Orange, Cranberry and Spiced Pecan Salad

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

It's been a month of cookies and cakes and heavy holiday foods, so I thought I'd pivot this week and toss out a recipe to sort of tip the scales back to the healthier side of things. I've actually been really good watching the carbs, calories, and sugar intake for the last several months, but even I'm burnt out on all of the holiday goodies and Christmas isn't even here yet! We'll have 2 dinners to attend next week, one at my mom's house, then one the following day at Jason's parents. My mom always has a salad on the menu so I don't have to worry about balancing lighter eats with the heavier ones at her place, but Jason's family loves the savory, rich, and sweet foods so it's a bit more challenging to eat right there. Don't get me wrong. They always have some kind of fruit and veggie tray, but sometimes I just want a salad. So I thought that in addition to the main dish we'll be providing (ham, which I don't eat anyway) I'll be bringing a really lovely Orange, Cranberry and Spiced Pecan Salad to add to the table. This Golden Blossom Honey recipe still has all of the wonderful flavors of the season, so you can indulge without the guilt!

I normally only eat fruit in my salad in the warmer months, but this recipe taught me that fruit can go in with the leafy greens and be scrumptious year round. The sweet citrus fruit combined with the tart dried cranberries gives this salad a real punch of flavor, but the spiced pecans adds a nice warmth and texture that pulls everything together perfectly. It all comes together fairly quickly, so even if you don't have a salad planned for your holiday dinner but are thinking of adding one last minute, you can get this tossed together in a snap without too much prep ahead of time. It's colorful. It's delicious, And if there ever was a salad that could be deemed as the perfect holiday salad, this would surely be the winner.

Ingredients

Spiced Pecans:

3 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

2 teaspoons water

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pecan halves

Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

1/2 cup orange juice

4 tablespoons dried cranberries

1 small head red leaf lettuce

2 large naval oranges, peeled, white pith removed, and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

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! 

   

I'll be catching up on publishing and responding to comments next week. For those who celebrate, I wish you and your families a Very Merry Christmas! 

Fruit and Nut Bar Cookies

 

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

We hit the road earlier this week to take a much needed trip to Tennessee. 4 cats, 3 humans, and 2 dogs all piled in the car for a 10 hour drive usually makes for an interesting adventure. It was the first long haul for my 9 month old great dane puppy who absolutely hates car rides, so the plan was to drive through the night during normal sleeping hours and try to stop only for gas and potty breaks because trying to get a 125 pound dog in and out of the car when he fights tooth and nail to stay as far away from it as possible is a feat in itself. Since we weren't planning to stop for food on this trip, I did end up packing a bunch of snacks to hold us over until we got to the Airbnb. Of course there were the usuals: fruits, granola bars, and string cheese. But I also wanted to toss in a little something sweet. I thought about making banana bread, but my bananas weren't quite ripe enough to make a tasty loaf. So I hopped over to Golden Blossom Honey's website to see if anything looked tempting and sure enough I honed in on these Fruit and Nut Bar Cookies.

The recipe appealed to me initially because it called for ingredients I already had in the pantry, but also because it looked like a new fun holiday recipe to try out. This is a nice shift from the usual sugar, gingerbread, or chocolate chip cookies that grace our presence frequently this time of year. It's a more refined sweet packed with all kinds of yummy fruits and holiday spices. I haven't decided if it's more cookie or bar, but really who cares because it's freakin' delicious either way! I cannot believe that we are less than 2 weeks away from Christmas, but if you're still planning out your dessert table or cookie trays for the season, be sure to add these fruit and nut bar cookies to the list. You and your guests won't regret it! 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

4 tablespoons butter

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup walnuts or hazelnuts, chopped

1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/4 cup black currants or black raisins

1/4 cup yellow raisins

1 1/2 cups flour

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 you traveling anywhere this holiday season?

Honey Glazed Nuts

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

 

We've been gearing up for a quick holiday jaunt to Tennessee next week for a much needed break after a very busy year, and while the time off doing absolutely nothing sounds amazing, I know that when we get back it will be crunch time to wrap up anything left on the Christmas to-do list. Because as soon as we get home, it's birthday week for the 3 of us in our house followed by holiday gatherings right afterwards with extended family. So I thought I'd keep a few short and easy recipes on hand for that week to bring to gatherings, or even to keep on hand for a quick last minute gift idea for those hard to buy for relatives. I'm one who loves getting consumables as gifts, and I know there are many others within my circle who do as well. So when I found this Honey Glazed Nuts recipe on Golden Blossom Honey a few months back, I earmarked it because I knew then that I was going to want to whip up a batch or two during the holiday season. 

 

 

Look no further than these Honey Glazed Nuts if you're in the market for a simple, yet impressive gift idea or party contribution. We always have a variety of raw nuts on hand because I love snacking on them throughout the year, but there is always something fun about dressing them up during the holidays. The honey and orange flavoring takes plain nuts and turns them into a gourmet treat. Package them up in a pretty container tied with a bow and you have a tasty, festive, and beautiful gift that's effortless but amazing all the same. Or, if you're short on time and still need a hostess gift or potluck contribution, this recipe has you covered! It's a great addition to the party spread and a real crowd pleaser. The recipe said to use either pecans or walnuts, but I did a mix of the two because I like a good mix of nuts for snacking and think it's nice to have a variety to choose from. If you want to get really fancy, throw in a few cashews for good measure also. Honestly, I'm pretty sure most nuts would work in this recipe (peanuts are iffy, but if you're feeling extra, give it a whirl and let us know how they turn out!) so have a little fun and do some experimenting. You may just concoct a traditional holiday treat that will please the family for years to come!

 

Ingredients

1 pound pecan or walnut halves

1 large orange

1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 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 you gifting any homemade treats this year?

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, we have officially entered cookie baking season. Last year was a rough one for me, and I remember sitting at the kitchen counter crying my eyes out because the thought of baking one holiday cookie just added more to my plate that was already overflowing. Cookie baking is something that I have always loved to do, and for as long as I can remember, I even spend my entire birthday on the 23rd making cookie boxes for friends and family. It's the gift that they all want and ask for every year, and the thought of letting everyone down weighed heavily on my heart. My husband ended up convincing me not to give up the beloved tradition, but suggested that maybe I cut down on the amount I normally bake and scrap the recipes that take a lot of time to make. At first I felt like Scrooge, but in the end I felt a sense of relief at still being able to scrape enough yummy cookies together to fill the boxes, and knowing that I still had some time left over to decompress and enjoy the holidays as well. This year I decided to keep that same energy and just stick with recipes that yield a lot of cookies per batch so I am not spending the majority of the Christmas season in the kitchen, but rather enjoying everything else fun that comes with the holidays. I nixed my sugar cookies because those always take the longest, and decided to replace them with Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies instead. This Golden Blossom Honey recipe seems like a Godsend, netting 3 dozen cookies per batch, so you can knock out a whole lot of space in those boxes without spending a whole lot of time in the kitchen.

 

What I love most about these cookies is that they have an air of being fancy, but the reality is that you should probably have all of the ingredients already on hand since they are all pantry staples. At least in our house they are. And this recipe proves that even with basic ingredients, you can still mix up one posh cookie, perfect for holiday gift giving without over the top or expensive ingredients. While I am a huge fan of the classic oatmeal raisin cookie, using dried cranberries in place of raisins just makes it that much more elegant and festive for the holiday season. Even if you aren't making cookies for other's this year, it's a delightful recipe to whip up for yourself. For my trial run batch, I paired mine with some berry flavored green tea, which made for the perfect Hallmark Christmas movie watching snack. Which now makes me wonder if these cookies are better to give or receive? The only logical solution would be to give a few away, but make sure you keep some for yourself because you deserve to treat yourself at the holidays, too! 

Ingredients

3/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 egg

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups quick cooking oats (not instant)

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup walnuts chopped, optional

Frosting:

1 cup powdered confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon orange juice

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! 

   

How many different varieties of cookies do you bake during the holidays?

Sundried Tomatoes & Goat Cheese Appetizer

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

 

I've been watching the Martha Stewart documentary on Netflix this week and have been reflecting a lot on how unknowingly she did shape my life a little bit. I used to subscribe to her Living magazine and would pour through the colorful and glossy pages, admiring her dinner party spreads, decorations, and gardening skills. Her approach was teaching women of all different financial backgrounds how to make "perfect" things that didn't cost a fortune. But honestly, I don't know what her idea of not costing a fortune meant, because as a young family in the early 2000's, we sure couldn't afford to make much of what she was publishing. But I still did enjoy flipping through the pages each month dreaming about the days I would be able to host perfect parties too. Then when Martha was out, along came Pinterest to pick up where she left off, shoving elegant recipes and crafts and home decor in our faces. I admit that I fell for the trap of hostess with the mostess, and it took me some time to realize that perfection is so overrated. 2 income houses are struggling to stay afloat, we're overloaded with work and home obligations, and frankly, just plain physically and financially tapped out. I think that social media is adding to the stress of our lives, making us feel less than if we aren't hosting Pinterest worthy gatherings. And after scrolling through TikTok last week, I actually started feeling sad for these "influencers" trying to keep up with the facade of living a perfect life. Why are we doing this to ourselves? As I was preparing this week's Golden Blossom Honey share for you all, it made me realize why I've stuck with the company for so long. Almost every recipe on their website truly is budget friendly, or can be altered a little and still taste good while looking elegant without breaking the bank. For example, their Sundried Tomatoes & Goat Cheese Appetizer recipe. 

 

 

This appetizer is easy on the budget and easy on time, both of which I seem to be in short supply of these days, and more than likely you are too. For cost, I bought most of the ingredients at our local Aldi, so the entire recipe ran right around $12. As for time, the dip came together in under 10 minutes. I know that some of my readers aren't big goat cheese fans, so I'll suggest swapping that out for another soft cheese such as brie or mozzarella, but I even think cream cheese could work here as well and everything would come together as Martha would say, "Perfectly." I used our spread on some lightly toasted French bread slices, but you could use it as a veggie or cracker dip too. Whether you're hosting or need a quick dish to bring as a guest offering, you can't go wrong here.

Ingredients

10 sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped, plus 1 teaspoon oil from jar

1/8 pound Kalamata olives, pitted

1 package (5.3 oz.) goat cheese

1 teaspoon 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 is your favorite party dip?

Guilt-Free Pumpkin Pie

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

I think that Thanksgiving has always been one of my least favorite holidays because it's usually a time we start eating from the minute we wake up until the carb crash hits us like a ton of bricks. It's so easy to sit around and snack on the appetizers, fill our plates with the main course, head back for seconds, then round it all off with a sample platter of desserts. But just because it's the holiday season, it doesn't mean that we absolutely must throw caution to the wind and abandon our healthy eating habits. This past year I have been reevaluating my own eating habits and found that I was a perpetual plate clearer, finishing every bite even if I was beyond full. It took me some time to unlearn that habit, reminding myself that just because it's there, that doesn't mean that I have to eat it. And that I can still enjoy my favorite foods, because in this digital age it is so easy to find healthier substitutes to make those favorites a little healthier, like this Guilt-Free Pumpkin Pie recipe offered up by Golden Blossom Honey.

I've had this recipe saved for years because when I switched over to a vegetarian diet I thought that meant living off of tofu and greens. I quickly learned that I wasn't a fan of tofu and found many other things that I did like to keep the diet interesting. But this recipe still intrigued me enough to save it and maybe try it some day. That some day came earlier this week when I realized I had some cans of pumpkin that were nearing their expiration date and thought there was no better time to give it a whirl than the present. I will say that with the tofu replacing the evaporated milk from most other recipes, this was the least messy pumpkin pie that I've ever made. It blended, poured, and baked up so smooth and silky, I was pretty impressed with the final outcome. I was a little worried that the tofu would take away from the flavor of a normal pumpkin pie, but that definitely was not the case here at all! It tasted just as good as grandma used to make (and she wouldn't dream of ever using a hippy dippy ingredient like tofu in her recipes lol). So if you're looking to enjoy those classic holiday staples but do so in a guilt-free way, this pumpkin pie is a great recipe to start with this year! 

 

Ingredients

10 1/2 ounces firm tofu

3/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

2 egg whites

1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

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 you a member of the clean plate club?