Cranberry Walnut Topping

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

 

There was a heated discussion on Facebook amongst my neighbors recently. Cool Whip or Reddi-Wip for pumpkin pie as a topping? For me, I prefer Reddi-Wip for things like smoothies. Cool Whip I use for pies and other desserts. But this year I am doing something a little different and will skip the dairy based dessert topping and will try something a little fancier. Our Thanksgiving plans have changed once again, and while I'll still be hosting my daughter and her new beau for dinner, my in-laws decided that they wanted to have the family over for dessert this year. We're less than a week away from the holiday, so I've got my fingers crossed that these plans are final LOL. 3rd time's a charm, right? Anyhow, I am not up for baking complicated desserts this year because my store has to be open from 6am to 9pm the day after, and that's where my energies need to be focused. So, I thought it would be best to grab a store bought pumpkin pie, but spruce it up a little with a Cranberry Walnut Topping. This recipe I found on Golden Blossom Honey is such a fantastic way to elevate a pre-made pie from ho hum to yum. 

 

This topping is such an easy way to class up a store bought pie. Seriously, it only takes 10 minutes from start for finish to whip it up. To speed up the cooling, I just tossed it into the freezer for a few minutes and I was ready to have my pie turned around from bland to glam. I didn't have any brandy on hand, but I did have a bottle of bourbon, so I substituted that portion, but I'm certain you could use either liquor and it will turn out beautiful either way. If you're short on time, burnt out, or just feeling a little lazy this year, there's absolutely nothing wrong with taking a few shortcuts to get dinner on the table. And this topping is soooo good, they'll all forget about the Cool Whip/Reddi-Wip debate and will certainly request this in its place going forward. 

 

Ingredients

1/3 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/3 cup dried cranberries

3 tablespoons brandy

1 1/2 cups walnuts, halves or pieces, toasted

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! 

   

Cool Whip or Reddi-Wip? Where do you stand on the pumpkin pie debate?  

Turkey, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

I wasn't planning on cooking a turkey this year, but it's hard to resist the sales in November. When I noticed our store had a buy one get one free sale going on this week, I got suckered into buying a couple. With the rising cost of groceries and the recent federal cuts to the food programs, I figured that I could donate one to a family in need and cook the other one now to cut up and freeze for use in my husband's lunches. It would be a great way for us to help someone in the community and stretch our own food budget just a little further. 

 

If your family is like ours, there are always so many leftovers after the Thanksgiving meal. And as much as we always looked forward to the leftovers going into the weekend, one can get tired of turkey pretty quickly. Finding creative and delicious ways to use up the leftovers was always a little bit of a challenge, but over the years I've found some amazing recipes to help me make use of the extra turkey without having much waste left before we had to pitch it. My husband likes using it in sandwiches or he'll even chop some up to mix into his morning omelette. But sometimes you need a lighter option, especially after a day of indulging in such a big and heavy meal. That's why I saved this Turkey, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad recipe from Golden Blossom Honey. It's a great way to use up leftover turkey in a meal that won't leave you feeling weighed down. 

 

 

This salad has minimal ingredients but maximum flavor and texture. The dressing is sharp but sweet, the blue cheese adds a pungent and spicy element, and it's rounded off with a bit of earthy flavor with the nuts mixed in. The turkey is added protein, but vegetarians can certainly leave that out and still have a satisfying lunchtime salad. I know there aren't many blue cheese fans here (y'all have let me know many times before lol) but I think feta would be an excellent substitution for those who don't like it. Overall, this is a light, refreshing and flavorful salad, worthy of helping you use up those holiday leftovers quickly and deliciously. 

 

Ingredients

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup RAW GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Salad:

8 cups baby greens

2 cups curly endive, torn into bite size pieces

2-4 cups cooked turkey, diced (use leftover or purchase at deli)

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 avocado, peeled and diced

2/3 cup blue cheese crumbled

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 way to use Thanksgiving leftovers?  

Orange Yams

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

Now that Halloween is over, it's time to indulge in all things holidays. My in-laws usually take over Thanksgiving dinner, but they are both well into their 70's and decided that this year they wanted to skip out on a big Thanksgiving family dinner. I don't blame them. It is a LOT of work and they definitely deserve to take a holiday off. I thought my daughter was going to be spending the weekend with her boyfriend's family, so Jason and I made plans to order a Polish dinner from a local diner. We were going to keep it low key just the two of us at home in our pj's, eating our dinner and watching holiday films. Alas, plans changed and now my daughter wants to stay at our house so we can get to know her new beau better. I'm still going to keep things simple, ordering the main course from the Polish diner (because I don't eat turkey or ham so I don't want to cook it this year) but will whip up a few side dishes so it doesn't feel like I completely lazed out on the family dinner this time. I decided we'd make homemade rolls and southern style green beans, but I also want to add a side of these Orange Yams from Golden Blossom Honey because I've been obsessed with them for months now, sometimes even making them as a standalone lunch for myself. 

 

When I first saw this yam recipe, I was a bit skeptical on the addition of orange, but OMG, yes. Just yes. These yams are so warm and inviting, and just so dang perfect for your holiday dinner spread. They pair well with any meat or vegetarian main course. And short of grating, they are fairly simple to prep for the oven. The top crust caramelizes into a nice, crisp crust, and the center bakes up soft. These are a bit like hash browns but not so crispy if you are wondering about a comparable texture. I've been making these for myself for lunch since early autumn, but I think they are going to be a year round staple at our dinner table, and not served just for the holidays. So, if you're looking for something new and exciting to wow your guests this year, allow me to emphatically offer up these orange yams!

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup half & half

1/2 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

4 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 1/2 pounds yams, peeled and grated

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 hosting Thanksgiving at your house this year?  

Crispy Oatmeal Cookies

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

 

Happy Halloween Everyone! It's my favorite holiday, if you were ever wondering, or if I have never mentioned it (yes, that's sarcasm lol). It's the first time ever that I'll be celebrating alone since Jason will be at work and my daughter is at the age where she'd rather spend time with her boyfriend instead of her mother. Rude, but ok. I've got big plans of taking the day off for a change and will most definitely be parked on the couch for most of it watching my favorite Halloween movies until the trick-or-treaters arrive. Then I'll grab a glass of wine and a few snacks and pop a chair in the driveway while I pass out candy to the kids. 

 

Since Allison and I both have been baking up a storm once the weather shifted to nippy, with her new obsession being sourdough bread and mine more along the lines of quick breads and other baked goods, I figured I'd treat myself to some Crispy Oatmeal Cookies today from a recipe that I found on Golden Blossom Honey. I debated on posting these today since I just shared a sweet treat with you a few weeks ago, but thought that with this being a day centered around goodies, it would be fine. Plus I'll be shifting into more savory dishes in November, so why not. 

 

While I usually prefer a soft baked cookie, I am always down to try a new oatmeal cookie recipe. I sometimes think that I like oatmeal cookies more than chocolate chip, but it's one of those tug of wars between the two that I don't think will ever have a clear winner for me. This recipe was a reminder that just because I have a little experience with baking, I don't always know what's best and need to run it through as written the first time, then tweak it if need be. But as I was mixing the dough, it just seemed a bit crumbly. Like the cookies were not going to hold together as they baked. So, I added another tablespoon of melted butter and had a big "whoops!" moment pulling them out of the oven. The extra butter did what too much butter does to cookies and flattened them not like a pancake, but more like a sheet of paper. Eh, live and learn. They actually still tasted fine and I just put them in a container for us to snack on as a cookie brittle. But the next batch with the written ingredients came out perfect. So if you think the batter looks too dry, it's really not. These will hold together and will expand as they bake in the oven. The finished texture was actually surprising to me as well. They were indeed crisp, but there was also a chewy element to the overall cookie texture, making this a mix of the best of both worlds. Definitely a keeper of a recipe, especially as we head into the holiday cookie baking season. These are a top contender for my cookie boxes this year and I think my family and friends are going to love them as much as I do. 

 

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/4 cups walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup sweetened coconut, flaked

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 Tablespoons boiling water

1/2 cup butter

3 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! 

   

Crispy or Chewy? What cookie texture do you prefer?  

Baked Eggplant With Lentils and Tomatoes

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

 

I find my oven use goes up drastically when the weather dips, and there is just something cozy about baking casseroles this time of year. A whole bunch of your favorite items mixed into one dish coming out of the oven piping hot is a true comfort meal on chilly evenings. Casserole recipes are quite convenient to have on hand during the holiday months as well when you may be hosting extra house guests for a few days. Who wants the added stress of preparing a main dish with several sides when you can get everything packed into one dish easy peasy? When I have extra bodies in the house, I'll choose the easiest route for getting dinner on the table every time. I've made this Baked Eggplant with Lentils and Tomatoes (a Golden Blossom Honey recipe) several times this summer and each time thought it would carry well into the colder months, but would also work during the holidays, too. 

 

I admit that I'm not great with using eggplant often unless it's grilled, so I love to find new and tasty recipes to utilize it in more often. Roasting with the seasoning, I'd eat the eggplant cubes as is, but the smoky flavor really made the casserole pop. I use lentils often, with one of my favorite ways to include them in recipes is as a substitute for beef when I make vegetarian shepherds pie or veggie burgers, but this casserole was another fantastic way to add them into meal rotation. I did question whether cheddar cheese was the right cheese for this dish, simply because I probably would have used mozzarella or swiss if I were improvising this meal, but I'd agree that the cheddar was a great choice. Overall, this is a wonderful casserole dish, whether you're wanting it for a cold weather comfort food or for filling a need to feed extra guests. A perfect vegetarian option all around! 

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 leek, halved lengthwise, rinsed and thinly sliced

3 large carrots, diced

2 cups tomato juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

3/4 cup dried lentils, cooked according to package directions and drained

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

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 casserole? 

Chocolate Glazed Fruit and Nut Cake

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. 

 

 

Our city is experiencing a fruit fly infestation and I swear I've spent over $100 battling those little demons this month alone, and I fear that even with my efforts, I'm losing the fight. I've sanitized my drains several times, bought the sticky traps, apple cider vinegar in every room of the house, and even bought a bug zapper, yet for every one I kill, it feels like 500 more show up. I even stopped buying fruit this month and went as far as looking up recipes to use up any of our dried fruits (which I've been storing in the fridge to help cut down on attracting even more). I've made a lot of banana and other fruit based quick breads these past few weeks, but I saw this Chocolate Glazed Fruit and Nut Cake on Golden Blossom Honey earlier this year, and while I wanted to save this one for a holiday recipe post, I figured now was going to be a better time to run that to help use up any and all fruits in the house until I know those dang flies have vanished for good. 

 

 

This is a rich and decadent cake that's lovely to make on these chillier days to pair with a steaming cup of coffee or tea. Packed full of different fruits and drizzled with an irresistible chocolate glaze, it's sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. Like most Golden Blossom Honey recipes, this is another easy one that doesn't require a lot of skill, but by using the bundt pan, it comes out looking like it took more effort than it really did. I like to burn food scented candles this time of the year, but with this in the oven, your house is going to smell amazing for hours on end so you can save the candles for another time. This cake would be so perfect to make for your holiday gatherings, used as a hostess gift, or as an excuse to indulge while battling fruit flies. Because this cake can be used for many purposes, it's always a good time to have one baking in the oven. 

 

Ingredients

Cake:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

2/3 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup orange juice

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and coarsely grated

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup dried apples, coarsely chopped in processor

1/3 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped in processor

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Glaze:

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/4 cup chocolate chips

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 battled the fruit flies this year?