IT'S MUCH TOO HOT TO COOK

Since it's much to hot too cook, I decided it was time to process all the herbs I've been drying out in the pantry where it's hot and dry. I had a large batch of oregano, a small amount of tarragon, and some thyme. When I was finished taking everything off the stems and putting the herbs into their proper jars, I went through the other herbs I already have on the shelf. My tin of Pizza Seasoning was seriously low. So I made a batch to fill the tin, with some to spare for another jar in storage.

I didn't measure anything, but I think you can see about how much I used in the picture. Besides, you should make your own seasoning with the herbs you like best and the quantities you like most. I would have put more red pepper flakes, but not everyone likes as much heat as I do. The Oregano, Basil, Chives, Red Pepper Flakes and Fennel Seeds all came our of my own herb garden. I made the mushroom powder by running some dried porcini mushrooms I get at the Asian Market through my spice grinder until they are in a relatively powdery form, but still just a little chunky. The mushroom powder give great flavor to lots of foods, too. I use it meat marinades, soups, rubs and I even add a spoonful to a pan sauce I might make with a pork tenderloin.

This mix is also great on Garlic Bread topped with a little Parmesan Cheese. You can also put several tablespoons of this dry mix into a small jar and cover it with olive oil to spread on pizza crust, or even on a piece of steak! Use your imagination!


It wasn't too hot to enjoy one of my frozen banana treats though. This one happened by accident. I had some very overly ripe bananas on the counter and didn't want them to spoil before I could get them into the freezer, so I just laid them on the shelf in the refrigerator. I had also, just that morning cut some cilantro from the garden and put the unused stems into a small jar of water into the refrigerator. Cilantro keeps amazingly long if you store it this way. Anyway, the next time I opened the refrigerator I could smell both the bananas and the cilantro. It smelled so good together I thought I would experiment. Here's what I made.

FROZEN BANANAS TREATS WITH CILANTRO NUTS AND CHOCOLATE
2 overly ripe bananas
3 T minced cilantro
1/2 c chopped toasted pecans
1/2 c. melted chocolate chips

Mas the bananas in a bowl. Add the minced cilantro. Chop the nuts into a slightly chunky dice and add. Mix it all together and spread the mixture in an 8 x 8 pan. Put the mix into the freezer. When it is slightly frozen, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and spread on top of the bananas. Back into the freezer until the chocolate is slightly set.

Now take the dish out of the freezer, and with a knife score the chocolate into 2 inch squares. If you wait until it's frozen solid, it'll just crack when you try and cut it. Now back into the freezer until mixture is well frozen. Cut through the scoring marks.

I wrapped each piece in a small piece of foil (like a Klondike Bar) and put them back into the freezer in a zip lock to grab one at a time whenever I like. You don't have to do that though - you can just set them into a zip lock bag. Squeeze most of the air out of the bag before you seal.

These little treats are surprisingly good and very different! As an added bonus, they are VERY low in calories! There is just a little chocolate on them. Maybe each piece has a total of 10 chocolate chips on it. I love them! And I like lots of cilantro and nuts in them. Give them a try!