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| Munger Place, Dallas, Texas March 2013 |
in a world where spring
brings sweet blooms and trilling birds,
how can one be bored?
talya
Musical Pairing:
Sweet Spring
Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs
Although my nest is empty, I still love to dye Easter eggs. This year I decided to dye eggs using food and spices on hand.
I started with red onion skins, blackberries, cinnamon (ground & sticks), green onion tops and cilantro, beet juice and turmeric.
After boiling water, steep each ingredient for ten minutes while grinding and stirring the various ingredients to release the juices. Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to each glass.
To enhance a few of the colors, I added a bit of ground cayenne pepper to the cinnamon, spinach leaves to the green and a splash of red wine to the blackberry. (Next time, I would not use green onions—spinach worked better.)
The beet juice produced a beautiful rose color. The turmeric was vibrant. Soak in the refrigerator overnight for best results.
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| (left to right) purple onion, spinach/cilantro, blackberry/wine, cinnamon/cayenne, beet, turmeric |
A word about boiling eggs: The eggs we buy today are very fresh (i.e. free range, etc.) The fresher the egg, the harder to peel—the white membrane is not mature and sticks to the shell. A teaspoon of baking soda in the boiling water will make the egg easier to peel.
And don’t forget to use the eggshells in your garden. Crushed and sprinkled around flowerbeds, they will fend off slugs. Or mix with your soil as compost.
Happy Easter!
Grace Grits and Gardening
Rosemary Infused Olive Oil
We have so much rosemary growing in our garden, I am forever trying to work it into cooking, cleaning and decorating.
This rosemary infused olive oil is very flavorful, can be used in a variety of recipes and makes a great gift.
Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
5-6 sprigs rosemary
Heat olive oil and rosemary on the stovetop on medium heat for five minutes. Return to room temperature.
Place a few of the rosemary twigs inside a decorative container and fill with olive oil. This will store in the refrigerator for a month.
Rosemary Snacks…
Popcorn: For an unusual twist on an old standby, drizzle a tablespoon of rosemary infused olive oil over air-popped popcorn. Sprinkle with finely chopped rosemary and sea salt. Yum!
Almonds: Spread 2-3 cups raw almonds on a cookie sheet. Drizzle rosemary infused olive oil over and mix to lightly coat. Sprinkle with sea salt, cayenne, chopped rosemary to taste. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Delicious!
Enjoy!
talya
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
