honey

Honey Beer Bread

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I love to bake, especially in the Fall.  Unfortunately, I don’t always have time to wait for bread to rise.  Plus, I’m very impatient.  That’s where this bread comes in.  Have basic pantry ingredients?  Have a beer in the fridge?  Then you have the ingredients to make this quick bread.  My family loves it and begs for it on holidays.  It’s perfect for a dinner bread or as a dessert bread, spread with butter and drizzled with extra honey.  I think that’s why we love it so much… bread with dinner and bread for dessert!    ~Erin  

  • 3 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 T. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ c. honey, plus 2 T. for drizzling (optional)
  • 1 (12 oz.) bottle of beer
  • ¼ c. butter, melted

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

In a non-metallic bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

Make a well in the center and pour in a ¼ cup honey and the beer.  

Using a non-metallic spoon, stir the dry ingredients together with the beer and honey until just combined.  Do not over mix.

Pour a little of the melted butter in the bottom of a loaf pan and brush it up the sides of the pan.

Pour in the batter and spread it evenly.  

Pour the remaining melted butter over the top of the loaf.

Bake 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  

Optional:  Microwave about 2 tablespoons of honey for 5 seconds to thin it, and drizzle it over the loaf during the last few minutes of baking.  This gives the top a sweet, buttery glaze my family loves.

Let the bread cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing to a bread board/cutting board.

Slice with a serrated bread knife. 

Serve with butter and, if desired, honey.

Watermelon Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

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I had a watermelon salad in a bistro several years ago while on vacation, and I could not believe how much I loved it (I’m normally not the biggest lover of watermelon). In this salad, though, the chilled watermelon and vinaigrette dressing were exactly what I needed on an unusually hot day in the mountains, and the sweetness of the melon is balanced by the saltiness of the pepitas and feta.  And it had such a gourmet feel to it, as it was absolutely gorgeous.  Impress your summertime guests with this wonderful salad I recreated with my very own, easy peasy vinaigrette that has a bright and beautiful honey citrus flavor.  ~Robin

WatermelonSalad_Logo

Ingredients for dressing:
  • ⅛ c. extra virgin olive oil
  • ⅛ c. lime juice (usually 2 limes)
  • ⅛ c. honey
  • 1 T. balsamic vinegar
Ingredients for salad:
  • 5 oz. bag of spring mix salad
  • heaping ½ c. chopped red onion
  • 2 oz. fat free feta cheese, crumbled
  • ¼ c. salted, roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 10 oz. cubed watermelon
  • 1/4 c. minced cilantro (optional)

Instructions: 

  1. Chill salad mix, watermelon, and limes before you begin to make this recipe nice and cool upon serving.
  2. Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, honey, and balsamic vinegar. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine salad mix, chopped red onion, pepitas, feta, and cilantro (if desired).
  4. Gently lay cubed watermelon on top of salad mix.
  5. Whisk dressing once more and drizzle dressing over salad (I start with about a 1/3 and gradually add a little more…if you over-pour you can be left with a pool of dressing in the bottom. You’ll typically only need about half the dressing or a little less). Points are figured for a little over half the dressing to be on the safe side.
  6. Then gently toss together to coat salad and mix in watermelon.
  7. Serve immediately.

WW Freestyle Info.: Serves 4 and is 4 points per heaping cup.

Just Peachy Honey-Lime Salad

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JustPeachySummerSalad_Logo

This light salad isn’t overly sweet for a hot summer evening. The almonds just add some protein and a bit of crunch — and with almonds and peaches being related, it only seems fitting to pair them here.  The peaches, blueberries, cucumber and red onion all blend really nicely with this super simple, sweet-tart honey-lime dressing.  A touch of feta would work well here too, but I don’t normally add it to the mixed salad; instead, I have it near for folks to choose whether they want to add it to their own serving (since feta seems to be a pretty love/hate sort of item).  I had blueberries on hand, but blackberries would be great too. Hope you enjoy trying all the possibilities with this easy peasy salad.

PS–I’ve tried several honey-lime dressings, but in this case, simplest is best. Can’t go wrong with fresh squeezed lime juice and honey!

~Robin

Ingredients:

  • 5 c. fresh spinach
  • 1 cucumber, seeded & chopped (about 1.5 cups)
  • 1.5 c. blueberries
  • ½ c. sliced almonds
  • 1.5-2 peaches,* sliced
  • ½ a red onion, sliced (I half the slices of the bigger pieces, just so not overly messy to eat)
  • ¼ c. lime juice (about 2 limes)
  • 2 T. honey

Instructions:

  1. Juice 3 limes, one of them into a different container.  Then slice peaches and carefully pour the juice from 1 lime over them to prevent browning.  Set aside.
  2. Combine spinach, cucumber, almonds, onion and blueberries.  Set aside.
  3. For dressing, mix ¼ c. lime juice and 2 T. honey. Whisk together well and pour over salad.
  4. Add blueberries and peaches to salad and very gently toss together, then serve.

WW Freestyle Info.:  Each 2 c. serving is only 4 points.

*I’ll be honest, I use 2 peaches but I always end up eating half of one as I make the salad.