August 2016 Recipes

Lemon Verbena Iced Tea

Margie Orell and Mary Beth Collins

Handful of lemon verbena, branches and leaves

Boiling water

Wash the branches of lemon verbena well and place in a large heat-resistant container that you can cover.  Bring cold water to a boil and pour over the lemon verbena. Cover.  Steep for 30 minutes.  Squeeze and remove the leaves.  Strain the liquid through a paper coffee filter into a pitcher. Chill until ready to serve.

Sandwiches Three Ways

Margery Orell

Ingredients:

Three baguettes (Margie bought hers at Renaissance Bakery on South

   Boulevard)

Brie, thinly sliced

Fresh figs, halved

Olive oil

Parsley oil (from the Dukes Bread stand at the Farmers Market)

Honey herbed goat cheese

Tomatoes

Fresh basil, washed

1.  Tomato, Basil and Brie Sandwich:

Cut the baguettes lengthwise, but not all the way through. Carefully lay thin slices of Brie on the bread and brush with olive oil or purchased parsley oil. Add fresh basil leaves before serving.  Cut into sandwiches.

2.  Fig, Brie and Goat Cheese

Cut the baguettes lengthwise, but not all the way through.  Spread honey herbed goat cheese on the bread and lay thin slices of Brie on top.  Place fresh figs on top.  Cut into sandwiches.

3.  Tomato, Basil and Parsley Oil

Leave the Brie out of the tomato sandwich to make a vegan sandwich.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Mary Beth Collins

Yield:  Serves 4 as a main dish

2 cans chickpeas

¼ cup parsley

2/3 cup chopped bell peppers (red, orange, yellow)

¾ cup grape tomatoes, halved

3 green onions

12 Kalamata olives, halved

1/3 cup crumbled feta

Dressing:

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 small garlic clove, crushed

¼ teaspoon cumin

Salt and pepper

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spear Dip with Rainbow Baby Carrots

Susan Oleson and Mary Beth Collins

Susan made Dixie Kelly’s recipe on page 33 of The Charlotte Herb Guild Cooks Again.  Mary Beth found the Cal-Organic Rainbow Baby Carrots both at Fresh Market and Harris Teeter Morrocroft.

Cranberry Nut Bars with Rosemary

Susan Oleson

Susan made Virginia Frazier’s recipe on page 269 of The Charlotte Herb Guild Cooks Again.

Fruit Squares

Susan Oleson

When Susan was teaching fifth grade in New Hampshire in 1975, her student Katie Philbrick gave her this recipe.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 ¾ cup sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 can pie filling (cherry/blueberry) or about 1½ cups fresh berries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray or grease a jellyroll pan.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time. Add extracts. Gradually add flour.

Spread ¾ of batter on the bottom of the prepared jellyroll pan. Top with fruit pie filling (cherry or blueberry) or fresh fruit.  Carefully pour the remaining batter over the fruit, but don’t cover completely. 

Bake for about 45 minutes.