Saturday, January 18, 2020

Love Love Love this Lavender Lemonade

That's right I'm on a lavender roll.... Again this rogue bag of dried lavender in my baking cupboard is inspiring me. So this is a refreshing twist on a classic for some interesting flavor notes and relaxation. I did not choose to add any special colors or fresh flowers so no pretty purple color but AMAZING flavor.

Image result for lavender lemonade

Ingredients:

Simple Lavender Syrup
1 tsp dried lavender buds
1 cup sugar
2 cups boiling water to infuse

Lemonade
1 1/8 cup lemon juice (I only had 1 lemon so I used bottled lemon juice and 1 lemon)
3 cups cold water (you can add more if you like it more watered down or just serve over ice)

Directions:
1. Assemble the simple syrup and stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. Let infuse for at least 30 minutes.
3. Mix it all together and then enjoy over ice!



My New Favorite Recipe: Bacon Wrapped Lavender Glazed Baked Chicken

What?!? You didn't know you could cook with lavender? ME EITHER! I bought a package of lavender awhile back aspiring to make lavender ice cream but just never seemed to have the time to make the recipe so it went to the back of my baking cupboard. I discovered this package yesterday while I was reorganizing and became inspired. We had a huge storm on the way and are likely to be staying home the whole weekend so I got to searching for ideas to make and inspiring and relaxing meal. VOILA!

Image result for bacon wrapped chicken
Enter Bacon Wrapped Lavender Glazed Baked Chicken. This recipe took under 10 minutes of prep and was pretty much HANDS OFF the whole 40 minutes it baked.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast ( I sliced them in half so I had 4 thinner pieces to wrap in bacon)
3-4 slices of center cut bacon (just don't use thick cut since it won't be all the way done)

Glaze: (I just spooned it over top before wrapping in bacon but you could marinade the chicken in it for 20 minutes or even boil it down to a thicker glaze if you wanted)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt ( I used pink himalayan)
2 tsp dried lavender buds (best to use food grade)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried tarragon (optional)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp honey

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Trim chicken breast and then slice in half so it's thinner
3. Grease baking sheet (otherwise cleaning will be a PAIN)
4. Lay out 3-4 slices of bacon in a row and set your chicken on top
5. Mix together the glaze. Spoon a few spoonfuls of the glaze on top and then wrap the bacon over top
6. Bake 30-40 minutes
7. Switch oven to broil and broil 3 - 4 inches on High for an additional 2-5 minutes (depends on how crispy you want your bacon)
8. Let cool. It will be HOT HOT HOT.
9. You can serve with the crispy bacon or take it off for a more traditional looking chicken breast meal. I chose to take it off because there was still some fatty spots left in places and my dog appreciates scraps in her food bowl that involve bacon.