oregano | soup, salad, & sunflowers

Fragrant Herb Garden, The Beginning

April 1, 2012 § Leave a Comment

A few months ago I wrote about an idea I had for a fragrant herb garden. Well I started it! My goal is to have our patio full of good smelling plants and flowers, perfect for a glass of wine and a good conversation.

I took a trip to Logan’s a week or two ago and found exactly what I wanted. Lavender, thyme, spearmint, and citrus mint, to add to my rosemary and oregano from last year. I also got some basil and cilantro (I’m a sucker for a good caprese salad and anything mexican with fresh cilantro. And so the herb garden has begun! So far my two favorites are the lavender (huge fan) and the citrus mint (the scent reminds me of Earl Gray Tea.)

Other fragrant, out-of-this world flowers that I have growing around our patio are: confederate jasmine (crawling the fence) gardenia, and peonies. All are looking extremely healthy, showing lots of new growth! I can hardly wait for their blooms.

Now I just have to find a way to arrange everything. Currently, I have multiple terra-cotta pots all over the place. Lovely, but I eventually want to have many more plants and there’s only so much our patio space can take without going vertical. I’ve found some really cute ideas while browsing the web: plant ladders, benches, etc. and I think that’s the route I’ll go.

Here are some snapshots of the herb-lings.

Now to find an inexpensive plant ladder…

Homemade Pizza

February 7, 2012 § Leave a Comment

We had three pounds of pizza dough leftover from our Super Bowl Party last night.

I was going to make pizzas for all of our guests, but due to the excessive amount of delicious food provided by all of our wonderful friends, that just wasn’t necessary.

But I had so much leftover dough.

And not just dough. Cans of whole tomatoes, fresh mozzarella medallions, fresh basil. I was not about to waste any of it. I froze all but a pound of the dough and decided to make homemade pizza tonight for supper. It was delicious, and oh-so-simple!

I found the recipe on the Real Simple website and I’ve listed it below:

Basic Pizza

1 14.5 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
1/2 of a teaspoon of dried oregano
1/4 of a teaspoon of kosher salt
1 1-pound packaged of refrigerated pizza dough (Those with enough time to make their own pizza dough, have at it. Maybe I’ll join you one day.)
8 ounces of fresh mozzarella, sliced or 4 ounces of shredded provolone
8 fresh basil leaves, torn

Heat your oven to 450 F. In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes (and their juices) the oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and then simmer. Crush the tomatoes with a spoon, and continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Shape the dough on a baking sheet or stone into a 12 to 14 inch circle (or something that resembles a circle.) Cover the dough with the sauce, leaving room around the edges of the dough for crust. Top with the cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Serve with fresh torn basil sprinkled over top. I also sprinkled parmesan cheese on top. Voila!

A word to the wise: Make sure your sauce has really thickened (or try your favorite pre-made pizza/spaghetti sauce.) I goofed on letting the sauce thicken and made a mess, but it was still delicious!

Enjoy!

PS – Want delicious Super Bowl and party appetizer ideas from some of our party guests? Check out: RaleighWeds!

Fragrant Herb Garden

January 16, 2012 § Leave a Comment

It’s no news that I’m super ready for spring. I’ve been organizing, cleaning, decorating, and dying to see some tulips poke their heads up through the soil outside our front windows! It’s a waiting game for me right now.

Of course, all the waiting leaves me plenty of time for dreaming and planning for spring and summer. I’ve become slightly infatuated with the idea of growing a ton of fragrant, potted herbs on our patio (I’m embracing living with limited outdoor space!) Last year, I grew rosemary, oregano, basil and parsley. Successful! My rosemary turned into more of a tree, and my oregano is overflowing its pot as well (brought them indoors during the cold.) Anyway, I want to add to my patio garden this spring.

Some ideas are: