Earthly Eating

Honey has been around just as long as the honey bee has been around and it has the greatest health benefits of anything out there. There are many recipes out there that use honey to cook with, but cooking honey can drastically change its flavor. The best kind of recipe is one that uses honey straight from the jar. And while you are making these recipes, dip the spoon in the jar and eat it, I won’t tell.

Honey for Breakfast: Take Greek-style yogurt drizzled with honey and topped with a few spoonfuls of pomegranate seeds is a great pick-me-up in the morning and can have the lasting benefits that last all day long.

Honey in your Drink: If you enjoy martinis and other fluty drinks try adding honey drizzled in the bottom of the glass. You can even drizzle the honey around the sides of the glass as well. If you use a mild wildflower honey or even raw honey works you won’t have it crystallize while the cool drink is sitting with it in the glass. The best flavor combination is honey in the bottom and along the sides of the glass with vanilla vodka and a honey stick added to top it off.

Honey with your Cheese: If you pair honey with sharp cheeses, or even blue cheese you open your mouth up to an explosion of flavor. Try using at your next get-together a pairing of cut blue cheese on a serving platter, drizzling with a bit of a full-flavored honey such as buck wheat over the top of the cheese and topping it all with some roasted nuts or dried fruits. Pair this with quality crackers and your guest will be so impressed with the combination of salty and sweet.

Facts about honey:
1. Honey should always be stored at room temperature, never in the refrigerator.
2. Honey can be mixed with lemon juice or with warm tea can be a soothing cough syrup. (Mix lavender and eucalyptus essential oils with olive oil for a homemade cough suppressing chest soother as well.)
3. Never give honey to children under 1 year of age.
4. Remove crystals from honey by simply placing the honey container in warm water or the microwave for 30 seconds till the crystals dissolve.
5. Bees store honey in wax cells inside the beehive.
6. Honey can be made by bees by using the nectar from any flower, but most common honey is found to be made from clovers.
7. You can substitute any recipe calling for granulated sugar with honey. Substitute up to half the sugar that the recipe calls for with honey. With more experimenting you can find out exactly how much some of your favorite recipes will call for in the end.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Buttermilk Panna Cotto with Kiwi and Lime
Serves: 6

Remove the ramekins and set them in a bath of warm water to loosen the edges or run a knife around the edges. Turn the mold out on a serving dish and arrange half round of kiwi around the molds. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint before serving.

Happy Eating!

1. Hart Apiaries Wildflower Honey: Caramel-like and silky; lighter in the summer, darker in the winter. Available October to November ($4 for one pound).

2. Marshall’s farm honey-Star Thistle Honey: Delicate, almost cotton-candy taste with a maple syrup texture. ($7.50 for eight ounces)

3. Raudat Chestnut Tree Honey: (1-800-209-6141) A very flowery and aromatic French honey, with the flavor of ripe fruit and a thick, grainy texture. ($10.80 for 4.4 ounces)

4. Draper’s Super Bee Apiaries Alfalfa Honey: A crisp, well-balanced honey with a clean flavor and aroma. ($4 for eight ounces.)

5. Volcano Island Honey Company Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey: Light and delicate. Almost pearlescent in color, with a thick, custard like texture. ($11 for eight ounces)

6. Marshall’s Farm Honey Organic Mt. Tam Honey: Spicy, syrupy and complex with a dark amber color. ($9.50 for eight ounces)

7. Kallas Honey Farm Buckwheat Honey: Thick, robust, and grassy-tasting, more like molasses than honey. ($4 for one pound)

8. Honey Gardens Apitherapy Raw Honey: Thick and clean-tasting, with an herbaceous finish. ($12 for one pound)

9. Savannah Bee Company Tupelo Honey: Sweet and subtle, this honey never crystallizes, pairs fantastically with peanut butter on bread. ($10 for 13 ounces)

10. Laney Family Honey Company Cranberry Blossom Honey: Pungent and fruit with a lingering tart finish in the end. ($3.50 for 6.5 ounces)

Did you know: Bananas are considered the world’s large herb. They are related to the lily and orchid family and their gigantic leaves reach up to 30 feet long and their stems weight up to 100 pounds. Bananas are a great addition to anyone’s diet and now more than ever, since the population is getting larger. Just one banana can calm hunger pains for an hour to two hours. Add a banana in your lunch or grab one when you are heading out the door in a rush in the morning hours. They come in their own carry case.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Three Pepper Oat Pilaf
Serves: 4

2. In a medium bowl lightly beat egg whites with a fork. Add oats; toss until well combines. Add oat mixture to vegetable mixture in a skillet. Cook about 5 minutes or until oats look dry and separated; stirring occasionally. Add broth, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more or until the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently (oats will remain slightly chewy). Stir in basil and server immediately.

Happy Eating!

A teaspoon of honey before bed seems to calm children’s coughs and help them sleep better. The folk remedy did better than cough medicine or no treatment in a three-way comparison. Honey may work by coating and soothing an irritated throat.

Many families are going to relate to these finding and say tho themselves that grandma was right. Federal health advisers have recently warned that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines shouldn’t be used in children younger than 6, and manufacturers are taking some products for babies off the market. Parents seeking alternative rememdies shoudl give honey a try. But never give honey to children under the age of 1 because of a rare but serious risk of botuliam. (Source: Democrat-Herald 2007)

Check out these awesome must have kitchen gadgets:

• Loopiedoop Apron: You will never miss place that oven mitt with this apron because they stick right to the apron itself.

• Witmer’s Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Mixer: If you thought eating natural peanut butter was difficult because of the oil sitting on top, that problem is gone with this handie mixer. It fits ontop of most 16-oz jars.

• Pop Colander: It’s a silicone colander that saves space and time. The legs pop out so it stands when you use it and when you’re done, it collapses flat.

• Trudeau clip-on spoon holder: No more burned spoons or messy counter tops. And a portion of the proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

• Kyocera’s ceramic vegetable peeler: It’s light weight, rustproof, and stays sharp 10 times longer than steel blades.

• The Easy Lid: It’s a multifunctional lid that’s safe in temperatures up to 675°F. It works as a splatter guard, a cover during reheats and is a safe alternative to plastic.

• The Vacu Vin Pineapple Slicer: It can peel, core, and slice a pineapple with ease into rings and keeps the shell intact to use as a serving bowl for the rings (if you wanted.)

• The Days Ago Digital Day Counter: Keeps track for up to 99 days. Simple press the counter’s start button and pop it on the food container. Wheather it’s in a metal or plastic container. Comes with a suction or magnetic backing.

**Kirsten Vangsness from Criminal Minds will be starting in In My Sleep and Katie Mientka over at Watching Criminal Minds has the full details. Read the story here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Roasted Turnips with Sesame
Serves: 4

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place sesame oil and honey in a baking dish. Add turnips, salt and red pepper flakes, then toss to coat the turnip pieces. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring twice. Sprinkle on sesame seeds on roast 10 minutes more. Serve warm, chilled or at room temperature.

Happy Eating!