Phoenix's Simplified Bruschetta

 

I love serving Bruschetta to guests but I find starting from scratch means I am in the kitchen all night instead of enjoying the party.  So, I started taking some shortcuts including pre-diced tomatoes and pre-shredded cheese.

Ingredients
Baguette
1 Can Aylmer Accents Diced Tomatoes: Garlic and Olive Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Fresh Basil
Kraft Italiano Shredded Cheese

Cut baguette.  In the past I have simply cut "rounds" by slicing all the way down the baguette.  But, when in a hurry, I will cut the baguette in half (or thirds) and then slice each piece lengthwise to expose the white part.  This cuts down on how much time you spend turning, seasoning and topping

Brush Baguette pieces with olive oil and place in hot oven on Broil.  Turn once or twice until just toasted.

Meanwhile, remove any stems and chop basil.  Drain tomatoes in a colander and add the basil. 

When bread is toasted, add a spoonful or two of the tomato mixture to each piece.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top with cheese and put back into the oven until cheese has melted. 

Herb Garden Update

I thought I would update on how my herbs have been growing so far.

You can see my Cascading Rosemary and Sage are slowly creeping along:

My Lavender has started to bloom and the Chives have gotten a haircut:

I picked up a couple of hanging baskets.  Not quite sure what kind of flowers they are.  I may have to take a better picture if we ever get a sunny day again:

My Apple Mint, Rue and Anise are all doing well, and my Tequila Sunrise Columbine flowers have started to peek through, not sure if they will bloom this summer at all:

Chocolate Mint is still growing quite well:

And my Wooly Thyme, Lemon Balm and Catnip are doing well.  Again, Columbine are growing but I am not sure if they will bloom this year:

It seems I forgot to take a picture of my Basil and new Rosemary plant.  Those will have to come later as it is pouring down rain right now.

Herb of the Week - Basil

I both love and despise Basil all at the same time.  I love it because it is wonderfully fragrant and delicious in almost any dishes.  I despise it because I have yet to find a way to grow Basil without killing it.  The first year, I planted too early for my region and it died.  The second year I waited an additional month and I think I overwatered (I thought wilting meant needed more water - oops).  This year,I planted Genovese and Purple Bail and I have been babying them to no end.  I waited until July to put them outdoors, I am very careful about how much I am watering them, I move them indoors in heavy rain or wind or if I feel that it is just too hot in the afternoon (I have noticed them wilting if they get too hot).  In short, I am dead and determined to have healthy Basil plants this year!

Basil is a wonderful herb that can be found in most herb gardens or growing on kitchen windowsills.  Basil likes full sun but should be fairly sheltered from high winds.  Be sure to wait until well after the last frost before sowing your basil as cold temperatures are its worst enemy.  Basil does not like to soak in water and should receive proper drainage. 
Basil comes in a number of varieties.  My favorite are genovese basil and purple basil.  Others include cinnamon basil, lemon basil and Thai basil.  Basil is delicious in soups, salads, dips and sauces.  I add basil to nearly all of my Italian dishes.  It also makes a beautiful garnish.
Magickally, Basil is associated with protection, courage, wealth, love, divination and creativity.  For a financial boost, plant Basil near the front door.  Cook with fresh basil to enhance feelings of passion and love.  Carry in your pocket or place in your wallet or purse to bring continued wealth.  If you are a business owner - Place Basil leaves in a cash register or above the doorsill to attract customers.  Bathe with basil to increase attractiveness. 

On Listening to Good Advice

I'm stubborn.  A few months ago, I bought Scott Cunningham's The Complete Book if Incense, Oils and Brews.  I have a rather large herb collection and decided to make an incense for Imbolc.  I didn't follow one of his recipes - NOOOOOO that would be too easy.  I made up my own.  I picked some herbs appropriate for Imbolc (gleaned from my notes on the Sabbat) ground them, mixed them together, bottled them and then put them aside for a few weeks.  I didn't even think about the incense until Imbolc when I lit a charcoal disc, opened the bottle and FELL IN LOVE! OMG I didn't remember it smelling that good when I made it!  Slowly, a horrific realization took hold of me - I hadn't written down the recipe.  Cunningham stressed the importance of writing recipes, in fact, I'm pretty sure he mentioned it at least 5 times.  But I knew better! I would never want to re-create this particular recipe, I would simply explore a new avenue and try something else, right? WRONG! My lesson in all of this - when someone who has been working with herbs and writing about herbs for as long as Cunningham has - LISTEN TO HIS ADVICE!

After an hour or so of sniffing what little I had left and experimenting with the herbs I had on hand (luckily I could narrow it down by looking at the original Sabbat notes), I did manage to re-create it.  So here is the recipe:

Ingredients
Purple Basil (I grow and dry my own - I have never seen it available in a store but I am sure regular basil would be fairly close)
Chamomile
Rosemary
Frankincense Resin

I didn't really follow any set measurements but I have added to my notes to go light on the Chamomile and heavier on the Basil.  Also, try not to over-work the Frankincense - it got started to get gummy on me.

*I will probably re-post this recipe next Imbolc.

Herb Garden Beginnings - the 2010 Edition

I finally got some time to plant my patio herb garden this morning.  I also got permission from my building manager to put pots on the ground next to my patio, so I am expanding this year.

Here are my Chives and Lavender from last year:

Doing quite well I think... Look at those buds! Can't wait for it to bloom!

Now for the Newbies:

Lemon Balm

Woolly Thyme

Anise

Rue

Apple Mint

Sage and Cascading Rosemary

And Dill and Angelica awaiting a new pot

Clearly Poseidon likes the smell of the Angelica...

I also have purple basil and Genovese basil. I will be keeping these inside the house until July as they die when I put them out early (every year!)

This is my first time with the rue, angelica, anise and woolly thyme so any advice would be greatly appreciated!