Sangria

I don't know why, but I love the idea of sangria. I really should make it more often, especially with the seasonal fruits. This is one that I made in the fall, so it has a lot of fall flavors.

Ingredients

1 bottle red wine

2 apples 

2 clementines 

Anise stars

Cloves

2 tbs honey

1 can ginger ale

1 can cranberry ginger ale

Directions

1. Cut up fruit and place in the bottom of a pitcher. Add the anise stars and cloves. 

2. Add the wine and honey. Gently mix. Refrigerate overnight.

3. Right before serving add the two cans of ginger ale.

 

x.o. Chelsea

 

 

Snowdrops and Sunshine

Courtney here!

It has been quite rainy the past few days. But this morning we woke up and it had stopped, so Cecelia and I strapped on our wellies and headed to Lydiard Park. We were getting cabin fever. It felt good to splash in puddles and soak up some sunshine, though it was a little chilly!

Cece has basically lived in her wellies all winter, as it has been so muddy. She loves a good puddle... today she could not believe how big the puddles were. She was in heaven!

You can tell Spring is right around the corner as we have a lot of flowers sprouting and the trees are budding. So far, it is just the Snowdrops that are in full bloom! And, they are so pretty! They are in bloom all over the park.

Lydiard Park is a historic estate that has Lydiard House, a great park for the kids to play, tons of land for kids and dogs to run, a tea house and an ice cream shop. Over the summer we went on a few play dates here and had some picnics. I am looking forward to picnic season! Plus, it is a ten minute drive from my house. We are so lucky to have such a beautiful park, with great architecture in our backyard.

There is also a lake, where there are geese, a selection of ducks and swans! When I think of England and birds... Swans always sprout to my mind.  I get overly excited when I see them. They are so pretty and are protected by the Queen.

In the pictures, you may notice Cece has her wellies on the wrong feet and her sunglasses on upside down. She is two and likes to do everything herself! There are some things in life that I have learned you just don't try to correct.. Wellies on the wrong feet are one of them!

I hope you have a great Tuesday. If you are in a cold part of the world today.. We are sending you sunshine and happiness from England!

Cheerio!
Courtney

Tea Party

Kelly here...
A Tea Party is a special time for our family. It's a time to celebrate special events and a time to celebrate just being together. At our last Tea Party we were celebrating being together! We were all visiting Courtney and Craig in England over the Christmas holiday.

Chloe, Cecelia, Chelsea (top middle), Kelly (bottom middle), Cole, and Courtney

At our tea parties we "usually" have a salad and or soup, then scones with clotted cream, some kind of savory canape followed by a sweet dessert and of course accompanied by tea.  Below are few pictures of the food we had this last time. England has quite an abundance of mushroom, so we decided to use mushrooms.

Mushrooms for Cream of Mushroom Soup

Mushroom Brushetta

Mushroom Puff Pastry

We have been collecting all kinds of essentials for our tea parties at charity shops, consignment shops, and yard sales.  It makes for quite an eclectic table setting. Below is a picture of one of my favorite finds! We have a few other finds we will share a little later...

Tea cups found at a charity shop in Swindon, England.

Have a Sweet Day!
Kelly

Do You Want To Build A Snowman?

Kelly here...
Winter weather is not one of my favorite things. I could go on and on about the things I do not like about winter... being cold would be #1 on the list! So I try and find things to "like" about the cold weather. The other day I was driving down the road and there was a snowman standing in the field. It was so cute I had to stop and take a picture, that was when the idea was born... Take a picture of every snowman I see... until all the snow melts! So stay tuned for more snowman... or a an early spring thaw! Feel free to share a picture of your snowman...

The snowman standing in the middle of a field in New Columbus.

The second snowman in New Columbus.

Have a sweet day!

Kelly

Valentine's Day Tradition

This is one our family traditions that started 6 years ago... Ralph was listening to KRZ (our local radio station) and they were talking about making a sweet treat for your Valentine. The sweet treat they were talking about was Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries. So prior to Valentine's Day he went online for the recipe and then gathered the supplies.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries

Fresh Strawberries
For the Cream Cheese Filling:

1- 8 oz. cream cheese

½ shot Amaretto (can be omitted and I believe Ralph does a whole shot)

½ Cup 10x Sugar

¼ tsp. vanilla

For the Chocolate Ganache:

1 12 oz. package dark chocolate chips

½ stick of butter

½ Cup heavy cream

Wash and dry the strawberries. then hollow out a small hole on the bottom of the strawberry. Then set aside.
For the filling whisk all of the ingredients together put in a ziplock  or icing bag for piping. Then set aside.
For the chocolate ganache use a double boiler and heat the butter and heavy cream. Add the chocolate chips and whisk until well incorporated. Place mixture in bowl.
To prepare the strawberries pipe filling into the hollowed out end and dip in the chocolate ganache and place on a plate.  You could also make this a  Valentine’s Day  Strawberry Bar just have a few things to put on the strawberry after it is dipped in the chocolate, e.g. graham cracker crumbs, nuts, coconut etc.

On the morning of Valentine's Day I heard a lot of commotion in the kitchen! I woke up wondering what was going on... and come to find out a little later, Ralph made this treat for me. I was quite surprised and have been enjoying these delicious strawberries ever since. They have been made on other occasions by other members of the family but Ralph makes them the best! He is looking forward to making them this year for Cecelia when she visits.

Have a Sweet Day!

Kelly

Welcome To The Honey House

Welcome to the Honey House… A place for fun, a place for knowledge, so grab a drink and make yourself comfortable. So what can you expect to see on the blog? We have a few traditions we will be sharing with you and we also enjoy trying new things whether it be a recipe, craft, cocktail, or visiting a new place. This is who we are:

Kelly  I am the mom a.k.a. Queen Bee. I love being a mom.  As you will see there is a little of my personality in each of my children.  My husband Ralph and I have been married for 25 plus years. Besides our three daughters, we have two adorable Yorkshire Terriers, Felecity and Madeline. I love to learn about new people and new places and what better way to begin that journey is with food.   

Courtney  I am married with two young children.  I have always loved to take pictures and now my main subjects are my children. I like to try new recipes and explore my surroundings in England.  

Chelsea I am the middle sister. Science is my thing; even though chemistry is not my favorite branch of science, I am an amateur mixologist when it comes to alcohol. Over the years I have collected Winnie the Pooh stuff and any and everything Owl; my camp name is Woodsy.

Chloe  I am a senior at Kutztown University studying Business Administration with a concentration in marketing. I like to travel,  I have collected too many paint chips from Lowes, and I like fun illustrations, particularly in children’s books.

We look forward to sharing our new experiences with you...

Have a Sweet Day!
Kelly