Category Archives: THIS & THAT RECIPES

BOURBON CARAMEL WHIPPED CREAM

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There are few things as wonderful as pie with a dollop of whipped cream on top. But when you add a whipped cream that has been enhanced with a bourbon flavored caramel sauce, well howdy, heaven is just a fork full away.

  • ¼ c. butter
  • ½ c. brown sugar
  • ¼ c. + 2 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 2 T. good bourbon
  • freshly ground nutmeg, opt.

Whisk butter and brown sugar together over medium heat in a small heavy saucepan until brown sugar has dissolved completely. (This happens after the mixture comes to a boil and is allowed to burble for a couple of minutes or until it turns kind of shiny. Continue whisking the whole time the mixture is on the heat.) Remove from heat and gently whisk in the quarter cup heavy cream and bourbon. Allow caramel to come to room temperature and then refrigerate. Beat the remaining 2 cups of whipping cream to stiff peaks. Add the cold caramel sauce and whip just until well blended. (The caramel sauce and whipped cream can be combined up to a few hours before serving.)

Lovely served on bread pudding and pumpkin, pecan, or apple pie with just a sprinkle of fresh nutmeg on top to provide color and a tough of spice, so to speak. Of course, straight out of the bowl is pretty marvelous too! Oh, and Mr. C. loves this on his morning latte.

TURKEY GRAVY WITH COGNAC

All is fair when it comes to making gravy. And truly great gravy starts with the pan drippings left in the bottom of the roasting pan after the turkey has been removed to cool. (And yes, we are talking cholesterol city here, but once or twice a year, leave your worries behind and travel to the dark side!)

For a great recipe for roasted turkey, please see my recipe for Herb Salted Turkey. You will not believe how easy it is to prepare. Happy Thanksgiving.

  • pan drippings from roasted turkey
  • flour
  • turkey or chicken stock
  • 2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2-3 turkey gravy mixes (just in case)
  • 2-3 tsp. cognac

Place the roasting pan on the stove after the turkey has been removed. Turn the heat to very low and begin making your gravy immediately. (Good gravy flavor and consistency require time to develop.)    Do not remove any fat from the pan, do not strain the liquid, do not do any of the things most cook book writers tell you to do to make good gravy (except me, that is!)

Whisk in enough flour to absorb the fat. Let burble for a couple of minutes. (This process takes time, so be patient.) Slowly whisk in turkey or chicken stock until you reach the desired thickness you like. Add the Kitchen Bouquet (gives the gravy great color) and some freshly ground black pepper. No salt! Taste the gravy. If you think it needs more depth of flavor, begin by adding one of the gravy mixes and a small amount of turkey stock. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes and taste again. Repeat if needed.

Turn heat as low as possible and let the gravy simmer away for the next 30 minutes or so, whisking periodically. (You will probably need to add more stock during this time.) Also, after the turkey is sliced and plated, don’t forget to add the juices that have accumulated to the gravy.

Just before serving (and gravy should be the last item plated), taste the gravy and make any final adjustments to the seasoning. Stir in the cognac and serve piping hot.

Note: if the gravy seems a little salty, you might try adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon juice.

BRANDIED CRANBERRIES

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  • ¼ c. water
  • 1 lb. fresh cranberries
  • 1 c. sugar plus more to taste
  • ¾ c. brandy

Combine water, cranberries, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook on low heat until cranberries begin to pop and sugar is completely melted. Check for sweetness. Remember: the brandy will add sweetness too. If you need to add sugar, continue cooking until 2nd addition of sugar is also completely melted. Remove from heat. When cool, stir in brandy. Let stand for a couple of hours. Store in glass container in refrigerator. Can be made days, even weeks ahead.

A small jar of these cranberries make a lovely hostess gift if you are invited out for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

 

EASY FRIDAY NIGHT FISH FRY!

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To me, there is just nothing better for dinner on a fall or winter Friday night than fish and chips. But I don’t always want to go out for fish, and really, I would prefer not to be tempted by the “chips” that are always a part of the package. So that leaves me with making my own “fish and chips”.

We also love to have dinner companions on Friday nights, so this is my win/win way to entertain and have my favorite Friday night meal. The amounts shown are perfect for 4 normal people.

Even though I am retired, I still like to do a lot of the prep work ahead of time. So the following recipes are designed to take Friday night time constraints and exhaustion levels into consideration.

Although the fish preparation steps need to be done Friday night, the tartar sauce can and actually should be prepared the night before. Also, the dressing for the coleslaw is better if it has time to let its ingredients mingle for awhile. And the cabbage and other veggies can be cut or grated the night before and refrigerated until needed.

So that just leaves the potatoes to get in the oven before you start working on the coleslaw and fish.  And both the coleslaw (mix the dressing into the veggies) and the fish preparation could not be easier.

A little hint: A nice before dinner drink helps a great deal towards making this process run smoother. Even if you don’t drink adult beverages, a simple tonic with a slice of lime makes you feel like the party has already begun.

And because it’s Friday night, and both you and your guests are probably one step from zombie level, forget making any fancy appetizers. Put out a small bowl of olives or nuts, and a couple kinds of raw veggies, and call it good. It’s Friday night people. Time to relax so that you have the strength for all those weekend chores!!

CRISPY FRIED FISH

  • 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. seasoned salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 c. dark beer or water
  • 1 c. panko or more as needed
  • oil for frying
  • 1 1/2 – 2 lb. fish fillets (we love cod, halibut, and tilapia)
  •  lemon wedges, opt.

In a shallow dish, combine the flour and seasoned salt. In medium bowl, whisk
together the egg and beer. Place panko in a large re-sealable food-storage
plastic bag. In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat about an inch of oil to 350 degrees. Coat both sides of the fish with flour mixture. Then dip in beer mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl. Place 1 or 2 pieces of fish at a time in the plastic bag with panko; seal bag and shake to coat completely. Fry fish in batches in hot oil for about 4 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

IVAR’S FAMOUS TARTAR SAUCE

  • 2 T. chopped yellow onion
  • 1 T. chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 ½ tsp. plain old fashioned white vinegar
  •  ¾ tsp. sugar
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 T. dill pickle relish
  • 1 c. mayonnaise

Combine the onions, bell pepper, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a food processor; process for 10 seconds. Add the relish and mayonnaise and process for an additional 10 seconds. Serve chilled. Best made at least a day ahead.

CLASSIC COLESLAW

  • 2/3 c. mayonnaise
  • 1/4 c. minced onion
  • 3 T. minced dill pickle
  • 2 T. pickle brine
  • 2 T. old fashioned white vinegar
  • 2 tsp. prepared creamy horseradish
  • 1 T. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 c. shredded green cabbage
  • 2 c. shredded red cabbage
  • 1 large grated carrot
  • 1 celery stalk, sliced lengthwise, then cut into very thin slices on the bias

Whirl the mayonnaise through black pepper in a food processor. Prepare at least 1 day ahead, if possible. Combine with veggies about an hour before serving.

ACCORDIAN BAKED POTATOES (HASSELBACK) – from the Relish Section of The Seattle Times

  • 2 T. butter, melted
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled

Combine butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Slice potatoes crosswise, leaving about ½-inch at bottom still attached. (Place pencils on each side of the potatoes when cutting to ensure you don’t slice all the way through.) Using a pastry brush, coat the potatoes with butter mixture, carefully working it between the slices and coating all sides. Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 60 minutes or until golden brown, crispy, and soft when pierced with a fork. Serve immediately.

POPCORN BRITTLE

When I start to think about food for a trailer trip, the first thing my mind naturally gravitates to is snack food. I’m not quite sure why that is, but it always happens. Maybe it’s a throw back to when I was planning camping vacations or trips to our cabin with the kids. The children seemed to get along better when there was a little “something” they could eat to prevent what they claimed was eminent starvation! But regardless of the reason, the first food items that always top the list are the munchables. And popcorn brittle is one of the little nibbles I like to bring along on our trips. It is absolutely fabulous eaten late at night around a camp fire. It’s sweet and salty and perfect for a late night munch. Of course popcorn brittle will never take the place of s’mores*, especially the way Mr. C. and I make them, but it is still right there at the top of the list.

We also bring snacks for our evening celebration of the sun safely going over the yardarm (wherever we are the sun always goes over the yardarm at 5:00pm). So to enhance our daily ritual, I always pack flavored nuts, lovely cheeses, spreads and dips for crackers and chips, and assorted veggies.  All of these items store well in either the refrigerator or the storage bins and help make our little celebratory “yardarm” tradition that much more enjoyable. (For those of you unfamiliar with the term “sun over the yardarm”, according to a post on Harbour Guides.com “The expression is believed to have originated in the north Atlantic where the sun would rise above the upper mast spars (yards) of square sailed ships around 11am. This coincided with the forenoon ‘stand easy’ when officers would go below and enjoy their first rum tot of the day. Eventually the phrase was adopted universally as meaning it is a suitable time to have an alcoholic beverage.”)

Now, before I get any comments asking whether we ever eat anything resembling “real” food on our trips; rest assured. We eat 3 squares a day that are pretty much just like what we would eat at home. We have salad every night, but instead of me cleaning all the veggies and making my own salad dressing, we usually just buy one of the “salads in a bag”. They are actually quite good and for ease of preparation, they can’t be beat. And wonder of wonder, they are available at even the most remote of locations. (Often times, salads in a bag are the only choice available if we want “fresh” vegetables! Sad, but true!) So along with our salad of the day, we share a piece of meat and another veggie or a pasta dish or chili. All the normal foods that make for happy campers (so to speak)!

So next time you head out on an adventure and want to take along a little something to keep both your energy and your families spirits in the happy zone, build a batch of this brittle. But be advised: if you have children, they are going to dive into this brittle faster than a marmot can dive underground when there is a fox in the area!

  • 1 ½ c. sugar
  • ½ c. light corn syrup
  • ½ c. water
  • 1 T. butter
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 10 cups plain popped corn (no added salt or butter)
  • 1-2 c. cashews or peanuts, opt.

Line a baking sheet with foil; coat foil with cooking spray. Set aside. Mix sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium large heavy sauce pan. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. (I think a wooden spoon is the best implement for the task. It doesn’t conduct heat and candy gets very, very hot.) Cover pan, reduce heat slightly, and continue cooking for 3 minutes. (Don’t lift the lid during this time.) Remove lid and while stirring constantly, continue cooking for another 2-4 minutes or until candy turns a light golden brown. Remove from heat and carefully add butter, soda, and vanilla. (Candy will foam when you add the butter, soda, and vanilla.) Quickly stir in the popped corn and nuts. Spread on the prepared pan with the back of a wooden spoon coated with cooking spray. Allow to cool completely before breaking into serving size pieces. Store in an airtight container. (This is a variation of a recipe I found in Cooking Light.)

General rule: Don’t make candy when it’s raining. Candy “sets up” best when the humidity is low. So wait for a dry day so your brittle will be crisp, not chewy.  And no, I don’t have any idea why humidity should make a difference. It just does!

*Bonus recipe for the ultimate adult s’more experience: squares of a Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate with Caramel bar and perfectly roasted, gooey centered, golden brown marshmallows sandwiched between really good graham crackers (none of this store brand substitute). Serve immediately with a side of your favorite bourbon. (Chocolate and bourbon were simply meant for each other!)

GRANOLA

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Habits are interesting. Your body doesn’t even have to be reminded that it’s time to exercise or take your morning vitamins when you are in the “habit” of performing that action. So naturally when I started thinking about writing up this granola recipe, I thought about our habit of having a parfait starring this granola almost every morning for breakfast. So then I thought to myself, where does a habit reside in my body? (It’s pretty full of organs and other stuff already!) It turns out habits live in our brains.

According to Chris Adams in an article entitled “What is a habit?” on his Ergonomics site, “When you learn something, your brain makes connections that create pathways for neurological activity. When you routinely perform the same actions, your brain learns this pattern of behavior and sets up a pathway. This pathway is a more efficient way for the brain to process the routine, as opposed to a new series of discreet tasks. That is a habit. Think of ruts dug into the mud. It is much easier to drive your car with the ruts than trying to drive through, over or against them. Cache memory in a computer is another good analogy. The computer stores commonly used actions where it can access and process them faster. The brain does the same thing. Setting up these pathways is actually quite simple. With daily repetition, you can institute a new habit in as little as 10 days. That is, of course, if the new habit is not competing against an old one. Unfortunately, once a pathway is set it is extremely difficult to get rid of, which is why breaking a bad habit is so hard.” Thank you Chris, I couldn’t have stated it better myself!

You know, learning that habits live in my brain explains a lot! It clarifies why I just can’t rid myself of some of my bad habits, and why some that I really need to incorporate into my daily routine are just not happening! My brain is full! I’ve felt it coming on for years! I can’t remember names the way I used to. I forget the ending words of sentences. I go into rooms wondering what in the world I was there to retrieve? Thank goodness I’m already in the habit of eating granola for breakfast!  Or eating granola might just end up in the same over-stuffed part of my brain where all of my forgotten words remain reclusive, things I started out to fetch remain unclaimed, and new habits are rejected for lack of RAM!

So all of you who are still able to make and change habits with alacrity try eating granola as part of a perfect breakfast.  When layered with yogurt and fresh fruit it is just a lovely addition to or diversion from, the standard toast and egg routine. Breakfast can be a tad bit boring. But I am sure you will find that there is nothing boring about this granola. It’s crisp and chewy and fabulous. Give it a try.

  • 3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ¾ c. slivered almonds
  • ¾ c. coconut
  • 1 c. chopped pecans
  • ¼ c. chopped dried dates
  • ¼ c. dried apricots, chopped
  • ½ c. dried cranberries
  • 4 T. butter
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/3 c. honey
  • ½ tsp. vanilla

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until coconut lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and immediately add chopped pecans and dried fruits. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in cinnamon and honey. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour butter mixture over oat mixture and stir until well combined. On a large rimmed baking sheet, spread the granola evenly in a thin layer. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake, stirring every 5 minutes until light golden brown, about 20 minutes. (Do not over-bake; the granola will crisp as it cools.)  Cool completely and store in an airtight container. Makes a wonderful parfait when layered with vanilla yogurt and mixed berries.

 

BOURBON BBQ SAUCE

Spring is in the air and I am starting to think more and more about that lonely piece of equipment that lives year round just outside my kitchen door. And yes I know my BBQ can be used all year long, but we live near the crest of a hill on an island. And inherent with island living is an almost constant breeze. Spring, summer, and fall that breeze is welcome. Winter, not so much! So during the winter months I pretty much forget about cooking outside. But it’s spring now, and my bulbs are producing flowers, our weeds are growing, well like weeds, and I’m starting to fantasize about BBQ chicken and ribs. And I must admit, I absolutely adore meat slathered in BBQ sauce. (Just my old sauce addiction rearing its ugly head!) So even though I often apply a dry rub to meat before it goes on the grill, I still want to be able to apply liberal amounts of tangy BBQ sauce to my meat before the succulent flesh passes my lips. So for the next couple of days I’m going to feature 2 of my favorite recipes that begin with a good rub down and end with this BBQ sauce. Here’s to spring and here’s to cooking outside. Cheers! (And yes I am well aware that rubbed meat doesn’t really need a sauce. But I pride myself in never doing anything by half!)

  • ¼ c. butter
  • ¼ c. minced onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ c. brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. whole grain mustard
  • 1 c. ketchup
  • 1/3 c. Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ c. fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp. hot sauce, or to taste
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne
  • 2 T. bourbon

Melt butter in a medium sized covered saucepan. Sauté onion until caramel colored; add garlic and cook until garlic releases its aroma, about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover pan, and simmer gently for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

BLENDER HOLLANDAISE

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I decided I just had to post this recipe for Hollandaise Sauce because Hollandaise is generally regarded as an emulsion that requires a great deal of practice to perfect. Phooey! This incredible sauce is as easy as getting out a blender, putting a few ingredients into said blender, and then melting butter. Sound hard? Right – not in the least. Now if you were to prepare this sauce, probably the most famous and often most dreaded of sauces the correct way, you might be asking for disaster. But using a blender makes the whole process almost foolproof. And do I really care to go through all the effort of trying to force egg yolks to absorb butter and hold it in a creamy suspension to possibly (and in my case probably) end up with curdled eggs? No. Am I willing to live with the knowledge that I cheated and used a blender? You can bet your copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking that I will happily cheat like this any old time! Give me the tried and true, easy and perfect result every time. Especially when the final product turns out better than most of the Hollandaise served in restaurants today.  So next time you want to dress up a vegetable, scrambled eggs, a plain piece of fish, or make the best Eggs Benedict you’ve ever tasted, give this simple recipe a try. Happy Hollandaise everyone!

  • 4 egg yolks
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. dry mustard
  • 1 T. fresh lemon juice
  • dash hot sauce
  • ½ c. (1/4 lb.) butter

Put all ingredients in blender except butter. Cover and whirl for 30 seconds. Melt butter until very hot. Add to blender in a steady stream through the little lid in the big lid until mixture is completely emulsified. Serve warm or at room temperature. If you have any left-over Hollandaise, refrigerate until ready to use. Then warm ever so slowly in your microwave. (Warm too quickly and the butter and eggs will separate. Not what you want!) Better yet, don’t warm it at all. Just spoon it over hot scrambled eggs and the heat from the eggs will gently warm the sauce. Yum to the max!

 

 

DEMI-GLACE

This recipe is dedicated to all you gourmets out there who want to create over the top dishes. And tomorrow’s recipe for Stuffed Boneless Leg of Lamb using demi-glace as one of its key ingredients, definitely falls into that category. While I know there are lots of recipes for demi-glace more complicated than this one, trust me, this is bad enough! Oh, it’s not hard. It just takes time. And for some of you, a few hours dedicated to watching water boil might not be the way you would choose to spend your time.  So for those of you who are too busy to see straight or are parents of small children (often one and the same), I would suggest you walk away from this recipe or stick to the version mentioned under “note” in the instructions section. Mind you, I’m not trying to discourage you from making this incredibly rich, highly concentrated French brown sauce.  But please note, demi-glace is mainly used as a base for other sauces. You still need to prepare the dish into which this delicious elixir will be merely another ingredient. So again, I’m not trying to scare you, but sometimes a little shot of reality is appreciated. I am nothing if not practical. And I can practically promise you that even if you have time to spare and the kitchen is the favorite room in your home, you are going to be a little sick of boiling liquid by the time you are finished. So why did I even bother to post this recipe? Because ladies and gentlemen, demi-glace is amazing! It can lift a dish from ho hum to extraordinary faster than Super Man can lift Lois Lane from the arms of a villain. And that’s fast!

  • 12-14 lbs. of bones and scraps of raw or cooked chicken, turkey, beef, pork, and a small amount of lamb
  • 4 onions, chunked
  • 5 carrots, chunked
  • 10 sprigs parsley
  • 12 black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 5 qt. water

Spread meat and bones out in 2 large rimmed baking pans. (I use turkey or chicken wings and drumsticks, beef bones, a couple pork steaks and the cheapest cut of lamb I can find. I also freeze any scraps I cut off meat for a couple of months before I make demi-glace to make sure I have lots of flavorful ingredients available.) DO NOT SEASON MEAT. Bake at 400 degrees for about 75 minutes or until bones and scraps are well browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Transfer bones and all drippings to a large covered stock pot. With a small amount of water, lift all the browned bits off the bottom of the pans and add to stock pot. Add onions, carrots, parsley, pepper corns, bay leaves, and water. DO NOT ADD ANY SALT. Bring liquid to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 4 hours. Remove from heat. Let cool for about 30 minutes, then slowly strain into another container. Discard bones and vegetables. Chill broth. (I usually refrigerate overnight.) Lift off as much of the fat as possible from the top of the now thin jelly like broth. Pour or scoop chilled broth back into a heavy pan. Rapidly boil uncovered* until there is only about 4 cups liquid remaining. Divide into 4 containers and freeze until ready to use.

*A helpful hint: your stove top will stay cleaner if you “cover” your boiling pan with a wire mesh splatter guard (they are shaped like a lid). The wire mesh allows the steam to escape, but keeps the mess to a minimum. They also work well when frying fish, chicken, and especially oysters. (Oysters tend to spit at you when they are being fried. I think it’s their way of getting even!)

Note: if you really don’t want to go through all this bother, you can simply reduce about 6 cups of beef broth down to one cup. But start with low sodium broth. It’s still going to be quite salty, and it certainly won’t taste as good as my homemade version, but it will work in a pinch.

Another note: I’m sure you noticed the lack of any type of alcohol in my demi-glace recipe. That’s because my 2 favorite recipes that call for demi-glace have wine as a primary ingredient. So in my opinion, it was best not to use any wine in the demi-glace itself. Watch for my other favorite demi-glace recipe Rack of Lamb with Kalamata Rosemary Crust to be posted in the next couple of weeks.

 

HOMEMADE ENERGY BARS

I was reminded about these bars last evening when I saw a friend in the lobby after our Blue Street Jazz Voices concert and she asked me for this recipe. Allyson had been one of our amazing first sopranos a few years back and she still remembered these bars from one of our Saturday rehearsals. (I usually bring a little something for the singers to munch on when we have a special rehearsal. A little additional incentive to crawl out of bed at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning.) So when Allyson mentioned wanting this recipe, I thought there were others who might also profit by having this delicious energy bar recipe. After all, spring is in the air and we are all going to need more energy to deal with the new season. If your yard is waking up from winter hibernation like ours is, you too have weeds in full “this is my year to take over the yard” mode. That means Mr. C. and I have to shed our lazy winter habits and hit the yard big time. (Really it’s Mr. C. who does all of the heavy yard work and most of the weeding. And no, that’s not because I’m lazy! It’s just that I am a fabulous supervisor, and as such my job is more cerebral. It takes time to choose and purchase plant varieties and then decide where in the yard they should best be positioned. And I am the resident expert in that regard! So Mr. C. and I play divide and conquer. I divide hard earned dollars from our bank account by greatly contributing to the financial success of our favorite local nursery (Orchards), while Mr. C. conquers the weeds by continuous backbreaking exertion throughout the northwest growing season. Seems equitable to me!) But back to energy bars. These bars are chewy and delicious and full of good for you ingredients. One of the ingredients that I particularly love is the honey. But I’m not talking about that pasteurized stuff that calls itself honey that you find in most grocery stores. I’m talking about the real thing – delicious, straight from the hive of a happy clan of gently cared for local honey bees! The kind of honey you purchase from a local source like our very own Cats Paw Bees. To quote from their website “Cats Paw Bees is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of an organic environment for the honey bee in the local community of Stanwood and Camano Island in the Puget Sound area of Western Washington. Andy & Bonnie Swanson own and operate Cats Paw Bees using natural and organic methods to raise honey bees, producing a raw natural honey filled with local floral flavors. We sell our honey in the raw state, meaning we do not heat pasteurize it. Bulk honey producers often pasteurize their product to prevent it from crystallizing. Pasteurization kills the beneficial enzymes and amino acids, reducing the health benefits. Crystallization is a natural process. Many folks like to use crystallized honey on bread or muffins like a spread. Whether you gently re-liquefy your honey or use it in the crystallized form, raw honey is the best!” And in my humble opinion, Cats Paw honey is the best honey available in our area. For more information about their honey and where and how you can purchase this lovely product, please visit www.catspawbees.com. So next time you or someone you love is preparing to use more energy than usual, or tackle the likes of fireweed or bittercress, make a pan of these energy bars. As Mr. C. is fond of saying, (paraphrasing the late Charles Schultz of Peanuts fame) “a weed free yard is like liberty, it must be won and re-won many times!”  And since I want to keep my wonderful husband happy as he prepares for battle, I shall say good-by for now. I have a pan of energy bars to build! Happy Spring everyone.

  • 3 c. old-fashioned oats
  • 1  1/2 c. slivered almonds
  • 1  1/2 c. shredded coconut
  • 3/4 c. toasted wheat germ
  • 4 T. butter
  • 1 c. honey (un-pasteurized honey is the best)
  • 6 T. brown sugar
  • 1 3/4 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3/4 c. chopped pitted dates
  • 3/4 c. chopped dried apricots
  • 3/4 c. dried cranberries, cherries, or blueberries (or combination)

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on an ungreased sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. Reduce oven to 300 degrees. Combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for a minute stirring continuously. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Stir in the dates, apricots, and cranberries. Scoop onto a parchment paper lined 10×14-inch baking pan. Using the back of a moistened soup spoon or your wet fingers, gently press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a light golden brown. Cool for several hours before cutting into serving sized pieces. Best served the next day. Thank you Ina Garten for this wonderful recipe and humble apologies for the couple of minor changes I made!