This is one of the recipes that Kaylynn Mansker, 2011 Texas Honey Queen, told listeners during her January 8, 2011 interview on Food! Glorious Food! Listeners have commented that it sounds great!

1 - 8 oz. cream cheese - softened

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Using an electric mixer, mix cream cheese and honey together. Add cinnamon and ground cloves. Mix until creamy and smooth. Chill. Serve with crackers, bread or bagels.

Kaylynn Mansker, 2011 Texas Honey Queen, emailed this unusual honey based salad recipe to Food! Glorious Food! The recipe calls for mandarin oranges, my tangerine tree has oodles of tangerines this winter. I'm going to try them as a substitute and will let you know how it tastes.

3/4 cup water

1 1 lb. bag of Fresh Cranberries

1 cup of Honey

1 15 oz. can of mandarin oranges

1/2 cup of coconut

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

Put water and honey in a sauce pan. Heat and stir well until the honey is dissolved. Add cranberries. Gently boil until cranberries "pop." Remove from heat. Cool. When cool, add mandarin oranges, shreded coconut and pecans. Mix. Chill. Serve.

Episode 77

Ingredients

3 envelopes (.25 ounce) unflavored gelatin

1 cup water

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 cups sugar

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup confectioners sugar or candy sprinkles

Utensils: Candy thermometer; electric mixer

Spray an 11 x 17 x 2 inch baking pan with non stick baking spray with flour. Set aside.

Whisk together in a medium bowl gelatin and 1/2 cup water. Let mixture stand to soften gelatin.

Combine sugar, corn syrup and remaining 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until sugar disolves. Continue to cook without stirring until temperature registers 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.

While the sugar mixture is heating, in a large bowl beat egg whites, vanilla and salt at high speed. Beat until stiff peaks form.  Slowly add the hot syrup mixture to the gelatin mixture stirring until all the gelatin is dissolved.

With the mixer running slowly add the hot syrup mixture to the egg whites. Continue to beat at a high speed until the mixture is thick and tripled in volume. Approximately 10 minutes.

Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Dust the top with confectioners sugar or any small candy sprinkles for color. Cover with parchment paper and refrigerate until set approximately 2 hours. Cut marshmallows into the size you'd like. The marshmallows will last three days in the refrigerator and can even be frozen for later.

They are VERY STICKY! And Sweet! ENJOY!

Brenda practices what she preaches, and here she is just a week ago with just a portion of the tomatoes she's grown in her backyard garden. Plenty of pests, but no pesticides. Every morning she gets up early -religiously - and goes out to tend her "babies". She has discovered a LOT of information about the most common insects that invade and demolish the tomatoes.  The tomato hornworm is the worst, but she carefully picks them off and takes them to an undisclosed location to let them fend for themselves at someone else's expense.

She is also growing cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons and beets.  Unfortunately, the lack of rain has not been kind to the other vegetables, but she's staying on top of that too and hoping for the best.  Of course, the watermelon vines are rapidly taking over the backyard, and they are displaying scores of blossoms, so we shall see.

She'll be offering tips based on her own hard-won experience, so stay tuned to Food! Glorious Food!, home of all things edible.

4 oz. caster sugar (fine)

Grated zest of one clementine

1 egg

9 oz. flour

pinch of salt

1tbsp. coca powder (optional)

Beat the butter, sugar and zest together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and a pinch of salt. Add the flour and work in gently. Shape the dough into a log about 2 inches thick and wrap in saran wrap. Place the dough in the fridge for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Cut the dough straight from the fridge into 1/4 inch slices. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Lift hot biscuits from the pan onto a rack to cool and crisp up.

Enjoy!

6 1/2 cups 100% orange juice

1 1/3 cup of honey (sweeten to your pleasure)

2 inch segment of vanilla bean

In a big, thick bottom pot over medium heat bring both juices, the honey and the vanilla to a healthy simmer. Monitor the heat and stir periodically. Make sure the bottom of your pot is not getting scorched. Cook the liquid down, down, down. Approximately an hour and forty-five minutes to get the liquid to a nice, thick, caramel like syrup. As the liquid thickens, stir more often, reduce the heat and enjoy the smell. Remember the syrup will thicken when it cools. Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool. Transfer the syrup to a jar. It should keep well in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Pore it on anything your imagination desires. Enjoy!

1 cup honey

1 cup sugar

5 whole cloves

2 green cardamom pods

1 4 inch cinnamon stick

1 1/2 pounds clementines cut horizontally into 1/4 inch thick slices (wash exteriors throughly, leave peel)

In a 4 quart sauce pan bring 1 cup water and the honey, sugar, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon stick to a boil over high heat. Gently slip the clementines into the liquid without stirring. Return to a full boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat , cover and set aside overnight at least 8 and up to 12 hours.

Spoon and gently pack the slices into a 1 quart canning jar. Bring the syrup in the saucepan back to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for three minutes to concentrate the flavors. Pour the syrup over the slices to cover; discard any excess syrup (or save it for your tea!) Cool to room temperature. Seal and refrigerate for at least one week before using. The clementines will keep in the refrigerator for up to three months.

2 leeks, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only)

1 medium onion, diced

5 turnips (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick cubes

1 medium russet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick cubes

5 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth

1 ½  cups milk

½  cup whipping cream

Seasonings as desired: ground nutmeg, salt, pepper

Melt butter in heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks and onion and sauté until onion is translucent, about 12 minutes. Add 5 diced turnips and potato and sauté 2 minutes. Add 5 cups broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Puree soup in blender in batches until very smooth. Return to Dutch oven. Add milk and cream. Bring to simmer. Add seasonings to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper. (This soup can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Garnish

If desired garnish with 2 carrots, cut into matchstick-size strips

1 turnip, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Cook carrot and turnip strips in pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more broth if necessary. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with carrot strips, turnip strips and chopped fresh dill.

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup white wine

1/8 cup lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

fresh mint and lemon slices for garnish

Whip cream and sugar in a chilled bowl until the cream begins to thicken. Gradually whip in the white wine lemon juice and lemon zest. Continue to whip until light and fluffy. Cover the mixture and chil until serving time.

Serve in pretty chilled champagne or parfait glasses, garnish with a dash of nutmeg, sprig of mint and slice of lemon. Suggest eating with a small spoon.

Happy New Years and Enjoy!

4 T. shortening

1 T. sweet paprika

1 t. black pepper

1 T. salt

4 - 5 pound chicken cut up

3 - 4 cups water (add more if needed)

1/2 pint sour cream

Saute onion in shortening.  Add seasonings to onions, mix, add chicken pieces. Brown mixture for 10 minutes. Add water, cover and simmer slowly until the chicken is tender. Remove chicken, skim off fat and hold. Measure the remaining liquid and set aside. Make light flour gravy using 1 T. flour and 1 T. of fat for each cup of the remaining liquid. Cook the flour in the chicke fat for 3 - 5 minutes stirring constantly. Slowly add the liquid into the roux, blending carefully to avoid lumps. "Temper" the sour cream with a little of the gravy to make it creamy and then add it to the gravy. Mix well. Add dumplings. Arrange chicken on top. Heat through - do not boil and serve. For more gravy add 1/2 pint of sweet cream to the sour cream mixture. Serves 4 - 6 people.

Dumplings

3 eggs beaten

2 1/2 cups flour

2 t. salt

1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients together and beat with a spoon.  Drop batter by teaspoonful into boiling salted water. Cook about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well and add to chicken paprikas.

Enjoy!

If you have questions or comments, EMAIL me at GLee@georgedouglaslee.com, and please feel free to comment on my blog. Happy Dining!!!