Dehydrating Oregano

It's that time of year once again to harvest the first cuttings of Oregano.  Oregano is a very hardy plant and can spread quickly, giving you ample amounts to dry at home to save money and to enjoy the bounty of your herb garden throughout the cold winter months.  

Oregano is the well-known "pizza herb" which is widely used in Italian dishes as well as Mexican meals.  It can also be used to season a variety of foods including:  meats, milk products, condiments and relishes.  I particularly like a little of it's flavor in avocado salsa.  

Below is a step-by-step tutorial showing the process of dehydrating this wonderful herb in a food dehydrator, right on your kitchen counter.

Step 1:  Harvest oregano by making clippings of 4 to 6 inches long, leaving approximately 3 to 4 inches left on the plant so that it can continue to grow and give you more harvests later in the season.

Step 2:  Gently rinse the oregano and shake off excess water.  Place the stems onto the dehydrator racks, being careful to leave space between the stems in order for air to flow freely.

Step 3:  Stack the drying racks, making sure all leaves and stems are on the rack itself so that the lids can be placed on securely.  

 Step 4:  Place the top on the dehydrator, plug it in and turn the dial to 95° F to 115° F.  Temperatures as high as 125° F may be needed in more humid climates.  Drying time varies depending on temperature and humidity and can take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours.  Check periodically.  Herbs are dry when they crumble and the stems break when bent.  Check your dehydrator instruction booklet for specific details.  Mine says to preheat the dehydrator but I do not do that.  Seems hard to preheat to me when you have to take it all apart in order to put the herbs on the racks.  I don't know....maybe I'm missing something in the details.  ;-)  I do not claim to be the Queen of the Dehydrator or, really, anything close to an expert.

Again, oregano is completely dry when the leaves crumble and the stems break when bent.

Step 5:  Pull dried leaves from the stems and place into jars.  Discard stems!  To use, crumble them at the time of use or crush them ahead of time.

Store in a cool, dark cupboard away from direct sunlight or heat for 1 to 3 years.  Keep lid tightly closed when not in use.

My Future

I have a future all sublime,
Beyond the realms of space and time,
Where my Redeemer I shall see,
And sorrow nevermore shall be.

A precious heritage is mine;
’Tis kept above by love divine;
And while I tarry here below,
He gives me what is best, I know.

O, God be praised, He planned for me;
From anxious care I’m spared and free;
He bids me cast on Him my care—
What then remains for me to bear?

Sweet peace within my soul doth dwell;
With joy I sing: “Now all is well,”
He leads me safely by His hand
Until I reach the Glory Land.

O precious Savior, teach Thou me
To live my life more true to Thee
The little while I yet must roam
Before I reach my heav’nly home.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/y/f/myfuture.htm

Words: Nils Fryk­man, 1883 (Min framtidsdag är ljus och lång); trans­lat­ed from Swe­dish to Eng­lish by Andrew L. Skoog, 1920.

Music: Fu­ture, Nils Fryk­man (MI­DI, score).

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/y/f/myfuture.htm

Raw Milk. Is it safe?

http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/tuberculosis.html

Plant Herbs in Mason Jars! What a fun idea!

http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-gardening/one-glassy-garden-growing-herbs-in-mason-jars.html

Attracting Bats to Your Homestead

We love our bats.  They live in our barn and we never hear a peep out of them.  But, in the evenings just before dusk they awaken from their daytime slumber and fly about the barn yard with graceful ease, gliding ever so peacefully as they rid our homestead of pesky mosquitoes and other undesirable pests.  Though they are not our "pets", they have become part of the family and are a joy to have around.  


We have never had to do anything to attract our bats as they were here long before we were.  But, below is a link that will show you 4 ways that you can also have these wonderful creatures that God made to help control the pest population.   


http://www.hobbyfarms.com/crafts-and-nature/4-ways-to-attract-bats-to-farm.aspx?cm_mmc=5302806

Sausage and Egg "Mc" Muffins

Here is a great breakfast (or any meal) idea.  Make these up ahead and freeze them for a convenient breakfast, lunch or supper.  Tastes great with an ice-cold glass of O.J.!

Needed for recipe:

• Eggs
• Sage Sausage
• English muffins
• Butter
• Salt 
• Pepper

Step 1:  Fry sausage, press to approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.

Step 2:  Butter each well of the muffin pan generously.

Step 3:  Crack eggs into each well.  Break yolks and stir slightly.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Step 4:  Bake eggs in a 350° F oven until eggs are completely set (approximately 12-15 minutes).   They will look like this when done.

Step 5:  Split and lightly butter English muffins.  Bake at 350° F until golden brown.

Step 6:  Make a sandwich by placing one egg and one piece of sausage between two halves of an English muffin.  

Mmmmm........Bon Appetite!   

Cheesy Quinoa Pasta Bake

~ I love Quinoa!  A couple of years ago due to food allergies, I tried to go on a gluten-free diet.  While I did feel better on that diet, it just didn't make sense to me.  Why would God give us wheat and then allow us to become allergic to it?  I have really wrestled with that question and I have prayed for the answer to my food allergies, against the better judgement of family members who thought that I should jump off the wheat wagon and quit gluten-containing grains cold turkey.  NOT!  I'm too stubborn for that and if it doesn't make any sense to me then I feel compelled to search until I can search no more for an answer that does make sense.

So, in the process of all this searching and trying gluten-free food, I came across this wonderful thing called Quinoa.  I like it so much better that regular wheat pasta.  Wheat pasta can leave me feeling overly full and sluggish but Quinoa leaves me with none of this, and it tastes GREAT!  I use it all the time in my favorite Italian recipes, for pasta salads and even for macaroni salad.  While I do not adhere to a gluten-free diet, I still enjoy this pasta over regular wheat pasta.  No one is ever the wiser either.  It is nearly impossible to tell the difference.

Here is a recipe with a picture tutorial of my Cheesy Quinoa Pasta Bake.  A lot like lasagna and so, so good!

Recipe:

2 lbs. Italian sausage, casings removed (I use Bob Evans Italian Sausage)

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 14 oz. jar pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce

1 Tbs. garlic powder (yes, that is a "tablespoon")

2 Tbs. Italian seasoning

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 boxes Quinoa Shell Pasta 

1 30 oz. container Ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

4 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Fry ground beef and sausage in a stock pot until no longer pink. 

To the ground beef add the crushed tomatoes, pizza sauce, enough water to clean out the pizza sauce jar, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, pepper and salt. Stir until combined.  Let simmer.

While sauce is simmering.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Follow this instructions closely so that the pasta does not get thick and sticky.

It should look like this! 

While the pasta is cooking, mix together the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg.  Mine was rather thick so I added enough Kefir to make is spreadable.  You could also use milk, but right now I'm having a love affair with Kefir so it just sounded good.  (That's a whole other post at a later date!)

Once you have all your ingredients mixed up, it is time to start layering.  I layer this just like I do lasagna.  I put it in a deep casserole dish but the dish doesn't tell me what size it is so, be your own judge on that one!

Place one third of the meat mixture in the bottom of the casserole dish.

Next, place half of the quinoa pasta on top of the sauce.

Followed by another layer of sauce.

And then a layer of the Ricotta cheese mixture.  I dollop this on so it is easier to spread.

Top the Ricotta mixture with 2 cups of shredded Mozzarella cheese.

Repeat this process once more ending with a layer of mozzarella cheese on top.  Sprinkle cheese with a little Italian seasoning and pepper and bake at 350° F until bubbly.

And Wallah!  I served mine with a simple green salad with my favorite homemade Kefir "Ranch" dressing.

                                                                             ENJOY!