Weekend Herb Blogging #190 Round-Up

It’s been an odd year. What with my father’s illness and death, and my 86-year-old mother’s decision to sell the family home, I’ve spent more time in Washington this year than I have since first coming to Alaska 35 years ago.

Family demands coincided with my computer’s system board burning out, leaving me woefully disconnected. I haven't been blogging, emailing, facebooking, or reading other people’s blogs. I miss my friends. I miss writing. I miss playing with pictures.

But little by little, I’m trying to reclaim my life. I’m back in Alaska, my computer seems to be fixed for the time being (knock on wood), and I’m cooking again. Now I just need to start blogging. I've started a piece about Alaska's versatile rockfish, and hope to complete it soon.

In the meantime, Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything, the current major domo of Weekend Herb Blogging, wrote and asked if I’d host WHB this week. I immediately agreed, and hope hosting helps get my blogging mojo back. Weekend Herb Blogging, originally created by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen, is an international food blogging event open to anyone and devoted to exploring the creative use of herbs in cooking.

Here are this week’s interesting entries (please email me if I’ve made any errors or left anyone out):

Graziana of Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs)
Italy

Jalapeño-Carrot Dip

Jalapeños and carrots, in a base of mustardy yogurt, make a flavorful dip for crispy tortilla chips.

*****
Anna of Morsels and Musings
Sydney, Australia

Peanut Butter Pie & Roasted Banana Ice Cream
In honor of her partner’s first visit to the mainland US, Anna made Maggie Beer’s peanut butter pie and paired it with David Lebovitz’s roasted banana ice cream. Anna says the pie was a “salty-bittersweet symphony” and the ice cream “has the most delectable flavor of sweet, caramelized banana.”

*****
Rachel of The Crispy Cook
Saratoga County, New York, United States

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmades)
This year, when the wild grapevines on her property sprung forth, Rachel preserved her own grape leaves, and used them to make delicious stuffed grape leaves.

*****
Maybelle’s Mom of Feeding Maybelle
Ohio, United States

Strawberry Thyme Stuffed Cupcakes
Maybelle’s Mom says thyme “really works well with the chocolate and strawberries in these cupcakes. Very little is used so it is subtle but … it adds a wonderful element.”

*****
Joanne of Eats Well with Others
New York City, New York, United States

Rosemary-Grilled Tuna with Eggplant and Zucchini Relish
Joanne says her adaptation of Rachael Ray’s recipe “was delicious and went over really well with the parents.” The leftover relish paired so well with a melted cheese sandwich that Joanne may “remake the relish just for those purposes at a later date.”

*****
Katie of Eat This
Haslett, Michigan, United States

Swiss Chard Two Ways
Katie had an abundance of Swiss chard in her CSA box, so sautéed the leaves with onions and garlic and roasted the stems with butter and parmesan.

*****
Tigerfish of Teczcape: An Escape to Food
Singapore

Curried Potatoes and Mushrooms
Tigerfish describes her unsuccessful attempt to grow fresh curry leaves, and shares her successful and simple recipe for Indian-spiced potatoes and mushrooms.

*****
Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Spicy Shrimp and Cucumber Salad with Mint, Lemon, and Cumin
Kalyn spiced up Ellie Krieger’s recipe for minty shrimp salad by adding cumin and Sriracha sauce, and recommends taking this delicious salad along for summer celebrations.

*****
Pam of Sidewalk Shoes
Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, United States

Garlic Scape Pesto
After her CSA box included garlic scapes three weeks in a row, Pam stocked her freezer with cubes of Dorie Greenspan’s Garlic Scape Pesto.

*****
Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything
Australia

Turnip Gratin
Haalo says she’s not sure whether it was “the variety of turnips used or the way they [were] cooked but these … had a subtle taste of horseradish - combined with that creamy texture it had us dipping in for seconds!”

*****
Brii of Briiblog
Valsorda, Lake Garda, Italy

Strawberry Jam with Coffee
Brii loves to experiment with jams and marmalades and says the stranger they are the more they fascinate her. Her latest experiment is Strawberry Jam with Coffee, which she says is “perfect with creamy yogurt, vanilla ice cream, or a simple panna cotta.”

*****
Cinzia of Cindystar
Lake Garda, Italy

Tarte Tatin with Saturnino Peaches
Saturnino peaches are known as "tabacchiere" (snuffbox) in Italian. Cinzia says they’re very special with soft, sweet flesh and an intense aroma. They’re originally from the Mount Etna area, and are excellent raw and in desserts like Cinzia’s delicious tart.

*****

Bong Mom of Bong Mom’s Cookbook
United States

Bati Charchari
Bong Mom says, “This is a simple vegetarian dish from the kitchens of West Bengal, a state on the eastern parts of India. The dominating flavor is of mustard oil. The vegetables I have used are potatoes, carrots and sugar snap peas. I have added sumac to give new dimensions to the flavor.”
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Weekend Herb Blogging #191 - July 6th to July 12th – is hosted by Cheryl from Gluten Free Goodness. Please send your posts to cheryl AT eharrishome DOT comand include a photo sized to 300px wide.