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Friday, January 17, 2014

Should Never Make an Out Loud List, Herbally Speaking!

I always get myself into trouble by making a list at the beginning of the blogging year and proceed to trash it!  Well, I will get to some of my list at some point this year!  Here is what I've been up to since that list was typed.  Most of us in the U.S. have doctor's visits to fulfill if we want new prescriptions in the new year and this year is different because some of us have new insurance.  I'm just saying Thank God!  So everything is fine.  All of the parts are working for both of us.  I worked on some parsley soup that looks like carrot and lovage soup!

The Parsley Soup Looks Like Carrot Soup!
So I will give you links for both recipes, parsley dill soup and carrot and lovage soup.  They are very similar in ingredients, but usually the parsley dill soup is lighter if you put more potatoes in than carrots, but it doesn't matter if you don't exactly have the ingredients, it will taste great!

I was also thinking about favorite soups that I have made over the years.  Here is my mother's recipe for vegetable soup.  I think I would call it Meaty Vegetable Soup because it is just not vegetables.  It does have meat in it.  You can also make it without the meat.  I can't eat this anymore because of the tomatoes!  I think you will enjoy it.

Meaty Vegetable Soup
(Makes 4-6 servings)

1 lb. of meat cubes
4 c. of water
3 t. salt
1/4 c. washed rice
1 large (28 oz.) can tomatoes
1/4 c. or more raw potatoes
1 10 oz. package mixed vegetables
1 onion, chopped
2 or 3 ribs of celery, chopped
1 green pepper chopped

Cook meat, water and salt together for 1-1/2 hours, add rice, potatoes, tomatoes, onion, celery and green pepper and cook for 45 minutes.  Add mixed veggies and cook for 30 minutes.  Always keep covered, bring to a boil and let simmer while cooking.  Stir occasionally to keep from sticking.  Serve with feta-sage cornbread or a good hearty bread and herb butter.

I also made the last lemon bread with crystallized lemon peel mix (They don't make it any more!) from Lollipop Tree I had from the Village Herb Shop and added the last fresh lemon verbena leaves from last year and some nuts!  Looks like the start of a pesto!  The Herbal Husband approved!

A Mix of Lemon Verbena Leaves and Walnuts for the Tea Bread!
Will try to get back to that list later on.  I want to particularly talk about herbal tea blends since it is National Hot Tea month!  So stay tuned! We are cold without snow.  That makes me worried about plants because they like to be insulated with the snow when the temperatures get below freezing!  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

7 comments:

  1. The soup looks delish!!! I love soups so will have to give them all a try :) We are cold here too.. We did get a heavy dusting of snow yesterday so things are whitish but nothing to write home about. The winds have been bitter though...just cutting right through you. BURRR!!!!! I need to make up some more herbal teas too. I've been going through them rather quickly this winter.Will add that to my to do list for the coming week. Take care and stay warm my friend.

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  2. It is very good, Carol! I'm going to be doing more soups in the coming couple of months because it is FREEZING here as well! Hope you are warm! Thanks for stopping by as always! xo

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  3. Do you have a nightshade intolerance or allergy? I do! I have known for several years, but still have trouble avoiding nightshades, such as tomatoes. For one thing, I'm a vegetarian! For another, we grow beautiful tomatoes and peppers on this farm, and it is a shame not to eat them. I try to "keep them to a minimum" and completely detox from them periodically. Love cooking soup, so it was fun to read your post!

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  4. No, Aisling, I have GERD and am on a low acid diet. I can eat a slice of tomato or a tomato in salad. I just can't have a tomato based soup or tomato sauce or pizza sauce that is tomato based. I'll put a link up on the right side of my homepage for the post that I did about GERD. We just grow a few tomatoes, but I do make sauce from the canned tomatoes I have from several years ago! The Herbal Husband eats it and I have a bit every once in a while. Thanks for stopping by! xo

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  5. Thanks for responding. I am juggling some interesting eating requirements around here! Am trying to reduce wheat and gluten for one family member, which is new to me. Always something to learn about healthy eating and cooking! I'll check out the link to your GERD post. :)

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  6. Nancy, It is so warm here lately that I am missing my winter soups. I do have lovage still growing and maybe I can make a cold soup to go with that.

    You soups look beautiful and heartwarming. I will save both recipes to make when the rains and colder weather come back. We sure need the rains!

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  7. It is tough juggling food requirements for several different family members, Aisling, but important. I'm always here for you so don't hesitate to ask me. I love doing research. Take care. xo

    Hi Carla, lucky you with the heat, but no rain is not so good. We have a little snow, but the big cold is coming back. Hope you enjoy the lovage soup recipe and from a cookbook and garden that is right up the road from you! Hope you get rain soon! Take care. xo

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Thank you for visiting my herb garden and leaving questions or comments for me to reflect upon or answer.

Lemon Verbena Lady