Sunday Scribe - Heat

This week's topic is "Heat" interpret that anyway you wish and leave your writing in the comment section. 

Sunday Scribe - one day late

Oops! Sunday got away from me. And I even had a great topic this time - or so I think.
This week's topic: The buzzing of flies.
Have fun. Post your writing in the comment section by next Saturday for comments and critiques.

Don't procrastinate

Sunday will be here before you know it and it will be time for a new Sunday Scribe topic. This week was the inaugural topic - Why do I write? It's a way to get to know others who may post and learn a bit about each other. Post your writing - no more than 500 words in the comment section of Aug. 2 Sunday Scribe. I look forward to reading your posts, and hearing comments from others. I will be posting mine later this week. It's been a busy weekend for me too. 

Sunday Scribe prompt

Hi everyone - years ago I was in a writing group and every Sunday we would get a writing prompt. I'm going to attempt to do something similar. As long as there is interest I will post a prompt on Sunday morning - or maybe Saturday night. You have a week to write something based on the prompt - no more than 500 words and post it in the comment section. Others may comment on your writing, but I reserve to remove anything I deem inappropriate - negative comments, bashing, hating, name calling.  Constructive criticism is welcome.

This week's writing prompt - why I write!

Count Down to 50

So yesterday I was pretty unhappy about my impending half century mark. I hate the fact that I'm getting old and have very little to show for it so I'm going to list things that I learn or accomplish from now until that fateful day - which I don't celebrate.

Last night I dragged out my crochet stuff - I know - talk about old lady stuff. I decided I would figure out a new pattern. I chose an easy pattern for a dishcloth. I was fairly happy with the way it turned out. I'm not sure that it's right, but it looks ok.

So I am going to figure out how to make a picot stitch and a front post stitch. Those will be my two what did I learn to do today achievements.

I am also going to go outside for a walk. I was diagnosed as having insulin resistance back in December and I lost 16 pounds in three months, but now I've stalled. One of the things I need to continue to do is find time to exercise. I have to wait until the race home past my house slows down and then I'll go for a stroll. 

Approaching 50

So in a few short months, that will fly by with amazing speed, I'm going to turn 50. I'm in a funk, a rut, a downhill slide into a deep dark depression. I look back over the last half-century and I'm not pleased. What do I have to show for it? A failed marriage, a house foreclosure, a repo'd vehicle (and that was before the recession) a bunch of crap minimum wage jobs - even though I have college degrees and yes that's plural.

One degree that I finished but never paid the money to actually have it verified. I'm sorry - I worked my butt off for 6 years, paying thousands of dollars and now you want me to pay you more to have you send me a piece of paper saying that it's official? REALLY?

I've started more projects than I care to remember and never finished them because I ran out of something, time, money, gumption or I was derailed either because I didn't have the support or I had to get another job to make ends meet. I have a lot of good ideas, for someone else, but not a lot of follow-through. These days I don't even dream of new projects because I know I'll never finish them, if I even start them.

My body is slowly falling apart - I've had more things removed than put back in and more things patched with staples and glue. I can't eat much of anything because it's going to raise my cholesterol, my insulin or it's filled with GMOs, hormones, and chemicals.

Yeah, the first 50 years pretty much sucked. Looking ahead to the next 50 - I have student loans that will go with me to the grave, a new mortgage, a car payment and a part-time job because who wants to hire an over-qualified, 50-year-old who has a spotty work history at best. My husband thinks we should buy a run down, falling apart bar so we can add to our debt. My stomach hurts and I think I should go lie down.

Piano Nov. 2

I'm finding that my students are having trouble understanding the difference and correlation between the bass clef and treble clef and the notes on the keyboard. These beginners are also confused as to which hand plays which staff. So today my solution was:

Bottom staff is in the basement...the lowest part of the house. The lowest notes on the keyboard come from the basement and are written on the bass clef. If we turn the music sideways the bass would be on the left - therefore for beginners the left plays the bass.

The top staff is the attic...the highest part of the house. The highest notes on the keyboard come from the attic and are written on the treble clef. If our left hand plays the bass, the right hand plays the treble clef.

I also have them sit in front of the keyboard and tell them left plays from middle C down...like going down the steps. The right hand starts at middle C and climbs up the stairs to the stars. I put a star on the highest note.

Just a few ideas for a future book. 

too many numbers

I have started working with an elderly woman who has some sort of dementia, not sure of the official diagnosis, but she suffers memory loss. She also recently lost her husband of 50 some years and moved in with her daughter and family. So life has not been easy nor blissful for this dear lady recently.

I am already teaching the two grandchildren at their home, so their mother wondered if piano would be helpful for her mother. I believe music is helpful in all sorts of situations so of course I said yes.

A few things I've noticed so far...keep the lesson short. We only have a 15 minute session. I try to follow her lead, but she does like to tell me she can't do this. I have to tell her over and over that she can it just takes time. Her fingers are very stiff so that also poses another problem.

Today I realized that there are too many numbers - we have finger numbers 1-5 and beat numbers typically 4/4 or 3/4 time and then to add to all of this we tell students a quarter note gets one beat and a half note gets 2 beats. So for now - fingering is thumb, pointer, middle, ring and pinkie. She knows those words and when I tell her we're going to count to four in each measure - she isn't so confused with all the numbers. If we ever get beyond the basic one hand playing, I will try to introduce the finger numbers again. Too many numbers confuses me sometimes too. 

piano lessons - beginning

One of the many things I do is teach piano. Over the past few weeks, a couple of my students have said I should write a book on the subject. What? Why? Sometimes I barely know what I'm doing myself. Well, that's not true exactly, I have played for over 40 years and took lessons for almost 15 years and have a minor in music. I don't play as well as I used too. My hands and fingers are stiff, but I do know the fundamentals and then some, but there are times when a student will ask me something or do something and I'm totally befuddled. It's those times I come up with my little gems.

This week's gems to add to the book which will be written at some point some time in the future.

I'm working with a woman who is confused about finger numbering.


 this is from pianoscales.org because I was lazy at this point and didn't want to make up my own chart. As you can see, the thumb is one and the fingers are numbered to 5 with the pinkie on both hands being 5.

My student wants to start with the left hand pinkie as 1 and count to 5 and then the right hand thumb being 1 again. So what we came up with is putting the numbers on the back of her fingers. But it's silly for her to walk around with numbers on her hands so I'm going to find band-aids - the spot ones and write the numbers on them and put them on her fingers. Problem solved. 

Of course it's my Fault

      Apparently, if anything goes wrong or not according to plan, it's my fault. The computer goes on the blink and it's my fault. Why? Because I'm the one who was using it and therefore I must have done something to cause it to stop working. Why? Because computers just don't stop working or wear out or accumulate cat hair that fries their inner workings. This particular computer was 5 years old and it turned out that it wasn't the computer, but the monitor. I usually leave the monitor on even if I have the computer in sleep mode so I suppose in a way, it really was my fault. I bought a new monitor and now when I'm done using my computer, I turn off the monitor.

     Last night was another example of how everything is always my fault. It was late and I had a long day at work. I taught two classes and gave a piano lesson. It was well after 9pm when I arrived at home. I was cold and coming down with something so a quick check of my e-mail and my work site and I headed to bed to read until my husband came home from work. By 10:30, I was falling asleep and so I didn't fight it.

 

     At 11:30 pm something woke me. I was confused and dazed coming out of a sound sleep. There was that noise again, in the distance. What was it? Oh, the doorbell! Who rings the doorbell at this time of night? Burglars? Nah...someone stranded? Maybe. I try to find some clothes to put on and stumble done the stairs. Now the ringing has stopped and there is pounding on the door.

 

    "Coming," I mumbled. I can see my husband standing outside on the top step. My sleepy brain not comprehending. I quickly open the door.

 

     "Jesus Christ, woman!" he barked, "Don't you ever answer your phone? My truck won't start and I locked my keys inside and you need to take me back to work so I can jump it."

 

     Now, why am I getting my head bit off? Why is this dilemna my fault?

     We get in my car and head off toward the factory.

    

     "Do you have the fob for my truck?"

 

     "No."

 

     "Jesus, then what's the point of going?"

 

     "I have a key." I sigh. We drive in silence across town. Just the sound of my coughing breaking the quietness.

 

     We pulled in and got his truck started and head back home. I didn't get a thank you or I'm sorry I yelled at you. But then, why would I? It's always my fault.

 

Beginning the hunt

For years now I've thought of myself as a genealogist, but I need to face the fact. I'm not. What I am, is an expert leaf clicker. I joined ancestry.com a couple of years ago and started happily clicking away. A leaf popped up "yeah" it looked right, click.

I had a family tree that stretched across the miles and generations and then I realized that ancestry.com wasn't perfect. GASP! I realized it depended on mere humans to enter the majority of information from their own sources and some of those people made MISTAKES!

For months, I had convinced my husband that somewhere in his family, there was a name change and he must be Hispanic. His surname is Hindes (pronounced Heinz), but on one census list the name became Mendez. Wow, a break through...something the family didn't know. It was wrong, someone had overly scripted handwriting. Back to the drawing board.

The more I searched the less satisfied I was with just names and dates of births and deaths and maybe a marriage or two. This family had some real characters and not only that they followed patterns. Grandpa married the housekeeper, so did the other grandpa and so did dad. By the way, we aren't getting a housekeeper. There is a pattern of multiple marriages - Great-grandpa was married four times, Grandma three times, other grandpa two times, dad three times and mom twice. I myself am wife number three.

I don't want the genealogy, I want the stories to go along with the names and dates and so I begin my hunt for Red October...no that's a movie, but I bet my search could lead to at least one if not more movies of the week.

So how do I go about this hunt, this search for people I don't know? One step at a time. I'm backing up and starting over. So that when I'm done, my husband's family will have the story of their family as well as the names and dates. No more random clicking. Everything must be documented, vetted and then carefully cataloged for accuracy. Don't believe anyone. So to begin with, I need to find a record of birth for my husband that proves when and where he was born and more importantly who his parents were. Yes, he was there, but he wasn't in any condition to remember it.

Another thing, as I record pertinent records, I will make copies of them and keep everything in a lock box for safe keeping. No sense in gathering all of these records only to lose them somewhere down the line. My next step will be in keeping the records in some type of readable, or at least organized manner. Maybe a scrapbook, maybe a written manuscript. But first, I'm off to the courthouse to look for birth records with my handy dandy little camera in case I can't get the records.  

Pumpkin Better than sex Cake

Pumpkin Better Than Sex Cake

Ingredients

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 14 oz pumpkin puree (NOT PUMPKIN PIE FILLING)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 8 oz. tub cool whip
• 1/2 bag Heath Bits
• Caramel Sundae Sauce

Instructions

1. Mix together the cake mix, the pumpkin puree (DO NOT add the other ingredients on the cake mix box), and the pumpkin pie spice until a batter forms. Using the 14 oz. can of pumpkin puree will yield a thicker batter. You can add up to 1 cup more pumpkin if you'd like a thinner batter (which will yield a slightly fluffier cake).
2. Pour batter into a well greased 9x9 (9x13 if you added more pumpkin) baking dish. Bake at 350º for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
3. Let cool completely after baking. Using the bottom of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the top of the cake 
4. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake, aiming to fill the holes. Refrigerate for 60 minutes or until the sweetened condensed milk has soaked into the cake.
5. Spread the cool whip over top of cake. Sprinkle on the heath bits, and drizzle caramel over top (just to your liking). Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or overnight (best).

Notes

DO NOT USE PUMPKIN PIE FILLING. YOU MUST USE PUMPKIN PUREE IF YOU WANT THE CAKE TO BAKE CORRECTLY. The cake mix + pumpkin puree version of pumpkin cake may not be for everyone. I like it just fine, especially when it's soaked in SCM and caramel. But if you're not sure about it, feel free to substitute your own pumpkin cake recipe as the cake base. DO NOT mix together the pumpkin, cake mix, and the other ingredients on the back of the cake mix box!!!! ONLY mix the cake mix and the pumpkin puree. You must let the sweetened condensed milk soak in all the way. Letting it sit overnight will yield best results. Use the bottom of a wooden mixing spoon to poke the holes in the cake-- it's just the right size.

I have found this recipe without the pumpkin pie spice - but I used the spice. Made it taste more like pumpkin pie (at least the batter did) now I'm waiting for the 3-4 hours to pass so I can taste it. 

I was a bit disappointed that the batter didn't spread out evenly while cooking - next time I will spread it out. 

While My Pretty One Sleeps - book review

While My Pretty One Sleeps - Mary Higgins Clark, 1989

This book kept me guessing - a classic whodunit. Neeve Kearny, NYPD Commissioner's daughter owns an upscale fashion boutique and takes a special interest in her clients. Her Uncle Sal is a well-known fashion designer loaned her the money to get started. Her father, who is retired, put away a mobster, who he believes killed his wife and thinks is now after his daughter. A famous columnist and client of Neeve's is dead. WOW are you dizzy yet?

Clark does a great job of weaving multiple stories together so you think this person did it because...no this one did it because they had a better motive. It is not until the last few pages is the real master-mind behind the murders and attempted murders revealed.

A few times I got confused and had to re-read sections, but that was probably more to my inattention than Clark's writing. I enjoy a good mystery that I can't figure out, it makes the read fun.

Bacon, Chocolate Fudge Sundae - a review

I like bacon and I like chocolate so I figured that Burger King's new Bacon, Chocolate Fudge Sundae was going to be a sure fire winner and I think it still can be, but not at the restaurant I went too.
First of all, I don't like this BK, but I was in T-town and had an hour and a half to waste so with my mind on bacon and chocolate and ice cream I headed over to the BK. I have never had good service there - and yesterday was no different. I counted 4 employees and a manager; were were the only customers inside when we were ordering and there wasn't anyone in the drive-thru. These workers just stood around and talked instead of getting my order ready.

When I finally did receive it - it was terrible. The burger was luke-warm and tasteless. The fries were greasier than normal and my sundae looked like it had been thrown together or dropped on the floor. (I didn't see or hear it hitting the floor so I'll assume it wasn't). I heard the employees discussing the said sundae and they weren't sure what to put on it since apparently they had run out of the chopped bacon. I saw one of the employees grab a handful of bacon (not chopped) and toss it on the ice cream and then squirted some whipped cream on the top. And that's what it tasted like - old leathery bacon with fake whipped cream. The bacon was tough and since it wasn't chopped I had to cut it. It tasted like it had been sitting around for a while. It wasn't as tasty as I thought it should've been. I think if the bacon is chopped and is fresh or at least drained of the grease, it would be pretty good. 

SLOWLY

Well here it is nearing the end of June and my summer of being a creative woman is moving slowly. Everything is moving slowly these days.

My husband had surgery the end of May and I thought having him home for 6-8 weeks would be great. But I find that I don't get anything done. I do, but it's mainly cooking and cleaning. If he wasn't home all day, I wouldn't be fixing two meals a day, I wouldn't be distracted by what he's watching on TV or trying to keep him from being bored.

Then there is my thyroid. It isn't working correctly and is scheduled to be removed in AUGUST. My doctor and I fully anticipated the surgery by the end of May/mid-June. So he didn't put me on any medication. So now, I'm tired, fat, sluggish and hormonal. I had no idea how many things the thyroid controls or works in in sync with. But after yet another visit to the urologist I found out that my bladder issues probably aren't bladder issues, but uterus issues caused by an imbalance in my hormones so let's wait and see how you're feeling after that's taken care of...once again things are moving slowly.

And then there is the house issue. We want to move. We find houses on-line, we talk to a realtor, we look at houses we like only to find out that they're sold. So we found a house the other day we LOVE. The others we've liked, could live in, were so-so, but this house was in a good location, had  potential etc. We did a walk-thru and we still liked it. Put in a bid...and now we wait and wait. Oh, there's an e-mail...lots of people put in bids on this very same house. My husband is bummed, and I'm...well  see above...I'm hormonal so OF COURSE I'm depressed. I don't even want to look at another house. I've even started packing, *sigh* I guess I'll live out of boxes for another 10 years.

So my creativity which should be blossoming with so much time on my hands isn't. Oh I've tried some new recipes, and I'm finishing a quilt. I looked into a painting class, but all of that is moving slowly too.

Pretend You Don't See Her; A book review

I like Mary Higgemins Clark. I know what I'm going to get with her - good old fashioned suspense. A mystery that's never easy to figure out and satisfying in the end. This book is no exception. Clark writes characters that I like - all of them - even the bad guys who I don't suspect. The bad guys I know about are evil and sinister - the way they they should be.

Quick synopsis - Lacey Farrell is a witness to a murder. She is the only one who can identify the man and now her life is at risk. She's put in the witness protection program, but she in the end, she must solve the mystery of who's trying to kill her and why.

The book has a sense of urgency. I'm not sure I ever fear completely for Lacey's life or not. It is a story that just unfolds so naturally that it could be real. That's probably the reason I like it. I want to know the who and they why, but I'm not afraid because the good guy (or woman in this case) in Clark's books always wins.

You have to love a book that metes out the right kind of justice.

I have sporadically read other books by Mary Higgins Clark and have enjoyed them. Maybe I should spend the rest of the summer reading the rest of her work.

Charlotte Figg takes over Paradise (book review)

This is a fun little read. I had some issues with it, but I'll get to those in a moment. Charlotte Figg's husband Herman dies and she buys a trailer in Paradise, from an ad in a magazine. She was married for 26 years and Herman made all of the decisions and well, she was in need of some practice - she was the victim of a bait and switch. The trailer is a disaster, but she and her dog Lucky move stay after meeting some of the people of Paradise.  It seems the trailer park is in a rut or scared and it takes a new arrival to shake things up and shake, rattle and stir the pot Charlotte does. She organizes a women's softball team. She befriends everyone and convinces people to stop hiding. There are many many secrets in Paradise.  This is a Christian novel with a lot of "preaching" woven in. So if hearing about Jesus and church isn't your thing, you might not like this book, but the story is good and the message is better.  I had a few problems with the story; the first being the time period. I originally thought it was set in the present, but then realized it wasn't, but I tried to figure out the time period and finally have it narrowed down to the early 70s. I had to doing some figurin' to come to that conclusion. Sometimes, I felt that the Christian references were too structured, almost as if they were put in but then not refined. People just don't speak like pamphlets - at least not in Paradise. It almost made them sound, mentally challenged at time. I think the author was trying to hammer home those points, but she didn't need too. Most people who will read this won't need the message hammered home and those who are non-believers aren't going to want it beaten in.  I enjoyed the book. It was fun and the characters were likable. I hope Magnin writes another Charlotte Figg book.  Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise: A Novel of Bright's Pond (Bright's Pond #2)

pecan, bourbon, butterscotch bread pudding

I love food - I like prepping and getting everything ready, I like the smells, the sounds and of course the tastes, but sometimes the textures make me gag. Bread pudding makes me gag. There is something really nasty about sweet, mushy bread that makes my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth and the bile creep up in my throat. I am NOT a fan of bread pudding - that was until I tried this one. 

My culinary instructor Tabetha told us this one was beyond good. She was right. It's sweet, crunchy and doesn't have that nasty mushy bottom. My husband, who also doesn't like bread pudding was celebrating his birthday and I thought this would be a good second dessert. I was wrong - this was a good FIRST dessert. The birthday cake was all but forgotten. I leftover cake, but the bread pudding was gone.  So here is the recipe - with comments that I've added. I'm thinking that next time I might add a few bourbon soaked raisins. 

The calories - probably a gazillion if you're worried - then just skipped this recipe - just reading will cause you to gain weight. 

Butterscotch sauce:

• 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar (no light brown sugar? I used dark and it turned out ok) 
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional) (I used Kentucky Bourbon, but I suppose bourbon is bourbon) 

Pudding:

• 1 pound day-old rustic white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/2" cubes (12 cups) (I used a thick white bread and left the crusts on)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (It needs to be UN salted) 
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (These are expensive so I used real vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp)
• 2 cups pecan pieces

preparation

For butterscotch sauce:
Bring brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Boil until mixture is syrupy and measures 1 1/3 cups, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; add cream and bourbon, if desired, and stir until smooth. Let cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool completely, cover, and chill. Rewarm before serving.

For pudding:
Toss bread, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar in another large bowl until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cream, poppy seeds, and salt; beat to blend. Place bourbon in a small bowl; scrape in seeds from vanilla bean (reserve bean for another use). Whisk to distribute seeds, then add to egg mixture, whisking to blend well. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture in bowl. Add pecans and toss to coat well. Transfer mixture to a 13x9x2" glass or ceramic baking dish, spreading out in an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove plastic wrap and bake until top is browned in spots and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours. Serve bread pudding with butterscotch sauce.

I think the secret is baking it long enough. Make sure it is crispy on the top. I also soaked the bread over night. I found a copy of this recipe on epicurious.com. Tabetha said she reheats this and then puts a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and then drizzles the butterscotch on top.  I didn't reheat mine and people liked it just as well. It wasn't cold, but room temperature, but the time the last of it was eaten. I hope you enjoy this.  

The Whispering Statue (Nancy Drew) book review

Yes, I'm still reading my way through the Nancy Drew books. I gave it 4 stars only because some of the story was a bit of a stretch realistically even for the time it was written. Nancy's father asks her and her friends Bess and George to stay at a yacht club and solve two mysteries. The one they are hired to solve, what is happening to Mrs. Merriman's books. She isn't receiving her commission and one just because Nancy is nosy - the disappearance of a statue from the yacht club. Nancy's boyfriend Ned makes an appearance in time to save her and win a sailboat race. We do learn that Nancy is in art school, but when she attends is anyone's guess. This has bothered me for a long time. She is apparently out of high school, but she doesn't have a real job nor is she in college and neither are her friends. Is she just waiting for Ned to finish at Emerson so they can get married? Does she charge for her sleuthing? It always seems she does it out of the goodness of her heart. This is a fun, quick read which will take you back to the days before cell phones, when Nancy had to use her wits to find out who the bad guys are.

creative gardening

Today I planted herbs. I love herbs; they smell good, they add flavor and some of them keep away mosquitoes. I often end up with a lot of herbs that go to waste. Thanks to a friend of mine, she posted this and I'm saving it to my blog to use later this summer. Hopefully, I'll remember that I posted this and will use it in a couple of months.

Not only was this a great idea, but I learned a lot about herbs. I wondered why my basil never smelled as good dried. Well duh, dried it isn't as good.

While many herbs can successfully be dried for long-term storage, certain delicate herbs, such as parsley, basil and chives, lose many of their aromatic qualities when dried.

Herbs that are going to be used in culinary recipes can successfully be frozen for later use. This how to guide details the steps required to create herbal ice cubes. Herbal ice cubes can be dropped directly into stews, soups or sauces as they are being prepared. The herbal ice cubes will thaw out as the recipe finishes cooking.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 20 minutes

Necessary Supplies:

Scissors

Fresh herbs

Colander

Measuring cup

Ice cube trays

Water

Blender

Bowl

Spoon

Plastic freezer bags or plastic containers

Here's How:

1. Use a pair of scissors to cut stems of fresh herbs from the garden.
2. Place the herbs in a colander and gently rinse them under running water.
3. Remove the leaves from the stems and discard the stems.
4. Measure out the amount of leaves you have to process using a measuring cup. Place the leaves into the blender after they have been measured.
5. For each cup of packed, fresh herb material that is being used, add ¼ cup of water to the blender.
6. Place the lid on the blender and process the herbs into a fine paste.
7. Pour the herb paste into a bowl.
8. Use a spoon to fill each ice cube compartment with the herb paste.
9. Place the herb filled ice cube trays in the freezer and let set until frozen.
10. Remove the ice cube trays from the freezer. Remove the individual herbal ice cubes from the tray and put them into plastic freezer bags or plastic containers with tight fitting lids.

Tips:

The herbal ice cubes can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Herbs that freeze well using this method include basil, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, garlic chives, mint, parsley, tarragon and thyme.

Fresh herbs purchased from the produce section of grocery stores or farmer’s markets can also be processed into herbal ice cubes.

To use the frozen herbs, simply place the desired number of herbal ice cubes into the pan as the meal is being cooked. For example, 1-2 cubes of basil can be added to a pan of homemade tomato sauce.

Copyright Lynn Smythe Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

I found this on suite101.com

So what did I plant? I put in some chives, a couple of different types of basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary. If we don't get some rain soon, I'm not going to have to worry too much about drying them.