Jayme Henderson

So, you might not consider yourself much of a home gardener, but you love to cook, and you go crazy over seasonally fresh flavor. This is where growing culinary herbs comes into play. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to show you how easy it is to grow your own herbs, whether you’re limited by time, space, money, or that highly coveted green thumb. Let’s start this series with chives.

Who doesn’t want a dollop of melted chive butter on their grilled steak or a dash of zesty chive vinegar on their salad in the dead of winter? I love blowing my guests away at a dinner party in December with flavors that evoke the smells, memories, and tastes of summer. Chive is a garden staple that can be preserved and used in many ways. Finding ways to enjoy the vibrant flavors of summer all year-round is one of the most rewarding aspects of gardening.

You may think that crafting a mimosa requires nothing more than simply splashing cheap bubbly wine into orange juice, but if you take a little extra time, source quality ingredients, and embrace a creative spirit, you can very easily take this brunch staple to the next level. When shopping for a dry, sparkling wine to use in my mimosas, I tend to stay in the $10 to $25 range. I like to provide a delicious option for those brunch guests, who might want to simply sip on sparkling wine, sans juice.

Sauvignon Blanc, Marsala, and a bonus tip on how to use up that extra bubbly.

It's super low-maintenance (promise!) and can be grown inside or in a garden.

The more you trim your thyme, the more it grows!

It's pretty simple — you just need to know a few things first.

It's super easy to grow! It's just a little harder to keep it where it belongs. We can help!

Get ready! May is the perfect time to start growing your own basil!

Sage is an intensely aromatic herb, and unlike its tender cousins — basil and parsley — its leaves are sturdy and resinous. Because of sage’s powerful aroma and oily texture, a little goes long way, flavor-wise. The preserving possibilities are numerous, so we get to be creative with this potent perennial. Infuse honey with dried sage leaves to add flavor to hot or iced tea, sweeten baked goods, add to a citrus-y marinade, or serve on a cheese plate.

Most recipes just call for "dry red wine" — we're taking the guesswork away.

This Galentine’s Day, celebrate with a pitcher cocktail that’s easy to make, sophisticated, and crowd-pleasing. It’s a little sweet, a little fruity, a little bubbly, and a little bitter, which pretty much sums up my thoughts on what this day is all about. It’s not too boozy, either, so it’ll fit in whether you’re in for a girls’ night or up for a lazy brunch.

In my kitchen, the blender does it all — soups, sauces, jams, stocks, sorbets, smoothies, milkshakes, and, best of all, frozen cocktails. Who’s with me in celebrating the revival of blended drinks in the craft cocktail scene? It was only a matter of time. The blended cocktail format simply offers too many possibilities to be ignored.

So far in this series on blender cocktail recipes, I’ve put a twist on some classics and given a couple of serious cocktails a frozen makeover. To wrap up the week, I thought I’d finish with a tropical cocktail that will transport you back to that dreamy island vacation or remind you that the lazy, summer days spent by the pool are soon to come.

I feel fortunate to live here in Colorado, where the peaches from Palisade are among the very best in the world. Every summer at my house, we go through cases of these juicy, sweet fruits. We’ve tried it all — galettes, pies, jams, sauces, salads, salsas, and glazes — but the biggest stroke of genius that arose from last season’s haul was this frozen, bourbon-laced peach mule. Peaches, bourbon, and ginger are natural pairing companions.

If there is one cocktail that is synonymous with blenders, it is the daiquiri. For many of us, this style of cocktail conjures up summertime memories of a thick, sweet, frozen strawberry concoction, but to writer Ernest Hemingway, the daiquiri was something both different and special. Ernest Hemingway spent a lot of time in Cuba, specifically at the famed El Floridita bar, where he developed a love for daiquiris.

Sangria is one of the oldest forms of cocktails on the planet. We’ve been mixing wine, spirits, and fruit for thousands of years. There’s no wonder sangria has survived this long: it’s delicious. This particular sangria blanca is a twist on the southern Spanish classic, Zurra, a white wine-based sangria mixed with peaches or nectarines. Sangria is nature’s bounty in a glass. It conjures up summertime memories and it’s packed with fruit.

Mention a Negroni to me, and I’ll try to get out of whatever I’m doing and meet you for one. I’m not alone on this obsession; there’s even an entire week dedicated to this Italian classic cocktail. Equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, the Negroni is a serious cocktail that carefully balances slightly sweet with boldly bitter.

Valentine’s Day is synonymous with all things pink, sparkly, and festive. Whether you plan on sipping something fruity and bubbly first thing in the morning with your sweetheart, enjoying a small round of tipples with friends at brunch, or serving an entire tray of libations at an evening get-together with your closest, I’ve got the perfect cocktail for you. It’s sweet, straightforward, and uncomplicated. And isn’t that all we really want on Valentine’s Day?

From a citrus and white wine cocktail to a peppery rosé cocktail, we’ve covered a lot of ground this week, as far as flavor profiles go. We’ve also covered the major boxed wine styles. We’re finishing up our series on boxed wine-based pitcher cocktails with a dark, brooding drink based around a bold, red wine. A fiery touch of bourbon makes this cocktail perfect for both lovers of red sangria and Manhattans.

Watch the video to learn how to make this boxed wine cocktail.

Rosé has everyone’s attention, and now that it has finally received the praise it deserves, I thought one day of this week’s series on wintry boxed wine pitcher cocktails should be dedicated this wine that’s so often associated with summertime. You can tell by the gorgeous holiday color why I thought it was an appropriate fit this week. This serious pink cocktail is for those with a slant toward the bitter side.

This may be the easiest of this week’s boxed wine pitcher recipes to craft, as it’s based solely on purchased ingredients. If you have a box of light, fruity, or even sweet red wine, this recipe is the one for you. Basing a cocktail on this style of wine assures a vibrant, deeply hued sangria-like flavor profile. Fruity, fresh, and tart, with a swift kick of ginger — this blackberry and pomegranate cocktail may also be the most crowd-pleasing of the pack.

Don’t you especially love the parties and get-togethers that happen just after Christmas? I do. The stress is lower, the gifts have been given, and the vibe is all about hanging out with family and friends and welcoming in the new year. I’ve already picked up a few boxes of wine for the holiday season — some for sipping, some to cook with, and some to use as a cocktail mixer.

You most likely have a cocktail mixer on hand that you’re not using: I’m talking about boxed wine. We already agree that it is totally deserving of a place in your fridge, but we often overlook its potential as a cocktail mixer — especially for large pitchers and punches. Making your pitcher cocktails with wine will take them to a level beyond the standard booze and juice combination.

Thanksgiving is arguably the most highly anticipated culinary day of the year. While some people may resort to beer and football on this day, I personally enjoy leading the charge in the kitchen. I like to ease those pre-dinner jitters and possible family tensions by making a shareable, seasonal punch that gets everyone into the holiday mood. Here’s a fall-inspired cocktail that you can share and enjoy all morning while you’re prepping Thanksgiving dinner.

Whether it’s the ongoing debate that a dislike of cilantro is determined by genetics or the recent stir caused by cilantro imported from Mexico, cilantro certainly seems to be a hot topic right now. While some crave its fresh, spicy flavor, others find it utterly unappealing. For me, I can’t get enough of it. Not only can it be tricky to grow, but it also proves challenging to preserve.

We’ve finally reached the last herb in our Herb Gardening 101 series, and we’ve definitely saved the trickiest for last. Cilantro was one of the earliest herbs ever cultivated for culinary use — dating back over 3,000 years — and over that period of time, it has found its way into almost every major cuisine.

Yep, I said it. No other words in the world of domestic wine seem to generate the same intensity of reaction as white zinfandel. Virtually everyone has a strong opinion on this pink wine and, although still one of the most popular wine styles in the U.S., it has become an object of finger-pointing to many wine enthusiasts. Thankfully, a new generation of winemakers is taking a twist on this American classic.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who lives in a hot climate, preserving rosemary might not be an issue for you, since rosemary is evergreen in warmer growing zones. If you live in a colder climate, like I do, you know rosemary doesn’t survive the winter, so learning ways to preserve your harvest is necessary.

When I think of rosemary, I imagine the rolling hillsides in the south of France, peppered with wild rosemary bushes. I just want to pour myself a glass of rosé, sit poolside, and take in its resinous aroma. Rosemary is not only about aesthetics, though — it adds a flavorful finishing touch to many a savory dish, like grilled lamb, roasted chicken, or toasty focaccia. Rosemary is easy to grow, evergreen in many climates, and it thrives in containers.

Who says you can’t drink wine with your ice cream? Ask most wine professionals, and they’ll tell you, “Pairing wine with ice cream is one of those ‘impossible pairings.’ Go with beer or have a sip of whiskey, instead.” But what if you are presented with a situation where wine is your only option, or what if you simply love wine and ice cream together? Adaptability is a positive quality, so let’s break some rules.

I once read that parsley’s flavor is the “summation of all things green.” I’d say that’s a fitting description of this classic, lively, summer herb. Parsley is one of those herbs that produces exponentially, provided the proper growing situation. If you’re growing some in your garden, you most likely have a lot of it on hand. Lucky for you, there’s a time-saving way to preserve it. No chopping required.

Think only water belongs in ice cube trays? Think again. We’ve sipped drinks decorated with raspberry-studded ice cubes, we’ve saved leftover lemon juice in trays, and we’ve provided an extra caffeinated punch in our iced coffees with frozen coffee cubes. But what about herbs or vegetables? Here are a few of my favorite ways to preserve veggies, herbs, and sauces in convenient, practical, portion-controlled cubes.

Ask most people what their favorite herb is, and their response will often be basil. For many of us, this tender annual seems to epitomize the season. Basil tastes its absolute best when it’s enjoyed fresh, but thankfully you have a few creative options to preserve the vibrant flavor of this herb that’s so strongly associated with summertime.

It’s Pizza Week here at The Kitchn, and pizza means wine. The classic combination of cheese and tomato will never get old, but I’m also glad that pizza now means something more. Pizza crust is basically a blank canvas, like a tortilla or toast; once you see it as such, the ingredient combinations are endless, as are the wine-pairing possibilities. Who doesn’t love finding a killer bottle of wine under 10 bucks? I certainly do.