Indoor Herb Garden

With the warmer than average winter, I've decided to take advantage of the sun and start a windowsill herb garden. I have lettuce, basil, and thyme growing and I am so excited to use it all in my cooking. The pot was found at Home Depot and I am using Miracle Grow soil to give my seeds the boost they need. With seeds included, this is a $20 project that I was able to put together one night after work. A little water each day and these little sprouts are growing like crazy!

Lettuce, Thyme, and Basil

If you want to start your own indoor herb garden, here are the 5 best herbs to grow:

Chives: Chives are versatile, can be used with almost any meal, and are very easy to grow. One thing to keep in mind once you start growing them, they need to be snipped back on a regular basis to keep them from falling over.

Thyme: Any variety of thyme is great for growing indoors. Once established, the plant will need to be trimmed. The more you trim, the more it will grow. Thyme is perfect for use in Italian dishes or with chicken.

French Tarragon: Great to use in dairy or egg dishes, this herb will also taste great in winter comfort foods like soups and pot pies. Tarragon is a worry free herb and likes a lots of water.

Marjoram: Goes great with Italian cooking and pairs well with oregano. This is an easy-to-grow herb that grows tall and does best in a pot by itself.

Sage: Sage comes in many varieties and each type grows a little bit different so be sure to follow the directions on the package. Sage is very versatile, goes well in teas or on meats such as beef or chicken.

Pie Crust

I've had a few requests for my pie crust recipe to make with the chicken pot pie. Here it is; super easy, just a few basic ingredients. Don't over process it or it will turn out like rubber. Basic lesson here is: the less you touch it the better it will be!

Single Pie Crust

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
3 tbs cold water

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in one medium sized bowl. Use a fork to cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles crumbs. Drizzle 3 tbs cold water over the mixutre and continue to mix with the fork.
2. As the dough starts to come together use hands to squish in all of the flour. If dough falls apart add in a few drops of water being careful not to overdo it as dough can quickly become too wet.
3. On a floured surface kneed two or three times.
4. Push dough with hands into a round disk, lay on the floured surface.
5. Roll out dough with a rolling pin.