Making and Freezing Herb Butters

One thing that I have found that comes out so wonderful is a good Herb Butter. As a go to and to have on hand for so many recipes as well as a party platter. (charcuterie fancy pant's definition) 

This recipe can be used for any butter to be mixed with any herb. It is simple, freezes well and great to have on hand.

Ingredients

• 2 cubes unsalted butter
• One Bushel of fresh dill
• Parchment paper

The process is easy. You will start by taking some unsalted butter and bring it to room temperature. I will use 2 cubes this makes one cup of butter. We are going to finally chop approximately one cup of fresh dill. Fresh is best for this recipe because the dry will become soft and mushy which can change the color and texture of your butter.

Whip this mixture together in a small bowl with a mixer or by hand. I say mixer because we all have so many different types of them. I have a old school hand mixer. My Kitchen Aid is a tool I use for big jobs and baking.

For this I will do it by hand with a spatula.

* I do not add garlic or salt to this or any of my herb butters 

Once you have your mixture completely mixed you will want to have you parchment paper ready. Lay your parchment paper flat on the surface/counter. You can secure the corners with anything to hold it in place. The first pictures shows my mixture being placed on the parchment paper.

This second shot shows the butter mixture rolled up ready to go. Give your self enough parchment paper to roll it twice to prevent and freezer burn.

And finally the ends are closed I just use a rubber band. Anything will do cooking twine, rubber band, tie wrap.

Now you can put it in the freezer for up to 3 or more months. When you are ready to use it remove it from the freezer and slice it. I use it for so many things. 

I have put some tips below this post. 

This buttery post is so wonderful for so many things in the kitchen you will do as a creator of deliciousness. For all of you who I do know have a herb garden or impulse buy of basil at TJ's. During the summer season we do grow so many herb for preventative reason in the garden as well as for cooking and medicinal reasons. 

Those fresh herb can be turned into flavorful butters to use through out the year. Anything from Party Trays . After you freeze your butters they can be cut into slices return to the freezer for an easy way to add to cooking for soups, fish, chicken or fresh Bread. The ideas are endless as you will find with so many of my recipes and DIY idea's. Enjoy!

Homemade Pickling Spices

Making your own Pickling Spices is very easy and quite convenient when you want to pickle now and you have everything but those darn spices. They are dried and last a long time 2 to 3 years. Keep them in a tightly sealed mason jar. When I buy the spices most are whole which is what you want you will be crushing some. The recipe here is for standard pickling spices.

Let me answer a couple of questions. Pickling Spices are a blend of 6 to 8 seasonings and spices. Many of the spices are probably right in your pantry. For instance mustard seed, allspice, coriander seeds, cloves the list can be pretty extensive. Lets keep it simple.

Ingredients for Pickling Spices

Mustard seed

Coriander seed

Black Pepper corn

Bay Leaf crushed

Ground Cloves

Red Pepper Flakes if you want a little bite (spicey)

For Bread and Butter Pickles 

Mustard seed

Crushed Cinnamon

Celery seed

Black Peppercorn

Ground Turmeric 

Ground Ginger

Maheb Spice

Maheb the Spice

Mahleb is the pit of the sour cherry, 













It has been used for centuries in the Middle East (especially in Turkey and Syria) as a sweet/sour, nutty addition to breads, cookies and biscuits. I use this for my bread and butter pickles to add a different twist. I add it to the pickling spices for the pickles .



 

I found it as an ingredient in some pickles I loved to order long ago from back east. 

If you want to order some of this spice get it at Penzey's. Do not get confused they spell it differently then the original spelling fro the Spice House but it does not offer it any longer. So go to Penzey's.

I use this for my Bread and Butter Pickles it is the "secret" spice !  

Spices from India

Lucky me ...My little Ms.Independence has a partner who travels allot..I'm so lucky he always brings back something special. He went to China and there about and brought back some incredible material. I made a quit with it.

Well he just came back from India and I got a load of spices (how he got it back in the country who knows) but look how sweet they are. One is a strip of tea's and the other is spices. I will be trying to find ways to use them in my canning.....The spices...the tea
s well that is no problem ot use!

I need a good source for small bottles...Enjoy...