Put This Honey On Your “Do” List.

I’m going to tell you about a honey that you *DO* need to put on your grocery list the next time you are out and about shopping! All the way from Germany and 100% natural, Breitsamer Honey offers a range of products that are carefully chosen and have nothing but the highest and most exquisite quality standards. The Breitsamer Honey business has been sharing their love and passion of honey for over three generations.

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I enjoy honey in a nice cup of tea, I use it to make my own homemade granola and sometimes I may use it in place of sugar in a recipe if I can. We even keep hemming and hawing in our house about getting our own bee hive to have on our property. A neighbor a few houses down from us has a bee hive and he says it’s not terribly difficult to maintain and get your own honey! But in the meantime, when we can find the time to do more research and actually go forth with our own bee hive, we will enjoy the many different varieties of honey that Breitsamer Honey has to offer! Breitsamer Honey also comes in a variety of different sizes, such as the one that is pictured in this post – it’s just a little guy – only 2.36 ounces, so it’s a perfect little size to have along when traveling!

Honey has a plethora of health benefits. High-quality honey can offer some antioxidant power. Honey has phenols, enzymes and compounds like flavonoids and organic acids (Source: HealthLine.com). Check here for more information on honey and antioxidants.

It’s also been studied that honey can help aid cough suppression in children. While you should never give honey to children under the age of 1 year for risk of botulism, children that are older in age can take a bit of honey to help their cough symptoms. Studies have offered some foundation that honey may be more effective than some cough medicines on the market (Source: HealthLine.com). Here’s a link for the following: Honey may be a preferable treatment for the cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infection. (Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed))

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When purchasing honey at the store, please skip the little bottle of honey in the bear jar or bottle. Just don’t do it! Get yourself some quality honey, such as Breitsamer Honey! Did you know that honey does not spoil?

It crystallizes over time and changes its taste but can always be consumed and enjoyed. Why does its label have an expiration date? This is a formality that has been required by law for several years. In practical terms, a given shelf life for honey designates neither possible spoilage nor the time of crystallization.

Source: Breitsamer – Wonderful World of Honey

The best way to store honey is to keep it in a dark cupboard or space at room temperature. Keep honey out of direct sunlight as that tends to speed the crystallization process of honey. But have no fear, just because the honey has crystalized, that does not mean you have lost any nutritional value along the way!

So we have explored some health benefits of honey, but we’re not done! We’ll come back to honey at some point, because there is more that this natural bee creation can offer! There are different kinds of honey that Breitsamer has to offer and they are unique as well, so we will take a look at that in a future post. Also, if you are thinking about pre-planning your spring and/or summer gardens while the winter months pass by, consider looking into bee-friendly plants and flowers that will help the bees! Ask a local greenhouse or gardener about the plants and flowers native and local to your area that will bring bees to visit and pollinate and maybe encourage some butterflies your way! “Bee” Green!

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End Oktoberfest with Pretzels & Mustard!

Today is the last day of Oktoberfest, let us end it on a high note! How about ending it with a gourmet treat? I have the perfect pair for you! Over the weekend, I had the chance to make a box of Kathi German Pretzel Mix. I have to tell you, they taste DELICIOUS with Hengstenberg gourmet mustards! The two flavors of mustard that I had on hand to dip the pretzels with this weekend were Hengstenberg Medium Hot and Sweet Bavarian mustards. These mustards come in super groovy mugs! Perfect for ending Oktoberfest today! Prost!

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I bet you are wondering: Pretzel mix… how hard was it to make those? Truth? SUPER EASY! Especially if you have a mixer that has a dough hook, which I have! They did not take long to prepare, however, you will have to let dough rise, so plan accordingly if you want to make these tasty pretzels!

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The main dough needs to rise for about 40 minutes or more, if kept covered and in a warm place, it does its job and rises wonderfully! After the dough has risen and you’ve kneaded the dough a bit to let the air out, you will shape your pretzels onto a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Shape the dough in a traditional pretzel, make buns or as we tried with at least some dough, a pretzel stick! Once the pretzels have been shaped, the dough will need to rise for about 20 minutes more, but that’s perfect time for you to preheat your oven. DO keep an eye on them while they are in the oven! The baking time on the package says approximately 20 minutes, depending on altitude and oven temperature. As soon as the pretzels start to brown, don’t leave them in too, long! Pop them out of the oven!

I was given the idea to try this pretzel mix to create “pigs in a blanket”, and that’s just what my husband did with some of the prepared pretzel dough. I had family over for the weekend, and those little piggies were gone as soon as they were ready! They were SO yummy and I happen to love the Hengstenberg Sweet Bavarian Style Mustard dipped with the “pigs in a blanket”. They were a party favorite and tasted soooo good! The kids and adults both enjoyed pretzels and the “pigs in a blanket” equally well! I have a few family members who need to watch their salt intake, so I even prepared some pretzels without adding the salt on top.

Making this Kathi German Pretzel Mix was SUPER easy and super fun! Make any shape you want! They taste awesome and they are even better with the pairing of the Hengstenberg mustards! The pretzels are great tasting warm or cooled. Kids and adults both enjoyed this treat! The pretzel mix was such a hit in this house that my oldest son has asked that I make them again today! These are perfect for any occasion! PERFECT for a tailgate! Speaking of tailgating… stay tuned here this week for more tailgating ideas! Nibble, nibble!