I am very blessed to have had the chance to spend three days with my youngest sister this weekend. You may know her as Frankie, of Just My Opinion. Frankie teaches kids at risk, and August through May, her calendar is SO booked up that it’s tough to get more than a day or two together other than major holidays, and even those can be tough to schedule.
She arrived on Wednesday afternoon, and we kibitzed and caught up on family news, and then Dear Husband fixed his famous Caesar salad with marinated chicken chunks. I added bowls of strawberries, mandarin oranges, and a plate with tomatoes and olives. It’s a good thing dinner was light because the food really flowed the next two days!
Frankie and I went out about 7:30 and worked in the gardens for three hours. She helped me to dead-head the peonies and cut back iris. I pulled weeds and she hoed out some invasive clover. Each time we drove by that garden for the rest of her stay, I slowed the car so that we could “Oooooh and Aaaaahhhhh” over how beautiful the garden looks now!
We were going to work on her quilt top on Thursday afternoon, but we seemed to need a bit of couch potato-ing instead. We read magazines and sat with feet elevated, and schmoozed. We collected my stepson and Dear Husband and went to Olive Garden for dinner. Our waitress must be good at pinball. She was incapable of setting something on the table without hitting something else. Luckily, nothing was spilled.
Friday morning we went to my regular exercise class, cleaned up and headed down to visit with Elegante Mother. On the way, we stopped at Trader Joes. I want to tell you that it is NOT MY FAULT that I bought all that candy. This was the second time in a week that I got to visit Trader Joes. The first time I brought home chocolate covered raspberry sticks and English Toffee. This time, I replaced the toffee that mysteriously disappeared, and also picked up chocolate covered peanuts, and praline pecans. Ohhhhh, isn’t a sugar high wonderful while it lasts???
Elegante Mother is doing relatively well. She still has a little cough, but even that has improved. Frankie brought her new pictures of her family, and we also gave her a lovely apricot colored miniature rose, and a purple orchid from Trader Joes. The orchid really made a hit.
I have to tell you that Frankie is VERY careful about what she eats. She doesn’t binge, and she doesn’t eat empty calories, and she doesn’t overeat. She’s very selective about what she puts into her body, so it can be difficult to decide what to cook when she comes to visit. She, on the other hand, chooses to give up those restrictions when she comes to visit. That’s how we ended up at Merishka’s having garlic poor boys for lunch. The buns were just soaked in a garlic-butter mix, and the sandwiches were so oversized that we could have purchased just one. We each ate half our sandwich and brought the rest home. Thank you, dear Sis, for the garrrrrrrlicky lunch!
Our next stop was a quilt fabric shop to see if we could match a piece of fabric. You know that the answer was NO….and you probably also know that we both left the store with about seven yards of fabric unrelated to the projects on which we are working. (We just couldn’t resist! Frankie is already planning her return visit.)
The last stop of the day was Caputo’s Fresh Market. It’s a store that carries virtually every fruit and veggie that you could want, as well as an amazing array of Italian foods. The deli area alone really deserves an hour or two to peruse.
Dear Husband broiled flank steak for us. Frankie sautéed mushrooms, I made a fruit salad and baked potatoes, and we cut into a loaf of bread from Trader Joes. Mmmmmmmmmm! Hit the spot.
I had to say goodbye to both Dear Husband (who went to sail for the weekend) and Frankie, early this morning. Frankie would have liked to stay one more day, but there were two engagements calling her at home. Her social calendar is astonishing!
Sooooooooo…..What does a girl do on a free, rainy day?? (Grins)
Daily Archives: June 12, 2010
Fresh Oregano
I have five oregano plants in my herb garden. Each of the five would like to multiply, but I’ve discovered that five oregano plants provide enough oregano to supply all of the collar counties around Chicago, so I’m pretty ruthless about ripping out new starts.
Our weather is running at least two weeks early in terms of temperature this year, so it was time to trim back the oregano. A master gardener who specializes in herbs told me that you can cut back a third of a plant at a time and still have a viable plant. A few years ago I asked Frankie to trim back the oregano and she took it back to a mound about three inches tall and the plant was actually healthier for the haircut. In all fairness, I had not trimmed for the previous two years, so the plants really needed that cleanup.
Thursday morning, we cut back chives, oregano and catnip when we worked in the herb garden. I have an over-abundance of oregano and catnip. I put together fifteen large bunches of the oregano and took them to share with the members of my exercise class. I surfed for some information on how to use fresh oregano, and shared that along with several recipes.
In addition to what I’ve already given away, I have TWENTY-TWO bunches of oregano and ten bunches of catnip. They are bundled and tied to an old-fashioned wooden drying rack that’s sitting in my dining room. The entire house has an Italian smell to it.
If you wish to dry oregano, tie the stems together and hang them in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place. You can store the branches of dried oregano in a paper bag, in a dark place, and then crumble the leaves off as you need them. Storing whole branches helps to keep the volatile oils intact. If you don’t have the space, you can crumble the oregano once it’s fully dried and then store it in a glass jar out of sunlight.
If you are fortunate to have fresh oregano, try toasting the leaves lightly in a pan and add them to your favorite chili or taco recipe. You can sprinkle oregano leaves over feta, drizzle with olive oil and serve with olives. You could grill slices of provolone cheese that have been sprinkled with oregano. When the cheese is warmed and starts to melt, spread it on crusty fresh bread. Or, you can add fresh oregano to salsa, or to sautéed zucchini and onions.
Here’s a link to a recipe for fingerling potatoes with Oregano Pesto that I’ll be trying this summer. Get out there and harvest your oregano, or find a friend who will share. There are loads of great recipes that use oregano!