Combine the sugar, lavender, lemon zest, and grated tonka bear in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined
Cream together the butter and 1/2 cup lavender sugar mixture, until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the flour and salt. Beat until combined, and dough starts to become crumbly. Add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice until the dough comes together
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out the cookies using your preferred cookie cutter. I used 1 1/2 inch fluted and plain circular cutters for bite-size cookies. Carefully transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet using a spatula.
Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. Roll out the leftover scraps, and repeat with the dough
While the cookies are chilly, reheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Brush each cookie with beaten egg white, then sprinkle with the remaining lavender sugar
Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the oven for 12-13minutes or until just lightly golden on the edges. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease mini loaf pan* with baking spray
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
In a separate medium bowl, combine the sugar, and orange zest. Rub together for a few minutes to release the orange natural oils. Add the orange juice and whisk together until the sugar is fully dissolved. Whisk in the yogurt, then the eggs and finally the olive oi
Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients
Pipe or spoon the batter into the prepared mini loaf pans, taking care to fill them no more than halfway full. Bake until the cakes are golden, spring back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 22-25 minutes
Let cool for 30 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans to a cooling rack and let cool completely, about 20 minutes more
Glaze/ To Finish
Combine the powdered sugar, milk, rosewater in a bowl and mix until a smooth paste forms
Dip the tops of each loaf into the glaze, allowing any excess to run off. Place on a rack set over some parchment paper. Sprinkle tops with dried rose petals and allow to fully dry and set
Makes enough dough for 2x 12inch pizzas; toppings for 1x 12inch pizza
Ingredients
Pizza Dough (makes enough for 2x 12 inch pizzas)
1 1/3 cups) warm water
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 Tablespoons cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
Topping (for 1, 12 inch pizza)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto,
5oz Cows Creamery “Blue Moo”, soft blue cheese
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 large Bosc pears, cored and sliced, ½ inch thick
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup chopped walnut pieces
½ cup fresh arugula
Method
Pizza Dough
Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes
Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes
Beat the for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready
Lightly grease a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with oiled cling wrap. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until double in size
Preheat a pizza stone in a 500°F oven for 20-25 minutes
To prepare the toppings
Finely chop garlic and heat in the olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to allow the garlic to burn. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool
Simmer the balsamic vinegar to reduce the volume by about half. It should thicken slightly. Set aside until needed
In a large skillet, melt the butter and brown sugar together over medium heat. Add the pears in a single layer and cook for about 10 minutes turning once, to caramelize the pears. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside until needed
To finish and bake the pizza
When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half. (If not making 2 pizzas, freeze half of the dough for another time. Stretch the dough into about a 12-13inch round
Place the dough round on a wooden peel that has been well sprinkled with cornmeal. Make sure your pizza is sliding on the cornmeal base before adding your toppings
Brush the garlic olive oil from earlier all over the center of the dough
Add the Cows Creamery blue cheese in about 1 teaspoon sized pieces along with arranging the pears and prosciutto. (Keep the ingredients in a single layer as this helps the pizza crust stay crisp and cook quickly) Sprinkle over the walnut pieces
Shake your peel to make sure the pizza is not stuck. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone
Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the bottom is evenly brown and the top cheese begins to brown slightly. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Slide off you pizza stone to serving board
Sprinkle over the fresh arugula and drizzle with the balsamic reduction
½ cup green candy covered chocolate ( M&M’s or similar)
½ and ¼ cup funfetti or white cake mix*, divided
12 oz. white candy melts**, melted
¼ cup green, or rainbow, sprinkles
Method
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment/ waxed paper and set aside until needed later
In a large bowl combine the Chex cereal, pretzel mini-twists, Lucky Charms cereal, Lucky Charms mallow pieces and green chocolate candy
In a separate bowl combine the melted white chocolate and ½ cup cake mix, stirring to combine
Immediately pour the chocolate/cake mix mixture over the dry cereal mixture and use a spatula to combine. Add the remaining ¼ cup of the cake mix and the sprinkles and stir or toss again to combine until thoroughly coated
Spread onto prepared baking sheet in a single layer and top with some extra sprinkles if you like. Leave on the baking sheet until set and then break apart into small clusters. Serve and enjoy!
*Before using the cake batter mix, treat it in the oven by spreading it on a lined baking tray and toasting it at 350 F for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cooled, use as per the recipe above. One thing to note is that the sprinkles in the cake mix may discolour a little or melt a bit. More reason to add those extra sprinkles!
***White chocolate chips may be used as well but your final coated popcorn won’t set as hard or be as crunchy.
In a bowl combine all the Spice Mix ingredients and whisk together until combined. Transfer to an airtight storage jar or container until needed
Crispy Chicken
In a small bowl combine the buttermilk, sesame oil, dark soy sauce, sriracha and whisk to combine. Add in the sliced chicken, ensuring all the pieces are coating in the marinade. Allow to marinade for at least 3 hours, or preferable overnight, in your refrigerator
Once you want to make your spice bag, start cooking the potato fries in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions
While the potato fries are cooking, combine the chicken coating ingredients of all-purpose flour, baking powder, corn starch in a bowl and whisk to combine
In a high-sided skillet heat about 1-1 ½ inches of canola oil until hot, 350°F
While the oil is heating, remove all the chicken strips from the marinade, allowing excess the drip off, then dredge piece by piece in the flour coating. Repeat by dipping the pieces in the marinade and then in the flour coating again until all the pieces are double-coated
Shallow fry the chicken (two batches may be needed) in the hot oil skillet until golden brown and crispy. Drain and remove to a wire rack set over some paper towel while you make the stir-fried vegetables
Stir fried vegetables
Heat a wok or frying pan to a high heat and add sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add in the sliced peppers and onions and stir to keep them moving. You want them to soften but not to color too much
After a couple of minutes add in the sliced garlic and continue to fry until slightly brown. Finally add in the sliced Birdseye chilis and green onions just before you finish frying, giving all the vegetables a final stir. Remove from heat
To assemble
In a large bowl combine the cooked fries, crispy chicken and stir-fried vegetables. Sprinkle over 2-3 Tablespoons of the Spice Bag seasoning (to personal taste) and toss everything together to combine and coat in the seasoning
For traditional serving, transfer to a paper bag and serve along with curry sauce
Curry sauce*
2 Tablespoons, butter
2 Tablespoons All-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1 ½ cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon regular soy sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste
Put butter in a small pot over medium heat, and when melted add the flour and curry powder – stir well about a minute, to cook off the flour
Whilst whisking, slowly add the chicken broth, about a half cup at a time until it’s the thickness you want, then add the honey, soy and salt & pepper to taste
Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and serve
*This recipe makes more Spice Bag seasoning and Curry Sauce than needed. The surplus Spice Bag seasoning can be stored in an airtight jar or container at room temperature for up to 2 years. Any remaining curry sauce can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To serve again, remove from refrigerator and gently reheat in a pan to serve
Crumbs In My Beard 