Cucumber Dill Salad

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

Now that spring has finally sprung, I've found that I'm starting the process of turning to lighter meal options instead of the heavier comfort foods that I tend to indulge in over the winter months. No more biscuits and gravy for breakfast, no more pbj sandwiches for lunch, no more gobs of mashed potatoes for dinner. I feel more energized when the sun is shining, but it's hard to get moving when I'm loaded down with carb heavy foods. So I'm prioritizing more fruits and veggies, more whole grains, and less prepackaged foods in my diet. I'm also in the planning stages of what I'll grow in my garden this year, and while I've decided to scale back a little bit on variety, I did narrow it down to tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, and herbs since I have had the most luck with those plants in recent years. Allison is always excited about the cucumbers, so I'll double those plants and halve the tomatoes this year. That will leave me with more cucumbers than I know what to do with undoubtedly, so I've been saving as many cucumber recipes that I can find that would appeal to my family. One that I recently made and saved was this Cucumber Dill Salad recipe from Golden Blossom Honey. 

 

 

This salad is light and refreshing, making it the perfect recipe to save for the warmer months. It's great for picnics, as a standalone lunch option, a simple dinner appetizer or side dish, or even for the upcoming Easter holiday. There's minimal prep and minimal ingredients, but lots of yummy flavor in this little recipe. I liked it so much, I may add red onions to my garden as well this year too. Then I'll be one step closer to cutting out the grocer for fresh salads all summer long. If that's not goals, I don't know what is!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM RAW HONEY
2 teaspoons hot water
2 cucumbers, sliced thin
1 red onion, sliced paper thin
2 teaspoons fresh dill, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

 

  

Will you be planting a garden this year?

 

 

 

 

Fruit and Honey Tea Loaf

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

I think we can all collectively breathe a sigh of relief that winter is just about behind us. I, for one, am so looking forward to the first day of spring to come next week. Even though we have been getting hit with snow off and on this month, I can see my tulips trying to push their way through the dirt and the hyacinths won't be far behind them, and that means sunny days and warmer weather are on the horizon. Yippee! I haven't been very motivated to bake throughout the cold weather months, but yesterday the sun was shining and I thought it would be a fabulous time to pull out my bread pans and make a loaf that would be perfect for spring. I had all of the ingredients on hand for this Fruit and Honey Tea Loaf recipe that's on Golden Blossom Honey's recipe page, so I gathered up my ingredients and went to work. 

 

 

This bread is packed with apricot, prune, and lemon flavors, making it one of the most perfect breads for this time of the year. Not only as warmer days approach and we might be thinking of taking our tea and bread out on the porch for bird watching, but it is a nice one to have for Easter breakfast as well as afternoon brunch on Mother's Day. I eat this bread plain since there are already so many flavors it doesn't need any additional help, but a smidge of cream cheese, a pat of butter, or a drizzle of honey might just take this recipe from ordinary to extraordinary. If you make it, let me know if you add on a little something extra to the top or if you prefer to keep it plain like I do.

Ingredients

1 cup dried prunes
1 cup dried apricots
3/4 cup hot water
2 1/2 cups flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
2 eggs, beaten
grated rind of one lemon
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

 

  

Are your spring flowers pushing through yet?

 

 

 

 

Braised Red Cabbage

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

Last week we touched on how corned beef and cabbage really isn't a true Irish dish, but being a girl of tradition, and since the tradition of corned beef and cabbage has been on our St. Patrick's Day menu as far back as I remember, I'll probably still end up making that for Jason next weekend. I usually just boil green cabbage and season it with a little Vegeta, but I'm going to do things a little different this round and switch over to red cabbage for a change because I accidentally ordered 3 heads instead of one when I placed my grocery order this week. And I'll be honest and tell you that my fridge stinks now with all of that cabbage sitting in there. I can't get rid of it fast enough! I did use up one head this week and made some Braised Red Cabbage for dinner. This is a Golden Blossom Honey recipe that I was able to whip up a day in advance when I knew the husband was going to be using the smoker to make pulled pork. 

This cabbage recipe can be made as a stand alone side dish, or it is a great accompaniment to pulled pork sandwiches, burgers, or even steak. I think the color is really pretty too, and it even reminds of the a Rhododendron flower. Which, if we're going to point out things that really aren't Irish, like corned beef and cabbage, Rhododendron  Ponticum is so gorgeous in the fields of Ireland, but it's also not native and is quite an invasive plant there. Fake Irish food, fake Irish plants, might as well be like most Americans and be fake Irish next week and whip up this tasty braised red cabbage recipe for dinner. Don't forget the Guinness though! Sláinte.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups red cabbage, sliced or coarsely grated
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
4 tablespoons red wine
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons water
2 apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

 

  

Do you prefer green or red cabbage?

 

 

 

 

Emerald Isle Scallop Soup

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

March in the Mahoney house means it's our time to shine. Well, not mine since I'm not from Irish decent, but the rest of the family can claim the month as their own. I do try to make a few special meals during the month to help them celebrate their heritage, even if the recipe isn't something that I would normally eat. I grabbed this Emerald Isle Scallop Soup from Golden Blossom Honey earlier this week and decided to make it for Jason and Allison on a day that I already had something else planned for myself for dinner. Those two are always looking for seafood and sushi restaurants whenever we travel, which usually leaves me fending for myself, so I suppose that carries into our home life when seafood is going to be on our menu as well. 

 

If food is the way to a man's heart and you're wanting to snag yourself an Irishman, this soup just might be what you're looking for. I know my husband couldn't resist the scallops, potatoes, and bacon and even knowing better that this is definitely not something that I would eat, kept trying to change my mind as he greedily ate 2 bowls full. "It's really good!"... "It doesn't taste like fish.".... "Did you even try it without eating a scallop? I bet you'd like it that way."... To finally, "No, I'm not done. Leave it on the stove and I'll put the rest away after I get more for myself." If you're thinking about nixing the corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day this year because that dish really didn't originate in Ireland (gasp, it took this girl years to learn that) then this soup is what you're going to want to serve up on the 17th. My husband can vouch that it's Irishman approved. 

 

Ingredients

4 slices lean bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled, drippings reserved
12 large sea scallops
6 redskin potatoes, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons butter
2 (8 ounce) bottles clam juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons dried parsley
1 1/2 Tablespoons dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup beef broth
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup half & half
2 Tablespoons bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon ground mace

 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

 

  

Did you know that corned beef and cabbage didn't originate in Ireland?