Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Melissa's Honey Vanilla Squash Bread




Melissa's Honey Vanilla Squash Bread
Please notice that there aren't any of those usual spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in this recipe. This is because those flavors while wonderful, cover the actual flavor and aroma of the honey and vanilla melding together with the butter and butternut squash. Trust me, something magical occurs! I made this with my own East Gloucester backyard honey www.abbotthoney.com and my own homegrown from seed Butternut Squash. You can make this with canned squash or pumpkin but next time you cook a butternut make sure you cook an extra one for leftovers and then make this bread! I also make my own vanilla extract from vodka and vanilla beans but you can use Vanilla Extract you get at the store, just make sure it isn't imitation. You won't be disappointed. 

Ingredients
1 cup - honey
1/2 cup - butter or margarine, softened
2 c. cooked homegrown butternut squash
4 - eggs
2 cups - King Arthur White Flour 
2 cups - King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour
4 teaspoons - baking powder
1 teaspoon - salt
2 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions
In large bowl, cream honey with butter until light and fluffy. Stir in Squash. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Sift together remaining ingredients. Stir into pumpkin mixture. Divide batter equally between two well-greased 9 x5 x 3-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let loaves cool in pans for 10 minutes; invert pans to remove loaves and allow to finish cooling on racks. Really Delicious!!


Butternut Squash from my Garden


Monday, October 7, 2013

Melissa's Lowfat Honey Applesauce Cake


Melissa's Lowfat Honey Applesauce Cake


We all know we want all that processed flour, fats, and sugars out of our diet and it is so wonderful that we can use Applesauce as a fantastic substitute for fat and some sugar. I added my own honey to this cake as a natural sweetener. I also wanted to incorporate some Oats because we all know how great Oatmeal is for you so I whizzed up some Oats in my Vita Mix to create my own flour and combined that with King Arthur Whole Wheat so as to have that whole grain goodness. You could use eggs if you desired by I used an Egg Substitute and I know some people have good success not using any eggs at all or using sour cream instead. I opted for the egg substitute  because I wanted the cake like consistency. The Almonds and Almond Extract (only use a very small amount) give the cake a nice flavor, something a little different. I don't want to make an icing, I want the cake to stand on it's own with taste, consistency, health benefits, and all round deliciousness so I decided to use a bundt pan to give the cake some shape and interest. This cake makes the house smell fantastic, there is nothing like an applesauce cake in the oven! Happy Fall!



Melissa's Lowfat Honey Applesauce Cake

1/2 c. eggbeaters or other egg substitute (equivalent of 2 eggs)
2. c. No Sugar Added Applesauce
3/4 c. Honey (I used my own backyard Honey available atwww.abbotthoney.com )
1 c. Oat Flour (I made this in my Vita Mix Blender from Oatmeal)
1 1/2 c. King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tbs. Chia Seeds
1/2 c. chopped Almonds (or other nut)
1/2 c. dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)
3 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp. Almond Extract

Combine Ingredients in a mixer (adding nuts and dried fruit lastly) and beat together slowly till throughly combined. Do not over beat. Pour into a greased bundt cake or tube pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.

Serve slices either plain or drizzled with a bit of honey.

Happy Baking,
Melissa Abbott



“Dance of the Honey Bee” | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

“Dance of the Honey Bee” | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com




“Dance of the Honey Bee”

October 4, 2013
Bill presents and introduces the short documentary Dance of the Honey Bee. Narrated by Bill McKibben, the film takes a look at the determined, beautiful and vital role honey bees play in preserving life, as well as the threats bees face from a rapidly changing landscape. “Not only are we dependent on the honey bee for much of what we eat,” says Bill, “there is, of course, a grace and elegance they bring to the natural world that would diminish us all were they to disappear.”
Producer, Director, Photographer & Editor: Peter Nelson.
Narrator: Bill McKibben. Original music: John Powell. Audio: Merce Williams.
Intro Producer: Lena Shemel. Intro Editor: Paul Desjarlais.