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1/2 yellow pepper                                                                       
2 T Butter
1-2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil                                                               

16 oz can dice tomatoes or 2 cups of fresh chopped

18 oz can tomatoes sauce
2 t. worshshire sauce
1 T fresh chopped oregano or 1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t crushed red pepper or more if you like it spicy
1/2 t cayenne pepper

In a large skillet or sauce pan sauté the garlic, onions and peppers in the butter and olive oil till slightly tender

Add the remaining ingredients and let simmer for 15-20 minutes to flavor up

Turn heat up to medium and add the shrimp

Makes 6-8 servings

ENJOY!

Infused Olive Oil
The Gourmet Farm Girl

Infusion is the outcome of steeping plants with a desired flavour in water or oil.

The first recorded use of essential oils was in the 10th century

Herbal remedies and herb-infused oils are prepared with dried or fresh herbs, flowers or berries, infused in oil or water. The herb/botanical is then removed from the oil and the oil is used in herbalism in those preparations that require short-term infused oils. Plants with desirable flavours may be steeped in an edible oil or vinegar for an extended period; the infused oil or vinegar is often sold still containing the plant, and is then used as flavouring. Chillies, lemon, garlic, and many other plants may be used.

Bottles of infused oils look great on kitchen shelves, and are always an impressive gift.

Making flavored oils is easy, and the end product can add a lot to your cooking. Use them instead of spices and herbs, and you can add flavor to vegetables and meats. Infused oils make great bases for salad dressings, marinades, and sauces

Instructions for Infusing Olive Oil

Step 1

Choose your herbs and spices. This is the best part because it is fun to choose from many variations for your herb-infused olive oil. Some suggestions for herbs and spices are rosemary, garlic, basil, bay, chives, dill, mint, tarragon, thyme peppercorn and dried chilies. Again try a few different combinations and make a few different bottles.

These can be fresh or dried herbs.

Step 2

Wash and dry your herbs. After washing, leave your herbs out to dry or towel dry on a paper towel. Slightly tear or bruise the herbs so that they begin to release their aroma and flavors.

Step 3

Purchase a rich quality of extra virgin olive oil. Heat the oil over a low flame; heat the oil until it is warm no more than 140 to 150 degrees. Not hot, simply warm as overheating can cause the oil to become bitter. This can best be done in a small stock pot or sauce pan and monitored with a candy -fat thermometer.

Step 4

Stuff herbs into bottles. Use a skewer to place your chosen herbs and spices into the bottles. A little goes a very long way, so don’t overdue it. There’s no need to over stuff each bottle.

Step 5

Pour oil into clean sterile bottles. Pour the warm oil into the bottles over the herbs and spices. Let the bottles sit for a while until cool.

Step 6

Place a cork, rubber top or a pour spout onto bottle. Or the bottle can be sealed off by dipping the cork into melted wax. Then set the bottle in a cool dark place for about a week or go ahead and set it out in your kitchen and enjoy. Keep in mind, the longer it sets the better the flavor.

Step 7

Strain out herbs & spices through cheese cloth (if desired) after a week. If you use garlic, you may want to refrigerate the oil rather than store it in a cool dark place. Inspect your oil before pouring. Adding 1-2 teaspoons of citric acid will help with preserving freshness. Use oil within 2-3 weeks. *

Congratulations, you have just learned how to make your very own herb-infused olive oil!

ENJOY….

I heard disturbing news today…My oldest son called and said that “our neighbor our friend has passed on”…he had only been diagnosed a few weeks ago. He had received the kind of news in which you know the Lord  is simply calling you home

He was a man of great integrity and had worked hard to keep his family heritage. He was young yet in his years, only mid 60’s.
It is so difficult to think of not be able to live long enough to see the grandchildren you so dearly love grow up.

But I can relate to the fact that my mom , my children’s grandma was called home to soon for us as well.

My children respected this man. He had a great since of humor and a real since of life. My boys would take advantage of a rainy day on the farm to ride their bikes over to the neighbor’s and hang out in his shed while he worked on some machinery that was in dire need of repair. As many farmers need to do on a rainy day…“We would talk for hours” my son told me “about  farm stuff and the local gossip”.

The farm across the road was only a bike ride down the lane and a quick turn to the left and up the lane on the right. I too remember this ride ….I had made the trip in my younger days to visit the neighbor and his kids who were close to my age.
My mom and his wife were friends, this family too had heritage. You see all of our lives were connected in some way. Our ancestors had created a community…one of which is hard to find these days.

Garlic…a great flavor

Slice a few cloves and put into a bottle of white wine vinegar with some fresh chives and parsley. Let sit for a few days before using.

Salad Dressing: Mix 1 part infused vinegar with 3 parts extra virgin olive oil, add pinch of salt and cracked pepper and some honey for sweetness.

Whether you rule garlic with a gentle or firm hand determines the amount and type of flavor you get. Here are some taste tips:

Gently peel and use cloves whole to impart just a hint of garlic flavor.

Slice cloves lengthwise for mild flavor or for those long-cooking dishes.

Mince cloves for medium flavor or for your quick-cooking dishes.

Firmly push cloves through a garlic press for the strongest flavor. If you don’t have a garlic press, put your knife to work and finely chop the garlic. Remember, the smaller the pieces, the more pungent the flavor. Sprinkle the chopped garlic with a bit of salt, because salt pulls out liquid from the chopped garlic. Then firmly rub the salted chopped garlic with the side of your knife blade, further crushing it.

Garlic needs lots of air circulation to last in storage

Whole bulbs of store-bought garlic will keep for several months or more when stored at room temperature in a dry, dark place that has ample air circulation. Keep in mind, however, that garlic’s lifetime decreases once you start removing cloves from the bulb.

Storing garlic uncovered, such as in a wire-mesh basket inside your cupboard or beneath a small overturned clay pot, is ideal.

You can also store garlic in a paper bag, egg carton, or mesh bag. Just be sure there is plenty of dry air and little light to inhibit sprouting. To avoid mold, do not refrigerate or store garlic in plastic bags.

Peeling Garlic the Easy Way

To easily peel garlic, slice off each end of a clove. Then, turn your broad chef’s knife sideways so the flat side is parallel to your cutting board and the sharp edge is facing away from you. Place your knife this way on top of the clove and give the blade a quick pop with the heel of your hand to lightly crush the garlic clove (you don’t want to mash it). The papery skins then rub off easily.

If you’re going to peel many garlic cloves at once, drop them into boiling water for 10 to 20 seconds. Then plunge them into cold water. The skins will slide right off between your thumb and forefinger.

Meatloaf…who on earth made the first one? Or better yet, who came up with the fine idea of grinding up some meat, adding fillers and a bit of this and that spices? I really don’t think it matters. Families across this country know that mom’s meatloaf will always bring back a fond memory of being at the table savoring the comfort of that simple dish with mashed potatoes.

Farm life in America had many of these fine stable dishes. If you are fortunate enough to have been raised on a farm you will know the difference between the farmed raised beef you store in that big chest freezer in the basement and the kind brought home from the local grocery.

The difference of course is the taste; the beef we grew up on was much leaner and had no additives, except for the liver and tongue that might have been thrown in the mixture. (This would only happen when mom decided she didn’t want the organ meats) And yes, she actually cooked up tongue. That is a whole other story…

Oh…and that freezer in the basement. It was big enough to store a whole beef and still had room for the corn we would freeze up every summer. It was one heck of a freezer. It was not a self defrosting freezer like most all freezers today. When it came late Winter-early Spring we would clean it out and put what was left up stairs in the back porch freezer. Unplug it for several days to let the ice melt off and physically climb inside with a bucket and rags to sop up the water. It was a real chore, one of which I was not particularly fond of. I was glad it was just a once a year job.

But like so many of us who reach a certain age we look back on these dreaded chores with a fond smile of knowing it was these tasks that shaped us into who we are today.