Amaranth - It's What's for Breakfast!

Cinco de Mayo is coming up fast!  How 'bout some traditional Mexican cuisine?

Many Latin American food items are naturally gluten free - corn, amaranth, quinoa (KEE-nwah), and potatoes.  When you're first learning to go gluten free, cooking some of these can seem quite intimidating.  They seem just so foreign!

Well, let me tell you, they aren't as scary as you may believe.  We are all very familiar with corn, so let's start with amaranth.  Many traditional Mexican dishes are made with it.  You can buy it in any supermarket as a whole grain (cook like rice per package directions) or flour.  If your store doesn't carry it, or you don't have a Whole Foods near you (or the Whole Foods doesn't carry it), you can buy Bob's Red Mill brand through Amazon.

Amaranth is one of the many "supergrains", even though it's technically not a grain.  It's high in fiber and protein.  It's a good source of calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, magnesium, Vitamin A, Vitamin B5 and Vitamin C.  Compared to wheat, it has 3 times more fiber and 5 times more iron, and it's 90% digestible.  Which is good news for anyone with digestive issues, those recovering from disease, and people coming off a fast.  It also has twice the calcium of milk - also good for those with dairy issues.

Today we are having Atole, a traditional Mexican breakfast beverage.  It's warm and creamy and rich.  And it's good for you, too.  My version is adapted from a recipe found here at the VersaGrain website.

SPH Atole
1 cup amaranth flour
4 cups water, milk or cream (I use half-and-half because I like mine really thick and creamy)
1/4 cup brown sugar (regular, demarara or turbinado)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped or vanilla extract to taste

In a medium saucepan, whisk liquid into flour.  Heat over medium heat until it begins to thicken, whisking gently but constantly.  Add brown  sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla bean and seeds (or vanilla).  Continue cooking and whisking until thickened and starting to bubble.  Serve hot.

You can even add grated chocolate to this.  I haven't tried that yet, but trust me, the day is coming!

This is like a hug in a mug.  Oh, is it rich and creamy!  Almost like a hot, liquid-y rice pudding. Mmmmm.

No amaranth flour?  Substitute finely ground white cornmeal or rice flour.  Like I said, I like mine really thick.  If you'd like (or need) yours thinner, add more liquid - either water or milk.  Use honey or maple syrup for the sweetener.  Maybe even some apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon.  Add some applesauce or other pureed fruit.  Make this for your kids some chilly morning as a sweet treat.  Have a sick one at home?  Make it savory instead by using chicken stock for the water, and add some diced, cooked veggies (puree it if necessary).  Lots of possibilities here!

No matter how you choose to make it, just make it!  And enjoy!

Easy Dulce de Leche in a Slow Cooker

Lovely, sweet dulce de leche - a traditional Mexican sweet for Cinco de Mayo!

I've seen lots of recipes for this all over the internet.  Most cook the sweetened condensed milk in the can it comes in.  There are lots of problems with this.  First and foremost, if you forget to puncture some holes in the can, it will explode.  Yeah, that's a problem!  Also, most cans contain BPA, which is a questionable chemical.  This chemical can leach into your product.  Ick.

And then I came across this recipe from Simply Frugal Mom.  She put the milk into canning jars before putting them into a slow cooker.  Much safer on all counts!  And did I mention delicious?!

I did make two tweaks to the process, which I'll share with you in a minute.

Here's what you need:
2 cans of sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
3 8-oz. canning jars, NEW canning lids, and canning rings (all should be cleaned and sterilized)
boiling water (this is Tweak #1)
crock pot with crock large enough to hold all your jars

Divide the contents of the 2 cans of milk equally among the three jars.  Wipe the tops of the jars with a warm wet dish cloth to be sure they are clean.  Then, place a new lid on each jar, and screw on a ring to hand tightness.  Place jars into the crock part of your crock pot, and cover with boiling water.  You will need enough water to cover the jars by at least 1".  Turn the crock pot to HIGH (this is Tweak #2).  Allow the jars to cook on high, just until they start to turn a light caramel color, then switch to low.  The amount of time this takes will depend on your slow cooker.  Allow to cook on low about 4-6 hours more, or until desired thickness.  I like mine thick, because I can always melt it down if needed.  Usually, it gets stirred into hot coffee, so it melts on its own.  If you'd like to use it immediately for a caramel sauce, I'd go with a shorter cooking time.

When done, remove jars carefully with a jar lifter, and allow to cool to room temperature.  Tighten lids all the way, as tight as you can.  Store in the refrigerator.  I'd love to tell you it will store for a month, but it will probably be eaten by then.  I'll say it anyway, just in case.

The process can easily be doubled or tripled if you have to make something for a crowd.  If you don't have room for the multiple batches in your crock pot, leave the milk in its original can, and divide into the jars when you are ready to cook it.  This is also a great way to divide the time and labor into smaller, more manageable parts of a busy schedule.

This is a great neighbor gift at Christmas time, or thank you gift for someone who does a really nice favor for you (think "Thanks for being sweet" on the label).  And, like I said above, it is PHENOMENAL in your morning coffee, or melted and poured over ice cream.

Enjoy!

Easy Handmade Card Idea

I know that sometimes when we see those beautiful handcrafted cards, it seems very intimidating.  Just choosing which papers to use can be overwhelming!  Well, I'm here today to make this a lot less stressful...



For our project today, you will need cardstock in a base color, then assorted papers and cardstock colors to make the rectangles.  You will also need the adhesive of your choice (double-stick tape or tape runner) and either 3 brads or 3 stick-on gems of your choice.  Other embellishments will be up to you.

Let me start by showing you the inspiration card I found on Scrapbook.com made by user LREA.

I really liked the bright spring colors of the card, and how the different patterns made it so fun.  Plus, lots of clean, simple lines...

I made a rough sketch of the basic elements in PowerPoint.

Then, to get the exact sizes to cut my paper, I sketched it again with graph paper and pencil.  The finished card front will be 4 1/4" x 5 1/2", so I wanted to be sure I had the exact measurements I needed for the other pieces of paper and cardstock.

Here it is all colored in with colored pencil, so I knew what papers to cut how, in which specific sizes.

I based the colors on some papers I had on hand, specifically the pink with the flowers, which you'll see in just a moment.  The next step is all the cutting.

You can use a paper cutter, or just a ruler and some scissors.  Start by cutting the card base - take an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of cardstock, and cut it in half, so you have 2 pieces that are 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".   Fold the pieces in half.  Here's a stack of them I made for a card swap.

And here are all the pieces cut:

And here's the cutting list:
1 dark pink - 2" x 4 1/2"
1 dark pink - 1 1/2" x 3 3/4"
1 pink floral - 1 1/2" x 4"
1 dark brown - 1" x 3 1/4"
1 light brown (patterned paper or coordinating ribbon of your choice) - 1/2" x 4 1/4"

So let's make the card!  Here you can see all the pieces laid out, ready for assembly.

Start by assembling the vertical layers - the dark pink and pink floral.  Tape the pink floral onto the dark pink, then tape the dark pink to the card base.

Then, do the horizontal layers in the same way - dark pink first, then dark brown.  When those are on, add the thin brown paper/ribbon.

In the top right corner, I secured three pink self-adhesive pearls.  To keep them straight and even, you can use a ruler placed next to where you want to put your pearls.You can add ribbon and brads, like the inspiration card, or just ribbon, or just brads - whatever you'd like to do.

And there it is!  You can see that I didn't use all the elements from the original card.  You don't have to either.  Use what appeals to YOU!  Feel free to use the same colors as my card, or the inspiration card.  Ink the edges of your papers, or tear them, or both, or not.  Add a sentiment, or not.

See how easy this is?  Make a bunch - Mother's Day is coming up, so are graduations and Father's Day.  Use different papers and different colors to make baby cards, wedding cards - any card!  Once you try it, I know you'll be hooked!

Have fun!

Liebster Blog Award

I was so pleasantly surprised when Faith (Artistic31Mama) told me the honor the Liebster award for small blogs (under 200 followers) was mine. She was kind enough to pass along this award to me! Thank you so much, Faith - I am so honored!!

For me, blogging was a way to put knowledge in one place for family, friends, and anyone else who was interested in the "what I do all day". For a long time, I've had people ask "how do you do that?" and "would you show me?" and "can I have the recipe?".  This way, I can share information with anyone who wants or needs it, a one-stop-shop for those who are new to being gluten free, or who want to learn to craft or garden or can.


To be nominated for an award for doing what I love is simply icing on a gluten free cake!

As part of receiving the Liebster Award, I am delighted to pass it on to my favorite small blogs that I think you would absolutely love. :-) Be sure to stop by and say hello to them!

Michelle and Ashley - The Tattered Quilt Cottage
Kristina - Pioneer Woman at Heart
@llie - Freshly Completed
Amy - While Wearing Heels
Angell - Passionate and Creative Homemaking


Upon accepting this award bloggers are asked to: 

1) Post the award to their blog

2) Link back to the blogger who gave the award

3) Give the award to 5 blogs with less than 200 followers

4) Leave a comment for each blogger letting them know you have offered them the award.


So stop by for a visit and leave them some comment love!

Tea for Tuesday - Primitive Flower Mug Mat

A great idea for Mother's Day!

This is a really quick and simple way to learn how to do applique.  Our little mug mat is made from some simple squares of muslin and scrap fabric, a square of cotton quilt batting, and some scraps in bright colors.  You can decide how you want to shape your flower (I used an oval), your leaves, etc., and the colors you want.  I loved the combo of that funky pink with just a plain orange.  I also liked how the green made such a wonderful dark contrast to the brights.

You'll also need basic sewing supplies (including pins) and a sewing machine.

So let's all get started.  Cut fabrics and quilt batting to 6" square.  Dig through your scrap stash to find the color(s) you want to use for your flower and for the leaves.

Cut your flower fabric into desired shape(s). I used an oval and a circle.  You can use 2 circles, 2 ovals, a "standard" flower shape.  This is "primitive", meaning it can look like a three-year-old drew it.  Think outside the box!  Then, cut your leaf fabric into desired shape.  My leaves are just pointy ovals.

Pin the larger shape into desired position onto the muslin square.  Stitch it down with straight stitch, zig zag, or blanket stitch.  I used blanket stitch, and I also used an orange thread.  You can use matching, coordinating or contrasting thread - your choice.

Not sure which one is blanket stitch?  It looks kind of like this:

___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___

Set up your stitch so the flat side follows the outside edge of your item, and the up-and-down line points toward the center.  You may also have to adjust the tension on your machine to avoid puckers.  I should have loosened mine a bit.  If you're not sure, do a few test pieces.

If you'd like to really go vintage on this project, hand stitch the blanket stitches.

Repeat this process with the center for your flower.

Position leaves below flower, and repeat process.

Now, we are going to do the quilting part.  Make your mini quilt sandwich by placing the flower square face up on a table.  Then, place the backing square on top, wrong side (back) up, and place the batting on top of it.

Stitch around 3 sides, using a 1/4" seam.  Trim all 4 corners.  Turn right side out.

Turn edges of open side in towards the inside, about 1/4.  Pin closed.  Stitch around all 4 sides, close to the edge.

To quilt this, just use a straight stitch and go around the edge of the large part of the flower.  You can also stitch around the leaves, or do more quilting around each of the pieces, if you'd like.  I used hot pink to stitch the outside edge and around the flower.  Again, matching, coordinating, contrasting - the choice is all yours.

Make these in a bunch of color combinations.  Try soft, country colors.  Or more bolds and brights.  Or your gift-recipient's favorite colors.

Make these for any holiday or occasion.  Use a simple triangle for a Christmas tree, add rick rack or trims, or decorative stitches from your machine as decorations.  Make an oval from orange and a rectangle from green to make a pumpkin.  Add simple small black shapes to turn your pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern.  Think black half-circle with super thin black rectangle for a graduation cap.  Add a tassel for fun.

Be creative, and have FUN!

Gluten Free Dandelion Bread Recipe

More delicious organic weed control today!


Saw this recipe from Walnut Acre on a blog hop and knew I had to try it!  When I saw it, I had already been making dandelion jelly for a while (which you saw here), so I thought "what the heck!".  Then of course, there is always the fun of adapting recipes I see to make them gluten free.  So here we go!

SPH Gluten Free Dandelion Bread Recipe
2 cups Pamela's Baking Mix (for "regular" recipe, click the link above)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 - 2 cups dandelion petals (remove from flower with scissors)
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine baking mix, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, beat together melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk.  Add to dry ingredients and mix well.  Stir in dandelion petals.  Pour into well-greased 9x5 baking pan.  Bake for approximately 65-70 minutes, or til skewer inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.  This is delicious toasted, with a little butter and dandelion jelly on it!

Enjoy!

*V*A*C*A*T*I*O*N*

Taking a short break

4/11-4/22.

Will be back

Monday, April 23rd.

Check out some recipes

or how-to's
while you're here...

Canning How-to's and **SPECIAL GUEST STAR**

Good morning, everyone!  Today we have some wonderful canning information from my friend, Joyce.  She's sharing some great tips and how-to's so stay tuned...

Joyce is one of my Farm Girl Sisters from Mary Janes Farm.  I am so pleased and honored to have her visit us today.  She's brought a TON of really great info and some delicious recipes with her today, so I'll let her get right to it!

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I’m so excited to be a “guest blogger” for you today. I’ll start with introducing myself - My name is Joyce, and I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada.  I moved here 2 ½ years ago from British Columbia, Canada.  I’m a mother to three wonderful children (6,4, 17 months) and a wife of 7 years, and I’m a music teacher (you can check out my website at www.joyfulmelodies.ca).  I’m homeschooling my children and love it! I love being able to work from home, and stay home with my children. So...today I’m going to share a little on canning with you all.  I’m by no means an expert, but it is one of my passions, so I’ll share some interesting tidbits and two of my basic recipes with you.

I grew up with canning, so it only made sense when we moved to PEI and bought 132 acres that I would start canning myself. I prefer to can from only the fruit and vegetables we grow in our orchard and garden. But, I didn’t realize that things had changed since I was little and helped my mom can her beans in a water bath.  With the danger of botulism in water baths, I realized that a pressure canner was the way to go for me when dealing with low-acid foods.  Botulism is a food poisoning caused by bacterium Colostridium botulinum.  Some say this bacterium can be destroyed by long-term boiling (ie 3 hours!) but I say the best, and safest, way is to heat the food in your jars to 240˚F. You can use a water bath canner for high-acid foods such as lemons, pickles, plums and other fruit.  These should be processed at 212˚F. Low-acid foods need to be processed in a Pressure Canner.  These include carrots, beans, turnips, beets and other vegetables. Here’s your basic canning steps.

High-Acid Foods:

1.    Wash jars and lids, place jars on a rack in boiling water canner. Cover with water and heat to a summer (about 180˚F)

2.    Set screw bands aside and heat snap lids in hot water.  Make sure it’s not boiling! Keep jars and lids hot until ready to use.

3.    Prepare Recipe.  Ladle hot food into hot jar leaving the appropriate amount of headspace (which will vary from recipe to recipe – but generally it should be ¼ inch for jams & jellies and ½ inch for fruit, pickles, relish etc.)

4.    Using non-metallic utensil, remove air bubbles.  Wipe jar rim with a wet cloth removing any stickiness.

5.    Center snap lid on the jar and screw on the screw band until fingertip tight.  It’s important to not over tighten.

6.    Place jar in canner.  When all jars are filled, adjust hot water in canner so that jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water.

7.    Bring your covered canner to a rolling boil. Process (which means boil filled jars) for the time your recipes indicates.

8.    When processing time is completed, turn heat off and remove canner lid.  When boil subsides and water is still, in approximately 5 minutes, remove jars without tilting.  Cool jars, upright and undisturbed for 24 hours.

9.    After cooling, check each jar for sealed lids (curve should be downward and do not move when pressed). Remove the screw bands and store jars in a dark cool place.

Low Acid Foods

1.    Wash jars and lids and place on rack in pressure canner.  Add 2-3 inches of water and heat (180˚F)

2.    Set screw bands aside and heat snap lids in hot water.  Make sure it’s not boiling! Keep jars and lids hot until ready to use.

3.    Prepare Recipe.  Ladle hot food into hot jar leaving 1 inch headspace.

4.    Using non-metallic utensil, remove air bubbles.  Wipe jar rim with a wet cloth removing any stickiness.

5.    Center snap lid on the jar and screw on the screw band until fingertip tight.  It’s important to not over tighten.

6.    Place jars on the rack in the pressure canner.  Adjust the water level as directed by the manufacturer of your canner.  Lock canner lid in place and place over high heat.

7.    Vent the canner following manufacturer’s directions.

8.    When pressure reaches required level, begin counting processing time. Make sure to regulate your heat to you maintain the required pressure level.

9.    When processing time is complete, turn the heat off and let the canner stand undisturbed until the pressure reads zero.  Wait two minutes longer then remove cover, tilting cover away from face – you don’t want to be burned by the steam!

- -  Remove jars without tilting.  Cool jars, upright and undisturbed for 24 hours.

11. After cooling, check each jar for sealed lids (curve should be downward and do not move when pressed). Remove the screw bands and store jars in a dark cool place.

The first recipe I’ll share with you today is Blueberry Jam.  This jam won Best of Show Award last year in our local festival.  It was very exciting to receive $30 from Bernardin as a gift! And the ribbon is beautiful J I hope it wins an award for you as well.

Joyce’s Best of Show Blueberry Jam (Water Bath Canner)

Ingredients:

·        4 ½ cups blueberries

·        ¼ cup lemon juice

·        7 cups sugar

·        2 pouches Bernardin Liquid Pectin

Directions:

1. Prepare 8 half-pint (250ml) jars
2. Wash and crush blueberries in blender.
3. Stir sugar into fruit mixture in a large, deep stainless steel pan. Over high heat bring mixture to a boil.  Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.
4. Stir in pectin.  Mix well.
5. Ladle jam into jar (1/4 inch head space).
6. Process for 10 minutes.

There are so many delicious recipes out there that are long boil if you prefer to not have sugar in your jam.  You should also try pie fillings! These always get great raves.  I just quickly make a pie shell crust, pour in my filling, top with a crumb topping or more pastry and voila! My pie is done.

The next recipe is a basic green bean recipe.  There are so many other ideas for canning vegetables – soups, stews and so much more! You can even can meat!

Green Beans (Pressure Canned Vegetables)

1. Choose young, tender and crisp beans.  Wash, removing string and trimming ends.  Break beans into 2 inch pieces.
2. Place beans in a saucepan and cover with water.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Pack hot beans into hot jars.  You can season beans if desired (so many options here – get creative!) and add the water you used to boil them in.
3. Boil for 20 minutes in pint (500ml jars) or 25 minutes in quart (1L) jars. Pressure canners should be at 10 lb (69 kPa).

If you’re a novice at canning I would highly suggest “Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving”.  If your experienced at canning, I would suggest “250 Home Preserving favorites” by Yvonne Tremblay. There are so many options – pair your favourite herb with your favourite fruit or vegetable.  I love to pair my lavender with my strawberries in jams.  Add some fresh parsley from your garden to your carrots. Prepare your own spaghetti sauce using your own tomatoes and fresh basil from your garden. The possibilities are truly endless, and the best part is that after all your hard work, all winter long you can relax knowing you have food stored in your pantry, ready to eat – from breakfast to dinner!

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Thank you so much, Joyce!  I'll definitely be checking out those books - how 'bout you?

Enjoy!

Tea for Tuesday and **SPECIAL GUEST STAR**

Good morning, all!  I'm still on a break today, but my friend Elizabeth is our Special Guest Star today, and she's got a beauty of a project for us!




Hi, my name is Elizabeth, and I blog over at Broken Treasures mostly about paper crafting with a few kids projects and life as a mom of three little ones (ages 5, 4, and 2).  I'm so thrilled to be guest posting over here at Suburban Prairie for her Tea for Tuesday :)  Thanks Ann for having me :) Today I have a fun little Mother's Day gift for you (or any friend's gift really) called a tea bag card.  I found a simple video tutorial over at DIY Life to make this sweet project :)  

What you will need to make this gift is:

two teabags

two card stock or patterned paper pieces (one 6 3/4  x 3 1/2 inches AND one 5 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches)

Adhesive

Ribbon and embelishments

The materials I used for this one were:

Card Word Puzzle Stamp Set (this is one of my favorites)

Stella Paper Pack

White ribbon

Color Ready Garden Wooden shapes

Here is the video tutorial

It really took me less than ten minutes to complete (from start to finish) - so simple and easy. I stamped, colored and cut out the flowers.  I used my Cricut (Art Philosophy Cartridge) to cut out the title piece.  The sentiment is from the Say It In Style Stamp set.

Here are some more photos of my finished project

Why not make one of these and pair it with a spring mug?  I think it makes the perfect gift :)

  Thanks again for having me!  I hope you'll stop by Broken Treasures and say "hi".  You'll also find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest (where I find a lot of my crafty inspiration).  Have a blessed Tuesday!

Thanks so much for the great tutorial, Elizabeth!  Doesn't this look like fun?!  Give it a try, and enjoy!

Gluten Free Sausage Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe and **SPECIAL GUEST STAR**

This is a DELICIOUS recipe from today's fabulous Special Guest Star - Sarah from Loose Threads!

I am so pleased to be a guest blogger today! My name is Sarah and my blog page is called Loose Threads, and it’s on my website, www.curlysquilts.weebly.com.  I’m just beginning my blog and so far it is mostly about my creative adventures in sewing.  I intend to add food to it at some point, since I think of that as part of my creativity.

There is a lot of talk these days about being gluten free.  An entire industry has been built up around this new trend.  There are people who are truly gluten intolerant, like people with celiac disease, but there are also those, like me who really aren’t allergic to gluten and yet still think it’s a good idea to cut back on gluten intake.  My own solution to this problem, is to seek out and find easy, fast recipes that use far more fruits and vegetables, to make my meals hardier and more filling, so that I don’t miss the breads and their full tummy feelings.  This is an easy quick prep dish, great for the fall and winter.

Preheat oven to 375^o

Grease a 2 quart casserole

For the casserole:

½ lb of browned sausage

4 C of peeled and sliced sweet potatoes

3 medium apples, sliced (peeled if you want, but you don’t have to)

Take the above ingredients and arrange in dish.

Combine with whisk and pour over casserole:

2 T sugar

1 T potato flour (this is great substitute for thickener if your are gluten free)

¼ t cinnamon

¼ t salt

½ c water

Cover and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until apples and sweet potatoes are tender.   Don’t expect any leftovers!

Sarah, I'm so glad you shared this recipe with us today!  Just think of how great all these flavors work together, and how quick and easy it is to peel, chop and cook!

Give it a try, and enjoy!

Garden Party and **SPECIAL GUEST STAR**

Good morning, all!  My dear friend, Sarah, from Hope in Every Season, is guest posting for us today.  She's brought us a special treat - how to freeze basil!



I met Sarah through her blog hop, and have followed her for a while now.  She is an a wonderful mother and an awesome crafter.  Be sure to visit her blog when you're done reading her post today, and now, here's Sarah!
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I'm super excited to be guest posting here at Suburban Prairie Homemaker today!  Ann is a sweet and talented lady and I appreciate her invitation!

I am a busy homeschooling mother of eight sweet kids.  I love to read and write and create beautiful things.  I must admit that I definitely need some help in the area of gardening, but there are a few things I've picked up along the way.  I hope you enjoy this tutorial on freezing basil!

I adore basil. It is my most favorite herb! In fact, I love it so much that the name Basil has been on my "names for little boys" list since 1999!

I recently finished putting some freshly picked basil away in my freezer and thought my readers would enjoy an easy tutorial!

It's only within the past couple of years that I've begun to use fresh basil, and while the dried-in-a-jar variety is fragrant and delicious, it doesn't hold a candle to my homegrown!

You will know that your basil is at it's best "picking state" when it gets buds on it and begins to flower.  
Clip as much off as you want but leave a few leaves to soak up the rays for more plant growth! Something to keep in mind with basil: the more you clip, the more you get as basil grows back two new stems for every one that is clipped!

Pick off the big leaves and carefully wash each one. Be aware that little bugs like to hide in the shady places under the dark basil leaves. Wash both sides and run your fingers along to wipe off any dirt or baby snails!

Take a moment to look for any that might be trying to get away!!
When you've washed all the leaves, place them in a colander and shake or use a salad spinner if you have one. Then lay them out in a single layer on paper towels or napkins and pat dry--soaking up as much water as possible.

  Next, place the leaves in a food processor, if available, and pulse until they're the size you prefer. I don't have a food processor so I used my Pampered Chef Food Chopper.

You'll want to add a little bit of olive oil to the basil to keep it from turning black in the freezer. (It doesn't affect the taste...just helps the appearance)

If you are using a food processor, you can add it in as you're chopping the basil. I just poured some in the bowl when I was done chopping with my food chopper and mixed it up with a spatula. The amount you'll need will vary depending on what you plan to do with your basil, but I just used enough to cover each piece.

Finally, you'll want to decide how you're going to divide it up to freeze. It is wise to freeze each recipe size separately. I divided mine up to have a couple good spoonfuls in each container. I plan to put it in pasta sauce and my pasta sauce must feed a family of 10!

You can freeze your basil in small containers, if you have them. I used these two:

Notice they're not fancy! I got one at the Dollar Tree for my daughter's baby food and the other is a little Rubbermaid-type lunch box one. You just need something that will be airtight to avoid freezer burn. If I didn't have these two containers, I would have used sandwich bags and then just placed all the bags into one large freezer bag.
 
You can also measure your basil out into ice cube trays and freeze it that way. Then, once it's frozen, pop all the little cubes into a freezer bag to be taken out individually for soup, sauce and more! I will be designating a tray specifically for this as I imagine the tray would eventually take on the wonderful aroma and color of basil! (Though that little taste of basil in lemonade or iced tea might not be too bad??)

Herbs will keep for many years but you'll get your best flavor if you use your basil within the year. Here are a few facts about basil:

**Basil comes from the Greek language and means "king". Basil has been called the "King of the Herbs"

**Basil is highly poisonous to mosquitoes, (Yay!) but safe for rats (bummer!)

**Basil is thought to be a great treatment for arthritis and has antioxidant and anticancer properties.********************************************************************************************************
Thank you so much, Sarah!  By the way, for our newbie gardeners, basil is one of the easiest plants you can grow.  It'll grow pretty much anywhere, even in a container on a patio or deck.