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What to do with surplus herbs?!

I've always been frustrated when I want to make a particular recipe but have to buy the herbs for it in big bunches. I try to use them up as much as I can throughout the week, but most of the time, they go bad before I can finish them up. I found this great tip in Martha Stewart's Cooking School. Make an herb oil out of your leftover herbs! Here's an excerpt from page 23:

Herb ouls can be used in cooking and garnishing. To infuse oil with tender herbs*, combine 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1/2 cup vegetable oil (olive oil alone would overpower the flavor of the herbs. Blanch one bunch of fresh leafy herbs, about 5 seconds. Immediately tranfer to an ice bath. Drain and squeeze out excell liquid, then process herbs in blender with half the oil until smooth. Add reminaing oil and process until herbs are very fine, about 1 minute. Refrigerate in an airtight container 8 hours or overnight. Return to room temperature, then strain oil through two layers of cheesecloth set in a sieve, discard solids. Store in an airtight containe, refrigerated, up to one month.

For herbs** such as thyme or rosemary, combine with oil in a saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and steep at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Strain oil through cheesecloth before using or storing in an airtight container in a refrigerator up to one month.

*Tender Herbs: Basil, Chervil, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Mint, Parsley, Tarragon
**Robust Herbs: Bay Leaf, Curry Leaf, Lemongrass, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Thyme

CITATION: Stewart, Martha, with Sarah Carey. "Making Herb Oils." Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2008. 16-19, 23. Print.

I get to be a housewife today!

I love these days off. I finally get to tackle some of the things on my to-do list, which includes making this blog entry. Everything seems to be going well right now. We've moved to a new church (St. Patrick's Cathedral), I did well on my work evaluation, I've been off pills and on NFP for a week (and I feel great!), I get pictures every day of my little nephew, and finally the sun is shining in Manhattan! The only thing that I miss the most each and every day is my family. Everyone's scattered about right now, but I know I'll get to see them all next week. Thank God for modern technology! Without cell phone pictures, facebook updates, and online plane booking, I'd be lost!

My husband and I broke down and decided to move forward with having cleaning help. He will do a basic cleaning of our apartment once every 3 weeks. I'm a little hesitant about it for a couple of reasons:

1) It makes me feel a little inadequate about keeping up my tasks as a wife in this little tiny apartment. However, I've resigned myself to the fact that I am working 40+ hours a week. I can't manage decently keeping up the apartment and working that much at the same time. When (fingers crossed!) the day comes where I don't have to work full-time, I will most definitely pick up the household tasks.

2) It was a quick interview, and we didn't interview anyone else. TJ seems to really like him, however, and he got a good review from our neighborhood bartender.

3) Once we're in this commitment, the only ways forward are to keep working with him or to let him go. There's the "dealing with people" issue that's really hard for me, but always seems to fall on my shoulders every time TJ and I get involved with some sort of household help - whether it was grass cutting, insurance companies, or whatever.

So - we'll see what happens. I'm looking forward to coming home to a clean apartment that smells nice every so often, that's for sure!