Apple-Cinnamon Kugel

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.

 

 

Friday. Fall. My Second and third favorite F words. Sorry, that's a little inside joke from some of my Facebook friends. But I love Friday and I am totally stoked that it's finally fall. And, the heavens opened up and sent drizzling rain and a chill into the air on Wednesday, making it the perfect weather to welcome the season in right. With the nip in the air, a new crop of apples in my pantry, and a rumble in my tummy, I had an itch to crank on the oven and make an autumn recipe this week. I couldn't decide what kind of dish I had in mind, so I started scrolling through Golden Blossom Honey for a little inspiration and came across this Apple-Cinnamon Kugel recipe and my curiosity was piqued. 

 

 

I really didn't know what to make of this recipe because honestly the ingredients aren't normally some that I'd think to mix together. When I think of apples and cooking, I think along the lines of baked goods, or maybe even pork. But noodles? Not on my radar. But, I was feeling a bit adventurous and decided to go for it anyway and see how it turned out. And mmmm, I'm glad that I did because even if you're scratching your head at the ingredients, I can tell you, it works. I don't know why it works, but it does. It keeps your taste buds guessing. My first thought was it tasted like an elephant ear, then nope, tastes like an apple pie. And then I didn't know what it reminded me of, I just knew that I wasn't going to stop eating it until my bowl was empty. If you're on the fence about this one, take my word for it and give it a try. You may just end up finding a new fall favorite recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces Neufchatel cheese, or cream cheese
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese, low-fat or regular
1 cup sour cream, lite or regular
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 eggs
3 Granny Smith apples, grated
8 ounces wide egg noodles

 

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 visiting any apple orchards this autumn?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Triple Layer Pumpkin Cake

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.

 

 

We're less than a week off from the first official day of fall, and I held off as long as I could on the pumpkin spice recipes. Love it or hate it, PS is here to stay for the next few months. The temperatures outside are still screaming summer, but yesterday I decided I needed me some pumpkin spice in my life and whipped up this Triple Layer Pumpkin Cake from Golden Blossom Honey's recipes. And you know what? I'm not even going to apologize for it because it was delicious. Just what this girl needed as I sit by the window anxiously awaiting the arrival of autumn, so I can pull out the sweaters, cozy blankets, big books and even bigger mugs of tea. 

 

 

I've had this recipe in my saved files since last fall. I was going to make it then, but I hesitated because I've never made a cake in a jellyroll pan, let alone one that was supposed to be a triple layer cake. I got inside my head and figured I'd find a way to botch it up, so I scrapped the idea altogether. But as I was scrolling through my saved pumpkin spice recipes this week, I kept coming back to this one over and over again. I figured what's the worst that can happen? I mess it up, trash it, then drive to Starbucks for my PS fix. I mean, either way I'd still come out a winner, right? After I made this cake I felt almost embarrassed that I doubted my abilities to complete the recipe from start to finish because it was so easy, I think that even the most unskilled person in the kitchen could make this without fail. Look, even if you aren't a pumpkin spice fan, I insist you at least make the icing for cupcakes, muffins or even bagels this fall. It's got *just* a hint of pumpkin peeking through the sweet honey and cream cheese mixture. It's so dang good, I know I'll be keeping a conainer stored in the fridge to add a little sweetness to my baked goods throughout autumn.

Ingredients

Cake:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
Icing:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
pinch ground nutmeg
1 cup whipping cream

 

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!  

 

  

Pumpkin Spice, yay or nay?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Days In NOLA - Day 1: The French Quarter

Back in February I decided almost on a whim that I wanted to go to New Orleans and experience Mardi Gras. Okay, I knew it wasn't going to be the traditional Mardi Gras since we are living in the time of Coronavirus, but I also knew it was probably going to be one of the only shots I was going to have in my lifetime of experiencing Mardi Gras when it wasn't packed elbow to elbow with people. The  pandemic sucks, but hey, there was the silver lining, right? Jason was supposed to accompany me and Allison, but wasn't able to get the vacation time approved from work on such short notice. But y'all, that was not going to stop us from going anyway. Thankfully Mariah's boyfriend already had the week off of work since he was going to be our dog sitter, so he decided to fill in Jason's spot to help with the 14 hour drive down there. And probably to keep me and Allison in line. We ended up adding 4 more hours onto the drive time because the south was getting hit with ice and snowstorms. I'm going to apologize to all of you in the south that we make fun of for freaking out over a little snow, because that shit we drove through was unreal. Black ice causing crashes everywhere, slush scraping the undercarriage of my car, and for the first time in my life having to rely on the kindness of strangers to help dig me out of a snowbank (which was Kyle's doing, but who's counting?) But, eventually we white knuckled it through and made it to NOLA in one piece.

And those snowstorms left the temperatures less than idea since it rained almost the entire time we were there and it was freezing! Luckily we had in and out parking privileges at our hotel, The Drury Plaza, and were able to go back to our room to warm up between stops around the city. On day 1 we decided we'd stick to The French Quarter, walking the more touristy areas like Bourbon Street and Jackson Square.

 

Because of the cold, rain, and virus, we really did have most of the place to ourselves. We ended up walking much of the French Quarter so I could admire the creole cottages and shops that were decorated for Mardi Gras. 

 

Allison wanted to stop by some of the voodoo shops while we were in the area, and after reading some of the yelp reviews, I was a bit hesitant to go into any of them. Most of the reviews said that the shops staff were rude, would yell at you if they saw you with your phone in your hand because of the no photo policy (due to the shrines) and if you got too close to the shrines (which are all built into the store displays). Rev. Zombie's Voodoo Shop seemed to have all negative reviews, but we bit the bullet and went in anyway.

The store was tiny, but they were great with only allowing a few people at a time in to shop and followed all covid guidelines. The security guard was very friendly, and nicely told us about the no photo policy before sending us in, and even though the cashier didn't really acknowledge me, he did manage to grunt out a thanks as he handed me my bag. Most of the other voodoo shops were closed (seemed to be the consensus amongst shop owners to close for Mardi Gras weekend because of the drunk and rowdy tourists), but we also managed to pop into Voodoo Authentica. While I didn't make a purchase here (though Allison did), I liked the overall vibe and how nice the employees were. 

Jackson Square was closed as well, and during the times when we aren't in a pandemic there are usually horse drawn carriages out front for guided tours around the area. But Cafe du Monde is a few minutes walk from this point, so even if you can't get a carriage ride, it's not far to get a taste of those famous beignets. 

I want to point out that I felt very safe in the French Quarter, HOWEVER, the three of us stuck together at all times and did not stay out past dark.We ended up going back to our hotel for dinner by 7pm, so I can't really give a fair assessment of the nightlife here. My friend Rosey did not love NOLA after dark though, and you can read her account of the area on her blog HERE. 

I'll tell you all about YardiGras in my next post, and all about the local eats soon after! 

If you've been to NOLA, love it or hate it? If you haven't been, is it on your travel bucket list?

Tuscan Tomato and Bread 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.

 

 

I've seen the grumblings about it being pumpkin spice season all over social media, but can we all just agree that it's also soup season and that's a cause for celebration? Allison's been sick for 2 weeks with a nasty sinus infection and I haven't been feeling my best either, so we've been comforting ourselves with lots and lots of soup here. While we'll eat canned soup in a pinch, nothing beats a bowl of homemade soup when you're not feeling well. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup is usually my go-to meal for sick days, so I thought that this week would be the perfect time to try this Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup, a recipe that I've been saving from Golden Blossom Honey for just the right occasion. 

 

 

Aside from being one of the easiest soups to prepare, omg it smells amazing when it's cooking! My house smelled like a pizzeria by the time I was ladling it into bowls. Honestly, if pizza came in soup form, this would be it. So, so good! If you have lots of tomatoes in your garden still, you could easily blanch them and swap them out for the canned portion of this recipe. Also, my curbside grocer shopper gave me thinly sliced French bread instead of the unsliced that I had ordered, so I ended up using croutons in this recipe instead of cubed bread. I think it worked perfectly fine, so if you don't have French bread on hand, it's a great substitute. This soup was so comforting, we'll be keeping the recipe front and center of my recipe box since I'm sure we'll be making this frequently when cold and flu season rolls around.

 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups country Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, chopped with their juice
2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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!  

 

  

What's your favorite soup to eat when you're not feeling well?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peaches in White Wine with Basil

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 know I've shared quite a few fruit posts here lately, but my bestie Dezzy had a whole Facebook post about peaches last week and it really got me in the mood to have one last summer hurrah with the fruit. I thought about making a pie, but we're about to head into the sweets season, so I wasn't trying to rush that along quite yet. But, I did find this Peaches in White Wine with Basil recipe on Golden Blossom Honey and thought it would be a lovely, sophisticated after dinner dessert. Something that Jason and I could enjoy together in front of the fire pit now that the weather is nice enough to spend evenings outdoors. 

 

This is one of those desserts that packs a big punch but is incredibly quick and simple to prepare. For maximum freshness, toss this recipe together before making dinner and it will be ready to eat as soon as you finish your meal. While this recipe doesn't need any additions, I thought about adding a bit of whipped cream topping before serving. In the end I left it as is, simply because my dogs are whipped cream addicts and I didn't have enough to share LOL! If you do end up making this dish, snap a pic on Instagram and let me know what you think (marison459). If you do add in whipped topping, really let me know if it's as good as I think it would be! I always enjoy hearing about different variations of easy recipes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Riesling wine
1/4 cup fresh basil, silvered
4 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM RAW HONEY
4 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick

 

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 make any recipes with peaches this year?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Braised Pork Chops with Pineapple

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.

 

 

Labor Day... who's hosting this year? Normally, we do, but this year I have decided to nix the idea of gathering with extra people outside of our household. Something about these high temperatures, the ungodly humidity, and Satan's spawn- I mean mosquitos, have me feeling some kind of way lately. The idea of going anywhere outside or standing over a grill isn't my idea of a good way to spend the extra day off from work. But, the hubs and daughter will still need to eat, so I'll be making them these Braised Pork Chops with Pineapple, a Golden Blossom Honey recipe, from the comfort of my air conditioned kitchen.

 

My oldest daughter, who graduated college earlier this summer, is just now learning to navigate her way around a stove. The last time I saw her, she mentioned not being able to find easy and tasty recipes for a novice in the kitchen. I know, the apple fell far from the tree with that one, seeing how her mother has been food blogging for the last 10 years LOL! I'll be sending her this recipe because it's so easy, even a girl who did most of her cooking in the microwave or toaster couldn't mess this one up. The pineapple adds a light citrus touch to this otherwise savory dish, and for an extra kick, I topped the chops with a few green onions that weren't called for in the recipe, simply because I think they look pretty by adding a touch of extra color to the dish. Save this recipe, leave the grill off and beat the outdoor heat this Labor Day. If the weather feels as nasty for you as it has for us in Indiana, you'll thank me for it later, I'm sure.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
4 (3/4-inch thick) pork chops

1 (16 ounce) can pineapple chunks or tidbits, reserve 1/4 cup juice
2 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
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!  

 

  

What do you have planned for Labor Day this year?