How to Make and Use the Legendary Four Thieves Vinegar Blend

History and Folklore of the Four Thieves Vinegar Blend

As most of you know by now, I have been studying Herbs for some time now, on and off for years, since we have been staying in place now for over 3 weeks, due to the Covid-19 pandemic I have been getting more study time in.  So i Thought I would share one of my favorite recipes with you with most interesting folklore. And if your interested in learning more I put a link on the side bar for you to enjoy a Free Mini Course.  

 

In medieval times, four thieves were said to rob the homes of those suffering from illness and those who had died from the 17th-century plague, the Black Death. It is said that on moonless nights in Marseilles, France, the thieves would anoint their bodies in vinegar that had been infused with “protective” herbs now known to have antibacterial and antiviral properties. This herbal vinegar was thought to give the thieves an advantage against contracting the illness. Fleas were thought to be one especially sneaky carrier of the plague. In addition to its antimicrobial potential, the thieves’ aromatic cloak may have also acted as a natural flea repellent!
At first, the four thieves’ behavior wasn’t of much consequence, as folks assumed the plague would eventually take hold of them. However, the thieves’ resistance was strong, and their thievery continued. When they were finally apprehended, judges offered a less agonizing form of execution if they would be helpful by sharing their immunity secret. 
An alternative to this tale is that the four thieves had been caught for their acts of robbery and were then sentenced to bury the dead after the plague hit. In order to try and stave off catching the disease, they created this potent herbal vinegar in which they rubbed behind their ears, on their temples, and in their hands. 


Whichever myth is true, the recipe they revealed has been a well-known bit of folklore ever since, and today, I will share it with you! 


When making the Four Thieves Vinegar Blend, feel free to use fresh or dried herbs, depending on what you have on hand. The following recipe calls for dried herbs, as these help to extend the shelf life of the preparation. If using fresh herbs, simply double the amount that is called for in the recipe (1 teaspoon of dried herb equals 2 teaspoons of fresh herb) and know that since fresh herbs contain water, the shelf life of the Four Thieves Vinegar will be reduced, and the preparation will need to be used more quickly.

Four Thieves Vinegar Blend

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Get ready to make perhaps one of your most versatile, spicy herbal blends! This infused vinegar can be used internally, externally, as an ingredient, or even as a cleaning item. You may find you enjoy (or grow used to) taking a swig each morning or night to promote wellness, or keeping it on hand for days you feel you may have had contact with someone who is sick. If nothing else, you can use it just as you would almost any other vinegar!

Ingredients

2 cups (16 fl oz) organic apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dried sage (Salvia officinalis) leaves
2 teaspoons dried rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) leaves
2 teaspoons dried lavender (Lavandula officinalis) flowers
2 teaspoons dried juniper (Juniperus communis) berries
1 teaspoon black peppercorn (Piper nigrum) seed, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme (Thymus vulgaris) leaves
1 bulb fresh raw garlic (Allium sativum) cloves, chopped

Directions

• Fill a quart-sized canning jar with the herbs and top off with organic apple cider vinegar to 1-inch below the top of the jar. Stir the mixture with a clean spoon to remove any air bubbles and to ensure the herbs are thoroughly saturated with the vinegar.
• Seal the jar with a plastic lid, or place a piece of parchment paper between the jar and a metal lid to prevent the vinegar from corroding the metal and touching any coating on the lid.
• Let the mixture macerate for a month in a dark cupboard. Shake the jar daily to keep the herbs and vinegar mixed as this will ensure a better extraction.
• After a month, strain the vinegar using a sieve and layered cheesecloth. Reserve the liquid and compost the herbs.  Bottle the liquid in an amber-colored bottle to protect from light and label.

There are many ways to utilize the benefits of the Four Thieves vinegar blend! Use your Four Thieves blend wherever vinegar is called for in a recipe. If you are looking for a mocktail, add the blend to fizzy water and relax. Do you like to make your own salad dressings? If so, use your Four Thieves vinegar blend to make a delicious and flavorful vinaigrette base. If you feel a cold coming on, use this vinegar blend as a tincture or take it by the spoonful. It can also be a creative addition to the vinegar portion of a Fire Cider formula, or you could simply mix the vinegar with honey and enjoy as an easy oxymel. 
This Four Thieves vinegar blend can also be used externally as a household cleaner for any kitchen or bathroom surface. Because of its antimicrobial action (Serafin, Shah, & Yagnik, 2018), it discourages the overgrowth of certain types of microbes when it comes into contact with them, thus helping you to keep your home healthy during cold and flu season.   

Finally

Making a Four Thieves vinegar blend can be an easy, creative, and fun way to combat seasonal colds, flu, and infection. This all-purpose aromatic vinegar is just what you need to stay unplagued and healthy especially with a global pandemic going on.
God Bless
Enjoy!
Allison

HONEY, MANDRIN ORANGE AND MANGO GLAZED HAM

This Ham is very easy and makes a beautiful presentation! It does take some of your time because you have to baste it every 15 minutes while it bakes, but trust me it is well worth it!

The ingredients are very simple
Ham ( I used a 7 pound)
Honey ( about 1/3 cup)
2 T of Dijon Mustard
1- 11oz can of Mandarin Orange in light syrup
1/2 a cup of Wellsley Farms Caribbean Mango sauce ( This can be found at BJ's) or if you can't find this and mango sauce or orange marmalade will work nice.
ONE (1) DROP of CLOVE OIL ( I AM SERIOUS ABOUT THIS 1 DROP) or 1/4 teaspoon of ground clove.

Now line a roasting pan with foil ( trust me again on this one folks, I've learned from experience)
Place your Ham cut side down on the foil,
Now take a sharp knife and score your ham in a diamond pattern mix the honey,mustard and mango sauce and pour over the ham using a pastry brush get it all over. It will look like this.
Now pour the juice from the oranges over the ham. and save the orange segments for later.

Now bake in a pre heated 325 degree oven for about 2 hours. If you have a smaller Ham use the 15 min per lb. rule.
Now this is where you just cant set it and forget it YOU MUST baste the ham with the drippings every 15 min. The last 15 min add the orange segments. and now it will look like this

Now comes the real hard part, you must let it rest for another 15 min before you slice it!

Enjoy!

Allison

PERNIL-PUERTO RICAN and CUBAN STYLE PORK BUTT/SHOULDER

I remember when I bought my first house in the Fl Keys it was a tiny little thing, and had a 6 foot tall fence all around it.
  One Sunday I was working out in my yard and The most amazing aroma was coming from my Cuban neighbors next door, well most of the day I enjoyed that smell till finally I could not take it any more, I went next door and asked them what that amazing smell was.  They laughed and asked me to come in and I was introduced to Pernil and black beans and rice,

That was a long time ago, and I still think of my wonderful Cuban neighbors and the many recipes they shared with me. This one involves a lot of garlic, so if you don't love garlic maybe you should just move on to another blog. I used to squeeze my own sour oranges and make my own marinade but Goya makes a wonderful Mojo that saves me lots of time.

Oh did I mention this takes at least 2 days to marinate? You can do it for just 3 hours but its soooo much better if you take the extra time.

Here is what you will need:

1 Bone-In Pork Shoulder (5-10 Pounds depending on how many you want to feed) plus you will want extra for some yummy Cuban sandwiches

5-8 Cloves garlic, sliced

Adobo by Goya (or a mixture of garlic power, onion powder, cumin, black pepper, salt and oregano)

2 Bottles of Goya Mojo Marinade (or 2 Oranges and 1 Lime OR 1 Cup OJ and 2 Limes)

olive oil

Okay 2 days before your going to cook your Pernil but in a large bowl skin side up side up.
Rub all over with olive oil. Then sprinkle very generously with the Goya Adobo and I mean be generous, this is one huge hunk of meat your seasoning.

Now slice up your garlic and with a sharp knife cut slits and stuff with a slice of garlic all over the pork.

Now pour your Mojo all over (Use the whole bottle, don't be shy!) cover and put in the fridge for at least 2 days turning once in a while so the mojo goes through the entire Pernil.

THE BIG DAY!!

This is going to take 8 or 9 hours of cook time so be prepared!!

Put your Pernil in a roaster fat side up sprinkle with a little more adobo pour in more mojo and add a little chicken broth so you have about 2 inches of liquid in your roaster. Make sure you always have some liquid in the bottom of your roaster or you will have a real mess to clean up!!

Heat your oven to 475 degrees. When the oven is hot but your pork in and cook uncovered for 1 hour.

When the hour is over turn your oven down to 275 degrees and tent your pork with a little foil, cook like this for 8-9 hours. For the last hour remove the foil tent and allow the skin to crisp up.

 This will only get it so crisp so if you want to make Chicharron once your pork is done remove the skin and cut up and fry till crisp. ( This is wonderful to snack on try it)
I have been making this every Christmas and Easter.

 YOU CAN'T OVERCOOK THE PERNIL IF YOU COOK IT THIS WAY.

You will know when this is done it will just fall apart when you put a fork into it.
I told my friend Hector that I was making Pernil and he said What? You are gringa you can't do that!!!  Ha Ha little does he know.
ENJOY!
Allison

BREAKFAST BISCUITS

For a quick grab and go breakfast it doesn't get better than this! The kids will  love these little breakfast biscuits.

1. Roll out Hungry Jack Biscuits very flat.


2. Spray muffin pan

3. Place 1 biscuit in each muffin cup.

4. Fry sausage or bacon and place small amount in each biscuit cup.

5. Sprinkle each with chopped green onions or chives.

6. Mix about 3 eggs together and pour equally over meat/egg mixture.

(Don't overfill.!)

7. Place shredded cheese on top of egg mixture.

8. Pinch biscuits in on top slightly.

9. Bake at 400 for about 15 min.

10. Enjoy!
Allison
http://allisonskitchen.blogspot.com/

BUITONI RISERVA SHRIMP AND LOBSTER RAVIOLI

As part of the foodbuzz tastemaker program I received Buitoni Riserva pasta to try.

I have the Shrimp and lobster Ravioli with Garlic Butter Sauce, This is a Complete meal for two made with real Maine Lobster

  Having owned a few restaurants my husband and I have tried a lot of
Lobster Ravioli, He's not even fond of the lobster ravioli that Carrabba's has and we love all of the food at Carrabba's, so i was surprised when after his first bite he said it was really good (WOW success!!),

I did have a minor set back with the boil in bag sauce a corner opened up and the sauce started coming out
I grabbed the pack out of the water as soon as I saw this and managed to save most of the sauce I did add about 3 T of butter to the sauce to make a little more.

  I'm glad I was at the stove watching or I would be making my own sauce.  The Sauce is a mild garlic and butter with herbs and very flavorful, the pasta is very tender and you could actually see chunks of lobster and shrimp in every ravioli..
 This was a very quick and delicious meal that i would recommend to all of my friends and family, plenty of food for two people I might add a T of Cognac or sherry to the sauce next time but you don't have to I just can't stop playing with my food I'm always thinking on how to improve something.

Enjoy!
Allsion
allisonskitchen.blogspot.com

Invite HORMEL to your next Dinner

Hi every one, The weather in fl is perfect right now, Beautiful days cool evenings, perfect for entertaining.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program I received products from HORMEL.
So I invited family and friends together to enjoy a fall meal.
And i invite you to become familiar with all of Hormel's great tasting foods.
I made one appetizer, a potato and the main course and everyone brought a dish to share, I hope you enjoy my recipes we sure did and had a great time.
MINI PIZZAS WITH HORMEL TURKEY PEPPERONI MINIS:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Start with sandwich thins or you could use English muffins or pitas.

Add your favorite sauce, mozzarella cheese, and  garlic salt.  Top with Hormel minis bake at 400F till cheese is nice and melty, sprinkle with fresh pepper and fresh basil. The kids thought these little pepperonis were soooo cute.
ROASTED PORK LOIN WITH ROSEMARY AND GARLIC:

3 to 4 cloves of garlic chopped fine
3 T Fresh rosemary
2 T parsley
Kosher salt
Pepper
1 Hormel boneless pork loin roast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine to sart then more for gravy
Preheat oven to 350F
Crush garlic,rosemary salt and pepper and Parsley to make a paste.  Pierce meat in several places and press mixture into holes.  Rub meat with remaining garlic mix and olive oil let set in fridge for at least 1 hr to marinate.
Put Roast in pan add wine and cook till meat thermomater says 160 Turning and basting with pan juice.
Remove roast and let rest about 20 min. before you slice it.
Meanwhile add about 1 can of chicken broth to pan drippings add a little more wine and cook and loosen all the bits from the bottom of the pan.  Thicken with a little cornstarch mixed with water (about 2Tcornstarch with 2T water) cook and thicken adding more chicken broth or wine to make desiered consistancy taste and add S&P if needed
CHEESEY BACON POTATOES

Wow i can't tell you how many of these potatoes we use to make at our restaurants, every one loved them and we still make them a lot at home, these are super easy to make and you can make them ahead of time and heat on the grill or in the oven At the restaurant we would deep fry the skins then fill them with the stuffing but they are still wonderful just baking in the oven or heating on the grill.

1 potato makes 2 stuffed baked potatoes
so for every potato bake or microwave till just tender
slice in half while still hot hold each half in a kitchen towel and carefully scoop out the flesh be careful not to break the skin.
but both sides of potato into a micro safe bowl to this add 2T Butter and 2 slices of American cheese microwave till butter and cheese start to melt take a spoon and chop and mix potato mixture make sure cheese is melted all the way now scoop into each shell sprinkle with HORMEL bacon and chopped scallions or chives serve with sour cream.
Well that's it Thank you Hormel and Foodbuzz for a great day!
No matter if it's Breakfast, Lunch ,Dinner a snack or your next party Hormel procucts have you covered
Enjoy!
Allison
Allisonskitchen.blogspot.com

HOW TO CLEAN LEFTOVER GREASE

I found this ricipe in my grandmothers cook book, I never knew you had to clean your grease.  I just save all my bacon fat drippings in a jar in the fridge and use them as is.  I'm going to have to try this.. If any one does this please let me know.
How to Clean Leftover Grease


Do you save your leftover grease in a can? You don't have to throw leftover grease from bacon, sausage, hamburgers etc. away. Reuse it by making your own lard, or add birdseed to make your own bird fat.



Back when we couldn't afford to buy shortening, we retified (cleaned) our leftover grease. Here's how:



1.Melt the grease that is in the can till it is loose enough to pour into a pot.

2. Add twice as much water as you have grease.

3. For each cup of smelly fat, add two table spoons of vinegar or lemon juice in half a cup of water and boil.

4. Boil the grease and water for about a half hour.

5. Let cool then refrigerate.



Once it cools the grease will float to the top and harden. Run a knife around the edge of the hardened grease and flip it out of the pot onto your hand. Some scum will be on the bottom, scrape it off with a knife. Now the grease is clean and reuseable.

Well this is a new one for me. I remember my grandmother always saving her grease but I don't remember her cleaning it.
Enjoy!
Allison
http://allisonskitchen.blogspot.com/

GRANDMAS HOLIDAY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Grandmas Holiday Peanut Butter Cookies

allisonskitchen.blogspot.com

This was my grandmothers favorite Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe, I always remember my grandmother and my aunt Dorthy in the kitchen making these cookies and I always remember the big bowl that they made them in. When I went to PA. last August, my aunt gave me my grandmothers bowl, so I thought I would make some cookies,But i couldn't bring myself to use the bowl, I have it in a special spot in my kitchen, so nothing happens to it.

1/2 cup Butter(Soft)

1 cup Brown Sugar

3/4 cup JIFF

1- Egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups of Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt ( adjust salt if you use salted butter)

Beat Butter,Brown Sugar, and Peanut Butter Then add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Mix flour, baking powder and soda and salt. Gradually add to peanut butter mix and beat till blended.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Heat Oven to 350
Shape into 1 1/4 " balls Then roll balls in some granulated sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

With tines of a fork, press onto cookie in each direction, dip fork into sugar so it does not stick to your cookie.
 
Bake 9 to 10 min.
Cool  for a few min. then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Do Not OVERCOOK!
Enjoy!
Allison
Allisonskitchen.blogspot.com

Copycat Bonefish Grill bang bang shrimp by Todd Wilbur

Copycat Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp

Spicy Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (sambal sauce)

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
***********************
1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk
******************
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon rubbed (ground) sage

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

8 to 12 cups vegetable shortening or oil

16 to 18 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Garnish:

1 handful of mixed greens

1 green onion, chopped (green part only)



Combine all ingredients for chili sauce in a small bowl. Cover the sauce and set it aside for now.

Combine the beaten egg with milk in a shallow bowl. Mix flour, panko, salt, black pepper, sage, onion powder, garlic powder, and basil in another shallow bowl.

Heat shortening or oil to 350 degrees F. Use the amount of oil required by your fryer.

Bread the shrimp by first coating each with the breading. Dip breaded shrimp into the egg and milk mixture, and then back into the breading. Arrange the

coated shrimp on a plate and pop them into the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This step will help the breading to stick on the shrimp when they are frying.

When your oil is hot, fry the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on a rack or paper towels. When all of the shrimp have been fried, drop the shrimp into a large bowl. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the sauce over the shrimp and stir gently to coat. Stack the shrimp on a bed of mixed greens, then sprinkle the stack with chopped green onion.

*Serves 2 to 4 as an appetizer.
This is Todd Wilburs recipe that He created from scratch through many hours of trial and error. It is published in his book entitled "More Super Secret Restaurant Recipes" currently for sale at QVC.
We love the bang bang shrimp,and now we can make it at home, Thanks Todd
Enjoy!
Allison
Allisonskitchen.blogspot.com

TEA TIME

I remember when I was little my mom was a great hostess, not only did she own a restaurant and a motel but she loved to entertain.
One thing I remember most were the little tea sandwiches she would make, she would go to the market and order bread that had been dyed red and green for Christmas then she would cut the bread out width cookie cutters and make little sandwiches with chicken salad, egg salad, ham salad etc.
Everyone just loved the sandwiches and thought they were so cute. and we always had extra in the fridge for late night snacking.
Well my Mother in Law and Sister in Law came to Fl for a visit this week, and there plane did not get in till 8pm so I made the little sandwiches cut out like fall leaves and a cheese and fruit plate and miniature desserts. We sat on the patio and enjoyed our cocktails with these little treats. I hope this helps with your holiday entertaining.
Enjoy!
Allison
allisonskitchen.blogspot.com

THE SPIRITS, AND ALCOHOL101

"THE SPIRITS, AND ALCOHOL 101"
The spirits, and alcohol 101 In simplistic terms, spirits are alcoholic beverages that are not wines, liqueurs, or beers. Spirits include distilled beverages, such as rum, scotch whisky, gin, and vodka. Spirits generally have a higher alcoholic content than wines, beers and liqueurs.

Alcoholic content for spirits is measured in proof, expressed as a percentage of volume of water to alcohol. The term originated in an interesting way courtesy of the British.
As we know, gun powder explodes when ignited. The British found that if gunpowder was mixed with a mixture of alcohol and water, it would burn, but only if a specific amount of alcohol was mixed with the water and no less. If even the slightest amount of water above the limit was added, the gunpowder would not burn.

The British learned to use this text as a means of checking the alcoholic content of spirits. If the spirit burned, they said it was "proof" That the spirit contained and adequate quantity of alcohol. In the United States, proof of a spirit is two times the percent of alcohol, by volume or weight.
So, if a spirit contains 50 percent alcohol, the proof is 100 (2x50). It is important to know whether alcohol content is based on alcohol by volume or alcohol by weight.
A spirit that is 50 percent alcohol by weight contains more alcohol that a spirit that is 50 percent alcohol by volume. This is because alcohol is lighter that water, so it takes more alcohol to equal water weight.

Wines have less alcohol (7 to 14 percent) than spirits, and beers generally have the lowest alcoholic content ( from 2.5 to 8 percent). Spirits may range widely, from 50 to 190 proof, depending on the type of spirit and the brand. So, now when you make your next trip to the Liquor Store you will have a better understanding of Spirits,Alcohol Beer and Wine.

But if your like me you'll enjoy your cocktail even without this knowledge. Hey I just finished this at 5:00 Cocktail time!!! Cheers. Allison Allison's Kitchen http://allisonskitchen.blogspot.com