FRESH MINT TEA RECIPE
forwarded to us by Kristin Bridgeford
"A beautiful summer refresher".
4 tea bags
leaves from 1 bunch of "Jerry's" mint
3 cups boiling water
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar ( use less if you don't desire a sweet tea)
6 cups water
sprigs of mint
orange slices
Place tea bags and mint leaves in a 3-quart pitcher. Add 3 cups boiling water and steep until cool. Discard tea bags and mint leaves. Add orange and lemon juices, sugar, and 6 cups of water to tea mixture, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Serve over ice and garnish with mint sprigs and arange slices.
Here are some recipe ideas sent to us by David of "David's Blue Ribbon Honey":
How to substitute honey for sugar in your recipes:
Substitute honey for up to half the sugar called for in a recipe. With a little experimentation, honey can replace all the sugar in certain recipes.
Reduce the liquid in the recipe by ¼ cup for each cup of honey used.
Add ½ teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used.
Reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees F to prevent over-browning.
Remember, honey has a higher sweetening power than sugar. It will take less to sweeten your recipe.
For easy measuring and fast clean-up, coat measuring cups and spoons with vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray before measuring honey.
One 12-ounce jar of honey equals a standard measuring cup.
Honey Gingerbread
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup David's Blue Ribbon Honey
3/4 cup molasses
1 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, unbeaten
1 cup buttermilk
Measure out the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices in a mixing bowl. Stir together until the mixture is fully blended. In another bowl place the oil, honey, molasses and egg and beat with an electric mixer until light and creamy. If you measure the oil first in the same cup as the honey, it will come out much easier. Now, add the flour alternatively with the buttermilk, beating after each addition until smooth. Bake in a well greased 9 x 13 baking pan at 325 degrees F for 55 minutes or until done when tested with a toothpick. (The toothpick should come out clean.) Serve with whipped cream sweetened with David's Blue Ribbon Honey and a tablespoon of grated orange rind.
CHOCOLATE HONEY CHIP COOKIE
1 cup David's Blue Ribbon Honey
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg yoke
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (6 oz.)
In a medium bowl, beat honey and butter until creamy but not fluffy. Beat in egg yoke and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet mixture until thoroughly blended. Mix in pecans and chocolate chips. Chill dough for 30 minutes or more. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a spoon. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tops are dry. Cool on wire racks.
DAVID'S BLUE RIBBON HONEY BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
1/2 cup canned apricots, drained
1/3 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup David's Blue Ribbon Honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (fresh ground preferred)
1 tablespoon olive oil
In a blender or food processor, combine apricots, vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, and seasonings; blend until smooth. With motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until combined. Makes 1 cup.
EASY TIPS FOR PERFECT ROASTED VEGETABLES
adapted from The Santa Monica Farmer's Cookbook by Amelia Saltsman
Roasting vegetables concentrates their flavors, develops and caramelizes natural sugars, and gives them that appetizing crisped look. Best of all, the same technique works for just about any vegetable you've got on hand, any time of the year. Follow these simple steps for great results.
Keep vegetables or vegetables pieces a uniform size for even cooking.
Toss cleaned, trimmed vegetables with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, kosher or sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. For convenience, do this directly in the pan.
Always preheat the oven.
Roast dense vegetables, such as beets or potatoes, at 400 degrees, quick-cooking ones, such as asparagus or tomatoes, at 425 to 450 degrees.
Don't crowd the pan, or your vegetables will steam rather than brown. Large baking sheets and heatproof-glass dishes are ideal for roasting.
Roast vegetables uncovered in the upper third of the oven for better browning.
Halfway through the cooking time, remove the pan from the oven and give it a shake or use a spatula to loosen and turn the vegetables.
When the vegetables are browned and tender, season again with your favorite seasonings...salt, pepper, garlic powder.
If serving the vegetables at room temperature, allow them to cool before piling them onto a serving dish( so they won't steam themselves and get soft).
