Paprika is the base for this smoky Creole spice blend that's hot and very flavorful. Use it to spice up your meats and vegetables. For the best results, use a quality paprika. Many of the imported varieties have either a sweet or very spicy flavor, use a blend or go with the sweet. Better yet, this spring, try planting a variety of paprika peppers and dry them for your own ground paprika blend.
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Beef Jerky is Easier to Make Than you Think
If you are a lover of beef jerky and are not making your own, you know that buying it can take a bite out of your wallet. What you might not know is how easy it is to make yourself. Whether you have a dehydrator, barbecue, smoker, or just an oven, with a little preparation and some time you can have healthy, homemade beef jerky quickly and inexpensively.
Beef jerky is lean meat cut into thin
Harvesting Coriander - Coriander Tea
If your cilantro is calling it quits for the season, don't forget to harvest the coriander seeds for winter use. Shake the seed heads into a paper bag, allow them to dry completely in a cool, dark place, and store them in an airtight container.Medicinal Uses for CorianderCoriander seed is a powerful, natural anti-bacterial agent. It can be used to flavor both sweet and savory dishes, and has
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Checking Your Herbs for Freshness
Even though we love our homegrown herbs, we all probably have supplemental spices in our cupboard. If you've wondered about the freshness of your dried ginger or nutmeg, you're not alone. Don't pitch those herbs before you check their freshness dates. McCormick, the spice giant, has a nifty site where you can check the freshness code on the bottom of your herb and spice bottles. Give it a
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Growing and Using Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Fennel is a perennial that grows to five feet high. It has hollow stems and brilliant green, feathery leaves. Because all parts of the plant can be used, it is an almost perfect herb. A native to the Mediterranean, fennel has been an import wherever native Italians have traveled. In many areas of the world, it now grows wild.
Growing Fennel
Fennel is an easy plant to grow. It will thrive in
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Growing Fennel
Fennel is an easy plant to grow. It will thrive in
Put Your Bread Maker to Good Use
If your bread maker has been gathering dust in a cupboard, pull it out and come with me on a bread making adventure. It was with mixed feelings that I opened my new bread machine on Christmas morning a few years ago. I'd never been that fond of bread, and in a two-person household we go through less than a loaf a week. I smiled politely. "Wow," I said. I’d heard that without preservatives, bread
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About Nutmeg
I've been a nutmeg lover ever since my mother first sprinkled a little on top of my Christmas eggnog. It was good then, but it's better now that I grate my own. If you think nutmeg is a spice that belongs in the back of the cupboard, think again. Its mild flavor can be deceptive because it isn't as aromatic as cinnamon, or as aggressive as allspice, but nutmeg has something amazing