Herbs and such....

I like to mix my own  herbs and spices, and grow them whenever possible. Here are a few of my favorites and some tips.

Growing Fresh: Nothing is better than fresh Herbs! If you are so inclined to do a small herb garden, I might suggest that you plant 6-8 heads of Romaine lettuce along side and 1 or 2 roma tomato plants. Romaine is easy to grow and each night when you make dinner, you can simply harvest the outermost leaves on each to make your salad. Add some fresh herbs and a tomato or 2 and you have an amazing FREE salad. (6-8 head of romaine will last us almost the entire summer!)

As the summer winds down and your herbs are enormous, you will want to dry them for use until you plant again. There are a few ways to do this:

• The long way...Tie stems together and hang upside down inside until dry, then crumble leaves.
• The fast way....Pick leaves, place between 2 paper towels and microwave 20 seconds at a time until leaves look wilted, put on counter for 5-10 minutes till cool and crisp. (discolors leaves but works well)
• Oven: Same as microwave but on cookie sheet with no towels, 200 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.

I suggest buying some inexpensive spice jars, (Ikea has great ones) for storing your spices. Here are a few of my favorite mixes.

Italian: Equal parts oregano, basil and rosemary. (garlic powder and parsley can be added also)

Trilogy: Equal parts salt and onion powder + 1/2 as much white pepper -ie 4T+4T+2T. (fish tacos, grilled eggplant, grilled veggies, Mexican Skirtsteak, )

Blackened steak rub (1 T. Paprika, 1 T chili powder, 2 tsp. Salt, 1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder, 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper, 1 tsp. White Pepper, 1 tsp. Black Pepper
½ tsp. Dried Thyme, 1/2 tsp. dry mustard, ½ tsp. Dried Oregano (Blackened steak, hash browns, fried green tomatoes dip)

Mexican: Combine chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic salt and onion powder. (grilled taco meat, skirt steak)

Fowl: 1/4c paprika, 1Tbrown sugar, 2t cayenne, 2tcinnamon, 2t dry mustard, 2t garlic powder, 2t onion powder, 1t salt. (thirsty bird, fish tacos, grilled lemon chicken)

Everyday: Base this on what you like! I use onion, garlic, basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, cayenne, and black pepper. (salads, sandwiches, grilling)

***Note: If you like your spices fine, measure out your mix and grind in a coffee grinder.