For a fabulous New Year’s treat try this wonderful Sangria brought to you by the National Honey Board.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
1 (700ml) bottle - Pinot Grigio
1/2 cup - elderflower liqueur
1/2 cup - pear liqueur
2 cups - pear juice
1/2 cup - water
1/2 cup - honey
1 tsp. - cardamom bitters
2 - pears, sliced
1 cup - fresh cranberries
Ginger ale for serving

Our sweet and spicy gift to you for being such wonderful supporters over the year is ‘Honey spice cookies’ directly from Amina’s kitchen.

Throughout the year, I search for recipes with honey. Adapted from a traditional molasses spice cookie, I assumed it would be almost identical to substituting honey. It’s better. I make these little delights small, so folks can have a few and genuinely enjoy all the exotic flavors of the recipe.

Makes about 48 2” cookies

There has been a serious proliferation of honey-based drinks featured in the newspaper, magazines and the web. In the realm of those based in alcohol, traditional recipes simply replace the sugar simple syrup used to sweeten the drink with one made from honey. In others, the crafter has gotten a bit more creative trying to figure out what spirit would blend well with honey – and sometimes which honey. It is amazing to see how many different restaurants have a specialty drink called ‘The Bees Knees’. And how different each and everyone is from the other.

This year’s food story is herbs and seasonings - all kinds of regional aromatic mixes from all over the globe. Think za-atar from the Middle East, ras al hanout from North Africa, furikake from Japan, and adobo from the Latin/Caribbean countries. The blends are wonderful! Especially if you are willing to make them fresh (think Ottolenghi) and many of them combine cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, allspice – exotic and wonderful. Intriguing too is that so many of these recipes use honey to boost the flavor.

As summer approaches, the need for liquid intake increases. Many resort to a refreshingly simple iced tea.

You’ve made your brew. Perhaps you let a grouping of tea bags sit in the summer sun. Or maybe you boiled some water and immersed your tea ball. Black, green or herbal – no matter - the pitcher is in the fridge cooling down.

Soon you will be able to add some ice, a sprig of mint and a bit of sweetener.

Everyone has their favorite: some with raisins, nuts, chocolate chips or a bit of everything! Here are some tips and tricks to creating the perfect oatmeal cookies:

The traditional season of comfort food has begun. Along with it, we are searching for easy, tasty and aromatic delights.

Coriander Honey is a unique and special treat. Its savory undertones are always a surprise. The complexity – a bit of cardamom, some licorice and a dark hint of chocolate are just so intriguing! How do you use a honey like this? It could make an interesting addition in a cocktail or as an ingredient in a barbeque sauce. Here at the Honey and Pollination Center, we tasted and tried Coriander honey to balance the acid in our summer’s tomato sauces and soups.

With the holidays just around the corner, we are often asked for recipe favorites that include honey. Here are some of our favorites using our UC Davis honeys:

A simple recipe that will be sure to sweeten up any holiday meal.