Chicken with Tarragon and Mustard Cream Sauce

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.   

 

 

 

We use our cast iron skillet sporadically throughout the year, but as soon as the weather takes a dip, it is in use pretty much daily. I don't know what it is about cast iron cooking that feels so cozy in the autumn, but just like with the slow cooker, I don't think we'd survive fall without our pan. Jason uses it in the morning for hash, eggs, potatoes.... all of the breakfast fixings. Then I'll use it in the evening for whipping up dinner. My southern grannies always made the best fried chicken in their skillets, but for some reason I never did learn the art of perfecting fried chicken like they did. (If any of you from TN or AR want to share the secret to a good southern fried chicken, I'm all ears!) Other chicken recipes though, I think I've got a pretty good handle on how they cook up in the cast iron pan. So one of the meals I made the family this week was Golden Blossom Honey's Chicken with Tarragon and Mustard Cream Sauce because it felt like a comforting meal to indulge in on a gray sky day.  

 

 

Chicken is of those meats that I'll cook the hell out of because I've always been terrified of seeing any part of the center that looks even the slightest bit raw. Honestly, I even let it go 10 to 20 degrees over the safe zone on the meat thermometer just to be extra cautious. This can sometimes make the chicken a bit on the tougher side, but I don't care. Better safe than sorry, right? However, I love a recipe like this one that has you returning the chicken to the pan after its initial searing to finish off by cooking in a broth or sauce because that always ensures a more juicy and tender outcome. I did double up on the sauce portion of this recipe because I personally love coating my rice with it. (Chicken piccata sauce is another great one to double on for that reason also!) I did not have any brandy on hand, so I substituted that part of the recipe with apple cider. Since there was no alcohol to cook down, my sauce was a little thinner than what the recipe as written would have produced, so I put a tablespoon of cornstarch/water mixture in to thicken it up a little and it came out perfect. The recipe isn't one of the fastest to prep and cook, but it was quick enough where I'd still lump it into a week night meal option instead of saving it for a weekend. It's warm and filling, and if you make a little extra, it is a great leftover lunch option the next day. 

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned and halved

1/2 cup shallots, chopped

1/4 cup brandy

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY MUSTARD

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

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! 

   

Do you like cast iron skillet cooking? 

Hearty Tomato Bean Soup

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.  

 

 

I know, you all don't want to hear about summer's end, but Tuesday officially marks the start of autumn. We've already had a few days this week where I had to break out a cardigan to keep the chilly air at bay, and I could also hear the crowds from the first Notre Dame home football game, so I'm saying farewell to summer and hello fall! Which also means we're ushering in soup season, and that makes my little heart so happy. I just love how cozy these days feel this time of the year. There's something so comforting when there's a nip in the air, the skies are overcast, and there's a pot of soup simmering on the stovetop. I did think about making a pot of chili earlier this week, and while we did have a big dip in temperatures, it wasn't big enough to justify something so spicy and heavy as chili. I still wanted something tomato based though, so I scrolled through Golden Blossom Honey's recipes until I found a perfect soup to help transition between seasons and landed on this Hearty Tomato Bean Soup recipe and knew it was going to be an immediate winner.  

 

 

This simple soup is light, yet hearty. There aren't any heavy ingredient to weigh the tummy down, but it is high in plant protein and fiber, so it is still quite filling. The spices add a lovely warmth to the soup, but the honey adds a touch of overall sweetness to the recipe making it an inviting soup for shifting from summer eats into fall ones. I think the recipe is perfect as is, but if you wanted to bulk it up or add meat, crumbled or smoked sausage would blend in easily. This soup is great for lunch, or pair it with a crusty bread, side salad, or grilled cheese for a complete dinner. 

 

Ingredients

3 cups onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3 cans (28 ounces each) tomatoes, chopped with their juices

3 cans (16 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans (13 3/4 ounces each) beef broth

1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

5 to 6 drops of Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

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 soups are you looking forward to cooking this autumn? 

Glazed Shallots and Brussels Sprouts

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. 

 

 

 

Are there any foods that you have a love/hate relationship with? For me, it's brussels sprouts. I go through periods of loving them for months on end, then something shifts and I can't stand them anywhere near my plate. The last time I gave them up was because I thought they started to taste like dirt. Yes, I wash them really well before cooking, but they still had a taste to them that I just couldn't get over. I don't think I've eaten one in 2-3 years since, but Jason brought home some roasted brussels sprouts from Sam's Club a few weeks ago for dinner that were quite delicious, which ended my breakup with the little green sprouts. Now that I'm back to frequently purchasing them, I've been on the hunt for recipes that will keep me coming back for more. I wanted to skip roasting them to avoid burnout since we've already had that method this month, so I grabbed a recipe for Glazed Shallots and Brussels Sprouts from Golden Blossom Honey, because who can resist caramelized vegetables hot from the pan? Definitely not me! 

 

While I do like the char that hits the edges when roasting, there's something even more enticing about caramelizing that offers a sweeter and more tender vegetable over a crisp, smoky one. My daughter likes to eat brussels sprouts raw, so I wasn't surprised when she initially declined my offer to test the finished recipe. "I don't like cooked brussels sprouts!" However, curiosity sucked her in, so the tune changed to, "Well, maybe I like this version. Oh, these are actually really good. I think I'm going to eat the whole pan!" Needless to say, we never needed a serving spoon because we both just stood over the kitchen counter with forks in hand eating directly from the serving dish. With this recipe at my fingertips, I can confidentially claim that my love affair with brussels sprouts just might be everlasting now. 

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed, bottoms scored with an x

1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus 1 teaspoon for garnish

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound small to medium sized shallots, peeled and left whole

pinch of ground cardamom, optional

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! 

   

Are there any love/hate foods in your life? 

Portobello Club Sandwich

 Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

 

 

Here we are with one last hurrah for the summer. Labor Day is shaping up to look absolutely beautiful in the Midwest, so I imagine there will be an abundance of lit grills this Monday. Or, with what's going on with beef here in the US, maybe not as many as normal? Like many right now, my family is also trying to find ways to cut grocery spending where possible, and beef has since become almost a luxury item at the grocers, so it's not purchased nearly as much as we used to. Thankfully my family got used to many meatless meals when I started transitioning to a vegetarian diet many years ago, and we found that they actually didn't mind me substituting regular hamburgers for black bean burgers or quinoa burgers, but their favorite is always a Portobello Swiss burger. I thought about making those for the holiday, but as I was scrolling for a different meal idea on Golden Blossom Honey last week, a recipe for Portobello Club Sandwich popped up and it felt like a sign to try something new. 

 

I always appreciate how easy mushroom burgers are to make, and this one is just as simple as all of the others we've tried before. It does take a bit longer than our mushroom and Swiss version, but that's only because of the marinating time involved. They broil up nice and tender and packed full of flavor. I've never added roasted red pepper to my mushroom burgers, but I absolutely loved the addition and will make that a staple going forward. The only thing that I would change is I'd put the cheese slice on the mushroom caps for a few seconds before they finish broiling because I love a melty cheese mushroom burger. Overall, the family loved this recipe, so we'll be adding it into the rotation. If you're looking for meatless alternatives to your Labor Day menu without sacrificing flavor, this is the recipe you're going to want to remember. 

 

Ingredients

Marinade:

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Sandwich:

4 (4-inch) Portobello mushroom caps

4 Kaiser rolls

4 slices Swiss cheese

4 thick slices tomato

8 strips roasted red peppers

4 romaine lettuce leaves

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 looking for red meat alternatives or is it still business as usual at the grocers for you? 

Fresh Summer Pickles

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.  

 

 

 

My daughter has really been into all things pickled these days. Asparagus, garlic, green beans... anything that she can find jarred and pickled at the grocers, in the cart it goes. She's been playing around with adding her own ingredients to the jars and letting them marinate for a few days as well. Sort of a mini recipe creating experiment when she has the time. She did mention at one point that we should make our own pickles this summer, and I happened to remember that I saw a recipe on Golden Blossom Honey once for Fresh Summer Pickles. I never saved it or gave it much thought though because I always had it in my head that it was probably something that was going to be too much effort, but that couldn't be further from the truth. 

 

 

I was actually surprised at how easy and cheap it is to make your own homemade pickles. Especially because they are so expensive at the craft fairs that I've seen pickle vendors selling, and these turned out just as good as theirs. If you were able to grow your own cucumbers this year, that especially helps cut down the cost. Also, you can get a jar of pickling spice at the grocery store that has all of the necessary spices listed here instead of spending money on several different spice jars that you may or may not use again. These pickles tasted a bit tangy and sweet, but had a distinctive tartness to them as well. I prefer a more sweet pickle though, so next time I'll only use 3 cups of vinegar cut with 1 cup of water to reduce some of that tartness. If you have some extra cucumbers from your garden this year, I'd highly recommend using them to make your own homemade pickles for a fun and inexpensive snack. 

 

Ingredients

Brine:

4 cups distilled white vinegar

6 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

Pickles;

2 seedless cucumbers, unpeeld, washed and scrubbed

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

several springs fresh dill leaves

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 ever made homemade pickles? 

Raisin Bundt Cake

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. 

 

 

 

There's something about this time of the year that kicks off my need to get in the kitchen and bake. As the summer starts to wind down and autumn produce starts to hit the market, I need to let my inner Martha Stewart shine. Earlier this week I kept thinking that I wanted to make something like a quick bread, but as I scrolled through Golden Blossom Honey looking for a recipe to scratch my itch, I stumbled upon a Raisin Bundt Cake that made me stop and switch course. It's been a long time since I've put my bundt pan to good use, so there really wasn't an excuse not to dust it off and test out a new bundt cake recipe. 

 

This is a pretty straightforward recipe with no complicated steps or prep to get it to come together. Unless your name is Jason and your wife asks you to check it in an hour for doneness. Then instead of checking, you just shut the oven off and go about your business, leaving a slightly gooey center, then it's a pretty simple recipe. Thankfully, said wife was able to put it back in the oven once she realized the mistake and got it to finish baking without issue. So, even if you make a blunder in the recipe, it's one that can more than likely be fixed without distress. The liquid ingredients help the bundt to bake nice and moist, and the spices give it a comforting warmth, which is perfect to serve with a hot cup of tea or apple cider this fall. If you're not quite ready to let your own Martha shine, bookmark this recipe to come back to soon. Because before you know it, the crisp and cool autumn days will be upon us. 

 

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup cold coffee

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup chopped raisins

2 Tablespoons flour

Honey Glaze:

1 1/4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

2 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! 

   

Have you made any autumn inspired recipes lately?