Earl Grey Tea Cake with Lemon and Honey

This is in my to do list for today.  I love Earl Grey tea and my dream is to work/run my own tea shop. 

Check out the credits at the end.

Earl Grey Tea Cake worth lemon and honey

Ingredients

½ cup (120 ml) milk
4 Alokozay Earl Grey teabags (I used Tazo)
½ cup (113 g) butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons (45 g) honey
¾ cup (150 g) sugar
2 eggs
1½ cup (190 g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
zest of 1 lemon

Syrup:
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup hot water
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions
Heat the milk in a small saucepan, and then steep 2 Alokozay Earl Grey teabags in the hot milk for half an hour.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease or line a 9x5 loaf pan.
If your honey is semi-solid melt together with the butter. Using an electric mixer beat together butter, honey and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
Add flour, salt, and baking powder and mix until combined.
Remove the teabags from the milk making sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Add infused milk, lemon zest and tea powder from 2 bags and mix until well incorporated.
Fill batter into prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
For a nice, clean split in the loaf make a cut into the batter after about 10 minutes of baking time. If the top is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil towards the end of baking time.
Combine all ingredients for the syrup and set aside. Let the loaf cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on a wire rack. Poke holes into the top and brush syrup on while still warm. Store any leftover syrup in a glass jar in the fridge. A couple teaspoons of syrup make a great addition to a cup of brewed tea.

http://leelalicious.com/earl-grey-tea-cake/

Cold/cough remedy

I thought I'd take the lemons (major head cold) life handed me and use them in my favor!

Home cold/cough remedy
Hot water
Lemon
Honey

A cup of hot water a tablespoon of honey and a squeeze of a lemon. Whiskey helps at bed time, but don't take with cold medications!

Other things that you can add are:
Cinnamon
Ginger root (shaved or chopped)
Apple cider vinegar

We aren't doctors here! Just sharing with you what has worked for me. Sadly, I don't have a lemon or ginger root in the house! So I have chamomile tea with honey in my mug now.

Hope you have a great weekend and I will see you Monday!

Food Hacks

Today I was looking at the bananas in the freezer and remembered my mom putting a bunch straight in the freezer no peeling it at all.  That got me to thinking about things my mom and grandparents did.  So, I thought I would share some of those tips. I am sure I have shared tips with you before so there might be a repeat or two!

Bananas- they can be put in the fridge unpeeled, but I find it easier to peel them and store in a Ziploc baggie.  We use them for everything from smoothies to bread.  Also, if you use the stem as a handle and peel from the bottom, you will get less strings.

Sugars- if you have brown sugar and it is clumping or hardening, throw in a marshmallow!  Throw a saltine cracker in with your white sugar and it helps with clumping and moisture.

Cookies- to keep your cookies soft store them in a sealed container with a piece of bread.

Bread/muffins-if you make homemade bread and muffins, store them in the fridge they will last longer and not mold as quickly. 

Vegetables- after you have washed and drained your vegetable, if you are cutting it into serving pieces store it in a sealed container or Ziploc baggie with paper towels.  Don't forget to change the paper towels if they are wet.

Lemons- squeeze lemons with tongs to get as much of the juice out as you can.

I hope some of those help!  Sorry I am late today, our internet is spotty as the tower was hit by lightening and they are still trying to fix it.  I'm going to truly go insane if I don't get internet soon! 

Ginger Beer

I am a huge fan of ginger beer. The rest of the Asylum not so much. I can't always find it here, mostly only at Runnings certain times of the year. I found several recipes and mixed them to make what I like, so make sure you adjust ingredients to your tastes!

Ginger Beer
(Kid friendly)

Ingredients

4 lemons
1-2 orange
3/4 cup roughly chopped fresh ginger
3/4-1cup honey
3/4-1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups orange juice
5 cups sparkling mineral water, chilled

Directions

Grate 2 tablespoons each of lemon and orange zest. Squeeze 1/3 cup lemon juice from 3 of the lemons. Set aside.
In a food processor, pulse the ginger, honey, and sugar until just combined. Add the orange and lemon juices and process. Transfer to a large lidded container. Add the orange and lemon zests and 2 cups of boiling water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 5 days.
To serve, strain the ginger-beer base into a pitcher. Thinly slice the remaining lemon and orange to form circles. Add the slices and mineral water to the pitcher and stir. Serve over ice.

Hot Toddy

With everyone being sick in our house it made me think of this. I generally leave out the whiskey unless right before bed and DO NOT USE IF GIVING TO CHILDREN UNDER 21 (or whatever your legal drinking age is)! I have used bottled lemon juice and it helped, just was strong. I know I rarely have lemons in my fridge unless it's summer time.

Lemon and honey both have properties to kill bacteria and soothe, the whiskey will help you sleep, which in its self is a great way to heal!

Hot Toddy

You will need…
-2 oz. bourbon or whiskey (optional, not recommended) - I prefer Jack Daniels ;)
-1 tablespoon of honey, or more to taste -4 ounces hot water
-1 teaspoon lemon juice
-1 slice fresh lemon (optional)

Directions
If you’re using it, pour the alcohol into a large mug. Add the honey, and leave the spoon in the mug. Pour the hot water into the mug, making sure it gets the last bit of honey off the spoon (remove spoon). Add the lemon juice and stir well. Place the mug in the microwave and heat until its nice and hot, but not boiling (about 1 minute.) Add the lemon slice, and enjoy.

If you are ill like we have been I hope you healing quickly. I think I may head back to bed as soon as the kids are on the bus.

Lemon Cake Hack

So the other day I shared a very bad for you recipe, so today is the health(ier) stuff. I have been slowly changing how we eat and think about food. My Asylum pets are unsure what to do with me!  The dog usually follows me wherever I go and the cats locate a comfy spot in the room I am in.  But, now that I am trying to get 10,000 steps in a day (I was only getting 5,000 before) I walk all over the house and am trying to keep myself very busy!  They don't know if they should follow or not and eventually give up on me with a huff.


The other day it was raining and I was 2,000 steps short so I walked a path in my house while I read.  That bothered the Asylum residents!  Apparently, I was too crazy even for them!  So I made this dessert to make it up to them.  Shh, they don't know it was healthy!

Lemon Cake Hack
Hungry Girl

Moist Lemon Cake mix
1 can Dt. Mt. Dew

Mix and put in your cupcake pans or a cake pan.

I made 24 cupcakes and baked at 350° for 17-20 minutes (your oven may vary). Use the toothpick test to make sure they are done. 160 calories for 1/12 of a cake and 80 calories per cupcake. That's a lot better than 250 and 125 calories!

Note:  Next time I will only do 18 cupcakes as they fell a little flat.

 

Grilled Pineapple

So if you follow us, you know my Asylum likes grilled pineapple.  A reader sent me this recipe from All You. Thank you Reader who doesn't want to be named!  This just went to the top of the OMG gotta eat that list...

Lemon - Sugar grilled Pineapple

1 pineapple (about 4 lb.)
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar

Preparation Cook Time: 7 Minutes
Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Trim and peel pineapple. Cut lengthwise into quarters and remove the tough core. Cut each quarter in half crosswise, making 8 sections. Combine lemon zest and sugar in a ziplock bag. Rub vigorously to blend flavors. Prepare a charcoal fire, let burn to a gray ash and set grill about 6 inches from heat source. (Alternatively, set a stove-top grill pan over medium-low heat.) Working with one or two sections at a time, place pineapple in bag with sugar mixture and turn carefully to coat. Transfer to grill and cook, flipping often, until caramelized and slightly softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Cool slightly before serving. All You July 2008

Lemonade

The one thing I am desperately wanting at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is lemonade. It is the one thing is ask my hubs to get every year. Why do is ask? Because it is stinkin' expensive! So here is a recipe that I like to try to do at home when it isn't rally time! 

This came from THE Martha..

Classic Lemonade
To make 2 quarts, pour 3 cups of fresh lemon juice (from about 20 lemons) through a fine sieve into a pitcher. Add 2 cups of superfine sugar, and stir until it has dissolved. Stir in 4 cups of water and some ice, and then garnish with lemon slices.

NOTE!!!  Check out the Asylum Products or click HERE to see how you can bring the Asylum home with you! 

Happy Beautiful Thursday!

Helllloooooooooo Crazy people! :D  I am super pumped to be able to have my schedule smoothing out enough that I should be able to find time to get back at the Asylum and do and eat some crazy stuff!! LOL.  I hope this finds everyone well.  So my life is totally different than it was and I find myself with different needs.  One of these is keeping mom eating.  Small food, soft food and tasty food all get her attention.  This Soup is amazing for all of those reasons.  The lemon factor to it......very different.  But in the end I think it's great.  Mom thinks it's great.  She had two great helpings :D.  So here it is.  I found it while looking around on the computer last night.  The original owners name is posted below.  I thank her for this interesting new soup!

Simple Lemony Chicken & Spring Veggie Soup with Quinoa & Fresh Basil
by Ingrid Beer



Print Friendly
Yield: Serves about 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 leek, quartered, white part sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced small (if you can find multi-colored carrots, those are beautiful)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
• 4 cups chicken stock, hot
• 1 cup fresh English peas (or frozen peas)
• 1 cup baby zucchini, small dice
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or cubed (you can use rotisserie chicken for convenience)
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• ¼ cup chopped, fresh basil leaves
• 4 lemon wedges, garnish

Preparation:

-Place a medium-large soup pot over medium heat; add in the butter and olive oil, and once melted, add in the sliced leek and diced carrots, and sweat for about 3-5 minutes, or until slightly tender and the leeks are becoming translucent.

-Add in the garlic, and once that becomes aromatic, add in a pinch or two of salt and pepper, and the herbs de Provence; stir to combine.

-Next, add in the hot chicken stock, and bring to a gentle simmer; cover partially with a lid, and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until carrots are tender.

-Turn the heat off; add in the English peas (or frozen peas), the diced baby zucchini, the shredded or cubed chicken breast, and the lemon zest and juice; stir to combine, and allow the peas/zucchini to become crisp-tender and bright green in the hot stock, about 3-4 minutes; check to see if additional salt or pepper is needed.

-To serve, add about ½ cup of the cooked quinoa to a bowl, and ladle some of the soup with the veggies and chicken over top; sprinkle over some of the fresh basil, and squeeze in some additional lemon juice from the lemon wedge garnish, if desired.


**  The pictures below are ones I took of what I made! :D!  Enjoy

And as you can see we had leftovers, so stoked lol!  And for my chicken I cooked two breasts in a frying pan while the quinoa was cooking.  You can use any chicken just like the recipe says I am sure :).  Good luck with it and I would really love to hear what you think after you make it.

Did life hand you lemons?

Well then let's make the last Harry Potter recipe for the week! It is so humid and warm here in SD and we have had so many tornadoes already this year! So let's relax or take a break and eat some Triple Power Icy Lemon Pops! 

This recipe makes four servings and again comes from the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook!

Triple Power Icy Lemon Pops

Grated zest of 1 lemon

3 TBSP lemon juice

7 TBSP granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups water

1/2 tsp lemon extract

Place ingredients (EXCEPT the extract) in a sauce pan and heat, stir frequently. Bring just to a simmer. Remove from heat and add extract ( don't have it? That's ok, it just won't taste as strong).  Place in molds or small cups and freeze until solid.

My son and his girlfriend (wow that was hard to type) were talking about freezer pops and it made me think of this!

I hope everyone's jackets are staying white! I don't have time for my own laundry let alone all those jackets too!