Come join us for the best and biggest lavender fest in Ontario!
Lavender Fest 2015
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It’s asparagus season in Essex County and how could I resist sharing this delicious recipe. It’s elegant and simple with of course a touch of lavender.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of pencil thin asparagus
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 Teaspoon crushed hot pepper flakes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon, ground Serenity culinary lavender
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
Method:
Clean the asparagus and tim off the tough ends. Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry.
Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pepper flakes and garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add pine nuts and saute until the nuts turn a light golden brown. Add the asparagus and lavender cook for an additional 3 minutes, until just heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from pan and place onto a serving platter. Top with parmesan allowing the heat to melt the cheese. Sprinkle with lemon zest and drizzle with lemon juice.
A perfect side dish or lunch. Serve with Sauvignon blanc wine.
Photo courtesy of Culinate.com
Yes, it is that time of year again when we gather round the big screen television to watch the superbowl. Or for those who are not football fans at the least the half time show. This North American tradition has become something more – its a celebration of friendship, family and food. That food is usually pizza, wings and all kinds of snack foods but why not shake it up a bit and try something with a twist of lavender- yes I said lavender. Here’s a recipe that we love with the added zest and herbal flavours of lavender.
Ingredients:
1 cup of pecans
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Sugar
2 dried red chile peppers
2 tsp lavender
Method:
Combine the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat constantly stirring to avoid the sugar from burning. Add the pecans and return to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Arrange the pecans evenly on a baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees until the pecans start to lightly brown.
Cool and serve.
Strawberries with ginger lavender
With Strawberry season in full swing, I’m getting ready to make some strawberry lavender jam. Lavender is a great compliment to any type of berry but those beautiful luscious local red strawberries are accented perfectly with tiny little purple buds of lavender. There are so many lovely ways to serve lavender and strawberries together from soup to sorbet to tarts but today I’ve decided to experiment with a simple lavender syrup recipe with a twist.
Ingredients
1 lb. of Strawberries (quartered)
1/3 cup of sugar
2/3 cup of water
2 Tablespoons of Serenity Culinary Lavender
2 Tablespoons of Limoncello (Lemon Flavoured liqueur)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp culinary lavender
Instructions
Rinse and drain Strawberries. Hull and cut into quarters in a large bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan over low heat combine water, sugar and lavender and simmer stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Place lid over top for about 15 minutes to allow the syrup mixture to steep and the lavender infuse the mixture.
Strain the syrup and discard the blossoms.
Add ginger and lemoncello into the syrup mixture.
Pour the syrup mixture over the straberries. Add 1/2 teaspoon of dried culinary lavender and toss gently. Serve the berries in glass bowls or stemmed glasses. Garnish with Whipped cream and fresh lavender stems.
Makes 4 servings
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6 oz /175g bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 oz/ 125 g milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup / 175 ml whipping cream
2 teaspoons culinary lavender
Place chocolate in fondue pot. Heat cream add lavender and steep 20 minutes. Return to stove and heat until boiling. Quickly strain lavender from the creamand pour over chocolate. Whisk until melted. Set over warmer.
Serve with seasonal fresh fruit.
We had to share this with wedding season around the corner. Don’t forget that Serenity Lavender has lots of purple bonbonniere ideas for brides at reasonable prices.
by Cara Davis
Economic woes continue to play a part in today’s weddings. Couples are opting for smaller weddings and choosing to spend their money more wisely. According to a recent study from TheWeddingReport.com, brides and grooms are paying for more of the wedding bill themselves (to the tune of $10,000 – $20,000 US), and they’re having more fun with it.
The report concluded that more couples are moving away from formal and traditional weddings to fun, romantic, simple, casual and unique weddings with a touch of formality and tradition.
Here are some more trends forecasted for 2012:
1. It’s a Small World
Couples are keeping a tight rein on guest numbers (under 150), as the overall cost of the wedding is directly affected by how many heads are in attendance.
2. Autumn Leads
While June is the reigning month for marriages, September is a close second and other months, including August and October are on the rise.
3. Rustic and Vintage Themes
Rustic themes and vintage touches continue to trend, including weddings held in barns and receptions at local farmer’s markets.
4. DIY Reigns
Brides are discovering they can create many of their wedding favours and décor – flowers, invitations and even the cake.
5. Tech Love
Today’s brides (96 per cent of them according to www.weddingwire.com) are planning, shopping and registering online and even incorporating technology into the wedding day itself. Online blogs are providing the inspiration brides are looking for to piece together their day.
6. Sweet Endings
Dessert buffets continue to take a bite out of receptions, with non-traditional choices like square mini-cakes and cupcake tiers or pies, macaroons, Whoopie Pies, cake pops, colour-coordinated candy and even ice cream sundae stations or a cookies and milk bar. The dessert choices reflect the whimsical, fun nature of today’s weddings.
7. Colour Me Vibrant
Some of the biggest colors this year are purples and green as well as jewel tones, according to TheWeddingReport.com.
8. Casually Groomed
Much to the relief of grooms everywhere, tuxedo rentals are out and suits and casual wear are in. TheWeddingReport.com states demand for tuxedo rental is down 11 per cent over 2010 numbers.
9. Candid Cameras
Formal photos are out and candid shots are in that fit with the look and feel of the wedding day. Demand for photo booths continues to rise as a fun way to capture memories.
10. Non-traditional Gifts
Non-traditional gift registries like CardAvenue.com are popping up, allowing couples to register for gift cards according to their tastes and needs, as research shows that couples are waiting longer to get married (brides are 27 on average, grooms 29).
11. Close To Home
TheWeddingReport.com predicts destination weddings will decline or remain flat in 2012 as couples are sticking close to home for the wedding day. They’re also choosing more outdoor and/or all-inclusive locations to simplify their weddings and save money.
12. Staying Put
Not only are couples staying close to home, they’re opting to host the ceremony and reception in the same location – again, to save money and simplify.
Cara Davis is the author of Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot and a blogger for CheapWaysTo.com.
Great with fresh greens and our local greenhouse tomatoes
1 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey – We love our friend’s at Sunparlour
1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt
Dash of Pepper
In a small saucepan combine the honey, balsamic vinegar and dried lavender. Over moderately low heat reduce the mixture to half. Add oil. Mix to blend. Add salt and pepper.
These lavender spiced baked apples are the perfect ending to any meal.
Yield: 6 servings
6 medium baking apples (about 2 pounds),
such as Gala or MacIntosh
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon lavender
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Core apples; peel a strip from the top of each. If necessary cut thin
slice from bottom of each apple so apple will stand upright. Place
apples upright in greased 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
In medium-size bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and
lavender pour into and around apples.
Set dish in a 13 x 9-inch pan. Set on oven rack. Carefully pour boiling
water into pan to 1-inch depth. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples
are tender, occasionally spooning sweetened condensed milk mixture in
bottom of dish over apples.
Serve warm
TIP If you don’t have sweetened condensed milk substitute a 1/4 cup of Lavender sugar or Lavender Vanilla Bean sugar in your regular baked apple recipe!
Last minute preparations for Super Bowl Sunday and of course I had to include lavender in something. So here’s my a quick creation:
2 ripe firm avocados mashed
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Serenity culinary lavender crushed with a mortar and pestle
1 small Leamington greenhouse tomato chopped
1/8 cup black bean and corn salsa
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 small onion
pinch of ground pepper
dash of hot sauce ( I used our homemade habenaro paste made from our garden grown peppers but use whatever you like)
Mix together and serve with nachos.
Chewy, chocolately with just the right amount of lavender. My family just loves these. When I make a batch they’re gone before the next day. Truly yummyliscious!
Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup of flour
1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup walnuts (optional)
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder. Add salt and lavender. Blend dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Mix in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into a greased 8×8 inch pan. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick comes out clean. Top with your favourite chocolate frosting for an even more decadent experience!