THURSDAY, JULY 10TH, 2014
Sunrise: 6:05 am
Sunset: 9:03 pm
Life is a Special Occasion!
Hallmark
Today is Don’t Step On A Bee Day. This holiday celebrated on July 10th. is an important reminder that the fate of the common bee lies in the balance, with bee numbers in some countries having halved in the last decade with no apparent cause, it’s vital that we take care to maintain bee populations, pollination and honey production. It’s also a good reminder to wear your shoes when going outside. We all love to run barefoot through the grass but it’s not any fun having a bee sting your toe.
If you can't see the Bright Side, polish the dull side
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.
Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine
After the very hard winter we had in northern Ohio it is a fact that our bee population is down. We used to see a lot of honey bees buzzing around on our flowers outside, but so far this year I’ve only seen a very few of them. Bees are necessary for pollination and very important when it comes to growing things. They don’t just help us produce fabulous flowers for our visual pleasure. We need them for our very survival, for the way they pollinate our food crops!
I do love honey and usually stock up on it when I go to our county fair in August every year. I like to buy our local honey and am always amazed at all the different flavors of honey they have. Honey from bees that feed on specific plants render honey with unique flavors. For example, Thistle honey produces a thick, molasses like honey, while Orange Blossom produces a light, sweet, citrusy flavor.
Honey is used as a sweetener in many things. Here at my house it’s mostly used to sweeten my tea. I usually make my own tea whether its hot or cold, but I do love Arizona Tea flavored with Ginseng and Honey too.
There are lots of ways to cook with honey and this time of year ribs are a favorite thing to have so today I’m sharing a recipe for Baby Back Ribs with Chipotle Honey Barbecue Sauce
For the sauce:
1 cup honey
1 cup ketchup
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, stems trimmed, chopped
2 tablespoons adobo sauce, from the can of chiles
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, grated
1 teaspoon coarse salt
For ribs:
2 racks - baby back ribs, about 2½ pounds each, each rack halved
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
To make the sauce, place the honey, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, chipotles, adobo sauce, chili powder, cumin, garlic, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat on medium low heat until simmering. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Let cool.
Season the ribs on both sides with a sprinkling of salt and a grinding of black pepper and rub in. Place the ribs in a 2-gallon, resealable plastic food storage bag and add the cooled sauce. Refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, turning the bag occasionally.
When ready to cook the ribs, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large roasting pan or a rimmed sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Fit a rack in the pan and place the ribs on the rack. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and gently heat over medium heat for 5 minutes. Brush the ribs with the sauce.
Roast the ribs for 1½ to 2 hours, basting lightly and turning every 20 minutes, until the meat begins to pull away from the bones. The ribs can be made ahead and left to stand for up to 2 hours either in a cool kitchen or in the refrigerator.
Preheat the broiler on high. Brush the ribs lightly with the sauce and broil for about 2 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. Cut between the ribs and pile them on a platter. Heat the leftover sauce to a gentle boil and simmer for 3 minutes before serving with the ribs.
I hope you all have a honey of a day. Happy Thursday!
COUNTING MY GIFTS
Life is the flower of which love is the honey
Victor Hugo
I have counted at least 3 things every day that I'm thankful for over a year and have now reached over 1800 gifts. On my way to 2000. I'm not stopping, but will continue on counting. There is always, always something to be thankful for.
1839. for honey bees, we are blessed to have them
1840. for honey, like sugar, it sweetens a lot of things
1843. for a cup of tea with honey, it soothes and refreshes
Enter into His courts with thanksgiving — and in His presence is fullness of Joy!
PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS
Please pray for God's protection of
our troops and HIS wisdom for their
commanders.
Lord, hold our troops in
your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the
selfless acts they perform for us
in our time of need. I ask this in the
name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters
and Paramedics and EMT's
GOD BLESS YOU !
ADVICE FOR TODAY
No bees, no honey; no work, no money.
Proverb
A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone dear…
Love,
ma
3 comments:
Our bees are down here in the UK, they say due to pesticide use. IN any case, we need the bees to survive! We would die without them. I love honey. I think one of my favourites is Greek honey, which has a distinct anise-seed/licorace flavour. I also love the French Sunflower honey which is gorgeous! Your recipe for the barbeque sauce looks just wonderful! I hope you are having a great day. WE are busy getting the student's room ready for her, putting together a desk etc. Sunny day here too! xx
I have heard of the problems with the bees and how vital they are for pollination, like you said, Ma. What a sad world it would be without honey in it!
betty
MA, you will laugh at me. I cut grass yesterday, and the entire time I prayed that I would not kill any honeybees... I kept wincing and wincing the entire time! Your recipe sounds great!
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