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Tag: great food blogger

Chinese Five Spice Carrot Cupcakes
Finding my self settled into our new home here in North Carolina I began to think of finding a very part-time job, preferably revolving around food. I paid a visit to The Savory Spice Shop recently to see what they had to offer. I was quite impressed with the shop and it’s many offerings. My nose was delighted upon entering the store with the most wonderful aroma from a vast array of spices and herbs. Quite intrigued, I made note that I might entertain a job there.

The following week I applied for and accepted a job with The Savory Spice Shop here in Greensboro. It is a blessing! This job, to me comes with many advantages.
1. I make money
2. I can walk to work
3. I will learn about over 400 spices, herbs and blends
4. I will meet new people
5. I get to talk food while at this job
6. I have a multitude of new recipes to try
7. I am a happy girl

One of the first “new” to me spices I brought home is our Chinese Five Spice. It boasts strong flavors from Chinese cinnamon, star anise, fennel seed, cloves, ginger and black pepper. A sweet yet spicy aroma filled my kitchen as I baked these yummy, moist cupcakes. They are topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting spiked with fresh ground ginger. Served as a unique dessert, a wonderful accompaniment to a hot cup of coffee or tea and quickly devoured as a breakfast on the run, you’ll find these cupcakes versatile as well as quick and easy to throw together.

Of course I did make one adjustment to the recipe; I added honey! You’ll find it added in parentheses in the recipe. Feel free to add or not when you bake these tasty, aromatic sweet treats.

This post is part of Our Growing Edge a site for sharing our trials, successes and failures (if any) in the kitchen.
Chinese Five Spice Carrot Cupcakes
Ingredients

For cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. Chinese Five Spice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained

3 x eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. pure Madagascar vanilla extract

2 cups shredded carrots (about 3-4 medium-sized carrots)

(2 tablespoons wildflower honey)

For frosting:

1 8oz packet cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tsp. pure Madagascar vanilla extract

2 tsp. ground ginger

3 cups powdered sugar

crystalized ginger as garnish
Instructions

For cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and Chinese Five Spice. In another large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, crushed pineapple, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract and carrots. Then slowly add the flour mixture and beat with an electric hand mixer until just combined, about 2 min. Fill the muffin cups ¾ full with batter. Bake until the cupcakes are set, about 20 to 22 min. When they can be handled safely, remove them from the muffin tins and let cool completely on wire racks before frosting. For frosting: In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and ground ginger. Blend the ingredients with an electric hand mixer until a creamy consistency is reached, while slowly adding the powdered sugar.

Serving Suggestions:

Garnish frosted cupcakes with crystallized ginger.

Yields: 12 cupcakes

Thanks to: Janet Johnston, Savory Spice Shop founder
3.2.2885
December 5, 2014
Gold Bars

Here it is, the recipe for Gold Bars. This is such a simple recipe, easy to whip up and not time-consuming at all. On the day you decide to make these be sure to take out the butter and cream cheese ahead of time for softening. Once you begin the recipe you’ll have them in the oven in less than 10 minutes. Perfection in every way!

I, personally like the edges and corners but to make a pretty presentation cut the edges off all around, eat them (only if you’re hungry), and then cut the rest into bars or squares.

They will melt in your mouth so take time to sit down, relax and enjoy every sweet, delectable bite.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:4]

November 20, 2014
Honey, Orange & Ginger Cookies + Cookies Galore

The month of November I was chosen by Genie of Bunny Eats Design to host “Our Growing Edge”. It is a round up of recipes sent in by bloggers from around the world. A wonderful way to share and get to know other bloggers, we all have a common interest – do we not? All month I’ll be gathering the submitted recipes and the first week of December they will all be shared in one big post. If you are reading this and don’t know about Genie and this cool project she started check out her blog and go here if you’d like to join in. You have until November 30 to send in your favorite recipe(s) for submission and inclusion in this fantastic monthly blogging event. I’d love to be able to include you in this month’s round up!

Also this month I will be participating in the “Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap”. It is one fun cookie exchange with other bloggers from all over the U.S. and there is even a division for bloggers in other countries! Cookies For Kids Cancer is our main reason for participating and I can’t think of a more worthy cause – and who doesn’t love a good, home baked cookie? It’s a win win situation for all. Here is a link to some of last years cookie recipes. If you are in need of new recipe or just like to drool, go there and you won’t be sorry. Cookies galore! Last year I didn’t get to participate as we were moving but I did participate in 2012 and was thrilled to jump on it again this year. I have no idea what cookie recipe I’ll go with this time but in 2012 I made Honey, Orange & Ginger Cookies. Simple, chewy and so delicious with hot tea or hot chocolate.

I just love this time of year as it stirs my baking brain into a frenzy…my man Dan and I will be taste testing a few cookie recipes before I zero in on the special one I’ll ship to three lucky bloggers as part of the swap. I hope you’re in the mood for fresh baked cookies too because I have a suspicion you might find a few recipes appearing right here in the next few weeks. Meantime here are a couple of my favorite cookie recipes for you to taste test this holiday season. Go on – get in the kitchen and make a mess and a batch of homemade cookies!

Cracked Sugar Cookies

Orange Bee Lemon Bars

Thumbprint Butter Cookies

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

November 12, 2014
Dangerously Delicious Hot Spiced Wine

Chilly fall temperatures turned to bone chilling temperatures this past weekend in the Carolinas. Weather fit for a glass of Hot Spiced Wine.

The aroma, a bouquet of cinnamon, citrus and pepper. The flavor, rousing to the taste buds, sweet, spicy, peppery, smooth, with warm citrus notes. It goes down easily and might lure you into multiple glasses. That’s cool as long as you’re staying home in front of a crackling, blazing fire in the comfort of your own living room.

This mixture will last for several days if you refrigerate it and then gently re-heat. If you are going this route take out the fruit and spices as the citrus will begin to disintegrate into the wine and you’ll end up with a glass full of pulp. This spicy wine is dangerously delicious – drink with caution.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:3]

November 3, 2014
Fresh Lima Beans with Smoked Bacon

Now that the new site is up I feel so overwhelmed with playing catch up! I hate this feeling. Can’t focus, want to snack, do not need to snack. Feeling concern over whether or not I’m going about it correctly. I am not a genius when it comes to working with the computer and I spend what I think is too much time reading tutorials and writing questions to my designer. I feel like I am starting over again and it is causing me to think about “comfort food”. I think about food a great deal,do you? But, at a time like this I want to feed myself warm, soothing, food that reminds me of a simpler time. A time before computers, and social media, and stats!

(more…)

October 28, 2014
Welcome to The Orange Bee

Today is the day! Grab a cup of coffee and stay awhile because, if you are here, you are visiting my new site “The Orange Bee”. I have wanted to accomplish this for a couple of years but life kept getting in the way and I wasn’t sure why I needed a new and improved site. After a word of advice from a couple of fellow bloggers I realized if I wanted to grow my blog I needed to jump in head first and go for it. Thank goodness for my blog designer and her patience with teaching me how to move forward with this endeavor. I will share more about her in another post.

I look forward to getting back in the swing of things with my blog, testing and trying recipes, shooting some mouth-watering photos, sharing some words about being an empty nester and how that affects what comes out of my kitchen, and of course telling bee stories. With my new endeavor I hope to snag a few “cooking classes”, speak up for some of my favorite brands and educate folks about the importance of bees.

The old site will remain in existence for a while, but I suggest re-subscribing to the new site in the subscription box just to be sure you continue to follow along. All the new, good stuff will now be right here!

Thanks for stopping by!

October 14, 2014
Gluten Free Lemon-Ricotta Cheesecake

Since I began working at the Savory Spice Shop I’ve heard quite a bit of information from folks eating gluten-free. Some out of necessity, as they have Celiac disease, others “going Paleo” and most as a new style of eating. I have heard many times that since cutting gluten out of ones diet a myriad of interesting health benefits seem to occur. From time to time with no apparent reason I get excruciating pain in my shoulder joints and hands. Now, this could just be an age or arthritis thing, but I started to wonder if taking gluten out of my diet would change anything. So I did!

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October 1, 2014
Friday Fun Facts – You Can Help

Whole Foods Campaign

I shop at a local Whole Foods because:

1. It’s convenient
2. I can buy organic
3. I can find local NC or SC produce
4. Signage tells me where my food comes from
5. They carry non GMO corn on the cob ( it is sweet and delicious – I’m hooked)
6. I like their campaigns about helping save bees

3 ways to Help at Home
Plant Flowers. Grow a mix of native flowers with different colors, shapes and bloom times. Blooming herbs, fruits and vegetables are good choices too!

Make Space. Preserve some brush piles and bare patches of soil to help native bees dig nests.

Go Organic. To help promote healthy ecosystems, choose organic foods for your table and organic seeds and seedlings for your garden.

July 11, 2014
Honey & Chile BBQ Sauce

I’ve never made BBQ sauce like this before, but I totally dig making my own sauces, dressings, rubs, mops, etc. I’d opened a can of diced tomatoes and used just a bit so I needed to use up the remainder of the can. After looking at the left over tomatoes every time I opened the refrigerator for a couple of days, (more…)

July 7, 2014
Friday Fun Facts – Killing Bees In Your Own Garden

Do you know that those beautiful, colorful flowers you are bringing home from your local nursery or big box store could be killing bees that might venture into your yard or garden at an alarming rate? Much research has been done lately regarding a class of agricultural pesticide named neonicotinoids and the general consensus is that it is killing our precious bees at a very fast pace. This nasty poison is hiding in seed packets and flowering plants that are readily available for you and me to pick up at our local nursery, garden center or big box store.

I found an interesting article here which will enlighten you to how you can prevent bringing home poison to our very important bees. I urge you to read this bit of news and do your part to help save the bees! Just remember every third bite of food you eat will be pollinated by a bee. Ban neonic pesticides!

Enjoy!

July 4, 2014