MORE IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER

Earlier this week, I found out that more is not necessarily better. Monday I made a big pot of ground beef vegetable soup with lots of wonderful vegetables. I've been reading so much about adding organic, raw, unfiltered apple cider to meats, casseroles, soups, etc. so I thought "Hey! What a great idea!"

Big mistake to add a whole cup verses a tablespoon! Terry wouldn't even eat it. He hates vinegar! It wasn't until Tuesday morning, when I looked in the fridge at that bottle of vinegar, that I figured out what the "problem" was. Lesson learned the hard way! LOL!  BTW, the leftovers went out on the pier, and the birds didn’t mind the vinegar whatsoever! 

So Thursday I wanted to make something easy and good for dinner that Terry would like.  I came up with the following recipe. It was very good, and Terry gave it a thumb up and said "Yes, make it again!"

CROCK POT CHICKEN WITH TORTELLINI

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast

*1 cup Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup sweet onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup ranch dressing
**1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon White Wine Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 ears corn
Mushrooms
Fresh tortellini (I used cheese filled tortellini)
Olive oil

***lemon grass, only the white stem pounded (Optional)

Heat olive oil in large skillet and brown chicken breasts on high for just a few minutes to get brown color. Remove chicken from pan and sit aside. In same skillet sauté onions, garlic and mushroom, for a few minutes then add the white wine and reduce to half stirring constantly. Mix Alfredo sauce, ranch, White Wine Worcestershire Sauce, curry powder, salt and pepper and add to the same skillet with the onion mixture just to warm it.

Put uncooked tortellini in bottom of crock pot, top with chicken breasts, top with lemon grass stem; pour the onion-Alfredo sauce over the chicken and pasta. Put shucked, clean corn on top. Cover and cook about 4 hours on low or 6 hours on high.

*You can substitute the Alfredo sauce with a can of cream of chicken, mushroom or chicken mushroom soup.

**For those of you that don't drink, by reducing the wine, most if not all of the alcohol is evaporated and you just have the rich flavor.

*** I added a small stem of pounded lemon grass on top of the chicken. This is optional, but gives it a mild lemon flavor.

 

 

LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY!!

 

I try to work on my vocabulary a little everyday, so on my home page screen, I have the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day! Today I found a word to be very interesting, i.e. fraxinella. It means the following:

fraxinella \frak-suh-NEL-uh\

noun

: a Eurasian perennial herb (Dictamnus albus) of the rue family with flowers that emit an aromatic flammable vapor in hot weather

Read more at website:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/2013/09/20/

I did a Google search and found out more about this interesting herb. It is known variously as burning bush, false dittany, white dittany, gas plant and fraxinella. It is an herbaceous perennial, native to warm, open woodland habitats in southern Europe, north Africa and much of Asia. It has been suggested that the "burning bush" in the Bible was a fraxinella.

 

So you might want to check out the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day website for more information!

 Great Gardening on this first "cool-front day of fall" in south Texas!

Photo courtesy of Marcin Sikora.

Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group

Post Office Box 1988
Rockport, TX 78381
361-729-6037 (Land)
713-582-2268 (Cell)
361-729-6058 (Fax)

http://rockportherbies.blogspot.com

Come and learn everything you ever wanted to know about herbs. Do you know that there are over 2,000 herbs and that roses are herbs too? do you know that many of our Texas Native Plants are herbs also? Herbs have been used for centuries for not only culinary purposes, but also for medicinal uses, cosmetics, cleaning solutions, clothing (one of which is Gossypium cotton), building supplies, dyes, arts and crafts.

Our herb study group was founded in March 2003 and meets the second Wednesday of every month at the ACISD Maintenance Department (Formerly Rockport Elementary), 619 N. Live Oak Street, Room 14, Rockport, Texas at 10:00 a.m. to discuss all aspects of using and growing herbs including the historical uses of the herbs and tips for successful propagation and cultivation. We are open to the public. Some members of the group are available as speakers to other audiences, so please contact us if you need a speaker to present an herb program.

The Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group, founded in March 2003, is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to increasing public knowledge and awareness about herbs.

Contacts:

Linda T. Collins
361-729-6037

Ruth Hoese
361-729-8923

Cindy Meredith
979-562-2153

BE sure to read! Lots of Information! Herbal Program on September 11, 2013 Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group & Calendar for September, October, November and December 2013

Hello Herbies!

Be sure to attend our upcoming program on September 11, 2013. As always, I'm sure Pat will present a great program. See message below about the program.

September's program on Herbal Salves presented by Cindy was great! Thanks Cindy. It's very easy, inexpensive and far better than store-bought products. Here are some websites to check out on making herbal salves and/or herbal oils.   Check out the links for lots of good information along with some recipes.  Just click on a link to open.     

http://mountainroseblog.com/diy-herbal-salves/

http://www.frontiercoop.com/learn/herbalsalves.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqDq_VnZ8Ok

http://herbgardens.about.com/od/medicinalherbs/tp/5-Best-Herbs-For-An-Herbal-Salve.htm

http://www.wildroots.com/salves.htm

http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2012/10/diy-organic-herbal-salve.html

We have a lot of up-coming events in the near future. A few things we discussed at the last meeting, and more that I've added since, are as follows:

• September 11, 2013 - "Discovery #5" program by Pat Baugh.
• September 14, 2013 - "Club Day" where we will have a booth at the South Texas Botanical Gardens from 10:00 to 1:00. We will be able to have a booth at no costs and hand out literature about our Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group. After talking to Carol Krank at the Botanical Gardens, I realize that our club isn't the only club with diminishing numbers of members. So this is a good way to get our information out to the public. If anyone is interested in attending, let us know (Ruth or me).
• October 9, 2013 - "Herbal Vinegars" Hands on program at Ruth's house. We will get the information to you on what to bring to make your own herbal vinegars. They make great Christmas presents.
• October 12, 2013 - "Field Trip to the Goliad Market Days" where Cindy has a booth. We will car pool and after shopping, we will eat lunch there. Be sure to RSVP by October 9, 2013. For more information, check out the following website: http://www.goliadcc.org/
• November 2, 2013 - "Culinary Holiday Herbs" that we are presenting at the South Texas Botanical Gardens from 10:00 to noon. We will give lots of good information on which herbs to use and have samples for tasting. Please RSVP to let us know if you want to participate. For more information, check out the following website: http://www.stxbot.org/stxbot_education_events.html

• HERBS FOR HOLIDAY COOKING

  Saturday, November 2, 10-noon

  This cooking workshop teaches people how to use herbs in their holiday cooking and includes samples of delicious new treats to wow your family and holiday guests.  

• November 13, 2013 - "Culinary Holiday Herbs" with samples for tasting. This will be a recap of our program given at the South Texas Botanical Gardens.
• December 11, 2013 - "Christmas-Holiday Luncheon" will be at Barb McSpadden's home again. Thanks so much for having the luncheon Barb. Be sure to bring a $10.00 gift for our exchange!

Carol Krank, with the Botanical Gardens, also mentioned that she and Michael are discussing the possibility of presenting a "Wine & Cheese Program". No date has been set yet, but it is something that they would like for us to possibly participate with them.

So hope to see you all next Wednesday!

 

Linda

 

Linda T. Collins
Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group
Post Office Box 1988
Rockport, TX 78381
361-729-6037 (Land)
713-582-2268 (Cell)
361-729-6058 (Fax)
http://rockportherbies.blogspot.com

P.S. I hope I have all the dates correct!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group September 11, 2013 "DISCOVERY #5" Program

WHAT: Pat Baugh will present: "Discovery #5"

WHEN: Second Wednesday of every month, next meeting September 11, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: ACISD Maintenance Department (Formerly Rockport Elementary), 619 N. Live Oak Street, Room 14, Rockport, Texas

Pat Baugh has given us several very interesting programs. She is giving us another surprise program. So don't miss out on the surprise and plan on attending.

Come and learn everything you ever wanted to know about herbs. Did you know that there are over 2,000 herbs and that roses are herbs too? And did you know that many of our Texas Native Plants are herbs also? Herbs have been used for centuries for not only culinary purposes, but also for medicinal uses, cosmetics, cleaning solutions, clothing (one of which is Gossypium cotton), building supplies, dyes. arts and crafts.

 

Our herb study group was founded in March 2003 and meets the second Wednesday of every month at the ACISD Maintenance Department (Formerly Rockport Elementary), 619 N. Live Oak Street, Room 14, Rockport, Texas at 10:00 a.m. to discuss all aspects of using and growing herbs including the historical uses of the herbs and tips for successful propagation and cultivation. We are open to the public. Some members of the group are available as speakers to other audiences, so please contact us if you need a speaker to present an herb program.

 

The Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group, founded in March 2003, is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to increasing public knowledge and awareness about herbs.

Linda T. Collins
Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group
Post Office Box 1988
Rockport, TX 78381
361-729-6037 (Land)
713-582-2268 (Cell)
361-729-6058 (Fax)

http://rockportherbies.blogspot.com

Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group September 11, 2013 "DISCOVERY #5" Program

WHAT: Pat Baugh will present: "Discovery #5"

WHEN: Second Wednesday of every month, next meeting September 11, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: ACISD Maintenance Department (Formerly Rockport Elementary), 619 N. Live Oak Street, Room 14, Rockport, Texas

Pat Baugh has given us several very interesting programs.  She is giving us another surprise program.  So don't miss out on the surprise and plan on attending.

Come and learn everything you ever wanted to know about herbs. Did you know that there are over 2,000 herbs and that roses are herbs too? And did you know that many of our Texas Native Plants are herbs also? Herbs have been used for centuries for not only culinary purposes, but also for medicinal uses, cosmetics, cleaning solutions, clothing (one of which is Gossypium cotton), building supplies, dyes. arts and crafts.

Our herb study group was founded in March 2003 and meets the second Wednesday of every month at the ACISD Maintenance Department (Formerly Rockport Elementary), 619 N. Live Oak Street, Room 14, Rockport, Texas at 10:00 a.m. to discuss all aspects of using and growing herbs including the historical uses of the herbs and tips for successful propagation and cultivation. We are open to the public. Some members of the group are available as speakers to other audiences, so please contact us if you need a speaker to present an herb program.

The Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group, founded in March 2003, is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to increasing public knowledge and awareness about herbs.