Rosemary Infused Olive Oil

One of my favorite & most-used herbs from my little herb garden is rosemary. I have it on my window sill in the fall & winter & then I replant it in my little herb garden in the spring & summer. It's by far one of the most hardy & useful herbs. I even love to run my fingers over the leaves & take a whiff of it's wonderful aroma.

My rosemary from my herb garden to my windowsill for the winter.

I use rosemary quite often while cooking ~ we eat a lot of chicken & my favorite way to prepare it is my version of "fried" chicken: a couple of TBs of olive oil ~ OR, as I'm about to show you how to make, rosemary infused olive oil ~ w/a couple of sprigs of rosemary in the frying pan, boneless/skinless chicken breast sprinkled w/a little Spike Seasoning & my Absolute Favorite Seasoning Mix. (TRY THIS: next time you grill, lay a rosemary sprig on top of your chicken!) Serve w/sides of broccoli & yellow rice . . . mm mmm! This also makes a great dipping oil.
OK . . . now that I've made myself hungry, I need to get on w/my original topic . . .

Infusing your oils w/rosemary ~ or any other herb ~ is quite easy. The recipe I'm going to share w/you is mostly for cooking, but can also be used for your hair (stimulates circulation for shinier hair) or even as a sore muscle liniment (comforts sore joints & muscles, stimulates circulation by increasing the blood supply). Besides making nearly any salad dressing, or anything prepared stove-top taste better (Italian dishes, fish, chicken, pork), the leaves are antiseptic/anitbacterial/antifungal (which is why I use it in my oily skin face wash) & the antioxidants in rosemary can aid w/digestion & weight loss.

You will need:

~8-10 sprigs of fresh rosemary
~2 c. of cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil (I recommend Hain)
~small cook pot/sauce pan
~pint-sized bottle or jar w/tight-fitting lid or cork
~enough decorative & useful olive oil bottles/decanters ~ for later use in displaying in your kitchen or for gift giving
~small funnel ~ to aid in pouring from bottle to bottle

Directions:

1) Gently wash your rosemary sprigs w/a damp washcloth; set aside to dry.
2) Pour 1 pint of olive oil into the small pot on low heat to warm ~ DO NOT BOIL ~ just warm.
3) Place a few sprigs of rosemary into your pint bottle ~ do not stuff it full ~ rosemary is very herb-a-licious, & you will have another sprig in your finished product, so a little goes a long way.
4) Pour warm oil into pint bottle w/the rosemary, seal w/lid or cork, set aside in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight, for at least 1 week.
5) After that time, take out your used rosemary sprigs & either use to cook something that day or throw them away. In the bottles you will now use for your infused oil, put in a fresh sprig of rosemary &, w/your small funnel, pour the infused oil into the new bottles over the fresh rosemary. Seal w/a lid or cork.

Your new infused rosemary oil is ready to use & enjoy!

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><