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Tag: Texas wineries

  • Implementing A Pre-Spring Detox

    Implementing A Pre-Spring Detox

    Oil & Honey Edition ~ I am starting a pre-spring detox. My plan is not a crazy starve myself detox but one where ingesting good, clean food, drinking lots of water and including essential oils is the idea.  With spring comes growth, baby birds, tender green leaves shoot out of trees, brilliantly colored bulbs burst forth from the soil and we begin to feel refreshed.  I am simply going to jumpstart the “refreshed” part!

    After “National Margarita Day” back in February – when I may have indulged in one too many margaritas I knew it was time to start my pre-spring detox.  Drinking lots of water helps flush out our liver, kidneys, gut and helps support our lungs and skin. Since my good health is dependent on my body’s ability to cleanse itself of toxins I’ll begin by adding a couple drops of Lemon Oil to at least one glass of water daily.  Taken internally, Lemon provides cleansing and digestive benefits and supports healthy respiratory function.  It tastes good, smells good and is uplifting and invigorating.  If you decide to do this, be sure and only put oils in non-plastic drink ware.  I use stainless steel water bottles when leaving home and keep a glass full of water next to my kitchen sink every day.  I’ve been a big water drinker for a long, long time but seeing that glass next to the sink is a subtle reminder to enjoy several glasses daily.

    Pre-Spring Detox

    Meals going forward this week will lean heavily on the salad and vegetable recipes I love and will no doubt include some fresh fish.  I’ll be sure to make some polenta, (you know I’m addicted to that stuff) eat oatmeal for breakfast, snack on healthy nuts and include honey to satisfy my sweet tooth.  Here are links to some of my favorite salad and seafood recipes.

    Salmon in Lemon Herb Marinade

    Orange and Onion Salad

    Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad

    Pre-Spring Detox

    Grilled Chicken and Blueberry Salad with Wild Orange Dressing

    Honey Jalapeno Glazed Salmon

    pre-spring detox

    Along with eating clean, healthy meals and serving moderate sized portions I’ll be using Zendocrine Detox Softgels. This proprietary blend of Tangerine, Rosemary, Geranium, Juniper Berry, and Cilantro supports our bodies natural detoxification process and helps to cleanse the toxins right out!  Read below to see how each oil helps.

    Tangerine Peel: extremely rich inlimonene, known for its purifying benefits*
    Rosemary Flower/Leaf: supports healthy liver function*
    Geranium Plant: supports the body’s natural ability to rid itself of unwanted substances*
    Juniper Berry: supports healthy kidney function*
    Cilantro Leaf: supports the body’s natural process of eliminating toxins*

    pre-spring detox

    These capsules can be taken 2-3x’s daily during my pre-spring detox or on an ongoing basis.

    Even though I know I am a healthy person it never hurts to assist and aid our bodies in doing their jobs efficiently.  I’ll back off on alcohol and sugar for the next few days too.  Along with my pre-spring detox I’ll be sure to include plenty of exercise.  For me that means yoga several days of the week, bike rides and many walks through the parks or my neighborhood.

    As always if you’d like to learn more about Essential Oils please don’t hesitate to contact me at my email Linda@theorangebee.com, via my FB page The Orange Bee or leave a comment on this post! Be sure you don’t miss any Sunday Stinger posts – subscribe to The Orange Bee above!

     

     

  • The Only Brownie Recipe You’ll Ever Need ~ One Bowl Brownies

    The Only Brownie Recipe You’ll Ever Need ~ One Bowl Brownies

    This my friends is the one and only brownie recipe you’ll ever need!  I promise – rich, decadent, dark chocolate mixed with dark and bittersweet chips, chopped walnuts, as well as a dash of espresso powder and the best part?  It all comes together in ONE bowl!  That is the second reason why this is the only brownie recipe you’ll ever need.

    If I’m not careful this will become my new addiction and then my jeans won’t fit at all.  I’m serious!  One of these babies and an ice cold glass of whole organic milk could be my breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Just kidding….These brownies are my favorite kind.  Kinda cake like but somewhat gooey too.  I love when I bite into the chunks of chocolate chips and meaty walnuts.  Heaven!

    Brownie Recipe

    I made these because other than chocolate chip cookies my man, Dan loves brownies.  I’ve been lazy about baking either one for him so decided to surprise him.  I had a big plate of these amazing brownies sitting on the counter when he walked in the door on Friday night.  Brownies for the weekend!  You know what I found out?  He likes this brownie recipe but he’d rather have a fudgy brownie!  What the hey?  I now know that we have different opinions of what is the “best brownie”.  But you know what?  Who’s doing the baking here?  Just sayin’!

    brownie recipe

    I’ll leave you now with the best ever brownie recipe and hope that you in turn will leave me comments about your favorite brownie.  Better yet…tell me where to find the best fudgy brownie recipe so I can make a batch of those to keep the peace in The Orange Bee kitchen!  Here is a link to my other favorite brownie recipe – Mexican Mocha Brownies.  Now go bake some brownies in your kitchen!

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  • Quick and Easy Spiced Banana Muffins

    Quick and Easy Spiced Banana Muffins

    I made Spiced Banana Muffins after my man Dan made this comment. With a hopeful look on his face he said, “I left those bananas on the counter hoping you’d make something with them.”  I’d call that straightforward and unsparing in getting his point across.  It played right into his hands as I’ve been spending a great deal of time at home, after having minor foot surgery.  No driving means hanging out and enjoying the comforts of home. Comforts like the aroma of fresh baked Spiced Banana Muffins floating through the air.

    Lightly spiced and tender these banana muffins make a delicious breakfast or snack.  They would easily pack into a school or brown bag lunch as a dessert too!  Following a basic recipe I simply tossed in a bit of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg because it’s still winter and well…those spices say winter to me.

    Did you know there are two types of cinnamon?  True cinnamon and cassia.  Cassia is commonly used here in the U.S. and is often referred to as Chinese cinnamon.  True cinnamon is also described as Ceylon and Sri Lankan.  Both have health benefits like helping lower cholesterol, preventing high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.  True cinnamon is more delicate and milder in strength than cassia.  For this recipe I used Chinese cinnamon, or cassia.

    Baking these sweet, soft muffins won me some brownie points with the hubs, but to top it off I also made him a batch of his favorite chocolate chip cookies.  That really got his attention! Here is the recipe for Virginia’s Chocolate Chip Cookies. In exchange for a plate full of cookies I coaxed him into sitting down with me to look at AirBnB’s for our upcoming summer vacation.  Not spilling the beans on where our trip will take us yet, but stay tuned.  It paid off to make his fav cookie and use up those brown bananas he’d been saving for me.  We booked 2 AirBnB’s for this summer and it sure felt good to check that off my never ending list!  Now, think I’ll go eat a muffin and enjoy a hot cup of tea while I peruse foodie tours in the cities we will travel to this summer!

    Do you have a favorite food tour you’ve taken?  Share where and why with me.  I’m all ears!

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  • The Importance of Honey ~ Fight Seasonal Allergies

    The Importance of Honey ~ Fight Seasonal Allergies

    Oil & Honey Edition ~ What is the importance of honey you may ask?  Anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, honey is the only food that never spoils!  Pretty cool huh?  Honey can help us both externally and internally.  You know honey has been around for centuries.  A natural healer and sweetener.  I like to use it for both of those reasons.  Well, and I love honey bees too!  Today I want to share a quick, easy way for you to use honey to fight seasonal allergies.

    Importance of honey

    Honey makes an excellent replacement for refined sugar not only in our tea and coffee but also in baked goods.  Did you know that 1 teaspoon of honey a day can help relieve allergy symptoms?  If you follow The Orange Bee you’ve likely seen this statement before.  I repeat because it’s true and so much better for us than taking allergy meds on a daily basis.  I’m not saying that you or I should never take a Zyrtec or Claritin for a bad allergy day.  What I am saying is that if we ingest a teaspoon of local honey daily it’s likely that the days of using OTC allergy drugs will certainly be few and far between.

    The common theory is that ingesting a bit of honey daily is like getting a natural vaccine.  It helps your body become immune to the pollens that are found in the honey.  Honey bees add pollen to the honey they make in the hive.   Honey that comes from a radius of 100 miles of where you live is the best!  If you suffer from allergies to dust, pet dander or milk I am sorry to say honey won’t help.

    importance of honey

    The bees in the photo are busy filling this frame with honey and capping it off.  Where you see the golden yellow wax the honey is perfect and ready for consumption.  Where you see the bees with their tiny heads stuck into the cells?  Well those bees are adding nectar, water and pollen to get just the right mixture before it is capped.  This frame of honey is nearly complete and when so is set to be pulled from the hive for human use.

    Here is a BeeMovie you can click on to see the sweet bees guarding the open hive as I make an inspection.  When their hive is full of honey or brood they are quick to protect the contents.  I work slowly and quietly with them and rarely aggravate them.  I’m intrigued by the way they move to the top of the frame and “guard” the hive.  They seem to know who I am and merely watch me as I work with them.

    The importance of honey for fighting seasonal allergies is this simple – 1 teaspoon daily!  Contact your local beekeepers association, county extension office or head to a farmers market to find your local honey.  It’s not too early to start taking a spoonful a day.  My favorite way to get my daily honey intake?  Dip a spoon into jar of honey – open mouth – insert spoon!  ALERT ~ Don’t wait until your allergies are bothering you start taking honey now!

     

  • 11 Ways To Use Delicious Honey

    11 Ways To Use Delicious Honey

    You can thank honey bees and their delicious honey for this post.  I am about to share some simple and easy ways that you can incorporate honey into your daily life.  One of the ways I like it best is to lick it right off of a spoon.  Sweet and savory recipes using honey are numerous so I’m going to tell you about some super simple ways to use honey in the kitchen.  And let me say, Happy Valentines Day.  I can’t think of anything sweeter than a spoonful of delicious honey to start my day!  I hope you’ll get on board!

    Before I get started, did you know that 1 teaspoon of local honey~ that is delicious honey from within a 100 mile radius~ can alleviate allergies issues?  Now is the time to start ingesting honey daily, before spring allergies pop up.  It worked for me!  If you suffer from itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing and sinus infections brought on by allergies you have nothing to loose.  Start using honey daily ~ here’s how:

    1. Honey Butter ~ Mix 4 tablespoons softened butter with 1 tablespoon honey, stir well.  Use on toast, muffins, pancakes, waffles, biscuits or cornbread.

    2. Red Chile Honey ~ Mix 1 cup honey with 1/2 cup red pepper chile flakes, mix well.  Spread on crusty bread, brush on chicken wings before baking.

    3. Honey-Mustard Sandwich Spread ~ Blend 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey & 1 tablespoon mayo, stir well.  Use as a spread on turkey or ham sandwiches.

    4. Sweeten a smoothie with honey instead of sugar.  If using ice – blend honey into other ingredients before adding ice.

    5. Drizzle honey on grapefruit or orange halves.  Brown under the broiler for a couple minutes for a sweet breakfast treat.

    6. Brush delicious honey on fresh baked muffins or rolls for a quick glaze.

    7. Bees Knees ~ 21+ In a cocktail shaker blend 2 oz. Gin, 1/2 ounce of fresh lemon juice & 3/4 ounce honey simple syrup.  To make honey simple syrup mix equal parts honey and water in a saucepan, bring to a simmer, stir until honey dissolves.  Cool to room temperature and store in fridge.

    8. ~ Add honey to your morning oatmeal or other hot cereal.  For an extra healthy treat throw in a handful of berries or sliced banana with a few chopped walnuts.

    9. Ricotta & Honey Cake Filling ~ Whip 2 cups ricotta in a food processor.  Add 4 tablespoons honey and a pinch of cinnamon.  Stir in 1/4 cup chopped crystalized ginger.  You can also substitute 2-3 drops of cinnamon and ginger essential oils in place of powdered cinnamon and crystalized ginger. 

    10. Honey Bee ~ 21+ In a cocktail shaker mix 2 ounces Dark Jamaican Rum with 1/4 ounce honey & 1/2 ounce lemon juice.  Shake before adding ice then add ice and shake again.

    11. Chili Peanut Dip ~ Mix creamy peanut butter with a tablespoon or two of warm water – just enough to thin it.  Add in Red Chile Honey (from above) and stir well.  Use a dip for fresh veggies.

    Before I go here are a few links to some of my favorite recipes using honey.  Keep it simple with the ideas above or click on the recipes below and consume some honey, honey!

    Honey Flan

    Creamy custard with honey topping.

    Honey Jalapeño Glazed Salmon

    Goat Cheese With Honey-Pepper and Fig Balsamic Drizzle

  • Strawberry Galette ~ For Your Valentine

    Strawberry Galette ~ For Your Valentine

    Strawberry Galette is the perfect treat for your Valentine.  Gift it to your bestie, your mom, or your sweetheart but make this for Valentine’s Day!  Super simple, sweet enough and full of almond and berry flavors.  It’s luscious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of creme fraiche or a spoonful of fresh whipped cream!  These juicy, bright red strawberries are unequaled in a Valentine dessert presentation.

    Strawberry Galette

    A few minutes in the kitchen and you’ll have this glorious Strawberry Galette ready to present to your Valentine!  My Valentine, Dan the man has already asked me to make it again.  What makes this Strawberry Galette better than all the others, you may ask!  It’s the almond filling that is hidden beneath the berries.  The ultimate blending of flavors ~ fresh, juicy strawberries and nutty, sweet almonds.

    Another favorite Valentine’s Day dessert is this Coeur a’ la Creme.  When I searched for the Coeur a’la Creme recipe I realized I posted that in my second month of blogging, February 2011.  Unfortunately my mold was broken in our move to N.C..  Guess it’s time for a new one because now I’m drooling just thinking about that yummy, creamy goodness in the shape of a heart.

    Strawberry Galette

    Whichever recipe you choose I hope that your Valentine’s Day is full of love and laughter and lots and lots of sweetness!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

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  • Black-Eyed Pea Polenta Bowl

    Black-Eyed Pea Polenta Bowl

    It’s time I came clean – I have an addiction…to polenta.  In particular to what I call a “Polenta Bowl”!  I am laughing as I write this.  Do you have a food addiction?  What’s your addiction?  To food specifically – I mean, this is a food blog!  I have a terrible sweet tooth too, but lately, well actually since last year, I’ve been addicted to polenta.  Once I tried this recipe for Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms I became hooked on polenta.  Completely intoxicated at the idea that there are so many ways to serve and enjoy polenta.

    Polenta Bowl

    I was excited to see fresh black-eyed peas in my local grocery the other day.  My man, Dan brought home some fresh peas to prepare and serve on New Year’s Day ~ you know ~ for good luck and all!  I love black-eyed peas and fresh is best, in my opinion.  I grabbed a container of fresh black-eyed peas and refrigerated them for a day before I decided what to do with them.  Black-Eyed Pea Polenta Bowl!  Bring on some more good luck!

    We are still doing several “meatless” dinners a month and a polenta bowl fits right in.  For me polenta is a satisfying comfort food.  Hey, all you gluten free readers out there polenta is a perfect substitute for pasta!  It is filling and versatile.  A variety of sauces lend themselves to polenta bowl, think…homemade marinara with fresh basil and a bit of grated parmesan.  Let it sit in the fridge and firm up a bit to make croutons.  Serve a polenta bowl for breakfast with a drizzle of honey and fresh berries.

    Can you see why I am addicted?  I’d love to hear your ideas for how you best like your polenta!  Leave me a comment below – maybe I’ll even share your ideas on The Orange Bee!

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  • Make Headaches Vanish With No OTC’s

    Make Headaches Vanish With No OTC’s

    Oil & Honey Edition Looking to get rid of a headache?  The power of essential oils to take the place of over the counter drugs never ceases to amaze me.  Now modern medicine has it’s place for certain in my life and yours too I imagine.  There are times however when I’d rather not take a handful of Tylenol, Excedrin, Aleve or Advil – you?  Here’s my answer to relief – quick relief – to the common headache.

    Lavender and Peppermint essential oil.  Piece of cake.  At the first sign of a headache I use one drop of each oil and rub it across my forehead to my temples.  Done!  Bam!  Headache gone in 5 minutes or less.  You have to try this if you have essentials oils at home – if you aren’t yet on the eo bandwagon don’t hesitate to contact me!

    As always if you’d like to learn more about EO’s please don’t hesitate to contact me at my email Linda@theorangebee.com, via my FB page The Orange Bee or leave a comment on this post! Be sure you don’t miss any Sunday Stinger posts – subscribe to The Orange Bee above!

  • Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™ My New Fav Storage Containers

    Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™ My New Fav Storage Containers

    This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™. All opinions are mine alone. #OrganizeWithBrilliance #CollectiveBias.

    These new Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™ food storage containers are my new favorite.  I especially like using them for my husband’s lunches!  This is the reason why ~ Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™ containers are guaranteed 100% leak proof and they’re stain and odor resistant!  They work perfectly for my man to brownbag it without any mess.  Because if there is a mess, well let’s not even go there.

    "Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™

    The routine in my kitchen is, I always prepare extra at meal time so that we have leftovers for my hubby to carry to work.  He enjoys bringing a lunch from home and getting some fresh air as opposed to dining out at noon.  My suspicion is after he eats – he naps. Just sayin’!  Because we almost always have leftovers there are constantly food storage containers in the fridge.  I have a pet peeve when it comes to round storage.  I don’t know about you but all the refrigerators I’ve ever seen are box shaped.  This means rectangular or square shaped containers fit so much better on the shelves.  Another reason why I like the Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™, they are rectangular in shape.

    "Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™

    This past weekend we had another cold snap and I made one of my man’s most-liked meals ~ beef stew.  He was pretty excited to know that he could take it for lunch this week.  I also made a big salad and homemade dressing.  I love oil and vinegar dressings but do you know what a disaster it would be if the dressing leaked out in his lunch bag?  Yikes!  But guess what?  Not a drop seeped out of the Rubbermaid® vessel.  100% guaranteed leak-proof.  Win-Win!

    "Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™

    Here is what I do when prepping his lunches:

    1. Fill one container with salad greens and toppings
    2. Pour enough salad dressing for one serving in a separate container
    3. Store fresh fruit, applesauce, cheese cubes, etc. in another container
    4. Place a roll, slice of bread, or crackers in a vessel
    5. Fill one container with the main course, in this case Beef Stew
    6. Stack all the containers together on a shelf in the fridge, so in the morning all the hubby has to do is place it in his brown bag or lunch box!
    7. The alternative to this method is to have him prepare all his lunch items in Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™ storage containers himself! (I like this plan best)

    Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™ "Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™

    Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™  Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™

     

    If you want to learn more about Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™ click here.  This is the most upscale food storage container.  Crystal clear, stain and odor resistant.  This my friends, is a good thing.  Has your husband or kid ever forgotten their lunch box at work or school?  Then a few days later it comes home and after a quick inspection you throw out all the food containers.  You won’t need to do that with Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE™.  Simply wash, dry and reuse – no worries.  The 10 piece BRILLIANCE™ set stacks so beautifully in the fridge or in the cabinets when not in use.  Rubbermaid® 10 pc BRILLIANCE™ set is available nationwide at Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Amazon and other fine retailers.

  • Lemon Bliss Cake – A Little Sunshine On A Gray Day

    Lemon Bliss Cake – A Little Sunshine On A Gray Day

    Old man winter showed up this weekend in the form of 10″ of snow accompanied by intensely cold temps.  Gray skies plus snow make for a bleak weekend. I made it all better by baking a Lemon Bliss Cake , bringing some sunshine to an otherwise sunless couple of days.  Lemon anything is my favorite. It ranks higher than chocolate, although I do love some chocolate at times.  If lemon is offered in the form of pie, pudding, cake, bars, etc. I typically pick lemon!  This cake made me so blissful – I suppose that’s why it got the name – Lemon Bliss Cake.

    It was a no-brainer that my man, Dan and I would spend the weekend nestled in front of a fire.  I caught up on some reading, we begin summer vacation planning, watched tons of football, engaged in gobs of one on one chitchat.  It was a swell way to spend a snowy Saturday and Sunday. Sweats, no makeup, hair tied back, socks on my tootsies sans any outside interruptions.  My man did go out and shoot a few “snow day” photos around the house. For some reason he shoveled a path to the cars (in case we changed our minds and wanted to leave).  We didn’t – change our minds!

    I found this recipe a few weeks ago.  I saved it for a day just like this one.  It is moist and sweet, with a delightful citrus tang!  It’s perfection in a bundt pan! The recipe says the icing is optional – the icing is NOT optional in my kitchen!

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