Day 30: Honey Marinated Bison Steak

I don't typically like marinated meat. Good meat doesn't need more than light seasoning. However, a honey-based marinade seemed a great finale for 30 Days of Honey, particularly since I'm marinating bison steaks from Wild Idea Buffalo, sustainably raised in the Black Hills.

Yield: enough for two small steaks

Ingredients

2 tsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
sea salt, to taste

Directions

Combine ingredients in a bowl and marinate steaks for at least an hour (I marinated for eight).

I broiled these for four minutes per side. My dinner guests and I sampled three different cuts: ribeye, sirloin and tenderloin. The tenderloin seemed to be the favorite cut and the marinade was, frankly, not a hit. I probably won't use this again for bison steak, though I could see this recipe being quite good with chicken or pork. A great steak needs nothing but a bit of salt and pepper. Oh, did I mention that already?

Day 29: Soothing Honey Lemon Drink

This is a great drink to soothe a sore throat or just for warmth on a chilly evening.

Yield: 1 serving

1 tsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a mug and add boiling water. Stir until honey is completely dissolved.

Day 28: Honey Face Wash

On the third-to-last day of the month, I realize something I should've been doing all along. Testing honey as a face wash. Always on the lookout - to date unsuccessfully - for a way to cleanse my face that's truly natural but also effective.

This organic, raw honey made in Minnesota* is certainly natural. Effectiveness TBD, but the purported antibacterial properties (among other things) of raw honey indicate its potential as a facial cleanser. We'll see, but on day one I'd say the results are no better or worse than anything else I've tried.

I cleansed my face with the Norwex cloth I always use, then rubbed about a teaspoon of honey in my palms to liquify it and then applied it to my face. I rinsed thoroughly and followed with the Clarisonic.

I'll continue the honey face wash experiment and post results next month on jenniferia.com. 

*I had to buy a jar of honey locally, as I gave a jar of the Italian acacia honey to my grandma Dottie.

Day 27: Lemon Rosemary Shortbread with Honey Cream

I love shortbread. Whole Foods sells a shortbread so delicious - plain or lemon lavender - that I could eat the entire package in one sitting. For that very reason I only buy them once in awhile. Then when planning 30 Days of Honey I came across this recipe from Stephanie Meyer (not the Twilight author, though that should be obvious), who was also the source of the bacon jam and with whom I'm kind of obsessed these days.

Anyway... I'm not sure where the honey cream idea originated. I'd like to say it was my own idea, but I'm sure I read it somewhere, I just can't remember where.

Yield: 2-3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

Shortbread:
2 cups unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
zest of 1 lemon, grated
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
additional flour to knead

Honey Cream:
1 pint heavy cream
2 tsp honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in flavorings. On medium-low speed, mix in flour until just incorporated.

Flour a work surface. Transfer dough—it will be very soft—to work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, adding up to 1 cup of flour to create a soft dough that stays together.

Pat dough out into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Cut it into desired shapes. I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Because how many opportunities does a grown woman have to make heart-shaped things, outside of V-Day and a <3 Facebook status <3 (used sparingly)?

Space cookies at least 1 inch apart on a lined or greased baking sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden but not browned. (Mine took exactly 20 minutes at 300 in a convection oven).

Transfer cookies to racks to cool.

While cookies are baking, beat cream until slightly thick. Slowly add honey while continuing to beat until firm.

Serve cookies with a dollop of honey cream and a bit of fruit, if you like.

Looking at this photo, it probably goes without saying that the Whole Foods shortbread is a distant memory.

Day 26: Eggplant Stew with Honey and Golden Raisin Polenta

I adapted this dish from a Rachael Ray recipe. The stew would also be quite good on its own or with brown rice or quinoa.

Ingredients

1 cup crimini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 quart chicken stock, divided
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 red onion, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 large carrot (or 12 baby carrots), peeled and thinly sliced
3 to 4 celery ribs, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cubanelle peppers (or other sweet peppers), chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 medium eggplant peeled of half the skin and cut into bite-sized cubes
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
1 quart whole tomatoes
1 cup water
Handful golden raisins
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
1 cup quick cooking polenta
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano (optional)

Directions

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Saute mushrooms for a minute.

Add garlic, crushed pepper, onions, carrots, celery, peppers, and eggplant to the pot as you chop them.

Add the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and cover the pot. Stir occasionally for 10 to 12 minutes

Uncover and add the balsamic vinegar.

Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and the tomatoes. Simmer over low heat for a few minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the remaining 2 cups stock with 1 cup water, golden raisins and rosemary over medium high heat. Whisk in polenta and stir until thickened (about 3 minutes).

Remove from heat and stir in honey and cheese (optional).

Dish polenta into bowls and spoon the stew over the polenta.

Day 25: Kale Chips with Honey

This is adapted from recipes I found here (because it only requires 12 minutes in the oven) and here (because it has honey). I do need to reacquaint myself with my food dehydrator - plans for drying fresh, local produce this summer - but why wait hours for kale chips when I can have them in minutes? (One reason might be how easy it is to burn these...as I did...)

Ingredients

1 bunch kale, washed and thick stems removed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut kale into small pieces and toss with olive oil, salt and lemon juice.

Add honey and toss a bit more.

Spread onto lined baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes. Watch them very closely, as they burn quickly (as mine did - but they were still good).

Day 24: Honey Mango Crisp

When looking for an Easter dessert recipe, I discovered this one. Apparently, the NY Times is also into mangoes this week. It was so simple and the coconut really added a unique flavor, particularly when pairing the crisp with coconut ice cream, as I did with So Delicious coconut milk ice cream.

Ingredients

4 cups peeled and sliced ripe mangoes
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of a 9-inch round glass baking dish or pie dish. Pile mango slices into buttered baking dish. Pour honey over the mango slices.

In a food processor, combine flour, brown sugar and salt to mix. Cut butter into small pieces. Add to food processor and process until mixture forms buttery crumbs. Add coconut and process with one or two pulses. Alternatively, mix ingredients using a pastry cutter or two knives.

Sprinkle topping evenly over honey-topped mangoes in baking dish.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.