Afternoon Adventure & an Ice Cream Float

I don't know how long Clairmont Farms has been around but I've been driving by it for many years, it seems, and never once stopped to check it out. Until yesterday that is. I had a jar of Sweet Lady Cook's strawberry lavender jam and wanted to make something yummy with it. My intent was to go to the farm to purchase some culinary lavender and make a honey lavender syrup. 

Just driving into the farm felt magical. It looks like one of those French rustic farms you see in movies. The long driveway is lined with tall trees and to the left you see all the beautiful bushes of lavender. 

Their little shop is situated at the end of the driveway. They carry a variety of body care products as well as lavender infused teas, honey, salts, and other herbs and spices. I left with a jar of lavender rooibos tea, lavender infused honey and a bouquet of dried lavender just because it's so pretty. I took a quick walk through the lavender field before leaving. This place is just so darn cute. They even have picnic tables set up so visitors can bring and enjoy their lunch in this gorgeous place.

Having acquired that lavender honey, it was time to make something delicious. What better way to end a summer night than with an ice cream float.

Summer Ice Cream Float

What you will need:

Sweet Lady Cook strawberry lavender jam
Both vanilla and caramel ice cream 

(You can use just one flavor if you prefer) I used the Talenti brand gelato.
Lavender infused honey.
Club soda

How to prepare:

In a tall glass, add two heaping tablespoons of Sweet Lady Cook strawberry lavender jam. Using a muddler, mash down any larger chunks of fruit.
Add a scoop of each vanilla and caramel ice cream. Top with a generous spoonful of lavender honey. Pour in the club soda and enjoy. I forwent the straw on this one and dug in with a spoon.

Don’t feel limited to the ingredients in this recipe. I’m confident that any of Sweet Lady Cook’s jams would be great in an ice cream float. You can even change up the ice cream flavors and use regular honey to get new and fun flavor combinations.

Summer Quinoa Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

This last week I received some yummy new jams from Sweet Lady Cook. I had a little dinner party the other night where I tried out some new recipes incorporating her jams. Brie and apricot jam grilled cheese with truffle honey and this summer salad with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. My brother is my toughest critic when it comes to my "healthy" cooking and this salad was his favorite. I've already made another batch and he's eating it up. 

Summer Quinoa Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

What you will need

For the salad:

1 cup quinoa (cooking instructions below)
1 ear of sweet white corn, kernels removed
1 cup diced cucumber (1/2 of an English cucumber)
2 cups spinach, chopped
1/4 cup diced strawberries
1 tablespoon of chopped basil leaves
2 pinches of salt

For the dressing:

1/4 heaping cup Sweet Lady Cook strawberry balsamic jam
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon stoneground mustard
pinch of pepper
a few generous pinches of salt

Garnish (optional):

Feta cheese
Sliced strawberries
Chopped basil
Avocado


To prepare:

First thing you need to do is prepare your quinoa. Always rinse quinoa before use. It helps remove a naturally occurring outer coating that gives off a bitter taste. Add 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water to a medium size pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for about 15 minutes or until quinoa has soaked up all the water. Fluff with fork and let cool.

Once the quinoa is cooked, it will need to cool to room temperature. You may want to make it the night before or a few hours in advance. (Placing it in the fridge can speed up the cooling process. If you prepare it the night before, store in the fridge over night.)

When quinoa is ready, add in all ingredients for salad and toss lightly to combine. Add dressing and toss again to coat evenly.

For the dressing, combine all ingredients and whisk together. You can also add all ingredients to a glass jar and give it a good shake. This is great if you want to make it the night before. Just store in fridge along with the quinoa.

Keep salad in fridge until ready to eat. I like to garnish right before serving.

Brie & Blenheim Apricot Grilled Cheese

Happy Monday. It's a brand new week and the start of a new month. For those who will be having a summer BBQ or dinner party, check out the recipe for Brie and Blenheim Apricot Grilled Cheese I shared with Sweet Lady Cook on her blog today. Truffle honey makes this sandwich!

Strawberry Ginger Honey Fizz

It's been so exciting to partner up with Sweet Lady Cook and create recipes using her homemade jams. Her latest batch of Seascape strawberry jam is made with honey, making this recipe free of refined sugars.

Strawberry Ginger Honey Fizz

Ingredients

1 cup water
Scant 1 cup honey
2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger
Sweet Lady Cook’s Seascape Strawberry Jam (sweetened with honey)
Sparkling water
Strawberries for garnish (Optional)


Instructions

First thing you will need to do is make your ginger honey syrup. I made mine a day in advance so it would be chilled. You could even make it up to a few days in advance if need be.

In a small/medium size pot, add honey and grated ginger. Mix well to distribute ginger evenly and turn on the heat to medium.
Continue to stir until the honey starts to liquify.
Add water and mix well to incorporate.
Once a boil begins, turn down heat to medium/low and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Using a strainer, pour syrup into a glass jar. It will fit nicely into a 16oz size.
Let cool before storing in the refrigerator.

In a glass or jar add 2 tablespoons of Seascape Strawberry Jam.
Using a muddler, mash down any chunks of fruit.
Add ice cubes, 1/4 cup ginger honey syrup, and finish off with sparkling water.
Give the drink a quick stir and enjoy!
Garnish with a strawberry or lemon wedge. 

Gluten Free Stawberry Mascarpone Tart

Thanks to Instagram I discovered Sweet Lady Cook. Located in Santa Barbara, she specializes in small batch jams using local fruit, no preservatives and minimal sugar. I was so thrilled to see that she was located just 30 miles south of me! At the time she was only selling her product online. I placed an order and couldn't wait till my jams arrived. Along with strawberry habanero and blackberry lavender jam, I purchased her clementine marmalade for my mom. (I'm not a marmalade person.) Funny how that turned out to be my favorite. See previous post for my Gluten Free Clementine Marmalade Granola. It's been so much fun using her jams in my food experiments. 

Using seasonal fruits, her newest flavor is a seascape strawberry! The smell was absolutely amazing upon opening the jar. I decided on making gluten free strawberry mascarpone tarts using an almond and date crust. For the full recipe "click on the link below."

sweetladycook.com/blog

Clementine Marmalade Granola, GF

Gluten Free Clementine Marmalade Granola

Ingredients

3 cups gluten free oats

1/4 cup sesame seeds

3 Tbs ground flax seed

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

Generous sprinkling of cinnamon

1/4 clementine marmalade from Sweet Lady Cook 

(I'm sure any orange marmalade would work just fine)

2 packets stevia

1/2 cup golden raisins

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, combine oats, sesame seeds, ground flax seeds, and cinnamon (to taste.)

Gently stir to incorporate ingredients evenly.

In a medium bowl, mix together honey, olive oil, marmalade and stevia. 

Pour your wet ingredients into the dry and mix well to evenly coat the oat mixture.

Transfer mixture to a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Spread out evenly.

Bake for 30-35 minutes stirring about every 10 minutes or so. 

Remove from oven and add raisins.

Let cool completely before transferring to container... or bowl if you want to snack immediately.