You do not have to grow burdock to make this cake. Burdock root is sold as gobu in Asian markets or farmers markets. But you do need it to be fresh. It looks like a white carrot, which I think is why I decided to try it here in this carrot nut torte. The recipe is inspired by my favorite baker, Maida Heatter from her Book of Great Desserts. I substituted 1/3 of the grated carrots for grated burdock root, changed the lemon juice to orange juice and added vanilla. In Maida’s recipe she glazed the cake. I don’t think it needs it but on the other hand I also think it would be amazing with a frosting cream cheese or just plain vanilla.

I hope you have burdock root to use. If you do, please let me know how you use it in your cooking and especially if you make this cake! xoxo

I dream about sharing my baking with people. I’m so happy to send my friend more.

I once made a list of biscotti of the month ideas. The inspirational combinations feel endless. Infusing herbs in olive oil adds a mystery element that not only seems to enliven the flavor, but also adds more of the medicines.

Do you have a dream but realize that it is a dream which may not come true? What does that feel like for you? For me it feels wrong, like I should never settle for that. Instead I must find a way.

The closest I have come to my dream of an Herbal Bake Shoppe actually being a business is to send some treats and share with my friends, family and my children. People make a big deal out of that, but for me its not nearly what I envision. I’m not giving up yet.

rose hip orange cake

dried rose hips

rose hip syrup ingredients

rose hip syrup glaze

rose hip syrup over orange cake

rose hip orange petit fours

Citrus in winter, or any gray day, extends a hand of sunny brightness. I remember watching Florida sunshine TV commercials for oranges in the midst of my childhood Pittsburgh winter dread. These made me want to go to Florida much more than want to eat an orange. Still, I have a strong association with citrus fruit and the sun. Maybe it’s the colors, vivid orange, yellow, pink, so much like how I think of the sun. Perhaps it’s the crisp, sparkly flavor with a perfect sweet and sour balance that has a cheer-up effect similar to feeling the sun warm on my face after a long winter. I’m sure I first heard about Vitamin C in context of oranges being its best source.

The food industry has changed dramatically from the time I was first associating oranges and sun together. But citrus fruits seem to have retained there relationship to sunshine. They have, though, lost their place as best Vitamin C source to rosehips.

Rosehips, which appear in late summer or early autumn as lovely rose flowers begin to fade, take on the role of a rose’s fruit. Their concentration of Vitamin C is extremely high with additional nutritional benefits from flavonoids and antioxidants. Rosehips’ mildly sweet, mostly tangy flavor lends super well to jams, jellies, preserves, syrups and pies.

So, combine rose hip with orange and get sunshine and nutrients. I flavored this orange cake with the juice and grated rind of a dazzling, deep pink blood orange then spooned a concentrated rose hip syrup over the top allowing it to soak in, just like the sun.

It may sound complicated, but it was not! I used dried rose hips that I bought from Mountain Rose Herbs, as obviously here at the end of winter there are no fresh available. I hope you give it a try and leave me a note to tell me if you feel a little brighter!

blondie rose honey

blondie ingredients

blondie dollops

blondie smoothed ready to bake

blondie bars

Recently, my relationship with sadness has been changing. When it first came to me it was all about me and the circumstances of my life, my disappointments, my personal heartaches. My shift relates to the endless horrors and tragedies in the world that brings a whole different level of sad. My heart aches for other people all around the world and all their suffering that I hear about seemingly every single day.

Rumi said “Come out here where the roses have opened. Let soul and world meet.”

This so speaks the power in roses. Heart and soul and help for us all.

Roses lend themselves to baking magically because they add interest, fragrance, and mix well with many other baking ingredients like chocolate, honey, lemon, cream, and berries. An especially easy way to incorporate dried rose petals is by first preparing them as honey.

Honey is a beautiful sweetener for herbal syrups because it is in itself medicinal. Natural honey, not ultra-filtered, has anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory benefits. I gravitate to using less honey: most syrup recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of sweetener and concentrated liquid, so that would mean adding 2 cups honey to 2 cups of concentrated rose tea. I don’t think that is necessary and that you create a perfect tasting syrup that’s just a little less sweet, it doesn’t change the medicinal aspect of the syrup at all.

Rose honey keeps well and having it around facilitates adding a bit of warming brightness anywhere you would use honey. My two favorites are either add a bit to some cold sparkling water with a squirt of lemon or lime and second dollop a spoonful into plain whole milk, grass-fed yogurt. I love this kind of yogurt so much, its creaminess feels comforting alone but the addition of rose honey elevates it even further. I would rather have this than almost any dessert except maybe for chocolate cake with chocolate icing. And on that note, its a given that roses and chocolate go together, which is why turning it into a gooey chocolate fudge sauce for these blondies is so perfect.

peace and love herb blend

preparing peace and love tea

peace and love tea

Maybe it’s the times. I hear it said a lot, these are trying times we are living in and I wonder about all the history before us and suffering. It’s impossible to not be aware of horror, nightmare, sadness – so many people all over the world are facing. I wish I could bottle up all the peace, comfort and light that I feel when I drink this tea and send it out to them, everyone. I wish there was a way to help.

If you need some comforting, please make this tea. If you need the herbs to make it with, tell me – I will send you them.

reshi chocolate cake squares

dried reishi mushrooms

reishi mushroom infused cake

reishi mushrooms ready for decocting

reishi mushroom infused with chocolate

reisi chocolate cake cut up

Mushrooms have a crazy medicinal super power that gives me pause. I’m not talking about our most common white button mushrooms. I love these — and I think you either love mushrooms or hate them — but they don’t add much by way of medicine.

There are many other mushrooms, some like shitake or portabella, well-known. But unless you are a mycologist, a true mushroom expert, immersed in the gourmet world as a chef or food writer, or your cultural heritage is steeped with mushrooms, they all have a sort of wild earthy, slightly sketchy reputation.

And then there is herbalism. To the herbalist mushrooms and medicinal go hand in hand. Reishi is perhaps the most loved, utilized and mainstream. I have seen it in drinks on supermarket shelves. But how in the world does this member of the fungus family have so many benefits? Benefits such as immune boosting, nerve calming, allergy and asthma relieving, circulation improving. I am in awe. Does adding a cup of reishi tea to this cake make a difference? If you cut the cake into 16 pieces you are getting about a half ounce roughly in each piece. That isn’t bad but it also isn’t what you would consider a medicinal dose.

My thoughts are as follows: When you eat a vegetable, let’s say a carrot, you know that it is a good source of vitamin A. We need vitamin A every day to support many body functions like good eyesight, healthy skin, nerve functions. Vitamin A is an antioxidant and decreases inflammation. But we know that eating a carrot won’t provide the total vitamin A needed. Instead it is a building block. one of many sources that you may eat throughout the day to reach an optimal amount. You may also eat romaine lettuce in a salad, broccoli and a sweet potato for dinner, some cantaloupe. I think the same can be applied to eating something that is made with an herb, like reishi. You eat a piece of cake and there is some reishi mushroom tea in it that will help support your immune system among other things. In addition, throughout the day you may be eating those carrots, broccoli, and sweet potatoes or drinking a cup of green tea and taking a spoonful of elderberry syrup, all immune boosters. It’s a building block, but in the meantime, this cake is one darn delicious block.

butternut squash drop biscuits

butternut squash for mashing

quatre espices

dropped and ready for oven

out of oven

fall spice biscuits

I admit the arrival of fall I do not anticipate or relish because it makes me feel cold. And I don’t get excited by pumpkins. It’s strange to think that while fall activities and pumpkins have been married forever, the rise of pumpkin spice is attributed to Starbucks and their latte. It’s also slightly disturbing that as a culture, our taste preferences can be so influenced by a coffee chain.

Make no mistake, I love pumpkin pie and I love coffee. The PSL is totally yummy.

I’m sort of obsessed by the idea of baking with vegetables and fruits. But pumpkin spice baking over flows everywhere now. These biscuits came from the desire to vary the theme.

Butternut squash purees just as nicely as pumpkin to incorporate into batters. I think you could substitute it in any recipe. The spice blend I used was inspired by the Flavor Bible (an awesome book) that lists nutmeg, ginger, and cloves as spices that go well with winter squash. I actually did not know Quatre Espices was a culinary entity, but it turns out to be a staple spice mixture crucial to French cooking especially for charcuterie, beef stews, and rich braises.

One last housekeeping note, the reason squash equals fruit is the botanical rule specifies that edible plants with seeds are fruit.

Sending much fall warmth and love to you!

truffles for the memory

truffle ingredients

rosemary remembrance truffles

bite sized delicious

Perhaps.

Shakespeare, Hamlet
Act 4, Scene 5
Ophelia: There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember; and there is pansies, that is for thoughts… There’s fennel for you, and columbines, there’s rue for you and here’s some for me; we may call it herb of grace o’ Sundays. O you must wear your rue with a difference. There’s a daisy. I would give you some violets, but they wither’d all when my father died. They say he made a good end. – (sings) “For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy”

Ophelia’s rambling, somewhat confused speech refers to symbolic flower associations all related to the circumstances surrounding her father’s death. She begins with rosemary it seems, not for memories, but because she knows that it along with the other plants she mentions help to relieve pain of the heart. Her reference to remembrance translates to an English funeral tradition where those grieving laid rosemary bunches onto their loved one’s coffins as a symbol that they would never forget.

I’m not sure how the idea that rosemary will help with memory retention or recall became so intertwined with this quote, but tradition and modern science support it. Rosemary’s chemical constituents increase the uptake of cellular oxygen in the brain to support and stimulate memory. Herbalists know it as a vital formula ingredient for mental clarity.

I invite you to do your own experiment. You can easily make these truffles; the hardest part is collecting the herb powders. I promise the research will also be delicious.

Last, as I write this, the current world chaos and constant tragedy pull my heart to sadness over and over. I identify with Ophelia’s madness, despair, and grief. I’m not sure what else there is to say.

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two dozen basil leaves

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Ever wonder why summer produces so much zucchini? If you grow a vegetable garden or, like me, receive a weekly CSA (community supported agriculture) box from a local farm, it seems like a logical question when this vegetable just keeps emerging. My curiosity lead me to explore and here’s what I found:

Zucchini grows in any type of soil, needs no extra attention, and easily pollinates. One plant will produce lots of flowers, which translates to lots of fruit. It also will keep producing more and more as the zucchini is harvested.

Inevitably, if you read food literature, you will see an article giving ideas for what to do with abundant zucchini. This summer, I tested a few new recipes. I listened tp an interview on The Splendid Table podcast with Skye Gyngell, a chef who just released a cookbook titled Spring. She described her Slow-cooked Zucchini with Tarragon as being her restaurant staff’s favorite. Look for the recipe on the Splendid Table’s website and if you don’t already, try listening to this podcast, I think you’ll love it. I also made a few different types of zucchini pancakes or fritters.

I try to love zucchini, but my truth can not be denied. It leaves me feeling meh. However, baking converts zucchini to my favorite vegetable. This zucchini loaf inspired by my self-proclaimed baking mentor, Maida Heatter from Maida Heatter’s Cakes actually inspired me to want more zucchini.

A best friend visiting told me she felt addicted to this zucchini bread like a drug. I’m not sure if that’s good, but I understand and I also would like to believe it’s because of my secret basil addition.

fresh out of the oven

two dozen basil leaves

basil sugar

slice of berry tart

tart pastry and filling

filling ingredients

basil sugar first, fruit on top

basil subtle baked in

basil berry tart

There’s no question that fresh herbs call to me, maybe they do to you, too. To call it a fatal attraction is far too severe, but there’s a risky element to growing or buying fresh herbs that feels a bit similar. First, there’s the lure of aroma, flavor, nature’s greenness, inspiration. But then comes the pressure. Questions come up on how to use an abundant garden harvest or a prolific potted window plant or even a far too large bunch for sale in the supermarket.

This year I received beautiful, lush basil bunches in my CSA box for three weeks in a row. I didn’t want to waste a single leaf. My family are nor lovers of pesto, tomato sauce, or mozzarella salads. I made some but as time when on thought about preserving, which holds challenges of its own. I dried some, but then turned to basil sugar and basil salt. Both salt and sugar when blended with fresh herbs will absorb a good amount of the plant’s moisture. After combining almost equal parts of the herb and salt or sugar in a food processor or spice grinder, allow the mixture to dry for a while. This blend will last in the refrigerator for much longer than a fresh herb would last and can be substituted for salt or sugar almost anywhere the flavors make sense.

nettle pesto spiral rolls

nettle pesto

rolled rectangle of dough

a spiral of nettle pesto

rolls for any meal

It’s taking time for me to make friends with nettles.

This seems contrary to the experience of other herbalists who consider it a darling. Nettles ranks among the most useful herbs. First, it’s leaves, roots, and seeds are all powerful but different medicines. Second, it is a nutrient dense, mineral rich green vegetable. Third, it can benefit almost every part of our bodies in some way: skin, digestive system, immunity, kidneys and urinary tract, respiratory system, allergies and colds, reproductive system especially prostate gland, musculoskeletal pain relief, and nervous system. Way before I ever thought of studying herbalism, I was prescribed nettles in capsule form by a naturopathic doctor I saw for a chronic cough and fatigue I was struggling with after having my three children in less than three years. This was a shaky introduction, but it was after planting nettles in my back yard that our friendship troubles began.

The actual stinging experience is a bit of a shock. You think, whoa, nettle leaves really do sting. It goes away pretty quickly, but it does hurt. You can see the little spiky hairs all along the stems and back of the leaves. But even more aggressive is the way nettles send out runners and take over a garden.

Nettles bullies me, perhaps not on purpose, it’s just her way. And I am learning to accept her and making peace. I think I am even beginning to love her a bit. I have learned that good gardening gloves that extend past your wrist, long sleeves, and kitchen tongs help immensely. I have not yet figured out what to do about the garden takeover.

Recently, I couldn’t find kale in my small local supermarket for an egg muffin recipe my daughter had asked for. Quickly it dawned on me that the huge amount of nettles in my backyard would work as a replacement. It was a moment of bonding for me. Baking these rolls was another.

nettle walnut pesto

steamed nettles

pesto ingredients

second stage pesto

garden nettles just picked

Nothing says spring more loudly than fresh stinging nettles.

gluten free chocolate chip cookies

recipe planning with tulsi

tulsi chocolate chip chickpea flour cookies

These cookies were inspired by: http://www.valisesetgourmandises.com/vegan-chickpea-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies/#.WN_VyCMrJO0

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that

Making these cookies triggered a contemplative moment for me. Of course, people love baking cookies because they taste delicious. But, perhaps more critical, cookies blend up in no time and super easily. Ok, I know that’s no great revelation, but I’ve never truly got that before, like in my soul.

I’ve been baking cakes for my “becoming a better baker project” and they take a lot of time. Cakes also use large amounts of sugar, butter, eggs, and flour. When I took a break from the project and baked these cookies with none of the aforementioned ingredients and in literally under 30 minutes, I experienced an instant cookie love. I felt it in my soul, easy and delicious, not to mention frugal and sustainable, but that also relates to ingredient choices. (Click here if you would like to read more about my project.)

I’ve also decided cookies champion powdered herbs better than any other herb form like tea, syrup, extractions etc. Teas, syrups, honey seem to disrupt batter proportions creating liquid imbalances. Concentrated extractions are added in such small amounts, you may not even know they are there. There may be solutions, but I’m still working them out.

So, two discoveries in one cookie, I like that. Still in progress… uncovering ultimate ways to bake with alternative flours, sweeteners, and moistening ingredients.

extracting supplies

organic grain alcohol

herbs for tincturing

I’m no alchemist, wizard or craft brewer but concocting my own extracts feels magical. The endless possibilities add wonder and mystique. And it’s so easy. The two most difficult steps in making tinctures are obtaining the supplies and patiently waiting. There’s a bit of measuring, but otherwise it’s as simple as filling a jar.

As an herb infuses in alcohol, the alcohol pulls out many of the plant’s chemicals, also called phytochemicals or phytonutrients. This creates a tincture or concentrated source of an herb’s beneficial components so just a few drops is all that’s needed in contrast to a whole cup of tea, for example. This is an advantage especially for herbs that don’t taste great, like bitters.

Craft bartenders and mixologists long ago discovered the vast virtues of bitters. At first, bitters were added to rum or other spirits to help relieve nausea and other digestion problems. It was an especially easy way to get sailors to take them. Over time, they have become key ingredients, often referred to as a cocktail’s salt and pepper. Bitters provide the perfect finish, blending and enhancing the elements of a complex drink. A skilled bartender knows that if a drink is flat or missing something, the answer is always to add bitters.

Bitters are the reason a cocktail is referred to as an aperitif or digestif. In herbal medicine, bitters are the go-to way of improving digestion. My teacher, on the first day of class, gave us five remedies that could be given to virtually anyone and make them feel better. Bitters was on this list.

I believe bitters tinctures have a place in baking similar to that of cocktails. We already use extracts like vanilla, almond, or lemon to intensify flavors. Bitters extracts can balance and round out sweetness, moderate richness, add aromatic spiciness, unite contrasting flavorings. They blend well with citrus, honey, and floral tones. They mix in with fats and provide a bit of acidity. All this and help digestion, too.

I picked these three herbal blends to tincture for their bitter qualities and to experiment with their flavors in baking. It’s going to take a while to continue because tinctures must infuse for about 4-6 weeks. Stay tuned for recipes to follow.

It would be a great time to start some of your own..please do and let me know!

fresh out of oven

gin spiked plum jam

mixing muffin batter

filling muffins with jam

inside a muffin

jam peaking through

As my teenagers spend less and less time at home, the quiet vacillates between feeling peaceful and piercing my heart with loneliness. Music helps but also takes my mind down roads that sometimes compound unwanted dark thoughts. I choose instead spoken words, which softens the quiet and gives feeling that there is someone talking to me. Podcasts provide endless stories, interviews, education, and verbal companionship. My current obsession is the Heritage Radio Network with thousands of podcasts related to food, my passion.

While listening to an interview with a bartender/mixologist/author on the history of classic cocktails, all of a sudden my herbal world collided with hers. Bitters!

One of the absolute first principles I learned related to herbalism was that almost anyone can benefit from a few drops of bitters before meals to support their digestion. A well-made bitters formula is a vital tool of the trade. Equally so in the cocktail world where bartenders refer to bitters as their salt and pepper.

It turns out that cocktail bitters originated from medicinal bitters formulas added to spirits to make them more palatable. Even better, adding a dash of cocktail bitters in cooking enhances flavor and complexity just like it does with mixed drinks. I think this opens a world of possibility for a bit of good medicine and taste.

first day herb in oil

infused oil ingredients

lemon thyme infused olive oil

straining infused oil

herb infused olive oil

Which camp do you consider yours when it comes to eating fat? Moderation matters, harmless propaganda victim so eat all you want, or type determines comfort: saturated versus unsaturated? Olive oil seems to have a protective barrier around it keeping it immune to the ongoing debate. Olive oil survives all criticisms and presents itself as the rich sweetheart.

Olive oil spotlights in salad dressings, meat marinades, sauces, drizzling on roasted vegetables or pasta, and even baking showing up in recipes old and new. Cakes, cookies, muffins, really any recipe calling for butter can with a little tweaking substitute in olive oil.

It’s a faultless addition of Mediterranean flavor. Even better (because we always want better) herb infused olive oil can elevate taste to compound intensities.
The transformation while easy requires some planning ahead, about 4 weeks. Once done, though, it will keep a long time in your pantry, unless you use it up right away in a cake.

I love making herb infused oils best of all herbal preparations. Placing dried herbs in a clean jar, covering with organic olive oil, infusing for 4-6 weeks is effortless alchemy. It’s important to use dried herbs versus fresh because the water content in fresh herbs could introduce bacteria and we don’t want that, obviously. Lightly heating oil helps maximize the infusion. I bought a yogurt maker when my children were toddlers and information on probiotics and gut bacteria was just emerging. But my children rejected homemade yogurt for fruity, sugary store bought brands that sadly had not much benefit. I got discouraged and put the yogurt maker away. Many times I looked at it and thought I should donate it. Now I’m so relieved I never did. It’s the perfect tool for long, slow oil infusions.

The only downside to oils is the need to plan ahead. Baking and planning make beautiful partners, though. It’s not always convenient to think a month ahead, but I have found that baking in stages helps and if there is always something in the works in my kitchen somehow that makes everything feel a little brighter.

cupcake with a berry

dried hawthorn berries

hawthorn berry cupcake ingredients

hawthorn berry cupcakes

on cupcake

plate of cupcakes

reliable supplier

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

My cookbook addiction has been in full swing lately. Currently, I’m reading cover to cover a new purchase, American Cake by Anne Byrn. This is a food history book as much as a cookbook. So far, I’ve learned the origin of today’s take-for-granted ingredients such as baking powder and gained a new appreciation for my oven imagining how it contrasts to baking a cake in a firepit. Did you know that women actually died from burns while baking? I had no idea. But what I love the most is the dedication to the specialness of baking and how recipes were shared and kept in personal journals long before cookbooks stocked shelves. Resourcefulness is an apparent theme because there were no supermarkets to buy ready to use ingredients. Women churned their own butter, milled their own flours, and raised chickens for eggs. When sugar was scarce, molasses became a go-to sweetener, spices valuable flavoring agents. With utmost respect, as I read these recipes I can’t help but think of my own baking. These impressions unfold a world of potential herbal baking. How easy it seems to substitute an herbal syrup in place of molasses. Using liquid sweeteners in a batter eliminates the butter-sugar creaming step and feels a bit easier. I made these cupcakes before I had this book but I know I will use it as a reference again and again and feel inspired by the history it unfolds.

banana bread on valentine’s day

chai spices

inside banana bread

inspiration from podcasts

slices of banana bread

I dwell in an aversion to Valentine’s Day camp. Admitting this feels wrong and unromantic. My disdain isn’t really about the common complaint that love should be celebrated every day rather than just on one or by sending flowers, candy and cards. Without getting too dramatic, it’s more about the pressure to be happy when perhaps I’m not, feeling lonely and let down if I don’t have a valentine, and associated unpleasant memories. But even with these extremely negative thoughts, the idea still holds a tender place in my heart. The New York Times Cooking email that I receive almost daily recommends cooking at home for those you love this year rather than eating out and I love that. Baking inspiration flood social media feeds and websites I follow. Delicious looking chocolate raspberry or red velvet or hibiscus or rose flavored treats spread a kind of love that baking does like nothing else. What is not to love about that? Baking and my children make wonderful sweethearts.

I was working on my own valentine-ish creations but they still need help, so instead I pulled out an old notecard recipe copied from my mom for something I absolutely know will be delicious. I altered this banana bread a bit to make it gluten-free because my daughter likes to eat that way and added more spice to warm it up for extra love twist. There’s no red or pink, but there is chocolate inside and it will be filled with love and made with a warm heart.

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to facilitate ease of purchase. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

syrup ingredients

syrup straining

blueberry lemon verbena syrup

Lately, I feel a winter obsession for infused fruit syrups. Maybe I’m searching for a ray of sunshine from the berries or a spark of spring sweetness or maybe I’m craving antioxidants and strong flavors. I’m also finding that using a strong herb infusion (translation: herbal tea) as a base adds more depth and enhances the fruit’s flavor. I’m still working this all out and creating ways to use the syrups. For this one the ideas come easily…pancakes and waffles, smoothies, ice cream topping, blended into yogurt or oatmeal. Such a great way to add sweet without a lot of sugar!

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

turmeric blackberry blonde brownies

turmeric infused butter

blackberry turmeric syrup

turmeric stained parchment

plate of blonde browines that look brown

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

I’ve asked myself several times whether to share this obscure and surprising recipe. Vacillating between yes sometimes no, obviously yes won. My hesitation stems from worry that a recipe’s visual merit reigns imperative for food blogging, recipe websites and social sharing. Recipes you can almost taste through your phone or laptop that spark interest and create beautiful food preside as normal.

While visual food culture isn’t actually new, I nevertheless wonder how a beautiful picture assures taste. Obviously it cannot and does not. How can a mouthwatering photo guarantee the recipe will work well and the result will resemble that photo? My own failures have led to my skepticism. I now know of endless filters and edits that can make anything look better. I have experienced the temptation and witnessed the ease to accomplish with no photography experience required.

I also deliberate on perfection. My own imperfect recipes still taste good. Ultimately we bake for the pleasure of others, those we care about. I keep returning to the belief that if people you love eat and enjoy what you make, then that could define perfect. No matter the visual masterpiece.

I made these brownies because I wanted to bake using a delicious blackberry turmeric syrup I had recently concocted. I decided to add more turmeric thinking it blends well with fat. Traditionally in Ayruvedic medicine, turmeric and ghee combine into a restorative remedy. With multitudinous health and wellness benefits why not add turmeric in higher amounts. This recipe uses syrup whisked into melted butter so I infused the butter with turmeric while it was melting. But I added a lot, perhaps too much. The butter turned deep yellow almost orange which differed from adding turmeric to the blackberry syrup, it had not changed that color. I suppose purple covers yellow better and adding yellow to yellow just makes it more yellow. I imagine there is science to this and I wonder how chefs tackle strong color-changing ingredients like turmeric when they create.

Returning to my posting hesitation…these brownies while flawed, taste delicious. Depending on the light, they look either brownish green or greenish yellow, neither all that appealing and certainly not brownie-like. Otherwise, they are soft and cakelike with bites of chocolate, a bit rustic in flavor from buckwheat flour and different but pleasing. Additionally, the turmeric and blackberries transform them into healthy nourishment. But the ultimate outcome came from when my daughter said she loved them.
I wonder…would you try them? Please send me a message and tell me.

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

Syrups, ok they contain sugar and they’re sweet but preparing your own puts you in control over how much to add. After experimenting with honey, I still think sugar (organic) makes the best syrup to use in baking. Honey syrup becomes amazing spoonful eating medicine, but is heat sensitive and more difficult to strain. This turmeric berry combination elevates this syrup high on the nourishing scale. My plans target this syrup for a cake but after tasting it, I had to share it all on its own with other uses. It embodies kitchen herbalism – easy, not time consuming to make, no fancy ingredients, wellness benefit multitudes, not to mention delicious. By the way, you could use less sugar or more turmeric depending on your personal preference. Here are some ideas for using:

Syrup:
Use as substitute for maple syrup or honey
Swirl into yogurt
Top ice cream
Mix into salad dressing
Use to sweeten whipped cream
Drizzle onto vegetables
Stir into coffee or tea to lightly sweeten
Use as ingredient in baked goods!

Berry puree:
Add to yogurt or cottage cheese
Stir into oatmeal at end of cooking.
Make a sauce for meats or chicken
Blend into smoothie or use as topping for smoothie bowl.
Use as topping for ice cream, frozen yogurt, or nice cream

Any more thoughts? Please comment below…

cookies-on-a-plate

orange-peel-purchased

dried-orange-peel

out-of-the-oven

crinkle-cookies

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

nettle-choolate-loaf-cake-too

can-you-see-the-stinger

steamed-nettles-and-tea

loaf-out-of-the-oven

slice-of-cake

We are deep into fall yet the nettles in my small herb garden bed continue to take over.

Every few days I put on double garden gloves and snip around taking off the top leave whirls. I know this may stimulate more growth, but the crime of not using an herb like this in its fresh form nags at me.

My method to avoid the sting, not totally herbal perfect practice, is as follows: Bring handfuls of nettle leaves, stem and all into the kitchen with my gloves on and put them gently into the sink. Take off gloves and get a big pot ready with about 2 inches of water. Turn on the sink faucet and with tongs, gently turn and rinse the nettle leaves, then with tongs, place into pot, stems and all. Bring to boil on medium high heat, covered. Steam for about 2-3 minutes until deep green, drain and cool. No more sting. Now, with my hands, I remove all the leaves from the stems. These will keep in the fridge for a few days and become a richly valuable mild green ingredient. Chop and mix into risotto, lightly saute with garlic, salt, and pepper, add to soups or stews, or bake with chocolate. Sometimes I think I can feel the minerals sinking into my bloodstream as I eat.

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Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

It’s easy to understand why there’s so much anxiety around. Today’s world presents a lot of food for the anxious heart. I fall prey to it for sure. I’m anti-medication for anxiety and depression; it feels like a band-aid when what’s needed is a cure. But still we have to get through the days, right? Any calming help is a blessing. Herbs can be that help. Ashwagandha is a perfect example and there’s so much more to this Ayurvedic princess than soothing nerves. It’s like you hit a gold mine. To get the whole benefit of some herbs, ashwagandha being one, you have to eat them. It’s a rich source of iron, a mineral vital to so many functions including building strong blood, which in turn helps with our vitality. If you take ashwagandha as a tincture, you don’t get the iron. In India, the home of Ayurveda, it’s traditionally boiled in milk with molasses. This panna cotta is my variation on that with the addition of saffron and cardamom to blend the flavor and add their own vital benefits.

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The mixing of two familiar foods less commonly thought of as herbs. Baking can be magic in that way. Walnuts and beets are both examples of culinary style herbalism.

When September comes, it seems like beets are everywhere. Week after week they arrive in my CSA box. Even if I liked beets (regrettably I don’t) how in the world can someone use all of them? In my nutrition frame of mind I know it’s worth trying. So I roast them, peel them and whirl them in the food processor, then store to use later. Frozen in ice cube trays, they can be added to smoothies. Measure 1 cup portions to mix into batters because beets make amazingly moist chocolate cakes. Pickle them and they last forever this way, besides fermented foods are important and my mom loves them. When huge yellow beets appeared a few weeks ago, I felt muffin inspiration. Because beets add sweetness, the actual sugar amount is proportionally low in this batter. My lovely daughter, a vegetable affectionate yet also not a beet lover, avoids sugar. She approved.

Recent studies have linked eating walnuts with improvement in memory. Eating a handful packs nutrients that our brains need like essential fatty acids and antioxidants. Traditional Chinese Medicine doesn’t ignore walnuts, classifying them as yang tonifying herbs that strengthen bones, tendons and vision. TCM also considers walnuts warming for the lungs and mixed with honey can help chronic coughs. Now there’s a yummy kitchen therapy.

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It’s hard to keep failure in perspective. No matter how many times I hear that your greatest lessons come from failure, it still feels awful at the time. Top that with all the gorgeous social media pictures and I can’t help but wonder where I fit in to the baking culture. I love baking. I don’t always do it well. Lately I’m realizing that it’s a constant work in progress. Just because I plan and research and have the most pristine intentions, it doesn’t mean my end result will be presentable. I wonder how in the world recipe creators do it. How do that make something over and over until it is right or do they even do that, it seems like they are just producing perfection all the time. I’m not, ever. Despite going to bed with a heavy heart, in the morning I feel ready to try again at least in my mind if not actually baking. I think about the next thing and how to change the one I didn’t like. Still, I’m far from where I want to be. The other day I received a gift from my neighbor: a huge bag of the most lusciously red, perfectly ripe tomatoes that she grew in her organic garden. I admit, I’m not a huge tomato eater but these were irresistible. I made salsa for my daughter, a big pot of sauce, and after a few salads I still had left overs just waiting for an herbal bake shoppe trial. Here in NJ there are Italian taverns that refer to their pizza as tomato pie. This inspired me. Earlier this summer, I received another gift from my closest cousin who was visiting for some beach time. It was a giant chunk of Greek feta cheese; completely melt in your mouth pleasure. I decided with the last days of summer upon me, to combine these two generous presents with the hope to break my failure streak. I believe I did. I would love to hear if you think so, too.