I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

Musselman's

Citrus Apple Butter Glazed Grilled Shrimp

Citrus Apple Butter Glazed Shrimp

Yesterday was my office’s bonus day. It’s a fun time to celebrate all the hard work that everyone does while getting some extra dough in the back pocket. There is a presentation to highlight the great things that happened to the firm, and our office specifically. As well, some fun awards are given out to different people and project teams. I received 2 awards but of course missed actually getting them as I had to slip away to pump. Figures!

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Between having just recently hit my 5 year anniversary since starting this blog and taking a moment to reflect on my past year professionally and personally, I started to think about this blog and where is has come from and where I want it to go.

I’m so proud of all the recipes, photos, and stories that I have shared over the past 5 years. It’s been so much fun for me to document everything along the way. I’ve enjoyed making drink recipes, recipes for NASCAR races, and getting to rate my favorite breakfast food- eggs benedict! yum!!

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While it has been fun I’ve noticed that over time I’ve been sharing more and more about food recipes and that was not my original intent with this blog. I love food. Oh boy I do, but I am more than that and the other sides of me is being left out in the blog recently.

So I’m going to, hopefully, start to blog more about what I have the urge to. Maybe I’ll just share my favorite summer shoes, some fun pictures, a house project, and some random craft that I’m so desperately trying to squeeze back into my crazy schedule. That will be more reflective of me.

I hope that you still come to check out my food posts, this year’s weekly pie posts, but also stop by to read about my way to do a garden planter or how to build a window cornice or my endless love for Sperry’s.

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Well, I’m here sharing a great summer time grill recipe. I used Musselman’s Apple Butter in a fun, creative way to great a marinade and glaze for some yummy grilled shrimp. I never would have thought about using apples butter on shrimp but I have to say that the glaze I made for it was so dang good. I was pleasantly surprised!

I mean, I love Musselman’s Apple Butter, but there are just sometimes when you read a recipe and go ‘hmmm, is this really a good idea?!?!’. Let me tell you… in this case it’s a great idea!

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I cooked the shrimp on my new grill pan that I placed on my grill. I could have even used the grill pan on my stove and in my oven to cook the shrimp but I couldn’t resist being outside. I used the fish grill pan that is part of the Wilton Armetale Gourmet™ Grillware line. Not only is it cute it is highly functional.  It’s great for grilling and then directly serving your food in the same piece, making entertaining a breeze. As well, it keeps your food hot longer on the table. It’s easy to clean and it won’t. Even then it has a lifetime guarantee against breakage.

I could have out the shrimp on skewers but I find that they are pretty difficult to remove from the skewers later on. Using this Fish Griller made cooking a breeze as I was cooking with even heat and I didn’t have to worry about dropping my shrimp through the grill grates. I plan on using this grill pan a lot for batches of grilled vegetables, whole fish, and even inside when it’s crummy out and I still want to grill. Plus, they have one in the shape of a football. OMG! Perfect for tailgating!

Oh man, I just can’t get over how well the shrimp got grill marks from the grill pan. You can even cook the shrimp on a foil lined baking sheet by cooking in a 400 degree oven for 3-5 minutes, each side. But the saddest part about that is that you wouldn’t have these lovely grill marks.

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I served my Citrus Apple Butter Glazed Grilled Shrimp with some freekah and grilled vegetables. I added a bit of parsley and red wine vinegar to the cooked freekah to give it some extra flavor. I think lemon juice would be a good alternative to the vinegar.

For the grilled vegetables I cut up some zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers, broccoli, red onion, mushrooms, and a bit of jalapeno. I mixed up some olive oil, water, salt and pepper, and crush garlic, which then poured over the vegetables. A quick mix and then I tossed them on my Vegetable Grill Basket, which was set upon a burner on high on the grill.

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Citrus Apple Butter Glazed Grilled Shrimp

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup apple butter
  • 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
  • 1 Tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (21-25 per pound)

Process

  1. Combine the apple butter, orange juice concentrate, lime juice, and oil.
  2. Add the shrimp to the glaze and let marinade for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat your grill and grill pan over medium-high heat.
  4. Lay the shrimp onto your hot grill pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until slightly opaque.
  5. Flip and cook until opaque throughout, another 3-5 minutes.

Adapted from Musselman’s

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And now the GIVEAWAY!!!!

You can win a large jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter, some recipe cards, and a Grillware Fish Griller!!

To Enter:

*Leave a comment telling me what your favorite things to grill is.

Get extra entries by doing the following:

  1. Tweet: “Perfect for summer grilling! Citrus Apple Butter Glazed Grilled Shrimp {& a BIG GIVEAWAY!!}  “
  2. Follow @Musselmanapple’s on twitter to stay in touch with them.
  3. Like the Musselman’s Facebook page and to stay connected.

Come back and leave a comment each time to get 3 extra entries. If you do everything you should comment 4 times total!

Contest Ends Sunday, June 22nd at Midnight EST.

Good luck but if you don’t win be sure to go to your jam/jelly aisle at your local grocery store and pick up a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter!

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*This blog contains sponsored content. While I did receive complimentary products from Musselman’s and Armetale, these opinions are entirely my own.

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

French Toast Roll-Ups {& a Musselman’s Giveaway}

French Toast Roll Ups

Spring!!! Spring!!! Spring!!!

I can barely contain my excitement with Spring’s arrival.

It’s beautiful in the mornings and the late afternoon is great when I leave work. The nights are warmer now so we have been driving to the next town to go to the beach. It’s great to be out in the fresh salt air getting a bit of exercise right next to the waves. Autumn usually sleeps in the carrier Price wears and I have Kemper, who gets slobbery and sandy. I like to ask Price where the people are coming from when the planes fly low overhead on their approach to Logan Airport. He makes it up on the spot but it’s fun to imagine going there and taking the same trip over the beach looking down at other people walking their dogs. Moments like that are why I love Spring so much.

Oh, and the flowers. We can’t forget the flowers!

I’m really hoping that the bulbs I had in the front yard (technically our neighbor’s yard but she let’s me plant there) survived this horrible winter. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens with the lilies I planted. Thankfully the Pieris japonica (Lily-of-the-valley bush) and mini rose-bush I planted last year appear to have made it.

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It will still be awhile until things bloom outside, but in the meantime I can enjoy the beautiful roses that Musselman’s & FTD sent me. Earlier this week a The Color Your Day with Laughter™ Mini Rose Plant arrived and ever since it has been brightening up our dining table.

The rose buds are still pretty tightly closed but some are opening up. While that be disappointed to get a green bush without any roses in bloom, I think that is the best! It means that I get to see each one open up and the flowers last longer. More time to enjoy the bright pink flowers. Love.

Now is the best time to treat someone you love (or even yourself!) with a flower arrangment. FTD is giving my readers $10 off select flower arrangements. Check out the flowers here!

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Anyway, let’s get to the yummy stuff featured in this post…

French Toast Roll-Ups!

These are wonderful, yummy breakfast treats. Quick to assemble, packed for flavor, and easy to eat. You can dip them into the usual maple syrup but the cream cheese based dipping sauce is so good.

I know Autumn is a long, long ways away form helping me in the kitchen but I think this would be a great kid’s recipe. They can help you roll out the bread, spread some apple butter on the bread and roll it up. I’m sure dunking them in the french toast batter would be fun for them too. Plus, I’m sure kids woul dhave fun dunking the french toast roll-ups into the dipping sauce. yum!

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At work, we take turns bringing in breakfast on Friday’s. My turn is coming up in a few weeks and I am planning on making these guys because the recipe is super easy to multiply (or even halve), they are easy prepare so a large batch will be a synch, and easy to transport. I am planning on preparing them really early that morning, but I think they will be just as good to make the night before and then they can be reheated in the microwave at work.

Grab a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter and make a batch of these. They are just so good!

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French Toast Roll-Ups

Makes 16 roll-ups

Ingredients

  • 16 slices of white sandwich bread
  • 1 Cup of Musselman’s Apple Butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 Cup milk
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 Tablespoon water

For the dipping sauce

  • 3 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 Cup Musselman’s Apple Butter
  • 1/2 Cup confectioners sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons milk

Process

To prepare the roll-ups

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or grease well to prevent the rolls ups from sticking to the pan.
  2. Using a rolling-pin, flatten a slice of bread to about half of its’ original thickness.
  3. Spread roughly 1 Tablespoon of apple butter evenly on the bread. Roll up with the apple butter side inward. Set aside, with the seam side down. Repeat with the remaining bread.
  4. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg. Dip each roll-up into the egg mixture to complete coat it, then shake off the excess batter. Place on the baking sheet.
  5. Bake 10 minutes. Pull out of the oven, brush the top side with melted butter, flip each roll, then brush the bottoms with butter. (If they stick, gently use a spatula to loosen them.) Leave the bottom side up and bake another 10 minutes.
  6. In a small bowl, add the sugar and the remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon. When the roll-ups are done baking, roll each one in the mixture. Serve warm with dipping sauce (below).

To prepare the dipping sauce

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together cream cheese and apple butter until there is a smooth consistency.
  2. Gradually beat in the sugar until smooth and then beat in the milk. Set aside to use later.

Sourced from Musselman’s

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 And now the good stuff… the GIVEAWAY!

You can win a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter and some recipe cards.

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me what your favorite things about spring is.

Contest Ends Sunday, April 13th at Midnight EST.

Good luck but if you don’t win be sure to go to your jam/jelly aisle at your local grocery store and pick up a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter!

And don’t forget to order flowers from FTD!! Save $10!!

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*This blog contains sponsored content. While I did receive complimentary products from Musselman’s and FTD, these opinions are entirely my own.

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

Now that we have unofficially hit summer, I’m gearing up to get ready for some BBQ’s this year. We always end up going to quite a few but I’m hoping that we do our fair share of hosting this summer as well. (Maybe we should buy a patio set? eek!) So I’m looking to get creative with our summer fare this year. We have great, fresh meat, fruits, and veggies at our fingertips so why not have some fun with them?

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That there alone is justification to spend plenty of time on Pinterest, no? Oh, man so addicted to that damn site! But it’s so much fun to find interesting recipes to make on the grill or to serve along side of your burger, grilled sausage, or chicken. I love giving anything a try, especially if it’s a twist on something. After making a wing sauce with apple butter I’m all of trying anything because you can be surprised with anything. Really, apple butter in a wing sauce? Trust me, so good.

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Well, when Musselman’s contacted me again to work with them so I can try a recipe that would be great for summer time BBQ’s I jumped at the chance. I browsed through their recipes and while their bacon baked beans and their BBQ sauces sounded great I wanted to make something that I could easily share now. So that means I turn to something I can bring into work… which means sweet treats! This recipe for Caramel Apple Crumb Bar would be perfect!

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These were so easy to make and the result was a really good caramel-y apple packed bar. They were a hit with everyone that had a piece. Don’t you just love when that happens? 🙂 I swear I’ll be making these again but next time I’ll definitely remember to grease the pan this time. FACEPALM! Other than that a total success.

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Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

Makes 32 bars

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 18.25 ounce box of yellow cake mix
  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup Musselman’s Apple Butter
  • 1 egg

Caramel Layer

  • 1 14-ounce package of vanilla caramels, unwrapped
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons Musselman’s Apple Butter

Topping

  • 2/3 of a cup of chopped walnuts
  • 2/3 cup shredded coconut
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9 baking dish.
  2. Beat the cake mix and butter on low speed until the mixture is crumbly. Remove 1 cup of the mixture, set aside. 
  3. Add the apple butter and egg to the remaining cake mixture. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Spread into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, or until it’s starting to brown and set.
  4. While the crust is baking, combine the vanilla caramels, butter, and apple butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth.
  5. Combine the topping ingredients with the cup of the reserved cake mixture until crumbly.
  6. Pour the caramel mixture over the partially baked crust. Evenly sprinkle the crumbly topping over the caramel. (Some of the caramel will show through.)
  7. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the topping us starting to brown. Cool completely prior to cutting into 32 bars.

Source: Musselman’s

 

Sweet and Spicy Wings

sweet and spicy wings

Last year I REALLY cared about the Superbowl as the Giants were playing the Patriots again. Being a Giants fan in Patriots territory is tricky but I had high hopes that the Giants would be able to beat the Patriots again, even with Patriots’ favored to win. Even if the Giants lost it would not have been that that horrible as the Giants had beat them in 2008, all the while ripping away their chance of a perfect season. But my fierce G-men won 21-17 so I did my happy danced that Sunday night and then called out of work Tuesday to attend the parade with Price and my brother. So awesome!!!

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With my Giants not playing this year (boo-hoo!!) I don’t care about the Superbowl that much this year I still look forward to the game, the event, and the food. So with the Superbowl is less than 2 weeks away (which also means that we get our puppy in less than 2 weeks… but that is another story) I am starting to plan for what we will be enjoying during the game. There are so many options… nachos, chips and dip, quesadillas, chili, subway sandwiches, and much much more!

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When I received my Musselman’s Apple Butter Packaged I flipped through the recipe cards and I immediately knew I had to make the Sweet and Spicy Wings. I am not a big fan of wings (just too much work!), BUT my boyfriend is. So this got me try to try something new and make him something that he would love. He really enjoyed the sweet and spicy flavor as it was not the typical buffalo wing. I made myself some chicken tenders and I loved them. I cooked them for half the time so when I went to flip the wings at the 30 minute mark I added the chicken tenders and then gave them a quick flip after they had been in their for 15 minutes. Everything was so quick and easy to assemble, however it’s not a last minute dish as it takes some time to marinate, but that planning is so worth it!!

Sweet and Spicy Wings

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Musselman’s Apple Butter
  • 1/2 c hot sauce
  • 1/2 c ketchup
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 2 pounds uncooked chicken wings (drumettes and wingettes) or tenders
  • 2 Tbsp butter, melted

Process

  1. Combine the apple butter, hot sauce, ketchup, and celery salt in a medium bowl.
  2. Reserve 3/4 cup of the sauce,  cover and refrigerate.
  3. Marinate the wings by coating them with the sauce and covering the bowl. Or coat the with the sauce in a plastic zip storage bag. Refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.
  4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking pan (about 10×13-inch) with foil for easy clean up. Place the wings in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake the wings for 30 minutes then flip and baste with the remaining marinade. Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until wings are fork-tender.
  5. While baking the wings, warm the Âľ cup of reserved sauce with the melted butter and serve as a dipping sauce with wings.

Options: Substitute fresh chicken tenders for the wings- depending on the size of pieces, reduce the cooking time to 30-35 minutes total. Broil or grill instead of baking

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Musselmans Apple Butter_Giveaway

And now the good stuff… the GIVEAWAY!

You can win a Musselman’s package including a jar of apple butter, a and recipe cards.

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me what you are looking to enjoy during the Superbowl.

Extra Entries!!! 

  1. Tweet: “I want to win @Musselmansapple Apple Butter Package including a serving bowl from @iamahoneybee http://wp.me/pzEAP-33Q #AppleButterRecipes“
  2. Follow @Musselmanapple’s on twitter to stay in touch with them.
  3. Like the Musselman’s Facebook page and to stay connected.

Come back and leave a comment each time to get 3 extra entries

Contest Ends Sunday, January 27th at Midnight EST. Good luck but if you don’t win be sure to go to your jam/jelly aisle at your local grocery store and pick up a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter!

Apple Pie Stuffed French Toast { & a Giveaway!}

When I was in high school I used to live off of apple butter and bagels. Because school let out at various times depending on the rotating daily schedule I would sometimes get out pretty early by the time I was a junior and senior so I would just wait to eat lunch at my boyfriends. His mom always had bagels around so I’d toast one up at have it with apple butter. I loved just how flavorful the apple butter was. I would occasionally drive to the next town to visit a farm store where I could get their apple butter. It was a real addiction I tell you!

 

 

When Musselman’s contacted me about using their Apple Butter in a recipe and having a giveaway I knew I had to accept.  While my apple butter package was on it’s way, I kept thinking about different recipes to use with the apple butter because possibilities are endless. I kept going back to their site for inspiration as well as go through old magazines. I was tempted to make Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie but when it came down to it I kept thinking about something for breakfast. I thought about their Monkey Bread but decided that I would adapt one of my favorite breakfast recipes instead. I had recently adapted the Strawberry Almond Stuffed French Toast I had previously made using canned pumpkin. It turned out so well that I decided to swap the pumpkin for the apple butter and wah-la!

 

 

This might look intimidating because you have to cut the bread to form pockets but it is super simple and by creating this lovely pocket you get to full the bread with this great apple butter filling. I loved how I didn’t need syrup for this french toast.The sweetness and flavor of the apple butter is perfect for this without getting covered in syrup. It is perfect for a leisurely breakfast or for one on the go. Since this recipe makes so many servings I freeze the cooked french toast slices on a baking sheet and then I wrap them up to enjoy later. I just take one out of the freezer the night before and defrost it in the fridge  Then when I am getting ready in the morning I toss the wrapped french toast in the oven to warm it up. Good to go!

Apple Pie Stuffed French Toast

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf Italian Bread, 1 pound
  • 6 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups apple butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs, 3 egg whites
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Process

  1. Slice the bread into 1″ thick slices. Lay each piece down on a cutting board. While holding each piece down, create a pocket in the slices of bread by almost cutting it in half. (Placing your hand on top of the piece of bread will help keep the bread in place and help you monitor creating a pocket.)
  2. Combine the cream cheese, apple butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until light and creamy. Transfer the cream mixture into a large piping bag.
  3. Pipe out 2 generous tablespoons of the filling inside the pocket of each slice. Gently close each slice of bread to help the filling stay inside.
  4. In a shallow bowl, like a casserole dish, beat the eggs, milk and almond extract together.
  5. Over  medium high heat, heat a non-stick skillet to prepare it for the french toast. Immediately prior to putting pieces on the skillet, spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray or put a pat of butter on it.
  6. Once the pan is heated up, dip slices of bread in the egg mixture to coat both sides. Cook each side of the stuffed french toast is golden brown. Repeat this process until all slices are cooked.

And now the good stuff… the GIVEAWAY!

You can win

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me how you would enjoy a jar of apple butter.

Extra Entries: 

Spread the word- Tweet: “I want to win a @Musselmansapple’s Package that includes a jar of Apple Butter & a Spurtle from @iamahoneybee http://wp.me/pzEAP-2Li”. Come back here and leave me a comment telling me that you did.

Follow @Musselmanapple’s on twitter for updates and to stay connected. Come back here and leave me a comment telling me that you did.

Contest Ends Wednesday the 7th at Midnight EST. Good luck but if you don’t  win be sure to go to your jam/jelly aisle at your local grocery store and pick up a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter!