Drying Herbs

I want to thank everyone for your very kind comments on my previous post. I don't know what I would do without you. I am feeling better tonight. Keeping busy helps. A special thanks to a couple of you and I think you know who you are who were extra special sweet.

It is supposed to be cool, rainy and maybe even some snow flurries this weekend so I decided it was time for me to get the herbs in. I've been putting it off all month but when it's 70's you really can't think about it freezing. It won't be a hard freeze but for the tender herbs like basil it might be too much. I don't think it will be that bad but you just never know. I read in the Cooks Illustrated flyer that they send me every once in awhile because they want me to subscribe that you could dry herbs in the microwave. So here goes!!

I don't know why these silly pictures post sideways when they look okay when I upload them....Oh well. This is Thai Basil. Have you ever tried it? I love it with roasted potatoes. I just cut potatoes, add some garlic cloves and a few leaves of Thai basil. Sprinkle with salt/pepper and olive oil. Toss and throw in the oven at 400 and bake.

I also did regular basil. All I did was wash and dry everything. Pull the leaves off and put them on a paper towel. Lay in the microwave and turn it on for 30 seconds. Then another 30 seconds and then 10 second intervals until they were dry. Each herb was different but I don't recommend doing more than 30 seconds at a time. I did with my Parsley and I kind of had a fire in my micro...not a good thing!!
I dried sage and also froze some. All I do when I'm freezing is wash, dry and put in a Ziploc freezer bag. I leave those on the stems but I recommend taking the ones you are drying off the stems because that is what caught fire on the parsley. Live and learn!! This is the first time I have dried herbs this way and I am really happy with the results.
Sage and parsley while they were drying.
Below is the sage after I dried and crumbled it.

Finished product that I later labeled so I wouldn't forget what was in the jars. Sage, parsley (2 jars) and regular basil and the Thai basil below.
I didn't crumble the basil, just put it in the jars. I crumbled everything else. I froze Sage, Thyme, Oregano and Chives. Everything went in the Ziploc bags whole on the stems but the Chives I snipped in little pieces for adding to omelets, etc.

More Aspens and My Friend David

I wasn't going to post for awhile because I am so very sad. My very good friend David passed away yesterday in his sleep. I met David a little over a year ago and he became a very very good friend. He was a crazy 62 year old guy who loved to ride his Harley!! And I might add at a very high speed. He had retired and rode his bike every day. He loved it more than I can express. David had a wonderful wife who I talked to tonight. She is such a wonderful person and he loved her so much. They were married 19 years. It was one of those May to December romances. There is 20 years difference in their ages. You should have seen them together. So considerate and so kind to each other. You could feel the love. David was always telling everyone what a beautiful and wonderful wife he had. She told me tonight that she hoped she had been a good wife to him and I assured her she had been. They married 3 weeks after they met. Can you imagine? He fell asleep and never woke up so he didn't suffer and I am thankful for that. He got up yesterday and said he was tired so he went back to bed. Before she left for work she went to tell him goodbye but he was snoring so she went to work without waking him. When she came home from work that evening she found him. I can't imagine coming home and finding someone you love so much.

I'm sorry to be sappy but I'm home alone and I guess I just needed to talk to someone. Anna and Bailey are both sleeping. Don't they know I need a hug? Bailey and I did play catch for awhile tonight so I guess he tried to cheer me up for awhile.

These are the last of the drive #1 pictures. I'll be uploading drive #2 and posting those soon. If I bore you let me know and I'll take a break. Thank you my friends for listening and for being here for me.

Aspen Drive Part II

Shall we continue our trip? Thank you for all your lovely comments on the first leg of our trip. We had fun didn't we!! Now for more. We are seeing some really pretty colors now.

See the snow in the background? Must be left over from the early snow the mountains got awhile back.

This is Echo Lake. The water looked really cold but it didn't seem to bother this little fellow.

We walked around the lake. I took a sweatshirt with me in case it was cool up there but I left it in the car!! There was a cool breeze blowing so it was pretty chilly in the shade which was most of the time. We walked fast!!!

That's all for now!! I probably have one more post.

Hot Cottage Collectibles

I have a new book that is fabulous!! I heard about it from Lynn at The Vintage Nest. Thank you Lynn. Everytime I open it I find something to ooh and aah about. You can read about Lynn's birdhouses that are in the book here.

I just took random pictures from the book. If I took all that I loved you'd be reading all day. I hope you enjoy a tease from the book.

I am really enjoying looking at all the pictures. They are beautiful as you can see. Thank you Lynn for telling me about this wonderful book. Oh and if anyone would like a copy check here.

Drive to See the Pretty Aspen Trees

We took this little trip Monday when I noticed the sun was shining and it was such a beautiful day so unexpectedly I came down with a fake I have to go home early disease. I don't usually get those and this was a perfect day for one.

I decided to split this up into more than one post. We took so many pictures you'd be sightseeing all day and I know you have things to do!!! Plus other places to visit too!

I love all the gold and orange amongst the green. Before we continue I thought you would like to learn some fun facts about the Aspen Trees. This article was actually in the paper the other day so I'm not really that smart.

So what makes an aspen leaf "quake"?

Aspens, like other poplars, have flat as opposed to round petioles, the part of the leaf that connects the main body of the leaf to its branch. These flattened petioles allow for more movements.

Why does an aspen leaf shimmer?

The leaf of an aspen is actually two colors; the top is a dark green, while the down-facing side is a lighter shade. When the leaves quake, they turn over and over at a quick rate, making it appear as if the leaves are shimmering light and dark.

Why do I never see an aspen growing alone?

Aspens grow in colonies. Each aspen in a grove is connected to the others by a complex root system, making one large organism that shoots up various stocks. Some colonies are so large that they are among the largest single living organisms in the world.

I thought the facts were really interesting. I didn't realize they were connected to each other. And now for some more beauty!

This poor old shed looked so forlorn out there all by itself. We couldn't resist taking the picture.
We left Denver and headed for Idaho Springs and took the Mt Evans turn off. We went to Echo lake which you will see later and over the pass to Bergen Park. It was a beautiful afternoon and a beautiful drive.

AND THE WINNER IS...........

Good morning everyone, happy Saturday and HAPPY GIVEAWAY WINNER DAY!!

I printed out all the comments, cut and folded them individually and put them in my bucket. I decided I really didn't want to be the one to draw the name so I thought I would let my Anna and Bailey give it a try. I didn't know if they would actually take a name out and if they didn't I figured I'd give it a go!! As you can see they both had their heads in the bucket (probably thinking there were fishy smelling snacks).
Anna got bored very quickly and left but Bailey kept playing with the pieces of paper and I sat anxiously waiting!!!
OK I think he is reading the names and picking out his favorite. What do you think?
He actually pulled a name!! I was so happy!! And the winner is Amy from Four Sisters In A Cottage. I couldn't be more pleased. Amy was one of the first blogs I visited regularly after I discovered what a blog was and got hooked.
So darling Amy send me an email with your address. I thought I had it but couldn't find it. I know it is somewhere but that could take weeks. My desk is a mess. My daughter looked in it last week and told me I should clean it. I am shampooing carpets this weekend. I did the living room last night and today it is the bedrooms turn. After I finish I will post the Aspen pictures.

Have a wonderful day and congratulations Amy, I am so happy for you. This was so much fun I may do it again soon. I wish I could send you all something. I complain sometimes about how much time I spend on the computer posting, reading and emailing but it really is fun to get to know all of you. And I've made some wonderful friends.

Giveaway Update

I finally made it up to see the Aspen and will be posting as soon as I get the pictures downloaded to the computer. This is just a tease of things to come. And I went shopping today on my lunch hour to get another little Colorado goodie for the giveaway. The lady asked me if I wanted it gift wrapped and I said Sure!!! That way I can show it to you and you can start guessing as to what is in the box. Tee Hee!! Doesn't it look pretty?
I probably won't be posting until Saturday when I draw the winner!! I can hardly wait! Are you excited too?