Signs of Spring Blog

Bill Hamilton, the biology professor (and one of my dearest colleagues) at Penn State New Kensington has a blog entitled Ecologist's Notebook, where he writes about his observations of nature on his forays in the area.  Bill and his wife, Deborah, are responsible for the campus's Nature Trail, one of the crowning jewels of the New Kensington campus!

For a few years, Bill has been posting notes under the title "Signs of Spring." In the past, the Signs of Spring have been welcome indications as winter wanes that spring is indeed nigh.  This year is a bit different and Bill's been noting "signs of spring" even in January. He recently posted about unusual honey bee behavior during the 60+ degree weather we've had recently.  Check out his "Signs of Spring 2: Honeybees" post.  Robert is quoted! :)

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.

Savory Cheese Muffins

Savory Cheese Muffins

These muffins mix up in a snap and make a wonderful accompaniment to soup. (Need some soup ideas?  Try Butternut Squash Lentil Soup or Creamy Cauliflower Soup from 2012 posts or Honey Corn Chowder from a 2011 post.)  The original recipe, Fig's Cheese Muffins, was a finalist in a contest on the Pioneer Woman blog. I played around with some of the ingredients--swapping honey for the sugar, for starters.  These muffins are amazing when eaten hot right out of the oven.  They're respectable cold--but the cheesy goodness shines when they're warm! 

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a 12-cup muffin tin, being sure to spray the top of the tin, too, as these muffins have a tendency to stick.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat for a firmer crumb)

1 tablespoon (yes! tablespoon!) baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Toss in the grated cheese and mix to coat. Melt the butter and stir the honey into it to combine well.  Stir in the milk  and beaten egg and combine well.  Pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture and stir quickly to combine--don't over mix.  Spoon the batter in to the prepared muffin tin, filling about 3/4ths full.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until muffins are nicely browned.  Eat soon!

Honey for What Ails You

If you're feeling a little peaked at the start of 2013, then you can do worse than turn to honey for some relief.
 
The National Honey Board retweeted a link a recipe for "Grandma's Homemade Cough Syrup" from the Mrs. Happy Homemaker blog.  It has just three ingredients:  honey, olive oil and lemon juice.

A 2007 study by researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine found that "a small dose of buckwheat honey before bedtime provided better relief of [night time coughs]...than no treatment or dextromethorphan (DM), a common cough suppressant."  So you don't actually have to make any cough syrup--just take a teaspoon of honey!

The Honey Board's website also includes many skin care recipes for soothing chapped skin and lips. My favorite is the simplest:  Just smooth about a teaspoon of honey on your dry face and let it sit for a minute or two and then wash off.  Your face will feel smooth (and will be sweet enough to kiss!).

Another simple and soothing recipe, especially if you're nursing a cold, is fresh ginger tea.  Take about a 2-inch knob of fresh ginger and scrub it well.  There's no need to peel the skin, since you'll be straining it out.  Slice the knob into about 1/4 inch slices and put in a tea pot.  Pour about 2 cups boiling water over the ginger and let it steep for five minutes.  Strain out the ginger, pour into a cup and add honey to taste, and breathe deeply while you sip!

 

Beekeeping Classes in Pittsburgh 2013

Caught the beekeeping bug yet?  If so, those amazing Burgh Bees are at it again with the best beekeeping courses in the area taught by Master Beekeepers Steve Repasky and Joe Zgurzynski.  Details for the classes are available at the Burgh Bee's website:

Hurry and sign up, the classes fill up quickly!

Beekeeping in the Classroom 101:  January 15, 17 & 22

Beekeeping 102, What to Expect in the Second Year, for new beekeepers with a year under their veils.

2013 Western PA Beekeeping Seminar February 15 and 16.
For novice, experienced and wannabee beekeepers, the annual Western PA Beekeeping Seminar is a great place to meet beekeepers and learn about the most up-to-date techniques and latest ideas.  Click on the link for more information and details about how to register.

Healthy Honey Dishes for a Happy 2013!

Robert and I celebrated New Year's Day with a delightful dinner of Honeyed Lemon Salmon en papilotte ("in paper"--which, in our case was actually a piece of aluminum foil).  When you cook fish in a little packet of parchment paper (or aluminum foil) it steams the fish, keeping it nice and moist. The packet also helps to guard against over-cooking.

I'm also including a recipe here for a delicious and brightly-colored chopped salad, which was the hit of the Cookie Day 2012 (an annual gathering of nieces, nephews and friends to over-decorate sugar and gingerbread cookies and celebrate being together).  I wish I had a picture of the salad, folks, but it got eaten before a camera could be found.  Scroll down for some great Cookie Day 2012 photos, though! :)

Honeyed Lemon Salmon en papilotte
The original recipe comes from the Seattle Bon Vivant blog, but I made a number of changes to the recipe.

MARINADE (for 1 ~8-ounce salmon fillet)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or rosemary or tarragon)
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all of the ingredients and pour over the salmon fillet. Cover and marinate in the fridge for about an hour.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Take the salmon out of the marinade and place on a large piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, skin side down.  It's fine to include some of the garlic and herbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold the paper over the salmon like you're wrapping a sandwich and securely fold down to enclose completely.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Carefully unfold wrapping and check that fish is done--it should flake but still be a little translucent.  It may need another five minutes.  In general, 1/2 lb of salmon serves one person--though Robert and I usually just split a small fillet.

Colorful, Delicious & Healthy Chopped Salad
The inspiration for this salad came from two recipes from Mark Bittman, the wonderful food columnist for the New York Times.  Bittman and Sam Sifton (another Times writer) took on the task of making a "feast in a day" just before the holidays and that included a chopped salad.  Bittman's book, The Best Recipes in the World also includes a chopped salad of cabbage.  This is what I made with the ingredients I had and it was fantastic!  The honey, of course, is "SteffesWood Apiary" original addition.  This salad feeds a crowd--we had 14 people here for Cookie Day (though no leftovers to take a photo of, alas.)

1 small head purple cabbage, chopped in 1/2 dice
kosher salt
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped in 1/2 dice
1 sweet yellow pepper, seeded and chopped in 1/2 dice
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, chopped in 1/2 dice
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped in 1/2 dice
3 celery stalks, chopped in 1/2 dice
1 can large ripe olives, cut in half or thirds
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the cabbage, place in a colander or sieve over a bowl and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt, tossing to incorporate the salt well.  Let the cabbage sit in the colander for about an hour.  The salt will pull out some of the water from the cabbage and wilt it a bit.  Once the cabbage has wilted, rinse it thoroughly with water and drain then dry the cabbage as best you can using a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) or paper towels.  You don't want the cabbage to be wet so that the dressing will adhere to it.  Place the dry cabbage in a bowl along with all of the other vegetables, olives and parsley.  Toss to create a colorful mixture.  Drizzle the honey over the salad and toss well to incorporate the honey with the salad.  Put the lemon juice and oil in a jar with a tight fitting lid, secure the lid firmly and shake to emulsify the oil and lemon juice.  Pour over the salad and toss.  Taste and add salt and pepper.  The salad can be served immediately or covered and refrigerated for up to four hours to feed hungry cookie baker a little something nutritious. :)

Celebrity Guests at Cookie Day 2012

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.