Posts Tagged ‘Herbs’
Thursday, September 15th, 2011
Roses
The Antique Rose Emporium (ARE) hosts its annual Fall Festival of Roses in November with three days of free garden-related seminars presented by nationally and internationally known speakers and gardening tours. The ranch is located just a short drive down a beautiful country road from this amazing nursery & garden center.
Antique Rose Emporium, with its 8 acres of landscaped grounds, is located at 10000 FM 50 in Independence, Texas. For more information about the annual Fall Festival of Roses, call 979-836-5548.
Tags: antique rose emporium, Brenham Bed and Breakfast, Herbs, Murski Homestead B&B, ranch packages, roses, Washington County
Posted in Gardening | Comments Off
Saturday, October 30th, 2010
Fava Skordalia (Yellow Split Peas with Garlic)
2 cups yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
4-6 garlic cloves
½ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3-4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
¾ Tbsp dry white wine
2 Tbsp dried oregano, crumbled, plus more for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
All or a few of the following toppings:
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2-3 Tbsp pitted and chopped Kalamata olives
4-5 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 medium tomato, cored, peeled, seeded diced and drained
Few sprigs of arugula, coarsely chopped
Few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
EVOO
Place the split peas in a large pot, add water to cover by 4 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low & simmer, skimming often, for 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves and simmer for 40 minutes more, stirring occasionally and adding a little warm water as needed to keep the peas covered as they cook. Add 1 tsp of the salt and simmer for 15-20 minutes more, or until the peas are soft and almost dry.
Puree the peas with a stick (immersion) blender, or transfer to a food processor and puree. Let the puree cool completely; it will thicken considerably.
In a large mortar, grind the garlic with the remaining 1 tsp salt into a smooth paste. Add 2 cups or so of the puree and continue grinding to incorporate the garlic. Or use a blender or a small food processor.
In a large bowl, combine the garlic mixture, the remaining pea puree, the oil, 3 Tbsp each vinegar and wine, the oregano and pepper to taste, stirring vigorously to incorporate. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
If the skordalia seems too thick, add a little vinegar, wine or water to thin. Spread on a large plate, sprinkle with oregano, garnish with toppings of your choice and serve
Tags: Cooking, culinary queens, Dips/Spreads, Food, Greek Food, Herbs, Hummus, Recipes, Yellow Split Peas
Posted in Sauces/Dips/Spreads | Comments Off
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
On a recent to trip to Blackwood, an educational land institute within a 30 minute beautiful drive from BrenhamTexas, I was delighted to see the way that the land has been preserved through gardens and nature through sustainable practices. A formerly neglected tract of land has been turned into a living learning environment at Blackwood, including the construction of an amazing straw bale home. It inspires me with my gardens (more…)
Tags: Blackwood, Brenham, gardens, Herbs, straw bale house, Washington County
Posted in Brenham, Texas | Comments Off
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
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Fall Cabbages
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Herbs for sale: Antique Rose Emporium
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Scarecrow
With dill as the herb of the year, it is a good idea to start planting it in the garden soon. Be sure to plant lots of its wonderful familial relatives such as parsley, fennel, lovage, cilantro, and chervil. Now is also a good time to start planting other cool season plants such as kale, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, chard, spinach, lettuce, collards, mustard, turnips, beets, and such. Stick some of these into your flower beds for interest. ‘Redbor’ and ‘Winterbor’ kales with their dark purple or soft green leaves look great with pansies, snapdragons, calendulas, dianthus, chartreuse lettuces, parsley and cilantro – the bonus is (more…)
Tags: Fall, gardens, Herbs, Murski Homestead B&B, plants, ranch, roses, vegetables
Posted in Gardening | Comments Off
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
The summer brought on the grasshoppers and leaf cutters but the gardens transitioned beautifully from Spring to Summer producing zinnias, gladiolus, sweet peas, roses, flowering basils, incredible cardoon blossoms, and so much more. Our vegetable gardens at the B&B were chock full of cucumbers, squash, thyme, fennel, colorful swiss chard, bell peppers, basil, yellow and red tomatoes. We spied this fun cucumber that we had missed that was now firmly entrenched in the landscaping timbers! What were your gardens like this summer?
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Cucumber
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Gladiola
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Daylillies
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Figs
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Cardoon
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Yellow Tomatoes
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Zinnia
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Gomphrena
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Sunflower
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Coneflower
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Daylilly
Tags: Brenham, Flowers, gardens, Herbs, lodging, Murski Homestead B&B, ranch, vegetables, Washington County
Posted in At the Ranch | Comments Off
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Greek Salad
Summer time screams tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and basil….all fresh from the gardens at the B&B. This Greek Salad is a favorite and equally delicious as a side or the main course. Paired with crusty bread, herb butter, glass of vino and you have a feast!
Put together equal parts of chunked tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, whole black olives, fresh mozzarella balls or cubes, bite sized strips of fresh basil. Mix 1/3 balsamic vinegar with 2/3 good quality olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and drizzle over vegies. Toss to mix. Garnish with basil flowers and serve. Be sure not to overdress the salad….you can always serve extra dressing on the side. This salad is great to adjust to your own taste buds by adding whatever you have on hand that is fresh and creating your own version of summer salad. Fresh edible flower buds are a great addition as well as herb fronds such as fennel, thyme flowers, and Fiddle Head buds.
Tags: Cooking, Flowers, Food, Herbs, Murski Homestead B&B, Recipes, Salad, vegetables, Vinaigrette
Posted in Salad | Comments Off
Saturday, July 24th, 2010
Tags: Brenham, Flowers, gardens, Herbs, lodging, Murski Homestead B&B, plants, ranch, Washington County
Posted in At the Ranch | Comments Off
Sunday, July 11th, 2010
What a great time we had recently with the Foodie Weekend participants with adventures at several local farmers markets, harvesting herbs from the ranch gardens for class, snatching a few fresh figs for our dessert from a friends back yard after spying them ripening on the tree, an unexpected detour from the last market to take everyone on a scenic history drive through the country side back to the B&B, cooking together and lots of good food! One of the favorites’ from the Friday night heavy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails was this amazing Texas Slider, a Murski Homestead B&B classic recipe…..venison/turkey fresh herbed patty, oozing jalapeno jack cheese, house made remoulade, fresh avocado slices and buttered grilled bun! A little messy but oh, so, so good…….
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Cocktails, New Friends, & Foodie Weekend
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Murski Homestead B&B Texas Slider
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Foodie Weekend Hors d’ oeuvres
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Foodie Weekend Friday Night Hor d’oeuvres
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Foodie Weekend Farmers Market Fun
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Shopping Brenham Farmers Market
Tags: activities, Appetizers, Cooking, culinary travel, farmers market, Food, Fun, Herbs
Posted in Cooking Classes | Comments Off
