Honey of a recipe for Thanksgiving!

Give Thanks to the Bees!

This Thanksgiving, take a second to salute the humble honey bees who keep us in constant supply of sweet-tasting honey. These hard-working bees pollinate about 80 percent of our nation’s agricultural crops and travel more than 55,000 miles just to bring one pound of honey to consumers. Now that’shard work!

And, thanks to the honey bees, we’re able to deliver this delicious, honey-centric Thanksgiving menu to you this month. From the turkey to the pecan pie, the bees and their scrumptious honey have it covered! Enjoy this time with your friends and family, and reflect on the role of the honey bees in your favorite holiday dishes.


I subscribe to the National Honey Board and thought those recipes looked fantastic. I wanted to share them with my friends because I will try a couple of those myself. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving from the National Honey Board!


IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Some of you have asked me if I sent them an e-mail with nothing in the body except a link - DO NOT OPEN IT! It's not from me and I've been getting them from others in my address book as well. It must be some kind of virus! 


PLEASE be assured that if I send you an e-mail it will always have a personal message (so you know it's me) and if I send you a link, I will always tell you what it is and assure you that it's safe to open because I try to be a very careful computer user!


Now, go on and read those yummy recipes and enjoy your weekend :-)

Honey Tarragon Glazed Poultry
(makes 4 servings)

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (about 3 lbs.) whole chicken
• Honey Madeira Sauce

Combine all ingredients except chicken; mix well. Rub breast and thigh/legs under skin with honey mixture. Roast on rack in shallow baking pan at 325°F for 30 minutes. Brush entire surface with honey mixture. Roast 20 to 30 minutes longer or until leg bone moves freely and juices run clear; baste every 10 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Honey Madeira Sauce: Remove excess fat from pan and deglaze with 3/4 cup water. Boil 1 minute in small saucepan; add 2 Tablespoons Madeira wine and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Continue boiling mixture until slightly thickened. Serve with chicken if desired.

Honey Cornbread Stuffing
(makes 4 treatments)

• 4 cups day-old Honey Cornbread
• 1 (4 oz.) Italian sausage
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 Tablespoon minced parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 2 Tablespoons honey

In large bowl, place crumbled cornbread. Remove sausage from casing. In medium skillet, crumble and sauté sausage until brown. Using slotted spoon, remove sausage from skillet and add to cornbread. Drain all but 1 Tablespoon of fat. Return skillet to medium-high heat; stir in bell pepper, onion and celery. Sauté until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Cool slightly, then add to cornbread. In small bowl, combine broth and honey. Pour over stuffing. Place stuffing in a greased 9x9-inch baking dish. Cover dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes until stuffing is lightly browned. As an alternative, pack you may pack stuffing into poultry cavity before roasting.

Honey Nut Squash
(makes 4 servings)

• 2 acorn squash
• 4 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts
• 2 Tablespoons seedless raisins
• 2 Tablespoons margarine, melted
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Cut acorn squash lengthwise into halves; do not remove seeds. Place cut side up in baking pan or on baking sheet. Bake at 400°F 30 to 45 minutes or until soft. Remove seeds and fibers. Combine honey, butter, walnuts, raisins and Worcestershire sauce; spoon into squash. Bake 5 to 10 minutes more until lightly glazed. Microwave Method: Cut acorn squash lengthwise into halves and remove seeds. Microwave according to manufacturer's directions. Combine honey, butter, walnuts, raisins and Worcestershire sauce; spoon into squash. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated and lightly glazed.

Cranberry Pecan Pie
(makes 8 servings)

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 9-inch baked pie shell
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1-3/4 cups pecan halves

In medium saucepan, combine cranberries, juice and honey. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 15 minutes if using fresh cranberries or 20 minutes if using frozen berries. Cool. Puree cranberry mixture in blender; return to saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water. Stir into cranberry mixture. Bring to boil and cook until thickened. Stir in orange extract. Cool; then pour into pie shell. Spoon topping evenly over cranberry mixture. Bake at 350°F 20 minutes or until top is bubbly. Cool on wire rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Topping: In medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup honey and 3 Tablespoons butter or margarine; cook and stir 2 minutes or until mixture is smooth. Stir in 1-3/4 cups pecan halves until well coated.