most people enjoy!

Chocolate Syrup, by Jean Smith
1 cup Dutch cocoa powder
3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cup hot water
1 Tbsp. vanilla

SPECIAL NOTE: These measurements are to make 1 quart. Adjust measurements for how many pints or quarts you want to make.
1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl; pour 1 cup hot water into pot and add dry ingredients until thouroughly mixed; add remaining water; mix thouroughly until smooth.
2. Bring mixture to a boil; boil for 2 to 4 minutes, until sugar is dissovved, stirring constantly.
3. Revove from heat; add vanilla.
4. Fill pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.
5. How water bath for 15 minutes.
NOTE: This foams up a lot while boiling. Stirring is crucial. You can take the pot off heat to let it go down a bit, always stirring, if it seems like it is going to overflow.

Ketchup
2 galons tomato juice
7 Tbsp. salt
2 small onions
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves, ground
3 cups white vinegar
4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup Permaflo (thickener)

1. Put 1 1/2 cups tomato juice and peeled and quartered onions in blender; run blender until onions are well blended; pour into learge kettle with remaining juice; cook until juice boils down 1/3.
2. Add vinegar and boil again; bring to a gentle, rolling boil.
3. In a bowl combine remaining ingredients and blend thouroughly; very slowly stir the spice mixture into boiling liquid- if you dump it in, it will clump!
4. Boil for 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally so it does not stick.
5. Put boiling mixture into jars, placing lid and ring on each jar as you fill it.
6. Water bath for 15 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts.

Happy Day,
Jean
www.fordragonfliesandme.blogspot.com
www.wreninthewillow.blogspot.com
www.farmgirlwisdom.blogspot.com