Spring Herbs

Edible Nirvana, Gardening 1 Response »
May 042010

If you haven’t planted any spring herbs yet, I say you need to get going.  There’s nothing like being able to step out your back door and grab a handful of flavor for whatever you’re fixing in the kitchen.

And there’s something truly satisfying about watching your little plant babies grow up before your eyes.

I woke up this morning to a nice breeze blowing into my bedroom, and uncharacteristically hopped on out of bed without trying to sneak another five, ten, fifteen minutes of snoozing.  Even through the shades I could see that we were in for a bright, hot day.  The kind I dig.  Why not get up and get a head start?

My herb pots are right outside my bedroom window, so when I opened the shades, my herbs were there to greet me.  Basking in the sun.

The sage and mint have had a major head start on the other herbs, being perennials and all.  They are growing full bore.

My chives and basil are newer.  I just planted them three weeks ago.  Today, they both looked taller, fuller and greener than they did even yesterday.

The great thing about planting and growing herbs is that there is NO WAY you can’t be successful.   If you stick them in good dirt and give them enough water, they will produce for you throughout the warm weather.  And I can always find young plants CHEAP at my neighborhood grocery store, so I don’t even bother with seeds.

And I use them for all sorts of yummy purposes.  And just to name a few:

Omelets and Frittata: Add basil or chives.  My favorite frittata is made with basil and parmesan.  My favorite omelet is the classic cheddar and ham, with chives added.

Everday Drinks: Add mint to lemonade, iced tea, or ice water (remember my citrus water?).

Pasta Sauce: Basil is my favorite herb for two of my favorite simple tomato sauces, which you can find here and here.

Salad: I love to add fresh basil leaves to a green salad dressed with a simple vinaigrette.

Herbs are just the beginning for me, though.  I’ve planted a variety of tomato plants in a plot shared with my neighbor, and I’m getting ready to do two pots of chili plants this weekend.

Stayed tuned for more of my gardening nirvana :)

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Posted by carolyn at 10:36 pm Tagged with: ,

What are Guilty Pleasures? Let's Start with Baked Brie

Edible Nirvana, Guilty Pleasures No Responses »
Apr 292008

Most people would define a guilty pleasure as something you think you shouldn’t enjoy, but enjoy anyway. Perhaps you think others will disprove of your guilty pleasure. Perhaps you yourself think, on some level, that what you enjoy is really not good for you. Or it’s not up to what you think your standards of taste or behavior should be.

Let’s look at our guilty pleasures in a different light, though. I prefer to think of guilty pleasures as the things I do for sheer enjoyment, just to savor the experience. These pleasures are pure gratification. And I think we all work hard enough to justify indulging in our guilty pleasures, don’t you?

So let’s embrace our guilty pleasures. We all have ‘em. And, truth be told, I don’t want to take the guilt out of these pleasures for you. After all, part of the fun is feeling like you’re getting away with something. A little something for nothing.

So I’m going to post regularly about guilty pleasures.

The guilty pleasure I’ll share with you today is one of my favorite treats: my Decadent Baked Brie.

The brie

An appetizer-sized portion of this rich treat wouldn’t classify it as a guilty pleasure. For me, though, the guilt comes in because I find it literally impossible to stop eating this stuff, despite the combination of butter, cheese, and almonds — not to mention the heavy garlic. If I was a little more dainty, I’d have a few bites on sliced baguette and then move on. But no. My husband and I will finish one of these off between us, leaving me wishing I could lick the butter off the serving dish. Hell, I’d eat the whole wheel by myself, but he always seems to be underfoot when I prepare this treat. Yum. Guilty as charged!

Posted by carolyn at 7:30 am Tagged with: , ,

A Total Body Relaxation Routine

Edible Nirvana No Responses »
Apr 092008

Years ago, a ballet teacher taught our class a foolproof way to relax your entire body. What she taught us is a routine for relaxing your muscles groups one by one, starting with your feet and moving up through the top of your head. This routine can be used to prepare your body for sleep, or just to relax you enough to regroup and enjoy your evening.

I also taught it to my sons as a way to relax their muscles after football or basketball games.

Total Body Relaxation

To begin with, lie on your bed. You can also lie on pallet on the floor, if you like, but not if you’re using this as a pre-sleep routine.

Raise your arms above your head, and stretch, pointing your toes and pushing in one direction while reaching with outstretched fingers in the other direction. Hold for 10 seconds (but don’t hold your breath!). Release.

Bring your arms to your sides.

Start with your feet. Your feet always pay a big price by the end of a day, don’t they? They carry all the weight of everything you do, just by virtue of being on the bottom. That’s why they get to go first. Consciously relax the muscles in your feet and let them sink into the bed. As your muscles lose their resistance, you’ll be able to feel your heels and then your ankles pulled by gravity. Next. . .

Relax your calf muscles. Let them sink into the bed.

You can see where this is headed. You’ll move in progression through the major muscle groups, relaxing each and letting them sink into the bed (or pallet). Follow this order:

Knees. Visualize your kneecaps floating as they relax.

Thigh muscles: this is a big set of muscles, so I spend a few minutes letting them relax, front and back.

Rear end and Pelvic muscles (and pelvic floor for women): These groups of muscles are so closely related that I find it easy to relax the whole works at the same time. From the pelvis up through the stomach can be a very tense area of the body, so the release of these muscles is a powerful relief.

Stomach muscles: As above, an area that can get very tense. When you get to the point of consciously relaxing this muscle group, you may be surprised at how tense it is.

Back muscles: Relax your lower back muscles first and then move to. . .

Mid-back: Feel the middle of your back sinking into the bed.

Shoulders and chest: Again, a group of muscles so interconnected that I think of them as their own group. It’s easy for me to relax them together. Pay a little extra attention to relaxing the muscles between the shoulder blades. Next, you relax your. . .

Neck muscles and the inside of the throat: When the neck muscles are tense, the inside of your throat is effected. As you relax your neck muscles, think about opening up and relaxing your throat, as well. Then move on to . . .

The jaw muscles: This is another hot spot for stress. Clenching the jaw is a classic symptom of stress. And letting these muscles relax is a very liberating feeling. You’ll want to sing opera — but don’t just yet. Finish up your routine by relaxing the . . .

Face muscles and the top of the scalp: Again, simply a wonderful feeling to relax all the muscles around your face and head. Think of all the movements your face muscles make in a day — by the end, they’re exhaused. Spend a couple of minutes letting them loosen up.

Finally, once you’ve relaxed yourself, toe to head. . .

Let your mind free to wander. A lot of people will tell you that you need to keep your mind focused on relaxing, and try to keep your thoughts from turning to the daily issues that can stress you out. I think this is a mistake. It’s MORE stressful to try to control the path of your thoughts than to just them come. I’ve found that once I have my whole body relaxed, it’s safe to let my mind wander in whichever direction it needs to go. So, don’t worry about keeping your mind focused on relaxing once you complete this routine. It’s better to let your mind play. After all, there’s a reason for what your brain tells you.

If you’ve used this routine simply to rejuvenate before getting on with your evening, then enjoy the rest of your evening and don’t let anyone stress you out!

Posted by carolyn at 8:38 pm Tagged with: ,
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