Mom's Peanut Butter Honey Oat Treats

I've been bugging my mom to come up with recipes for this blog and these delightful treats are her latest invention.  We had them for "bezzert" at our regular Monday dinner get together.  "Bezzert" is the linguistic invention of my great nephew Sam--an ardent dessert aficionado--who began inquiring about the after dinner sweet options when he was but a wee lad. He's big enough now to pronounce "dessert," but "bezzert" remains the preferred word in our family.  It makes us smile every time we say it. Mom's Peanut Butter Honey Oat Treats are both chewy and crunchy--and couldn't be simpler!  They're a regular feature of Wood Family bezzerts! Thanks, Momma!

Mom's Peanut Butter Honey Oat Treats
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
3 cups oat cereal (e.g. Cheerios)

Line an 8x8 pan with wax or parchment paper. Place peanut butter and honey in a large mixing bowl and melt in the microwave--about 30 seconds  Stir in the oat cereal, completely coating the cereal with the peanut butter/honey mixture.  Press into the pan and place in refrigerator until hardened.  Cut into squares.  An easy and good-for-you snack (or bezzert!). Makes about 16.
 

Pak Choy & Mushrooms with Spicy Noodles

Thanks to Robert's green thumb and regular tending, we have a beautiful crop of pak choy this year--bok choy's miniature cousin. This is a wonderful vegetable for stir frying or sauteing.  The petioles (the stalks of the plant) are white and crunchy like celery while the top leaves are nearly like spinach. It is a member of the cabbage family, though it has a very mild flavor that lends itself well to spicy sauces.  For this recipe, I've sauteed it with mushrooms and garlic and used the veggies to top of a bowl of spicy peanut noodles.  You can eat this dish hot or cool (like a salad).  Sauteed or fried tofu would be a nice addition.

Pak choy needs to be carefully cleaned as the stalks tend to harbor a lot of dirt while the plant grows (like leeks).  For that reason, I usually cut the pak choy stalks into the size I want for the recipe and then place them in a large bowl of water, swishing them a bit to dislodge the dirt.  I then scoop up the floating stalk pieces and drain (the dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl).

Pak Choy & Mushrooms with Spicy Noodles
Serves 2 generously as a main dish and 4 as a side dish

6-8 pak choy plants
8 oz. button (or any other kind, truthfully) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into 1/4 in slices
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil or canola oil (to coat bottom of pan)
1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb long, flat rice pasta  or use regular spaghetti or linguine

For the sauce:
3 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sriracha (or other chili sauce, or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes)

Cut the stalks from the leaves of the pak choy plants.  Slice the stalks into 1/2 inch slices and place in a large bowl of water to get rid of the dirt, and drain. (See directions above.)  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.  Wash leaves in a bowl of water and drain.  Chop leaves and keep separate.

While pasta cooks, heat a large skillet and coat bottom with oil.  Add the garlic to the pan, stirring to prevent browning and saute for a few minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant.  Add the pak choy stalks to the pan and stir, cooking for about 3 to 4 minutes until the stalks soften a bit and stirring occasionally.  Add the mushrooms and stir, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes or so until mushrooms (and pak choy) begin to give up their juices.  Add leaves to the pan--no need to stir--and cover so that the leaves, stalks and mushrooms steam a bit.  This should take no more than 3 or 4 minutes.  Remove cover, stir around and check that the vegetables are done to your liking.  Add salt and pepper to taste and drizzle the sesame oil over the veggies.

In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.  Drain the pasta (if using rice pasta, rinse with cold water and drain well again).  Return pasta to pot and stir in sauce, being sure to coat all of the noodles.  Divide the noodles among individual bowls and top each with a portion of the vegetables.  Serve with more sriracha sauce, soy sauce and/or a drizzle of sesame oil.

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Broccoli

I had every intention of being a regular (and reliable!) honey recipe blogger in 2013, which was my New Year's resolution.  My father blogs about the joys and challenges of faith almost every Wednesday on Rodge Wood blog, and one day maybe I'll get it together enough to follow his example. (Story of my life, Dad!)  I haven't given up on my resolution--I'm telling myself I'm just getting a bit of a slow start.

In any event, this delicious (and spicy) noodle dish comes together quickly if you have all of the ingredients. Great for a snowy day.  It's also easily adaptable to what you might have on hand.  Even though the dish is called Spicy Peanut Noodles with Broccoli, the "must-haves," it seems to me, are peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, honey and some kind of long noodle.  Other veggies--bok choy, a sweet red pepper, and/or spinach would be great additions or substitutions. If you don't use broccoli, though, change the name so you don't confuse your diners. :-)   This dish got a thumbs up from Robert, who is the chief recipe taste tester here.

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Broccoli
1 pound linguine or spaghetti (or, any kind of long noodle that you'd prefer like rice noodles)
1 bunch (about 1 lb) broccoli florets and (peeled) stems, cut into about 1 inch pieces
NOODLE SAUCE:
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (preferably unsweetened and unsalted)
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar (or slightly more rice vinegar if you have it)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (slightly toasted if you'd like)


Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water, according to package directions, until al dente.  Drain and place in a large bowl.  In another large pot, bring water to a boil and blanch the broccoli florets for about 4 or 5 minutes, until they are brightly colored but still have a bit of a crunch.  Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking and help them retain their color.

While pasta and broccoli are cooking, slowly stir the water into the peanut butter and stir to combine thoroughly.  Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir into a smooth paste.  Pour over the hot noodles and toss to mix well.  Add the cooked broccoli and toss again to distribute. Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds on each serving.   Makes four servings.

Soup and Muffins for a Snowy Day

I've been a shamefully neglectful blogger lately--I can barely lay claim to the title! But with this post, I can at least claim to have made a post every month in 2012.  Do I get a prize?  I do!  Some delicious curried butternut squash lentil soup and fluffy peanut butter muffins!  

Curried Butternut Squash & Red Lentil Soup
The inspiration for this recipe comes from a blog called Yummy Mummy Kitchen. I made just a few changes to the recipe--including using butternut squash puree instead of pumpkin.  We're still working our way through a bumper crop of butternut squashes that at this rate may just last until May!

2 tablespoons olive oil (or a neutral oil if you prefer)
1 small onion, chopped
1 small apple, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons (or more, if you'd like) curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups red lentils
48 ounces (6 cups) vegetable broth
2 cups pureed butternut squash (or pumpkin--you could use a 15 ounce can)
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (if you don't have coconut milk, you could use regular cow's milk or almond milk or  half-and-half or even some yogurt if you'd like)

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and saute until the onion softens.  Add the apple, a few more sprinkles of salt, and saute for about five minutes more until the apple softens as well.  Stir in the curry powder and cumin and cook until they're fragrant.  Stir in the lentils, coating with oil and spices, then add the broth, squash, honey and coconut. Bring to just a boil and then turn heat down to a simmer.  Simmer soup, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or so, until lentils are soft and soup thickens.  You can add fancy toppings if you'd like:  chopped cilantro, a tablespoon or two of some more coconut milk (or yogurt).  But it's pretty good just as it is.  This makes a big pot of soup--would serve 8 easily.

Peanut Butter Muffins
I expected the peanut butter to make these muffins heavy, but they're the lightest muffins I've ever made.  The original recipe comes from another blog, A Pinch of Yum, though I made a few changes to it as well.  The most significant is adding some baking soda to the batter to counteract the acidity of the honey.  I think that's what made them so light and fluffy.  I love that this recipe makes only 6 muffins.  It could easily be doubled, though!

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup milk (could use almond or soy milk; I used skim)

Grease a 6-cup muffin tin and set aside. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.  In a smaller bowl, stir the peanut butter, oil and honey together until well blended.  Slowly add the milk to the peanut butter mixture and stir well until thoroughly combined.  Add the milk/peanut butter mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine using as few strokes as you can--you want the batter to be mixed together, but it's okay if there a few lumps.  Spoon the batter into the greased muffin tin and put in the oven, checking after 10 minutes--but will likely take 15 minutes for the tops to be dry and springy (and a toothpick inserted in the middle to come out clean).  Makes 6 muffins.

Family and Friends' Fabulous Recipes

Dylan's Waffle Honey Breakfast

Ardent honey lover, skilled air traffic controller, New York resident and long-time friend Dylan sent us this photo of a recent breakfast, prompting me finally to post a number of honey recipes that friends and family have sent us this year.

Jessica's Great Granola Gifts

(adapted from a recipe on Epicurious)
Jessica is a friend who's become family.  She gave us a mason jar filled with this delicious granola as a Christmas gift this year.  We gobbled it up in less than a week.



1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried fruit

Preheat oven to 300.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place honey and oil in a sauce pan and gently heat over medium low flame until well combined and slightly warm.  In a large bowl, toss the oats, pecans, coconut, brown sugar and spices together.  Pour the honey/oil mixture over mix together being sure that the oats and nuts are well coated.  Spread onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for about 40-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.  Cool and add dried fruit and mix.

Ali's Honeyed Carrots with Beets
(also adapted from a recipe on Epicurious)
Our niece, Ali (now becoming well known as "Sam's mom") made these carrots for Christmas dinner this year.  Don't think there was a carrot left on the table.

1 large, fresh beet, roasted and chopped*
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1/4 inch rounds
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1-2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped.

Place carrots, orange juice, butter, honey and ginger in a large skillet, cover and bring to a boil.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes over medium high heat. Remove lid, turn down heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until carrots are soft and glazed.  Stir frequently.  Remove from heat and toss in chopped beets and tarragon and serve.
* To roast the beet:  heat oven to 350 or 400.  Place the beet on a sheet of tinfoil that is large enough to wrap around the beet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt; roast for at least 40 minutes or until soft all the way through.

Kerry's Award-Winning Peanut Butter & Honey Dip for Fruit
Kerry and Tom are relatively new friends (and second-year beekeepers). This wonderful recipe won the fan favorite award at the 2011 joint Burgh Bees / Beaver Valley Area Beekeepers' picnic.
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peanut butter (more if you love peanut butter--almond butter also works nicely)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups whipped cream cheese at room temperature
Whip all ingredients together.  Refrigerate for 24 hours.  Serve as a dip for fruit or a spread for crackers.  Easy. Easy. Easy! :)

"Award-winning" Honey Peanut Butter Crispies!

"Best Crispy-Rice-Cereal & Honey Dessert" award!

The Beaver Valley Area Beekeepers' Association and Burgh Bees held a joint beekeepers' picnic on Saturday at the beautiful home and roomy barn of Gary & Heather S.  Best beekeepers' picnic we've been to in ages!   New this year was a "Taste of Honey" contest featuring dishes made with local honey.  They included a sumptuous baklava, delicious blueberry scones, Jim H's famous stewed rhubarb--and many more.  Kerry K. won rave reviews and coveted fan favorite award for her fantastic peanut butter honey dip for fruit.
My own entry--Honey Peanut Butter Crispies--won for the "Best Crispy Rice Cereal & Honey Dessert." (And now is the time to note that Robert was one of the judges and that, um, mine was the ONLY entry in this category.  Thanks for making sure I won an award, Honey!)   BVABA and Burgh Bees plan to post the recipes for the other award winners and I'll post them when they do.  Many thanks to Beth and Kerry for co-coordinating a great event.

HONEY PEANUT BUTTER CRISPIES
1 cup honey (summer honey is great for this)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky--your pick)
7 cups crispy rice cereal
kosher salt (about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)
4 oz good dark chocolate, melted (optional)
Lightly grease a 13x9x2 inch pan.  In a large, heavy pan, bring the brown sugar and honey to a boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter, blending thoroughly.  Add the rice cereal in two batches and gently fold to coat evenly.  Firmly press into prepared pan using the back of a spoon or your hands.  Sprinkle the top with kosher salt to taste.  Cut into 1 x 1 1/2 inch bars.  Makes about 40.  To gild the lily, you can melt some very good dark chocolate and either drizzle over the bars or dip one end of the bar into the chocolate.  Let cool until chocolate firms up.  These can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.