Honey Ginger Spice Cookies

I love spice cookies with passion. And nothing begs to be made more for the cookie jar this blistery time of year than ginger spice cookies. Bursting with flavor and delicious beyond words, nothing compliments a cup of chai tea better :)

2 cups flour

2 3/4 tsp ginger

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1 tea bag chai spice

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup margarine

1 egg

1/4-1/2 cup honey

Mix first 7 ingredients in one bowl, and the remainder in another bowl. Combine and refrigerate one hour. Heat the oven to 350. Roll into 1 1/4 inch balls and roll in sugar and space 2" apart on a cookie sheet ( I used air bake) Bake for 12 minutes and remove from oven while the cookies are still soft. Cool on pan and enjoy :)

Soft & Fragrant Honey Gingerbread Cake!!

This is such a tasty cake, so moist and tasty with all of the flavors that inspires one to think of fall time. Cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger permeate through the house as this treat is cooking making the experience all the more enjoyable. So grab a hot cup of cider or spice tea and enjoy.

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp allspice

3/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup softened butter or margerine

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

Spray a 9 inch pan with pam, and set aside. Sift flour, spices, baking powder and soda. In another bowl cream sugar with margerine until fluffy, add egg and the honey, mix. Add half the batter to the dry ingredients, then add the yogurt, followed by the last of the batter and stir until well combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30-35 minutes or until done. Cool a little and enjoy!!

A Honey of a Dressing!!

Having fresh honey on hand this time of year is a luxary that I relish. Being a beekeeper by day (and a super hero by night ;) I love this time of year with it's yields of golden honey. So, naturally I try to eat it on everything.

My mother was over this afternoon and gave me some wonderful looking greens from her garden. Self, I said to me, we need to make a honey dressing to go with said lettuce. And so I did.

2 tbsp Fresh Honey (Or melted cooled honey)

1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

1/2 tsp Olive Oil

1/4 tsp Vinegar

Mix it up and enjoy. It's enough for a salad for one, but can be multiplied.

Zen Stir Fry: It will Feng Shui your Palette!

I love stir fry's. But, I got tired of the overly salted, bizarre bought bottled sauces that were flavors I couldn't identify. What is a girl to do? Make her own simple sauce of course! This stir fry is easy, and I mean EASY, and has a little bite for those of you who like the noodle house flare to thier veggies! (The sauce can be used with Ramen noodles as well for a spicy noodle treat. Yum!) It doesn't take a fortune cookie to tell you this is one meal you won't wok out on!! ;)

1 bag oriental frozen veggies (you know the peas, carrots, mini corn ones or your fav)

1 1/2 cups chicken, shrimp or beef (or omit for a yummy veggie one)

(Double the sauce amounts if adding a meat to it. The amounts given are for NO meat)

2 tsp honey

1 tsp ground red pepper flakes**

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder or chopped or jarred

Add a little water to a pan you spray with Pam. Dump in the veggies and steam them. (Or, cheat like me and microwave them for three minutes to get the frost off, and then transfer to pan. What? So, I use short cuts? So what? ;)

Add all the sauce ingredients and simmer on lower-medium heat until the veggies are done.

For the Ramen version, make noodles and drain off liquid (you don't have to use the little sauce pak thingy) then add the saucde ingredeints and cook a few minuted to melt and mix flavors. Enjoy

**I use a mortar and pestle to grind it, but a coffee grinder would work well. Or, buy it pre-ground. It's all good :)

Saskatoon Bran Muffins! The Holy Grain of Muffins ;)

I admit it. I have way more healthy ingredients in my house than a normal 29 year old ought to have. (Ground flax? Really?) So super healthy recipes have been known to be born on my kitchen. Also, I got tired of sickly sweet bran muffins that defeat the purpose of it being healthy, so these little muffins were born. With so much going for them, bran, honey, flax and berries they may be the elixer for life! (Flax is good for digestion and skin, blueberries and saskatoons are rich in antioxidents and bran is great for your bowels!)

So go against the grain and enjoy these moist, low fat and healthy muffins.

Bowl One:
1 cup flour (regular or whole wheat)
1/4 cup ground flax
3/4 cup wheat bran
1/3 cup plus two tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Bowl Two:
1 lge egg white
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup milk

1- 1 1/2 cups Saskatoons or Blueberries or Raisons

In one bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. In the second bowl, combine the next five. Mix the wet with the dry, and then mix in the berries. Bake at 375 F for 18-20 minutes (Oven depending) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and enjoy! Makes 12