Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. 

 

 

I am a cheap date and I really think that my husband could appreciate that more about me. Like recently he asked if I wanted to go out to dinner, then when I suggested Casey's pizza, he looked at me like I had 2 heads for requesting gas station pizza. Um, it's really good and inexpensive, so what's the problem? My daughter is in the same boat. Her boyfriend wanted to take her to a fancy dinner for her birthday and she was a bit miffed because she just wanted to go to the ramen bar. Not only because it's what she prefers to eat, but she could also eat free on her birthday. Even though it was his treat, she still wanted her free meal LOL. So, we're both looking forward to Jason pulling out of Indiana this weekend as he heads down to Florida because we're going to have 2 weeks of cheap, easy, and convenient foods on the menu that nobody will complain about. We'll eat a lot of tomato and cheese sandwiches, soup, burrito bowls, and lots and lots of pasta. Because we could eat pasta every single day and never get sick of it. Lemon pasta, garlic noodles, mac and cheese, lasagna, spaghetti... all the noodle dishes we can squeeze in. We even have this Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese recipe from Golden Blossom Honey on the menu because it contains some of our favorite veggies and cheese mixed with a zippy dressing that's oh, so scrumptious. 

 

This is a great pasta salad for lunch, but you could turn it into a full dinner by adding grilled chicken or shrimp and a side of French bread. This is one of those recipes that my daughter and I can get several meals from one batch, so it's another amazing recipe to chuck into the "saves time and money" recipe pile. If goat cheese isn't your preference, you can always swap out for shaved Parmesan, mozzarella, or feta. You can easily swap out or add in other veggies as well. Grilled zucchini is a favorite of mine to include. It's another great base recipe to add your favorites to in order to make it unique to your preferences and truly your own. 

 

Ingredients

8 ounces pasta (rigatoni, or pasta of your choice)

3 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped

2 scallions, chopped

10 black olives, pitted and chopped (Kalamata, if available)

4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing:

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 Tablespoon RAW GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 teaspoon dried basil

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 cheap date night location?  

Italian Vegetable Soup

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

 

 

Happy New Year!  If there's anything I can say about the weather these past few months, I'd say quite unpredictable! From heavy lake effect snows hitting us in November, to almost beachy weather at Christmas, and now we're back to icy roads and shoveling the drive several times a day, it's been one of the wildest winters I've experienced in recent years. Jason's saying to hell with interest rates and has been scouring Florida and Texas real estate because he's already over it lol. I can hold out though. Our store will be closed the next 2 months (cause nobody is visiting an outlet mall on Lake Michigan in the winter), so I've been putting my heated blanket to good use. Yesterday it was super nippy out, so I thought I would get my household chores done, make a hot pot of soup, then get cozy under my blanket and spend the rest of the night eating said soup and catching up this month's book club selection- The Compound, which I'm really enjoying, if you're wondering. The soup I went with was Italian Vegetable Soup from Golden Blossom Honey because during these cold and flu months, I want to keep my immune system in tip top shape. This soup is loaded with vitamins and minerals, so I figured it's a great way to keep my body on the up and up while keeping my tummy full. 

 

Don't let the long ingredient list fool you. You should already have most of it on hand as they are kitchen staples. All I had to run out for was fresh Parmesan and Swiss chard leaves. With a good veggie chopper, you can make quick work of this recipe. From start to finish, you can have everything done in under an hour. This soup does have ham as an ingredient, which my daughter and I don't eat, but it was easy enough to sautee that separate from the onions then add it to my husband's bowl upon serving. Speaking of my husband, he's not usually a huge soup eater, but he did ask for seconds on this Italian Vegetable Soup, so I'd call this recipe quite a success upon that request. Additionally, even with his second helping, there is enough left over to reheat for dinner tonight. Two nights of healthy meals for 3 people that's not only delicious but budget friendly shoots this recipe straight to the top of my favorite winter soups. A great recipe find and the perfect way to start the New Year off right! 

 

Ingredients

1/2 small green cabbage, rinsed and sliced

6 Swiss chard leaves, rinsed and sliced

1/4 cup cooked ham, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 ribs celery, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 small zucchini, diced

1 (28) ounce can Italian tomatoes, chopped, with their juice

1 tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

6 cups vegetable or beef broth

1 (19 ounce) can white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup rice, uncooked

salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese, freshly 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 books do you have on your TBR list for January?  

A Honey of a Pot Roast

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. 

 

 

I hope you all had a lovely and relaxing Christmas! We scaled back a lot on the gatherings this year and made it a point to keep the month of December as stress-free as possible. We didn't bake any cookies or host our traditional family breakfast. I bought most gifts online and opted for gift bags instead of wrapping paper. And, I didn't even put up a tree at home. After nearly 30 years of sticking with the same routine, I decided to shuck tradition for once and just exist in my own space. And it was glorious. But, the one thing I didn't skip out on was our annual Christmas Eve dinner. We spend every Christmas Eve with my mom and I am always tasked with bringing the main course meat for dinner. I usually make a prime rib or something similar, but keeping with the theme of simplicity this year, I opted to bake A Honey of a Pot Roast from Golden Blossom Honey instead.

 

 

I honestly chose this recipe because there were minimal ingredients and it looked pretty effortless as far as prep went, both of which were really important to me this year. Plus, even though there weren't many ingredients or steps in the recipe, it still sounded flavorful. I decided to toss some potatoes and carrots into the pan halfway through cooking to make this a true one pan meal. I was so impressed with the final result and how everything cooked to perfection with ease, I will more than likely stick with this roast for any other holiday dinners that I'm tasked with bringing the meat dish to. It will make a nice feast for New Year's, or thinking ahead, for a special Valentine's Day meal. Or, simply for a lazy Sunday dinner. It's great for holidays or for easy family days at home. I love a recipe that can swing both ways, between holidays or quiet family days, this roast works for all. 

 

Ingredients

4 lbs. beef chuck roast or other suitable cut for pot roast

1/2 package onion soup mix

3 Tablespoons water or dry red wine

1/2 cup tomato juice

2 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 bay leaf

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 have a busy or mellow holiday season this year?  

Holiday Fruit Tray

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

 

 

Tis' the season of overindulgence on sweets. Everyone seems to be in the kitchen whipping up goodies for gifting, holiday parties, or just because it's a fun thing to do this time of the year. It's so easy to over do it on the sugar intake without even realizing it. I always notice that the dessert table usually has as many offerings as the main course at Christmas, and I'm guilty of being one to contribute to the sweets pile with my chocolate chip cookies and buckeyes, which I spend my whole birthday on the 23rd baking. So in an effort to cut down on the sugary treats and maybe enjoy some free time on my birthday for once, I decided to skip the holiday baking this year. I know my family will probably not be pleased about that, but I plan on bringing something sweet to snack on with a healthier twist. This Holiday Fruit Tray recipe from Golden Blossom Honey is a great alternative to those sugary snacks that are in abundance at the holidays, and I think that it has so many yummy, sweet fruits piled on top, not a single person is going to miss a table with a little less dessert stacked on it.

 

Yes, I do realize that fruit and honey contain natural sugars, but it's a much healthier option over the processed sugars that you find in cakes and cookies. And while I've always had a sweet tooth myself, I have noticed over the years that if real, whole foods are offered, I tend to reach for those more than the unhealthy choices. While this holiday fruit tray is a breeze to toss together, it's a real time saver as well. If you're the parent of younger children, chances are you do the family gift exchanges on Christmas morning, then have to spend the afternoon making a side dish or dessert to take to the grandparent's house that evening, followed by getting everyone cleaned up and out the door on time. We had many years that we had 2 extra stops to make on Christmas day, and I remember being plain exhausted before nightfall. I am so glad those days are behind us now! I would have loved to have thought of something like this holiday fruit tray to save me time and sanity back then. Alas, this is my gift to you this year. The wisdom to say no to the extra baking, no to the extra unnecessary treats, and yes to more free time along with healthier offerings during the holidays. You're welcome. 

 

Ingredients

1 pomegranate

2 large oranges, peeled and thinly sliced

2 small grapefruit, peeled and sectioned

6 dried figs, halved

1 1/2 cups red and/or green grapes, halved

1/3 cup pistachio nuts, shelled and coarsely chopped

4 Tablespoons RAW 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! 

   

What are your favorite non-sugary snacks during the holiday season?  

Gingery Gingerbread with Orange Sauce

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

 

 

Have you started your holiday baking yet? I usually don't make too many holiday goodies until Christmas week. It's been exceptionally cold here these past few weeks, along with massive amounts of snow and ice getting dumped into our area, I haven't ventured outside much lately. When it's too nasty to be out of the house, I turn those into my baking days. I wanted to make some cookies this week and toyed with the idea of trying gingerbread again, but the last few times I made those cookies were massive failures. But I thought I'd check out Golden Blossom Honey's recipes to see if they had a fool-proof recipe for gingerbread cookies. While I didn't find what I was looking for then, I did spot this Gingery Gingerbread with Orange Sauce recipe that piqued my curiosity. 

 

 

Honestly, after looking at the ingredients, I knew this was going to be a hit or miss recipe for me. I love me some gingerbread cookies, but ginger, even candied, is not something that I'd willingly eat on it's own. I really only use ginger in my stir-fry, and even then, sparingly. So, I was a bit nervous when this called for chopped crystalized ginger to go into the cake batter. I thought I'd be biting into chunks of it. But my fears were unfounded because after the cake was done, I realized that the crystalized ginger dissolves into the batter as it bakes and distributes the flavor subtly and evenly. The finished result was a moist, delicious gingerbread cake that rivaled the flavor of its cookie counterpart. Not overpowering, but enough to make you think you're eating the cookie in cake form. It's warm, sweet, and inviting. Such a fabulous dessert for the Christmas holiday. The orange sauce compliments the cake beautifully, and the final touch of the whipped cream ties all of the flavors together perfectly. I am so glad that I found and tried this recipe over the actual gingerbread cookies I had originally planned on making. This was way less messy and even more enjoyable to bake over the cookies, imo. You can garnish with some cute little gingerbread men. I found these holiday edition mini cookies from Pepperidge Farms at my local grocers that helped with the decoration of my cake. But those are optional. I just thought they'd make a fun addition to my desserts this season when I spotted them recently. If you're looking to do things a little different this year, I'd definitely recommend skipping the gingerbread cookies and making this Gingery Gingerbread cake instead. 

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 stick margarine, softened

1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

1/2 cup whipped cream

Orange Sauce:

1 cup orange juice

6 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 cinnamon stick

3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped

3 large oranges, peeled and sectioned

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 holiday desserts will you be baking this year?  

Pineapple-Cranberry Sauce

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

 

 

I was watching a Facebook recipe reel the other day where they were coating cranberries in powder sugar and calling that a snack. Now, I don't know about you, but even coated in powdered sugar, I am not a fan of cranberries whole. They are just way too tart and bitter for my liking to be eating them straight from the bag. Unless we're talking the dried version, which I'll eat straight from the bag all day long. I don't mind them in baked goods either. And cranberry sauce? I can't resist it! My family has always been on the less classy side when it comes to cranberry sauce. Just dump the jellied sauce from the can into a bowl and boom. Done. But for Thanksgiving this year, I thought it best to act like we weren't complete hillbillies since it was the first meal we were hosting for my daughter's new beau. I opted to not serve cranberry sauce from a can, (but you better believe I still bought it to enjoy after he went home lol) and went with a "from scratch" version. I looked at a few different cranberry sauce recipes, and ultimately went with this Pineapple-Cranberry Sauce from Golden Blossom Honey because it didn't seem basic or boring, a vibe I was definitely trying to avoid.

 

 

This cranberry sauce has a perfect blend of sweet, tart, and warm, with a lovely texture added in with the walnuts. Not gonna lie, but I did question mixing in nuts though. Was this going to be the holiday equivalent of adding raisins to the potato salad during the summer months, which is a big no-no? But, y'all, it's really fine. Better than fine. It helps tone down the sweetness and adds an earthy touch to the flavor profile. And I really liked the added crunch since it's usually unexpected to have anything other than a smooth texture when eating cranberry sauce. The pineapple added an extra element of sweetness and I loved the tropical flair it gave the overall flavor, making me think that not only would this be great for the winter holidays, but will work for our Easter dinner next spring as well. And you know I love recipes that can carry over from season to season, so this one is for sure going in the holiday section of my recipe box so we can enjoy it again and again! 

 

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) cans crushed pineapple

1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries, about 3 cups

1/2 cup SOUTHERN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 tablespoon orange juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

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 whole or jellied cranberry sauce?