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Santa Barbara Hives

Carpinteria + Santa Barbara

At Santa Barbara Hives you’ll find amazing
local honey, pollen, soaps, candles, FLOW hives & all you need to be a local beekeeper!
You’ll also find beautiful jewelry AND OJAI JELLY!

PS I eat their delicious bee pollen every-single-day and it controls my allergies beautifully!

Check them out at:
Santa Barbara Hives
516 Palm Avenue Unit C
Carpinteria, CA 93013
+
Santa Barbara Hives
3328 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93105

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Crab Cake Dipping Sauce

Ojai Jelly
Crab Cake Sauce

3/4 c. safflower mayonnaise (or your favorite)

1/4 c. buttermilk (or plain yogurt)

3 T. Ojai Habanero Jelly (room temperature)

3 T. fresh dill leaves- chopped fine

1 T. fresh parsley leaves- chopped

2 T. lemon zest

1/2 lemon- juiced

1 garlic clove- minced

Combine all ingredients in a bowl & stir well.
Keep refrigerated until just before serving.
Sauce will thicken as it chills-

enjoy!

 

 

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Blood Orange Tequila Sunset Cocktail

Ojai Blood Oranges

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What you’ll need;
ice
1 1/2 oz GOOD tequila (per person)
4 oz Tangerine Juice (per person)
1/2 oz blood orange syrup (per person)

The syrup is easy to make. You’ll have extra for the next time you’re craving this cocktail.
It stores well in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

Blood Orange Syrup

4 c. fresh squeezed Blood Orange juice
2c. sugar

Combine ingredients in a saucepan, then simmer for about 15 minutes, reducing liquid to half. Set aside & let cool.

The trick to making this beautiful Blood Orange Tequila Sunrise Cocktail is to add the ingredients in a specific order, creating striations of color. First in the glass goes the ice, then the tequila, the tangerine juice, and lastly the blood orange syrup. Slowly drizzle the syrup over the back of a spoon to allow the syrup to make it’s way to the bottom of the glass. Give it a slight stir, and you’re finished-
Garnish with a curl of zest & make a toast!

Serves well with a gaggle of giggling friends, telling stories, creating new ones & watching the Ojai “Pink Moment” “Sunset” disappear together-

enjoy!

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All American Cranberry Sorbet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT SCREAMS A-M-E-R-I-C-A like an Oxycoccus? The genus Vaccinium aka the CRANBERRY-

I ♥ experimenting with cranberries!  In preparation for Thanksgiving I made this today;

Cranberry Sorbet with an Ojai “Pixie” Tangerine Reduction

3-4 c. fresh, organic “Pixie” tangerine juice
In a medium size saucepan, over medium heat;
reduce tangerine juice to about one half. Stir often.  Once reduced, set aside to cool.
In a medium size saucepan over medium heat;
cook the cranberries in water w/ cloves, until cranberries begin to ‘pop’, then set aside to cool.
2-3 c. water
1-12ounce bag of fresh cranberries
5-7 whole cloves
Drain, saving the cooking liquid. Set aside to cool.
Place cranberries & cloves in a blender & puree.
For each step I strain the cranberry mixture- I like smooth sorbet.
In another medium size saucepan, heat & stir until sugar dissolves;
2 c. cranberry liquid reserve
1-2 c. tangerine reduction
1 1/2 c. sugar
Strain the cranberry puree through a sieve, as you don’t want to have seeds or fiber in your sorbet-
Add strained cranberry puree mixture to the liquids & stir to mix.
Cool a few minutes then place all ingredients into your prepared ice-cream maker for about 20-30 minutes.
This can be made ahead of time-  Store in an airtight container in the freezer. Remove from freezer about
15 minutes before serving.
Scoop to serve with a mini-mellonball tool.

Serve on top of a fresh basil leaf, or in a delicate dessert cup-

A REFRESHING, flavorful dessert after a Thanksgiving Feast-
I don’t like pumpkin pie…
This cranberry dish is also a great between-course palate cleanser –
enjoy!
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Taste of Ojai

Taste of Ojai was so much fun!  Beautiful day!  Well attended, & it went on without a glitch-
Thank you to the Ojai Valley Inn & the Crowne Family for hosting the annual event-
I’d like to extend a BIG “thank you” to Mr. Peter Bowen for making
it all seem effortless-  I have a feeling he ran his legs off – all the while with a BIG, sincere, beaming smile-
Thanks Peter!

____________________________________________

Saturday October 27, 2012

12th Anual Taste of Ojai
Please join us on the 10th green

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, Ojai, CA.

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Jay wrote:

Jay wrote: “I’m about half-way through my first jar of Ojai Jalapeno Jelly, and I rank it up there with my first taco and my first bite of authentic cheese cake. (In other words, in and among the very highest echelons of my personal Cosmic Deliciousness realms.) BRAVO.”

THANK YOU VERY MUCH JAY- I enormously appreciate the GINORMOUS compliment!
I’d say it’s high time you try my Ojai Habanero Jelly, which I’d like to gift you-
Address please!

 

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Minestrone Soup

This evening I had the pleasure of visiting Randy Graham (Valley Vegetarian), & his lovely wife Robin-
We shared stories of food & travel & when I was about to leave, Robin went into her backyard garden & picked a fennel root for me to take home.  I considered slicing it paper thin &  making a fresh salad with it, but Robin suggested Minestrone Soup- so I dashed home & made Minestrone Soup for the first time & it was delicious-

5 T. olive oil
7 garlic cloves- peeled, minced
1 1/2 c. Guinness Extra Stout
1 large red potato- peeled, sliced thin lengthwise (microwave for about 2 minutes)
salt & pepper to taste
2 c. tomato sauce (I always have a stash in the frig. of homemade burnt butter sage spaghetti sauce)
1 can of white beans- rinsed
1″ diameter angel hair pasta- (I break it into 2″ bits for easy cooking)
1 c. broccoli- chopped well
1 c. carrots- cut in circles
1 c. anise root- cut into bite size pieces
Asiago Cheese
Dinner Rolls

Add a dash of salt & pepper.  Turn off the heat & let rest for about 5 minutes.  Garnish with finely grated Asiago cheese & serve with wholegrain or sourdough dinner rolls.  I served this soup with Jalapeño Brioché & it was tasty-

enjoy!

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Ojai Jalapeño Brioche with Ojai Jalapeño Jelly

Preheat oven to 350.

2 packets active dry yeast
¼ c. warm water
1 ¼ c. buttermilk
¾ c. salted butter (softened)
¼ c. sugar
2 eggs
5-7 Jalapeño Peppers – washed & stemmed- chopped in a mini Cuisinart
(I don’t remove the seeds- only remove them IF you want to control the heat/wear gloves)
5-5 ½ c. ‘self rising’ flour
pinch of salt

Ojai Jalapeño Jelly

Butter -salt free @ room temperature

Grease bread pans & set aside

In a large bowl:

Sprinkle the yeast on top of the warm water.  Let mixture rest until it’s frothy looking, then add buttermilk, butter, sugar, eggs, & 1 c. flour.  Mix lightly & add the Jalapeños.  Keep adding flour until 5-5 ½ c. are reached.  Knead well.  Place in pans & cover loosely with plastic wrap & a light towel.  Let rise until doubled in size (about 45 minutes).  Bake @ 350 oven for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from pans & brush with butter.  Serve brioche fresh from the oven with a side of Ojai Jalapeño Jelly & butter.

enjoy!