Lavender herb or flower

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My lavender is blooming. I bought it last year thinking I was going to give using lavender herb a try.

I read a recipe of lavender infused tea. Oh it sounded so lovely and pleasant like it would be refreshing on a hot Summer day.
I was talking to my BFF about the lavender tea. I pondered aloud “I wonder what lavender tastes like.”
My BFF laughed and said, “It probably tastes like purple.” lol

It was a bit late in the season for me to a start seeds, so I decided to buy an already growing plant. I found one at a local plant/fruit stand. It was a lovely little thing. On the way home I imagined myself, lounging on our back porch with an icey glass of lavender infused tea.

After I got the plant home, I looked it up on the internet and discovered there’s different varieties of lavender. The plant stake that came with mine was plastic with a picture of a grown plant and said ‘lavender’, but didn’t say what variety. So, I decided not to try it, since I couldn’t be sure if it was safe to eat or not.

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I gave up on making any lavender recipes. Sadly, I took the little plant and planted it in one of my flower beds. It grew quite a bit over the summer. I figured it would die during the winter, but this Spring it was a nice surprise to see that it survived.

I don’t know if it’s edible, but I plan on letting it grow and survive for as long as it can. I think it gives a bit of character to my flower bed.

I know the photos of this lavender aren’t top quality. But for some reason my camera has struggles trying to focus on it.

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Do you think this variety is edible?

Wishing you all a relaxing weekend.cloudhugspgrnbgln

Baked Bruschetta Toasties

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Now that some of our green onions are mature enough to harvest, it’s time to make some Bruschetta toasties.  Later on in the season, I’ll be replacing a few more of the ingredients with homegrown. But for now, we have fresh onions and we’re happy with that. 🙂

Bruschetta can be used in many ways. It can be eaten like a small side dish or mixed in a salad. It’s makes a dandy pizza topping. We enjoy it made into toasties, the recipe is quick and easy. It goes well as toppings on baked chicken too. I’m figure there’s quite a few ways of using bruschetta to make  tasty foodies.

I’ve altered my 2012 Bruschetta Recipe to accommodate our new low sodium diet. I’ll post the original recipe under my new one.

If you try one of my recipes, I hope you’ll let me know how it turns out for you and any changes you made to it.

🙂

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Bruschetta Mix (2014)

1 can (14.5 oz) Hunts ‘No Salt Added’ Diced tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano – drained
1 can (8 oz) Mario ‘Low Sodium’ medium black olives – drained & chopped
1 cup chopped onions
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb
1/4 tsp Morton ‘Lite’ salt mixture
1/8 tsp black pepper

Mix all these ingredients together and put them in an airtight bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Baked Bruschetta Toasties
Sara Lee Honey Wheat bread
Sargento 4 Cheese Mexican

Preheat oven to 350°
Place slices of Sara Lee’s Honey Wheat bread on a cookie sheet
Put Bruschetta mix on slices of bread and cover with shredded cheese.
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes until cheese is melted.
allow to cool
enjoy

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brd81
Bruschetta Mix (2012)

1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes – drained
(you can use chopped fresh tomatoes)
1 can (8 oz) medium black olives – drained & sliced
3/4 to 1 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
optional ingredients:
chopped mushrooms
chopped bell peppers

Mix all these ingredients together and put them in an airtight bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Baked Bruschetta Toasties
Preheat oven to 350°
For this you need your choice of sliced bread. (We like herb bread)
Place slices of bread on a cookie sheet
Put Bruschetta mix on slices of bread and cover with shredded cheese.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
allow to cool
enjoy

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Wishing you all a great week & delicious foods!chef

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