GREEN and A Recipe

Herbal butter

 Right now in our part of the country, we have no or barely any snow but it's bitter cold.  Outside is black and gray; the evergreens and rhododendrons are so dark green they appear black too.  It's overcast today as well.  You get the picture; devoid of color.  And that's okay.  I love winter.  However, I do enjoy living in a part of the country that gets super green and verdant, leafy if you will, in the spring and summer.  When I lived in the high mountain desert west of NV, and even southern and northern CA where it was so drought ridden much of the time, I craved green, I hungered for it.  (And I'm not dissing those places; they have their charms).  I remember when we moved to New England about 16 years ago, a young man attending our church, a college student (born and raised in southern Utah) fulfilling an internship at UNH for the summer, arrived about the same time we did.  He gave a talk at the pulpit one Sunday and  marveled at how super green it was out here; he had never seen any thing like it and he used the term "leafy" to describe it and it made me laugh.  Here's a little green from parts of my house for every one who is missing some and a recipe for herbal butter which tastes great on all your cooked vegetable and stores for a very long time in your refrigerator so keep some handy.

A painting over the piano I never get tired of looking at - and so much green!

A piece of flea market art in the King Room - nice and leafy

Herbal Butter

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 T fresh or freeze dried chives 
1 T fresh or freeze dried parsley 
2 T fresh or dried basil
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 t salt
pepper to taste

Put all of this in the food processor and let it go until it is fresh green in color and very well blended.  Keep chilled; use as needed.  Tastes great on all veggies.  You can use other herbs too.