My sweet tooth has been acting up lately, and I’ve had this hankering to make a fruit pie from scratch.
Of course, it’s easier to pick up a box of paczki (thank you, Fat Tuesday) and call it good. Which is exactly what I did.
Still, I’m realizing that it might be smarter to have something on hand – something that’s sweet, yet not so overloaded with refined carbs and other questionables. I looked to my daughter’s new fondness of Pooh Bear for inspiration.
Honey. Lovely, golden, sticky, sweet honey. We rarely use it, but usually have a small container of generic honey in the pantry. But I’ve been meaning to try the raw variety, and picked up some Sleeping Bear Farms raw honey from the Meijer ‘Made-in-Michigan’ endcap last weekend.
The most noticeable difference is appearance. Rather than a translucent, thick liquid, the raw honey is opaque and more like a paste. It contains very tiny flecks of pollen and propolis, both of which are thought to offer health benefits, including antibacterial properties. Softening and liquifying the honey is as easy as putting it over a small amount of heat.
Ideally, a little honey now and then will be enough to counter the siren song of 7-11 doughnuts and cheap brownie mix. We shall see. In the meantime, I’m pretty excited about this addition to my arsenal.
Also (and please don’t mind the cheesy visuals):