Honey Can Cook
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I promised you recipes featuring fresh fruits and veggies of summer. Here is a recipe you can play with, add to, change, etc. and I’m convinced it will be delicious, no matter how you dice it. I had a few peaches hanging around and fresh garden tomatoes staring from the window sill, begging to be eaten. Mixing the two colors made the most enchanting presentation. Don’t you love the colorful jumble of ripe red tomato, dark green jalapeño, green onion and sunset colored peaches? (more…)
This summer I plan on posting recipes using local summer fruits and vegetables. Back in the late spring I started my first raised bed garden. With the idea of keeping it simple I planted tomatoes, several varieties, peppers, strawberries, herbs and an eggplant. The tomatoes have done wonderfully, the eggplant nothing yet, the peppers have produced a few and same with the strawberries. The herbs are doing well and I enjoy using them often. I yearn to incorporate these juicy, tender, fragrant fruits and veggies into every meal. With my garden producing and the farmers markets and close-by peach orchard in full swing this should be an easy theme to stick with. (more…)
Having been home less than a week from our fabulous island vacation I’m beginning to settle in to my home routine…it is just the beginning of summer and not having to go to work is a bonus. I’m pretending I’m on a stay-cation now and making the most of the simpleness of summer on the Ridge. Simple summer comprises staying up a little late, sleeping in just a bit, not rushing through a cup of coffee, and not wearing any makeup. (more…)
Welcome! I have returned from my trip to the beautiful BVI’s. I wish I could say I missed you, blogging, laundry, litter box patrol, mowing the lawn and fighting the traffic jam at Wal-Mart but I can NOT truthfully say that. We had a marvelous journey and I can honestly announce that we relaxed and soaked up every second of every day. I’m posting a few photos below to entice you to get up and see the world.
On our first day home we welcomed out-of-town guests which prompted me to try out a few new recipes. Having our oldest daughter LuLu and her guy come for the weekend eased the pain of returning from vacation. We spent time visiting our local farmers market and peach orchard, caught up with conversation on the back porch and grilled every meal while watching our gorgeous Texas sunsets. Ahhh…there’s no place like home.
I’ll share some of the recipes from this weekend with you later in the week, so go ahead and view our island photos, make plans for your own vacation, we all need one, and I’ll see you soon.
Enjoy!
Good morning! Today I am in countdown mode. I believe I was so caught up in being a guest chef at CM that I failed to mention the next exciting event in my life. Let me tell you now. In a couple of days adoring hubby, Miss T and I will head out for the British Virgin Islands. Tortolla, to be exact. Cheering and clapping would be an appropriate response!!
This is the icing on the cake for Miss T’s graduation from high school which took place a couple of weeks ago. She is thrilled to be visiting a foreign country where she’ll be able to speak the language. I think she secretly enjoys telling people she’s traveling out of the country – it sounds “cool”. Traveling anywhere always makes me happy but to be headed to the beautiful beaches of the BVI’s has put a huge smile on my face.
Needless to say, I won’t be posting any fabulous recipes or bee stories for a few days. In the meantime visit a few of my favorite blogs and see what they are up to. I’ll be back soon with some captivating photos, stories about island foods, a few of their recipes and you can bet I’ll be asking around if there are any beekeepers.
http://rufusguide.wordpress.com/ – will make you laugh and shares some great recipes
http://www.ryanbakes.com/ – delicious baked goods
http://promenadeplantings.com/ – beautiful photos and gardening stories straight from England
http://backroadjournal.wordpress.com/ – travel, food and fantastic photos of New Hampshire and Maine
http://ourfamilyfoodadventures.com/ – the family that cooks together – stays together Fun!
http://sweetcarolinescooking.com/ – yummy stuff by a young blogger
http://www.fiveeurofood.com/ – interesting food and a sense of humor from France
http://pearlandpine.blogspot.com/ – engaging photos, food and travel from the Northwest
http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/ – food us Texans love
http://www.suburbansoliloquy.com/ – thought provoking writing
I leave you with some sights I hope to see on my travels. Thanks to google images.
Enjoy!
Wow! That was a blast….being guest chef at Central Market’s Dinner With The Orange Bee. Leading up to class I shared all of the tasty recipes we would make. I wanted to recap the evening, briefly. Then I”ll be sharing a peachy little recipe with you.
The folks at CM were very easy and pleasant to work with. All enthusiastic foodies to be sure! (more…)
It worked out perfectly for me to share the 5 recipes I’ll be preparing at tonight’s cooking class at Central Market. Of late I am; short on time, in summer mode, spending late nights on the porch, sleeping in past sunrise, spending time with friends and family, taking long walks, and lovin’ life. (more…)
Only one day until my CM gig. I’ve been thinking about it often. Who will be there? How many questions will I be asked, and about what? Will I be given favorable reviews at the end of class? There are only 6 seats available. I feel good about that! I enjoy speaking before a crowd. My class is labeled “hands on”. (more…)
I am truly in countdown mode for Monday night’s Central Market class. Only 2 days until the big event. I have an interesting and I hope engaging format for teaching a bit about bees, honey and the benefits of both.
My man, Dan is my head audio visual guy and he’s put together an entertaining slide show with great photos of bees and their work.
Today I give you the salad course. When I eat salad I prefer homemade dressings to drizzle over my lettuces. Fresh made salad dressings are more flavorful and healthy than bottled ones, in my opinion. I always seem to have ingredients on hand that can be blended for a quick and easy salad condiment. This one is a simple mix of honey, Dijon, vinegar, garlic and shallots. It’s a lovely combination with the mixed greens, berries and crunchy pecans. This is one of my favorite salad dressings.
Enjoy!
Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette over Baby Greens
½ cup Balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 tbsp. honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 small shallots, minced
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 cup olive oilWhisk together the first 7 ingredients until blended. Gradually stream in olive oil, whisking constantly.I usually serve this over a salad of mixed baby greens, with oranges, strawberries and Sweet ‘n Spicy Pecans.Sweet ‘n Spicy Pecans¼ cup sugar
1 cup warm water
1 cup pecan halves
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. chili powder
½ tsp ground red pepperStir together ¼ cup sugar and warm water until sugar dissolves. Ad pecans and soak for 10 minutes. Drain, discarding syrup.Combine remaining sugar, chili powder, and ground red pepper. Add pecans, tossing to coat. Place pecans on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350* for 10 minutes, stirring once.
In three days I will be the guest chef at Central Market Cooking School. You might already know this and if so I apologize for the repetition. I thought it would be fun to share the recipes we will be preparing on that night with my blog readers – that’s YOU! By the way I appreciate each and every one of you who take the time to stop by and see what’s up at The Orange Bee. The blog network is a unique place to be….meeting total strangers who soon seem to be your friends…how cool is this? (more…)