Honey Can Cook
Live in the Greensboro, NC area?
Check out our in-home cooking classes!
Here is a new one for ya’. A recipe using honey that is a hand and body scrub. With summer upon us we need to be sure and wear plenty of sunscreen but also to exfoliate. I don’t know about you, but honestly I love for my body to feel soft and smooth as a baby’s butt. (more…)
Today I was barefoot in the back yard moving around a few potted plants when I stepped on a bumblebee. I got stung on the bottom of my foot. I knew right away it was a sting! Yeeeouch! The bee was fine as she flew away after she popped me. My backyard has quite a bit of clover in it and the bumblebees visit daily. Usually I watch where I am stepping as not to bother or harm them, but I was moving a rather large plant and could’t see where I was stepping. Ugh!
The good news is bumblebees do not lose their stingers when they sting and therefore they do not die. Honeybees sting once, leaving the barb in who or whatever they stung and then they die. You can imagine it makes me sad when a bee stings someone because I know that bee is going to die.
As a matter of fact bumble and honey bees don’t want to sting us. Leaving them alone is the best way to assure that they “stay calm and carry on”, leaving us alone. I got stung because my large foot was threatening this girl. Honeybees sting when they feel threatened as well. Swatting, flailing, screaming, jerking and such only irritate the bees as we must look rather crazy and therefore threatening to them. We should follow the phrase “stay calm and carry on” ourselves and watch where we step to prevent stings from any type of bee.
My foot is a bit tender right where she got me but no biggie. If you are stung, especially by a honey bee the first thing you should do is scrape out the stinger asap. The longer it remains embedded in your skin the more venom goes into you. Using a fingernail or credit card usually is sufficient to scrape it out. Next using a paste of baking soda and water, an old wives tale, seems to draw out some of the venom, giving relief to the sting site. Also OTC Benadryl creams and sprays are helpful in alleviating the discomfort. IF you are ALLERGIC please seek immediate medical care – 911.
Today I am diverting from posting a “honey” recipe to share my overnight Blueberry-Pecan French Toast recipe. Blueberries are abundant this time of year and what better way to use them than in an easy crowd pleasing breakfast dish?
What you need to know about this recipe is; the proportions are perfect for a crowd, it’s thrown together one day, refrigerated overnight and baked the next morning, it’s quick to toss together and it is delicious. Fresh picked, plump blueberries bursting with juiciness and crunchy pecans layered with sweet King’s Hawaiian bread.
Enjoy!
Kings Hawaiian Blueberry-Pecan French Toast
Ingredients:
Butter
12 ounces sliced King’s Hawaiian Loaf
5 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup each milk & light cream
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
Powdered Sugar
Instructions:
Butter a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Place bread slices in the dish, overlapping.
In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, cream, 2/3 cup brown sugar, vanilla powder and nutmeg. Slowly pour mixture over brad. Press lightly with the back of a wooden spoon to moisten bread evenly. Cover and chill for 8-24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350*F. Sprinkle the blueberries and pecans over the bread mixture. In a small bowl stir together the melted butter and the 1/4 cup brown sugar. Drizzle mixture over the top.
Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes. Let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. (If using syrup use pure Maple syrup.)
“This post is part of my entry in to the KING’S HAWAIIAN® Go PupuleTM Recipe Sweepstakes. For details on how you too can enter for a chance to win the sweepstakes prize by entering the KING’S HAWAIIAN® Go PupuleTM Recipe Sweepstakes, go here: http://www.kingshawaiian.com/GoPupuleRecipe.”
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of taking a complimentary tour of some fantastic South Beach restaurants in Miami. Finding myself with a couple of extra days after the whirlwind BlogHerFood’14 conference in Miami Beach, I decided a culinary tour would be just the thing for me. Now I know I will seek out culinary tours anytime I travel as this was one of the most fun and informative, not to mention delicious, tourist activities I’ve ever enjoyed. (more…)
Did you know that for honey to be considered “organic” the hives must be kept miles away from any danger of pollutants? In order to assure “organic” honey the hives are placed far away from exposure to chemicals, GMO’s or pesticides. (more…)
Do you remember the first time you made an “upside-down” cake? I recall being apprehensive about flipping the cake onto a platter, worried about a first class kitchen calamity. I mean, really, holding onto a hot cast iron skillet with one hand and a serving plate with the other, timing the flip while not shattering the plate nor slopping cake and gooey topping all over my kitchen floor seemed a colossal challenge.
Most people I know are a bit afraid of bee stings even if not fearful of bees. As a beekeeper I’ve been stung only 3 times and always while not wearing my beekeeper gear. I don’t enjoy being stung but am not particularly panicky about a bee sting.
For centuries bee venom has been used to treat arthritis. (more…)
Having just returned from the BlogHerFood’14 conference in Miami Beach and having eaten way more food than any one person should in a few short days I’m trying to get back to the norm. This is not a recipe per-se but a concoction that I eat often for breakfast, lunch or a mid-day snack. (more…)
I’ve been into making easy, light and yummy desserts lately. This may be the easiest of all. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia about Mel i Mato: Mató (Catalan pronunciation: [məˈto]) is a Catalan fresh cheese made from cows’ or goats’ milk, with no salt added. It is usually served with honey, as a dessert, called mel i mató. Mató appeared in the Sent Soví, a Catalan cookbook from the 14th century. It was very popular during the Middle Ages, when it was made plain or scented with orange flowers. (more…)
Did you know that the sweet worker bee has two stomachs? One for nectar storage and one for her own digestive purposes. Field bees collect nectar using their proboscis and store it in their “honey stomach”. (more…)