Green thumb :)

Part of my Saturday routine is to take care of my indoor garden. I currently have a vinca, 2 violets, 2 small non-flowering plants, and a large floor pot with a leafy plant. (I'm sure all the non-flowering plants have names, I just don't know what they are.) And of course, I also have my windowsill herb garden.

   

When I watered my herbs, I noticed that I had a LOT of basil again. It tends to grow super fast, but I can't always use it all. I've read that it doesn't freeze well, and fresh basil tastes much better than dried. 

   

    
I know I can use basil for pesto or caprese salad, but I was looking for something new. So I searched the internet for recipes using fresh basil... and I found 3 that I want to try. I started with the most simple recipe, since I already had all of the ingredients in my kitchen. 
   

      
The recipe I tried is for basil butter using fresh basil, butter, lemon juice, lemon pepper, and garlic salt (which I substituted with Garlic Garlic, a Tastefully Simple seasoning). I don't actually own a real food processor, so I used my blender to chop the basil... and the kitchen smelled SO GOOD.
    
Then I used my manual food processor to mix the chopped basil with the softened butter, lemon juice, and seasonings. 
  

Next, I dropped the butter mixture in small portions (about 1/2 tablespoon) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and put it in the freezer until they hardened. Then I stored them in a ziploc bag in the freezer for later use.

So how can you use basil butter? Toss it with pasta, add it to mashed potatoes, stir it into rice, use it to sauté vegetables or chicken, soften it and spread it on hot bread, use it to top fish before cooking... just to name a few. 
  
I hope to tackle the other 2 basil recipes in the coming weeks (once I go grocery shopping). If you have any suggestions for using fresh herbs, please share them in the comments! I hate to see them go to waste.