The Joy of Cooking with Honey (from The Valley Hive)

Sweet, Wonderful Honey!

With the holidays fast approaching, it is never too early to begin preparing. We can all agree that the holidays and food go hand in hand. So when formulating your holiday meal plan, why not try to incorporate some honey?

Honey & Holidays A Perfect Pair

Yep, that’s right, wonderfully delicious honey pairs fantastically with a number of dishes. Not only will the adding of honey into your cooking kick your food’s flavor into twelfth gear, but it will also endow your food with the health benefits that honey has to offer. Raw local honey can be used to help alleviate allergies, serves as an energy booster due to the natural sugars present within honey, leads to healthy blood sugar management, lines the throat to reduce sore throat and cough, and the list goes on. You can probably understand why raw honey is often promoted as being a better substitute for sugar. Next time a dish calls for sugar, you can substitute raw honey in its place. However, your utilization of raw honey is not limited as merely a substitution for sugar; raw honey can be incorporated into recipes of all sorts. Be sure to come on over to The Valley Hive to pick up some of the different types of honey we carry to try out in your holiday recipes.

Thanksgiving

Although this article is a little late for Thanksgiving this year, here are some ideas to keep in mind for next year. Thanksgiving is absolutely a food centered holiday. If you want to create a bountiful feast for family, and friends to enjoy whilst spreading thanks, try some of these honey enriched dishes. Turkey is crucial for a Thanksgiving dinner, but it can be easy to serve one that is bland and boring. However, with the help of this English Honey-Roasted Turkey recipe your turkey is sure to wow everyone at the table. Our light Sage Honey is a good choice for this recipe. It will add flavor, but will not make your turkey too sweet.

Honey Beverages Are A Treat

Now that the main dish is out of the way, you’ll need some drinks to wash down the food, and drown out family members (kidding!). Cider is a staple during the Fall months, therefore this recipe for Pomegranate Cider Bourbon Splash is just the trick for enhancing the Fall atmosphere. You, and your guests can console yourselves with the fact that at least your alcoholic beverage is a tad healthier with that dosage of honey added. Our strong and bold Buckwheat Honey should blend well with the other potent ingredients in this drink. For those of you who are seeking a non alcoholic beverage, either willingly, or by California state law, then this Honey Apple Cider is a delicious honey drink for such an occasion. You can use this cider in the Pomegranate Cider Bourbon Splash as well. Here our mellow and mild Sage Honey will not overpower the spices used in the cider, and will assimilate nicely into the drink.

Best for Last -- Dessert

Finally, in case everyone is not yet in a food coma, this decadent dessert will get you all there. Instead of cranberry from a can, bake this honey flavored Cranberry Pecan Pie. We recommend our Orange Blossom Honey, a light honey with a citrus after taste that will couple nicely with the cranberry and pecan. Serve these honey dishes to your guests and you can be sure they will be thankful this Thanksgiving!

Hanukkah & Honey

Rosh Hashana is not the only Jewish holiday that calls for honey. There are several dishes you can make for Hanukkah that utilize honey. For starters this Sweet Glazed Salmon recipe contains just a bit of honey to provide the salmon with an extra level of flavor. A touch of our Creamy Lemon Honey with the lemon juice will enhance the lemon flavor that fits so well with salmon. If you are thinking about making some latkes this Hanukkah, then try this Homemade Honey Applesauce recipe to brighten them up. Cinnamon and apples are an unbeatable combination and adding our Creamy Cinnamon Honey into the mix will definitely kick this dish up a notch!

Honey Donuts...Yum!

Another Hanukah favorite, made with honey and cinnamon are Sufganiyots, little fried donuts that are sometimes filled with jelly, topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon, or tossed in a honey or citrus syrup. Try making these with either our Creamy Cinnamon Honey or our sweet and rich Wildflower Honey. Either option will make your sufganiyots pop with flavor! With honey recipes like this you will wish that Hanukkah was longer than eight days!

Christmas

Similar to Thanksgiving, Christmas is a time of year that unites people. Even though Christmas focuses upon gift giving, the bringing together of so many people makes food an inevitable staple of this holiday.

Honey & Ham is a Natural

Turkey is the star of Thanksgiving, but ham steals the show come Christmas. If you want to present your guests with a beautifully succulent ham, then it is essential to glaze your ham. Glazes can contain pineapple, mustard, apricot, cherry, apple butter, maple, and all sorts of things you would never imagine paired with ham. Of course, honey makes for a fantastic glaze! This Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham is a surefire way to create a balance between sweet and savory this Christmas. An interesting honey to use for this glaze is our Citrus Avocado Honey. This honey is a smooth natural blend between the more intense Avocado honey, and the delicate Orange Blossom honey. A nice side is always important to pair with the main dish, but mundane mashed potatoes are not necessary with this exciting Roasted Root Vegetables with Honey and Herb Glaze. Some of our customers and employees have reported using our Avocado Honey, which has a molasses quality, for roasting vegetables. Now you can use it in this merry side dish.

Christmas would not be complete without some tasty, toasty beverages. Why wait in an upsettingly long line while the person in front of you cannot decide between a tall or a grande? Instead create your own holiday beverage accompanied with honey such as this Honey Caramel Coffee . For a second, let’s just forget that we are located in Los Angeles and pretend we are in a winter wonderland where a hot beverage is always welcome. We recommend using our Wildflower Honey, or Creamy Cinnamon Honey to create this festive winter beverage!

Cookies for Santa

Expecting Santa to climb down your chimney this Christmas? Then you better get to baking some cookies! Even if you do not put out cookies for the man in red, then baking cookies makes for a fun and delicious activity with those you cherish. Cut down on the white sugar, and add a little sweetness with honey with this Honey Gingerbread Men Cookies recipe that makes for a satisfying treat in between meals or as a nice compliment to some cocoa! Once again Creamy Cinnamon Honey comes to mind and can enhance the spice of these gingerbread cookies, or try Avocado Honey which will round out the flavor and add to the richness of your cookies. Visit Us If your mouth is watering, and your mind racing over the possibilities of honey in your holiday dishes please stop by our store today to sample all of our honey varieties. Our honeys are distinct in flavor, so make sure to try them all to see what may fit best in your recipes. The honeys listed above are only recommendations. You can try any honey you prefer in these spectacular dishes. Don't delay! Hop in your sleigh and ride on down to The Valley Hive before the holiday season is over! Note: Please enter through our front entrance, and not the chimney. Thank you, The Valley Hive Elves