M., Author at A Kitchen of Herbs

Fluffy Pita: Flatbread That Rises to the Occasion

Posted on May 27, 2022September 15, 2025 by M.

This recipe for fluffy pita is extremely versatile.

I’ve used this dough to make everything from pita to pizza.

freshly baked pide pizza masde with fluffy pita recipe

Dough should be soft and pliable. If you have time, I recommend letting it rest at room temperature for an hour or so. I’m usually in a hurry and didn’t plan ahead, so I know you can just use it right away if you prefer.

These can be eaten immediately as a side with eggs for breakfast, or with a sprinkling of cheese for a snack. They also make great taco shells. Roll out larger balls and create pide for a Mediterranean pizza meal. Roll out the same larger balls to create burrito shells.

Fluffy Pita

Yield: 10

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Delicious, fluffy and soft.

No Ratings

Ingredients

16 oz. All purpose Flour
24.6 oz. Boiling water
19.6 oz. All purpose Flour
2.4 oz. Olive Oil
.35 oz Active Dry Yeast (dissolved in warm water)
0.6 oz. Salt

Instructions

In mixing bowl, combine first amount of flour and boiling water.
Let sit a few minutes to cool down.
Combine yeast and warm water and stir to dissolve. This might be thick, like a paste.
Add oil, yeast paste and salt to dough and mix to combine.
Using dough hook, add second amount of flour to dough 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated.
Knead an additional 2-3 minutes to ensure dough comes away from the bowl’s sides and has developed a little bit of the gluten.
Let rest at least 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate overnight.
Portion into 1 oz. balls (about 2″).
Roll out to 5″ discs.
Heat skillet on high with a lid to cover.
Cook pita about 30 seconds each side, covering with the lid.
These will cook fast and probably puff up!
If they are puffing well, there is no need to cook them any longer on that side, flip them immediately, regardless of color.

Notes

Whole Wheat Version: Reduce all purpose flour to 11.2 oz. Add 4.8 oz. whole wheat flour
Dough should be soft but not sticky. It is not essential to develop the gluten but it does help.
Dough is best if allowed to rest overnight in the fridge or at least an hour at room temp but can be used immediately.
If you are fortunate enough to own a stone wood-fired oven, bake off there. For the rest of us plebs, a preheated iron skillet on medium high with a lid placed on top gives a similar effect.
When rolling out pita, move from center to edge. Try not to smash the edges. Pita should be about ¼ “ thick.
When placed in skillet, they should almost immediately puff. If not, simply cook until very light brown on both sides and pita is opaque.

Cinnamon Streusel Oatmeal Muffins

Posted on May 26, 2022October 4, 2025 by M.

These cinnamon streusel oatmeal muffins were a go-to for us growing up because the oatmeal made them heartier, thus satisfying the appetites of 3 growing boys much more easily. The streusel topping made them ‘fancy’ and kept us from feeling like we were eating a health muffin.

If you don’t feel like messing with muffins, whip out an iron skillet and grease it lightly. You’ll soon learn that just about anything I post can also be made in a skillet.

Alot of the sweetness in the muffin comes from the topping, so adjust to your taste. As they bake, the topping crackles and splits a little bit.

Cinnamon Streusel Oatmeal Muffins

Yield: 24 muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

No Ratings

Ingredients

Topping

2 T. Salted Butter
1/2 c. + 2 T. Granulated Sugar
3 T. + 1 t. All Purpose Flour
2 T. Cinnamon

Muffin Batter

2 c. All Purpose Flour
1/2 c. Granulated Sugar
2 T. Baking Powder
1 t. Salt
1/2 t. Cardamom (Not necessary, but I like the mellow flavor.)
1/2 t. Cinnamon
2 c. Quick Oats
1 c. Raisins (I never put these in, but knock yourself out.)
6 T. Oil (Anything that is liquid at room temperature works.)
2 eggs
2 c. Milk (Dairy, Non-Dairy, you do you.)
1 t. Vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425*.
Grease or line muffin tins with papers.
Melt butter for topping.
Mix in sugar, flour and cinnamon until crumbly and set aside.
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices.
Stir in oatmeal and raisins (if adding)
Add oil, eggs, milk and vanilla and mix just until combined.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
Sprinkle generously with streusel topping.
Bake 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Roasted Potato Wedges

Posted on May 23, 2022September 14, 2025 by M.

When it comes to what herbs go with potatoes, you can never go wrong with rosemary. These are quick, easy and go with just about anything.

Preheat oven to 350*.

Cut into wedges:

10 Red or Gold Potatoes (If you have Idaho and the skins are thick you might want to peel them.)

Dump into a large bowl.

Add:

2 T. Oil (I suggest olive or avocado, but anything works.)

Toss potatoes with the oil until coated.

Add:

2 t. Salt (You can use Garlic Salt, Lawry’s, whatever you please.)

1 t. Pepper

Toss to coat potatoes.

Spread on baking sheet or in large iron skillet. Scatter generously with:

2 Sprigs Rosemary (You can remove the leaves but I just throw the whole thing on, maybe torn in half to release aroma.)

4 Sprigs Thyme (Same here. Who wants to peel off tiny Thyme leaves?)

Bake until potatoes are fork-tender.

I have no idea how long this is. I’ll update you if I ever remember to look.

Broiled Spicy Corn

Posted on May 17, 2022September 14, 2025 by M.

Clean:

2 Whole Cobs of Corn ( or 6 sections)

Season all sides of each with:

Cumin

Garlic Salt

Pepper

Smoked Paprika

Chili Powder

Heat broiler to 500*.

Drizzle olive oil into iron skillet.

Place corn in skillet and broil 5 – 7 minutes.

Turn cobs and broil additional 5 – 7 minutes, just until slight char or really well browned.

Watch closely, depending on your oven, this may happen fast.

This is officially my favorite way of cooking corn on the cob now. It’s quick, easy and delicious!

Amish Baked Oatmeal

Posted on May 16, 2022September 19, 2025 by M.

I grew up eating a lot of oatmeal, in many forms. One of my favorite ways to eat it was this Amish baked oatmeal recipe. I think it’s best hot out of the oven, but even as leftovers it’s delicious.

For easy breakfasts on the go or just to make single servings easier, you can use a muffin tin. Fill them to the brim and bake!

Amish Baked Oatmeal

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

No Ratings

Ingredients

3 c. Quick Oats
1 c. Brown Sugar
2 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Salt
1 t. Cinnamon (optional)
1/2 t. Cardamom (optional)
1 c. Milk
1/2 c. Oil
2 Egg
2 t. Vanilla Extract (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*.
In large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
Stir in milk, oil, egg and vanilla.
Pour into greased 8x8 square pan, 8" cake pan or whatever you have handy.
Bake 20-25 minutes, until set and toothpick comes out clean.
Serve warm with milk or refrigerate for up to a week for easy breakfasts!

Notes

Nutritional Boost Options:

2 T. Ground Pumpkin Seeds
2 T. Ground Flax Seed
1 apple, peeled and finely grated

Carnitas

Posted on May 9, 2022September 14, 2025 by M.

Pat dry:

2 lbs. Shoulder of Pork

Combine:

2 T. Cumin

1 T. Garlic Salt

1 T. Chili Powder

1 T. Smoked Paprika

1 T. Ground Oregano OR

3 Sprigs Fresh Oregano

Coat meat with spice mixture.

Place in Dutch oven or iron skillet.

Chop and cover meat with:

1 Jalapeño

1 Onion

4 Garlic Cloves

Pour over meat:

1/2 – 3/4 c. Orange Juice

Cover with foil. Bake at 300* for 6 hours or until meat shreds easily with fork.

If you have a slow cooker, of course you can use it on low for several hours until meat is tender.

Quick Pico De Gallo: Fresh & Flavorful Salsa

Posted on May 8, 2022September 7, 2025 by M.

Fresh pico de gallo is the ultimate simple salsa.

It’s a vibrant, chunky blend of tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, and lime juice that transforms tacos, eggs, grilled chicken, or even a simple chip into a bright and healthy feast. It’s incredibly fast to make with no cooking required—just chop and mix!

The absolute key to the best, most authentic flavor is using fresh cilantro. This herb adds that unmistakable, bright, citrusy note that makes pico de gallo taste truly alive. (If you’ve ever wondered about this powerful herb, I’ve got a whole guide on how to grow and use cilantro).

This recipe is a foundational staple in my kitchen because it’s naturally healthy, packed with flavor, and everyone always loves it. It’s part of my perfect quick lunch: a scoop of this pico, a scoop of my easy guacamole, and a pile of my favorite Easy Chicken Salad with Fresh Basil served on crackers. The video below shows you just how quick and easy it is to make!

Pico De Gallo

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

No Ratings

Ingredients

6 Roma Tomatoes
1 Red Onion
1 Jalapeno (if you don't like heat, de-seed it)
1 Bunch Cilantro
2 Fresh Limes
1 T. Olive Oil
2 t. Salt
1 t. Black Pepper
2 t. Cumin

Instructions

Chop or dice tomatoes and onion to desired size. I prefer mine to be on the smaller side so that it's easier to scoop.
Remove the stem of the jalapeno and dice it finely. If you prefer less heat, scrape the seeds out first or just omit altogether.
Trim cilantro stems to just below the beginning of the leaves.
Chop the cilantro. I like mine to be more of a rough chop with big pieces, but most folks prefer a fine chop or 'chiffonade'.
Combine tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeno in a small bowl.
Zest 2 limes and then juice them. Trust me, doing it the other way around doesn't work. 😉
Add olive oil, lime zest, juice, salt, pepper and cumin to tomato mixture.
Mix well and serve!

Notes

If you enjoy picking individual leaves off because it is therapeutic, be my guest. My partner did this for a while because one of his former chefs said it reduced the bitter aftertaste of chopped cilantro. Personally, I can't be bothered.
This recipe is most delicious once the flavors have had a little time to get to know each other in the container, so I like to mix it up in the morning to serve it at lunch or dinner if I have time. I've also thrown it together 2 minutes before the meal. Either way, its tasty.