Holiday Fruit Tart

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.

 

 

Get those fat pants ready because we have officially entered holiday baking season! Did any of you go Black Friday shopping today? I'll be heading out tonight to see if I can find any deals on leggings to stuff myself into the rest of this year because I am ready to get my baking and eating on! I mean, we can always diet come January, right? Right! I love all the baked goodies this time of year, both for gifting and indulging on during holiday movie watching time. Cookies, cakes and candies are pretty standard, but I also like to make a tart or two this time of the year as well. I do love a good sea salt dark chocolate tart, but for Thanksgiving I took a different route and made this Holiday Fruit Tart from Golden Blossom Honey. 

 

I love all the recipes with cranberry during the holidays, so I thought I'd switch up from a normal chocolate dessert that I usually take to the in-laws and went with this fruity concoction. It has all of the seasonal fruit goodness wrapped into one lovely tart.  I was a little concerned that the mixture was going to be too runny and we were going to end up with a mess when it came time for slicing, but once cooled, everything melded together beautifully. The crust was one of the best ones I've tasted to date, so I'll be saving that portion of the recipe to use year round. Even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, this tart will be a hit for any holiday gathering the rest of the year. I'd venture to say that it would even be a yummy addition for next Easter as well. While I don't want to get ahead of myself, the way this year flew by, Easter will be here before we know it! 

 

Ingredients

Crust:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup margarine, room temperature
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling:
1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
3 MacIntosh apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
1 (12 ounce) package cranberries
3/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 Tablespoon Courvoisier (optional)

 

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 sweet treats will you be baking this holiday season?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try Savory Stuffing for Thanksgiving

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 was listening to the radio yesterday and they were discussing how mashed potatoes rank at the top of American's favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. Maybe I'm in the minority, but for me it has always been stuffing. Don't get me wrong. I love a nice mountain of mashed potatoes with a big well of gravy in the center, but that's something that we eat frequently year round here. Stuffing has always been reserved for major holidays and maybe a Sunday dinner here and there throughout the year, so it has always been #1 on my list during the holidays. I'm thankful that my mother-in-law hosts Thanksgiving dinner at her house every year, but because of that, stuffing isn't something that I've mastered yet. However, I did try my hand at this Savory Stuffing recipe from Golden Blossom Honey this week since I had some bread cubes that were about to go bad and ended up impressing myself with how well it turned out.

 

 

I didn't make this in the cavity of a turkey, but put it in a casserole dish and baked it for 45 minutes and it turned out perfect. We don't normally add sausage to stuffing, but it was a welcome surprise for the husband. Like last week's recipe, he went back for seconds. This is called savory stuffing, but it also has a nice balance of sweetness too, with the addition of the honey apples and dried cherries. If you haven't mastered stuffing like me, this is a great recipe to experiment with. If I didn't mess it up, you certainly won't either!

Ingredients

1 cup blanched almonds, chopped
1 cup dried cherries
2 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (13 3/4 oz.) chicken broth
10 cups stale bread cubes
2 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups celery with leaves, chopped
2 cups onion, chopped
1 pound bulk sausage, crumbled
2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

 

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 is your favorite holiday side dish?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cranberry Tea Cakes For Home or On-The-Go

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 have been traveling for work a lot these last two months and can say that my eating habits have started to suffer because of it. I'm used to cooking most of my own meals, so 3 days a week of dining out, while fun at first, is starting to take a toll on my body. When I got home last Sunday, I started looking for good options that I could take with me while on-the-go. I came across these Cranberry Tea Cakes on Golden Blossom Honey and knew that they would be a great snack for long car rides or to keep in an air-tight container for breakfast at the hotel. Because let's face it, most hotel breakfasts suck. 

 

 

These tea cakes are perfect to have on hand for breakfast at home or for snacking while out and about. You all know that I love my tea, and these little cakes pair so well with my hot cup of morning tea. But even if you aren't a tea drinker, that's okay because they are fantastic all on their own. As a food blogger, my family knows not to touch anything that I've made until photos have been snapped. Well, Jason came in with a cranberry tea cake hanging from his mouth asking if it was safe to eat yet. A little late at that point, but even he couldn't resist. Then, after getting a scolding, I had to hear all day, "Have you taken your pics yet?" over and over again because he couldn't wait to help himself to more. So, it looks like I'll have to make double batches for every one of my trips. One for me and another for the husband. Thankfully, he won't have to wait next time for pics to be done before digging in.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
3/4 cup dried cranberries

 

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 foods do you take with you while traveling to stay on track?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cream of Butternut Squash 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'm a little salty that we didn't have much of a fall. It went from months of hellish heat to what seemed like a few days of perfect fall weather, to the weathermen talking about snow flurries headed our way. I am not a fan of winter weather, but I am a fan of soup. More specifically, fall and winter veggie heavy soups. Butternut squash has been a favorite fall/wintertime staple of mine for the past few years, though I never made soup out of it very much until this past year. I've been remedying that a lot already this season by making Golden Blossom Honey's oh so delicious version of Cream of Butternut Squash Soup.

 

Cream of Butternut Squash Soup is actually one of the few soups that I could enjoy warm or cold. That's why I like to double this recipe, that way I can keep some in the fridge to eat throughout the week. It's a great quick meal solution. I love this version of the recipe because I never thought to add pecans into the mix. Let's admit it. Butternut squash soup looks and has the texture of baby food, so I liked that the pecans changed up the texture a bit. Save this recipe for a Thanksgiving starter, or be like me and keep some stored in the fridge all winter long. Or do both. There are no rules about that here!

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 large celery ribs, chopped with leaves
3 medium leeks (white part only), sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 6 cups)
2 (14.5 ounce) cans nonfat low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup light cream or half & half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and 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!  

 

  

What's your favorite make ahead meal?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pear and Cranberry Tartlets

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.

 

 

The recipe that I'm going to share with you today I didn't have planned to post about for a few more weeks. I did a trial run on Golden Blossom Honey's Pear and Cranberry Tartlets last week for something new to add to our Thanksgiving menu this year, snapped my pics, got them edited and stored them in my saved files on my laptop thinking that's where they would stay for a few more weeks.

 

 

But then something happened this week that demanded all of my attention and I didn't get around to making the recipe that I had originally earmarked for this Friday's post. What could have pulled me away from my happy place, the kitchen? A 1 pound ball of fur, that's what. I want you all to meet my new baby, Emily.

 

I've never been a cat person, always opting to have dogs, but maybe it's because I've been grand-mothering my daughter's kitties the last few years, they have kind of grown on me. Emily was an animal dump and run that my aunt found on her farm, and how anyone could have left this sweet bundle on the side of the road is beyond me. She just wants all the cuddles. So, I apologize for speeding up this recipe, but I figured you would all let it slide for this good cause. This year we'll have something extra to be thankful for, in the unexpected gift of Emily. And what sweeter way to celebrate this year's blessings than with some delicious fall flavored tartlets? 

 

The Pear and Cranberry Tartlets combine some of the best fall flavors into bite sized discs of bliss. And because you use prepared puff pastry sheets, there's minimal effort needed to whip these up for your dinner guests. Looking over the recipe, I knew that for our trial run it would be fine to run it as is for the 3 of us in the household, but for Thanksgiving, if there's more than 5 guests on your list, you're going to want to double it because these will go fast!

 

Ingredients

1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 tablespoon apricot preserves
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed but still cold
1 medium Bartlett pear
2 tablespoons dried cranberries, finely chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts

 

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!  

 

  

Have you started planning your Thanksgiving menu yet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegetarian Lasagna

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.

 

 

Thinking back to when my girls were little, this probably would have been the weekend that we would have hosted our annual Halloween party. I always made 2 big pans of lasagna for our guests because lasagna is easy to prepare and is usually a crowd pleaser. Alas, kids grow up and the parties are no more, but that doesn't mean that a girl can't still indulge in her favorite weekend before Halloween meal. I always make the same recipe that I found in an old magazine 20 years ago, but I've been saving this Vegetarian Lasagna recipe from Golden Blossom Honey for quite some time now and decided that this was going to be the weekend we'd bust it out and give it a try. 

 

 

I was intrigued by this recipe because of the extra veggies it called for. I've always just stuck with meat and cheese when making lasagnas in the past, so the bonus veggies added in was a new twist for me. Also, while I know a lot of people use cottage cheese in theirs, I have never used it in mine, so twist #2 there. Additionally, Jason doesn't usually like green peppers mixed into dishes, so I braced myself for both outcomes... either this was going to be a spectacular failure or one that was going into the regular meal rotation. Thankfully, it was the latter! I did make a few tweaks to the recipe though. First, I use oven ready lasagna noodles instead of the ones you have to boil because why add in more work when you don't have to? Second, I added an extra cup of shredded mozzarella to the top of the lasagna before baking because in this house 1 cup of mozzarella is never enough. Third, I bake my lasagna the day before we are going to eat it simply because we think that many pasta dishes taste so much better on day 2 and day 3, after the noodles have had time to settle and the rest of the ingredients have had time to meld together more. I did love the texture that the veggies added to this recipe, and even Jason went back for seconds, even packing a slice into his lunch bag for work the following day, so if anyone is on the fence about the green peppers, if my picky husband didn't notice them, you probably won't either. Overall, this is a fantastic recipe for party gatherings, weeknight dinner, or anything in between. A keeper for us, for sure!

Ingredients

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped
2 (12 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 teaspoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
dash black pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large zucchini, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces lasagna 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!  

 

  

What's your favorite make ahead meal?