Honey Almond Pear Tart Is A Seasonal Favorite

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


There's something about fall that turns me into a baking loon. I love how delicious the house smells when seasonal favorites are baking in the oven. While the outdoors may be a bit chilly, it feels so warm and inviting with the aroma of baked goods wafting through the air. My aunt gave me these adorable mini pears from her farm not too long ago, and I thought they would be really lovely on top of a cake. I thought about making one last week, but needed to use up a few of my larger pears before they turned rotten, so I ended up making a scrumptious Honey Almond Pear Tart from Golden Blossom Honey instead. 

In the way of tarts go, I'd rank this honey almond pear tart in my top 5 of all time favorites. You can't really mess up a tart, they always taste good (unless you burn them), but the honey almond filling is what makes this a 5 star recipe. It's another one of those recipes where I could just eat the entire batch of filling straight out of the bowl. The apricot topping adds in an extra element of sweetness, complimenting the rest of the flavors perfectly. The holidays will be here before we know it, so I think this tart would make for a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu. 

Ingredients

Prepared pastry dough for 1 tart
3/4 cup ground almonds
1 egg
6 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
4 pears
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1/4 cup apricot preserves

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!

Have you started planning your holiday menus yet?

 

Bose® Smart Home Speakers Offer Superior Sound + Unlimited Entertainment Possibilities #bosesmartspeakersatbestbuy

This post was sponsored by Best Buy. However, all opinions stated here are my own. 


I don't know about you, but this is the time of the year when I really start getting in the mood for listening to music and watching movies at home. Something about the upcoming holiday season gives me all of the holly jolly feels and I can't wait to blast my holiday tunes or snuggle in with the family and watch some feel good films. I've noticed that our home entertainment speakers have been on the fritz lately, doing this awful popping noise out of the blue and pushing static through occasionally. Our system is almost 20 years old, so it's not a surprise it's on its last leg, so with the issues our current system is having it's definitely time for an upgrade.

We've done quite a bit of research on home speaker systems, and the top contender for our replacement is the Bose® Smart Home Speakers with Bass Module and Surround Speaker.

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You can control the home speaker system vocally, but if you prefer, you can use the one-touch access remote or control it from the Bose® Music App. Want more music in more rooms? I know I do, especially when I want to fill my entire home with holiday hits. The Bose® family of smart speakers and soundbars work together, providing endless hours of superior sounding tunes in any room you desire.

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If you would like to learn more about the Bose® Smart Home Speaker System, it's currently available at Best Buy. 

Happiness is Homemade Pumpkin Coconut Soup

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


Yesterday, I cranked the air up. Today, I am wrapped in blankets playing the "is it time to turn the heat on yet?" game. Mother Nature is so fickle this time of year, isn't she? For days like today, hot tea and soup are my bff. I usually save myself a bowl of leftover soup in the fridge from dinner to eat for lunch during the week, but I didn't have any in there today to warm my bones. What I did have was some canned pumpkin leftover from my brioche bread pudding I featured earlier this week, so I decided to use it up in this homemade Pumpkin Coconut Soup recipe from Golden Blossom Honey. 

It's a creamy soup, but not heavy since it doesn't include heavy whipping cream, but coconut milk instead. I had some French bread that was getting a bit old, so I cubed it up and tossed it into the oven for some homemade croutons, which paired wonderfully with the soup. I love bread, so I am a sucker for any kind of soup that I can put croutons in. It just makes the soup that much yummier, don't you think? With Thanksgiving just over a month away, this would be a great addition to your holiday menu. It's a lovely seasonal recipe that pairs well with all of the holiday trimmings. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 (29 ounce) can pure pumpkin, not pie filling
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
dash ground ginger
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

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!

 Do you eat soup year round, or just when the weather turns chilly?

The Giving Plate Is The Gift That Keeps On Giving #givingplate

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


Can you believe that the holidays are right around the corner? Me either! I did actually start my holiday shopping on time this year (hurray!) because you know what they say. It's always better to give than receive. I am a giver. I love to make the people I love happy. We're almost full steam ahead into gift giving season, and as you all know, I think food gifts make the best gifts. I'm always awkward when it comes to receiving, unless you're passing a plate full of goodies my way. Then bring it on! However, this year I am doing something a little different with the food I am gifting my loved ones. Instead of packaging my goodies into the standard cardboard shirt box, I will be piling my cookies and baked goods onto a Precious Moments Giving Plate.

The Precious Moments Giving Plate is a gorgeous plate that encourages the recipient to pay it forward. This heartwarming tradition inspires friends and loved ones to refill and pass the plate again and again. It's truly the most perfect plate to bring to your holiday gatherings to share treats with your loved ones. Not only is it designed with modern flair and flourishes, the wording on the center of the plate is lovely. It reads:

Celebrate life's precious moments with family and friends. 
Enjoy the gifts on this plate and the love it sends. 
To make sure the giving never ends,
Fill it up, pass it on, and watch how joy transcends. 

How beautiful is that!? When you give this Giving Plate to your loved ones, you're not only sharing treats, but also giving support to children in need. Precious Moments has a long history of charitable activities, and with their partnership with Feed the Children, each plate sold through December 20, 2020 will see a 5% donation of the profits going to the organization to help eradicate childhood hunger and create a healthy foundation for children and families to break the cycle of poverty. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving over and over again.

This year, I am going to be gifting my loved ones with a Precious Moments Giving Plate loaded with my Coconut Fudge Bars.

A delicious combination that has a graham crumb bottom, fudgy center, and topped with walnuts and shredded coconut.

Yield: Roughly 20 bars Author: Theresa M

 

Coconut Fudge Bars

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter, divided
• 2 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 5oz can evaporated milk
• 6 cups mini marshmallows
• 8 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup shredded coconut flakes

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil, leaving 2 sides of the foil extended over the sides of the pan. Spray with cooking spray. 
2. Melt 3/4 cup of butter; mix with crumbs. Press into the bottom of prepared pan.
3. Over medium heat, bring remaining butter, sugar, milk, and marshmallows to boil in a large saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add chocolate chips and cook until completely melted and combined with marshmallow mixture. Pour over graham crust.
4. Sprinkle nuts and coconut over fudge layer. Refrigerate until firm, approx. 2 hours. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

https://www.theresasmixednuts.com/2018/10/the-giving-plate-is-gift-that-keeps-on.html 

Recipe adapted from Meijer MealBox recipes

Swap out the nuts and coconut for holiday candies to make it more festive if you prefer. What's fun about this recipe is the toppings can be totally customized to suit your fancy.

The Precious Moments Giving Plate measures 10 L X10 W so you can fit a fair amount of goodies onto it. It is also dishwasher and microwave safe, making it ideal for anyone on your gift list, regardless of style.

The plate is wonderful for holidays, housewarming, or wedding gifting. Be sure to snap a photo of your Giving Plate and have the recipient do the same, then share what you are giving this holiday season on social media with the hashtag #TheGivingPlate and see how far the plate travels.

You can purchase your Precious Moments Giving Plate on HSN. Be sure to grab one before the holidays hit so you can be prepared to spread the love not only during the season, but all year long.

If you liked this recipe, be sure to Pin It on Pinterest!

Who would you pass the Giving Plate to? What goodies would you load it with?

Pumpkin Brioche Bread Pudding

It's starting to look a lot like fall in these parts. The leaves are turning beautiful colors, there's a nip in the air, and my deck is covered in acorns. Short of the annoying acorn covered deck, I don't think anything is prettier than the Midwest in autumn. I've begrudgingly let go of summer and have finally embraced the fall season, even diving into making my first pumpkin recipe of the year. I've been tempted by those massive pumpkin pies at Costco, but the husband and daughter have nixed getting one every time we are in there (boooo! on them!) But, I needed a little pumpkin fix last week so I headed into my own kitchen and made a pumpkin brioche bread pudding.

Warm bread pudding is such a welcoming comfort food this time of year, it's hard to resist a heaping bowl full fresh out of the oven.

While it's meant to be a dessert, I admit, I've eaten it as breakfast a time or two. Served with a steaming mug of tea, I can't think of a sweeter way to start the day. For this recipe I used brioche, which gives it a rich and tender crumb. I bought day old brioche rolls at Target on clearance, which I find is a great resource for marked down breads. If you can't find brioche, any French bread will work for this recipe just fine.

 

Pumpkin Brioche Bread Pudding

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 8 cups day old cubed brioche, lightly packed
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/3 cups whole milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Butter a 9x9 inch baking dish.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
3. Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with the apple juice and hot water. Let soak until plump, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. 
4. Spread the cubed bread on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees until lightly toasted (5 to 10 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt. Add the pumpkin puree and stir until well cmbined. Toss in the toasted bread cubes and stir gently, until the bread is evenly coated.
6. Let the pudding mixture sit for 15 minutes, stirring gently occasionally, until the bread is well moistened and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
7. Fold in the drained raisins, then pour the mixture into a the prepared baking dish. Place baking dish in a roasting pan. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
8. Transfer the pans to the center rack of the oven. Bake until the custard has set in the center and the top is golden, around 55 to 60 minutes. The center should be firm and the surface dry to the touch. Insert a toothpick into the center, and if it comes out clean, it's done. If the surface is browning quickly, lightly cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.
9. Remove from the oven and transfer the bread pudding pan to a wire rack to cool, roughly 20 minutes, before serving. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. 

https://www.theresasmixednuts.com/2018/10/pumpkin-brioche-bread-pudding.html
Recipe slightly adapted from Standard Baking Co. Pastries by Alison Pray

This pumpkin brioche bread pudding tastes best warm out of the oven, but can be served chilled as well. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

If you liked this recipe, be sure to Pin It on Pinterest!

Have you made any pumpkin recipes yet this season?

A Little Heat & A Little Sweet ~ Fresh Pear Salsa

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


Allison and I were walking around the school grounds a few weeks back and stumbled upon some pear trees. They were pretty overgrown and appeared to be untouched, so we figured we'd fill up a bag and take them home. Woo Hoo! Free pears! They were rock hard, but after doing a little internet search realized they needed to ripen off of the vine. We let them sit for 2 weeks until they started to feel a bit soft, washed them up, took a bite, and yuck. They were super sour. Allison called them the crab apples of the pear tree. They looked delicious, but looks were deceiving here. Now I know why nobody else was rushing to grab free pears off the trees. Thankfully, the stores are starting to get fresh batches of pears in the produce section because I've been itching to try this Fresh Pear Salsa recipe from Golden Blossom Honey. 

 

Now that we're full swing into football season, salsa is a high priority around these parts. You can't have a tailgating party without it, right? What intrigued me about this recipe is the spicy, yet sweet combination of flavors. The sweetness of the pears and honey even out the heat of the peppers and onions perfectly, and the lime juice gives it that extra zing of flavor making this one well rounded salsa. It's a great recipe for last minute gatherings since it can be made from start to finish in under 10 minutes, but if you have a little extra time, let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to really let the flavors marry together. Not only is it good for chips, you can serve it over beef or fish for a little extra flair on the dinner table.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM RAW HONEY
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 ripe but firm Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored and finely chopped
2 tablespoons red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/8 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/8 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (adjust amount according 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!

What's your favorite fall fruit?