Sayonara Sniffles!

                                                                                                                (gator foot = good luck)

  

So, the taste tester and I came down with a case of the sniffly bitts this last week. I decided to come up with a warm and cozy concoction to try and clear it all up. Not only is the tea delicious, but with three doses both of us are feeling much better. One more dose should do it, and we'll be right as rain! 

                                      
Sayonara Sniffles Tea

¼ cup Chamomile 

3 Tbls. Black Tea

2 Tbls. Lemon Balm

2 Tbls. Peppermint 

Honey

Lemon

Measure and combine herbs. Press with a mortar and pestle, releasing all the yummy goodness. While preparing herbs, its best to think happy thoughts of health and wellness. Ready a tea pot, and fill a mesh tea ball with herbal mixture. Steep the tea for approximately 3 minutes. Breathing in the lovely aroma also helps to open up the sinuses and congestion. After the tea is steeped, finish your cup with a bit of honey and lemon (no milk!). 

Recipe should yield approximately 4-5 servings. Store mixture in a glass jar or air-tight container. 

*Photo credit thanks to NOLAfleur Photography

 

Milk's Favorite Cookie...

I've kind of taken a bit of a hiatus for the last few weeks. Christmas gift baskets had me in a tizzy over pesto and dog treats, fudge and chocolate bark... not to mention the array of cookies and hot cocoa mix! Phew. Had a blast doing it all, but glad to get back to mellow. 

So... I think I might be getting little better at this food photography thing. If at first you don't succeed try, try again! I got a fancy pants new camera for Christmas... which I'm still trying to figure out. (I think the dogs and boyfriend might soon grow tired of my relentless snapping..) Thanks Mom and Dad, I love it!   

Now for the guts. The serious stuff... the cookies. Really, these babies are to. die. for. I pretty much demolished the whole batch, leaving a meager two for anyone else who might want a taste. Peanut buttery and perfectly chocolatey, oatmeal's hot cousin of a cookie! 

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour  

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. fine sea salt

1 stick (½ cup) melted and cooled butter 

½ cup creamy peanut butter 

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

1 large egg

½ cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup chocolate chips (I used a mix of bittersweet and semi-sweet)  

Preheat oven to 350° and prep two cookie sheets (either line with parchment paper/silicone mats, or light spritz of non-stick cooking spray) 

In medium sized bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt).

Cream together the melted and cooled butter, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, in two batches. Fold until just mixed. Fold in oatmeal, then chocolate chips. 

Using a cookie scoop or spoon drop dough balls onto cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches between. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan half way through. The cookies should have lovely, lightly browned tops with perfectly chewy centers.  

 

Decadent & Divine

These are the most delicious treats I've had all year! Cooking is magic at its core. Combining ingredients into a harmonious balance of deliciousness is alchemy at its best. This particular recipe uses cinnamon and nutmeg, good for luck and prosperity. These ooey-gooey, rich and chewy Pumpkin Praline Blondies are incredible! I baked these for a birthday dinner last night, and thankfully most of them are gone! It's been a struggle to control myself around these...

Pumpkin Praline Blondies

Makes 24 bars or 20 muffins 

2 cups all purpose flour

2½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

2 cups dark brown sugar (packed)

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

Topping: 

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

¼-½ cup praline/candy coated pecans 

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter and grease 9x13 inch pan (or muffin tins). 

Combine and whisk flour, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk sugar and butter until creamy. Add both eggs and vanilla, whisk until creamy. Add canned pumpkin and whisk until thoroughly combined (may be a bit lumpy). Add flour mixture and gently fold until the flour mixture is just combined. Pour batter into ban and lightly smooth the top with a spatula. 

Combine pecans, sugar, and cinnamon into food processor on high until crumbly. Don't over process, the pecans should still be a little chunky. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter. 

Bake for approximately 30 minutes (20-21 minutes for muffin tin), or until a knife inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool completely (about an hour) before cutting into bars (or removing from muffin pan).  

Sugar & Spice

A few months back I took one of my regular trips to Cairelle's shop, Witchy Living . Once I got home and started playing with my herbs, I got the idea to make herbal cookies. So, the hunt began! Since then I've been working on my recipe and I think I finally got it! I wanted a sweet, buttery, chewy cookie home for the herbal goodness. This cookie is all of those things, and absolutely delightful! The Lavender and lemon glaze marry well and seem to elevate these cookies to a new level. I love the combination of herbs used in this recipe, but it's completely versatile. So, without further ado:

Nutmeg's Herbal Cookies
1.5 T Chamomile
1-1.5 T Lavender
1 T Lemon Balm (I go through and pick just the leaves, no stems)
.5 T Yarrow
.5 T Wormwood (Mugwort works too)
Pinch of Nutmeg (May be omitted--I put a pinch in everything, thanks Cairelle!)
2 c flour
.5 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp salt
2 sticks of butter (room temp.)
1 c sugar
1 T brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
4-5 T powdered sugar
1 lemon

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a tea with the Yarrow and Wormwood while the oven is preheating. I pour just enough water to cover the herbs so the tea is more concentrated, and let it steep while I prepare the rest of the recipe.

Combine lavender, chamomile, and lemon balm in food processor (or coffee grinder). The food processor gets the herbs to a much finer grind. I have also found its best to take the processed herbs and then grind them again with a mortar and pestle. The mortar and pestle seem to release the oils in the lavender more so than the food processor.


Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and finely ground herbs. (Tea should still be steeping).

Cream butter and both sugars. Add egg, vanilla, and 1 Tablespoon of the Yarrow and Wormwood tea. Mix until creamy. Add dry ingredients to wet, in 3-4 batches. Transfer dough to plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes, or until firm.

Once dough is firm, remove from freezer and roll into balls (approximately 1.5 Tablespoons per cookie). Roll dough balls into sugar and place on prepared, lined cookie sheets. Dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and press each cookie. May need to redip the glass after 2-3 cookies.

Bake for 7-10 minutes, depending on preferred consistency. I baked mine for 8 minutes, and they were perfectly chewy.

Cool cookies on pans for at least 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Once cookies are cool, add the powdered sugar to a small bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice into the sugar, while stirring, until desired consistency. I used a little more than half the juice of one lemon.

Dip the tops of each cookie into the lemon glaze, and let rest on cooling rack until dry.



I usually get my herbs locally, from Cairelle. If you're not in the New Orleans area, you can email her and place an order: Witchy Living  

Bouncing Bear Botanicals is an online shop with a great selection.  

Sexual Healing

I've had the desire to blog for quite some time now, and finally decided jump right in! My current passion/obsession is herbal tea. I'm a huge believer in the magical and medicinal properties of herbs. I love scouring the internet and various books for recipes and herbal uses.

This particular recipe was inspired by my love and hunt for Damiana. Its been a little difficult to find, because of it's euphoric effects in high doses (I also like to support my area and try to buy all of my herbs from local vendors, making it a bit harder to find). Herbal potpourris and incenses incorporating this lovely herb have become popular lately, thus the high demand. Damiana is also an aphrodisiac and has been said to get both women and men ready and able to perform. I also used Dittany of Crete, an ancient European love herb originating in Greece. Dittany of Crete is somewhat costly, but in my opinion well worth the price. The smell is amazing and can also be used in cooking, similar to Oregano. This tea is called Sexual Healing because of its affects on lovers, as well as its soothing properties. Chamomile, Peppermint,  and Lemon Balm provide comfort and relaxation. 

This recipe should make enough for approximately 8 cups of tea, depending on how much you use per cup. The recommended dose is 1 T per 8 oz cup. 
 

Sexual Healing Tea

2 Tbs Chamomile 

2 Tbs Lemon Balm

2 Tbs Jasmine

1 Tbs Peppermint 

1 Tbs Dried Minced Lemon Peel

1.5-2 tsp Damiana 

1.5 tsp Dittany of Crete 

Pinch of Red Rose Petals

Pinch of Pink Rose Petals 

Use a mortar and pestle to grind and mix your herbs. They don't have to be too fine, just enough to release their goodness and fill with your intention. 

I've been experimenting with herbal tea cookies, recipe to come soon!