Better Than Robert Redford

My Nana was an amazing woman. She taught me from an early age to be proud of my Irish heritage. She also taught me about the finer points of a good whiskey. She would warn me about it though, and say that whiskey was the reason that the Irish never could conquer the world.

It is from her that I inherited my dark hair, Waterford Crystal and one of our most treasured family recipes. No one made a Redford, like my Nana. I would always pull up the stool at the end of her counter to see what she had cooking in the kitchen.  Sometimes it was something simple, like a toasted tomato sandwich with a fresh picked tomato from her garden. Other days offered Hungarian Goulash simmering on the stove, scenting the house with the delicious aroma of supper to come. She was forever swatting people away from the pot. "Patrick and Jerry get out of that pot or we wont have enough for dinner!"

One of the things I wish most, other than to have her here with us again, is that I would have written down her recipe for Irish Soda bread. Now that she is gone, that family recipe is lost to us forever. Sandi has not even had any luck trying to duplicate it. I was however, fortunate enough to learn the amazing Redford recipe from her. I watched her make this for many Gillespie Family Reunions at Lake Chemung.  When I make this dessert to take for a pot luck, I am guaranteed to come home with an empty pan, much to the Mr.'s dismay. Sometimes I have to make him a spare, so he can have some later. There are even people in my family that actually fight over who is going to get the last piece.

In honor of my Nana, I will share with you her recipe for Better Than Robert Redford. I should tell you that the original name of this dessert was Better Than Sex. Nana wouldn't call it that, so she changed the name to Better than Robert Redford. Today we all just call it Redford and everyone knows that you better get your piece fast before its long gone. I once set out a pan of Redford and went to go get more forks from the kitchen. When I got back, the whole pan was gone. Yes, folks, it is that good!

Better Than Robert Redford

Crust: 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 stick of butter softened, 1 tbs granulated sugar

Pre-heat oven to 375. Blend flour, butter and sugar until thoroughly incorporated. Press into a greased 9*13 baking pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely

Layer 1: 1 8oz package of cream cheese softened, 1 cup of Cool Whip softened, 1 cup of confectioners sugar

Blend cream cheese, Cool Whip and confectioners sugar until smooth. Spread mixture over completely cooled crust. Cover & Refrigerate 2 hours.

Layer 2: 2 small boxes Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding, 3 cups cold milk

Mix pudding and milk. Pour over 1st layer. Cover & Refrigerate 2 hours

Layer 3: Spread remaining Cool Whip on top and garnish with 2 cups crushed Heath Bar. Cover & Refrigerate 30 minutes.

If you decide to give Nana's Redford a try make sure that the butter, cream cheese and Cool Whip are all at room temp. They will blend better this way. I assure you that there will be enough dough for the crust, even if it doesn't look like it. Put it in the pan and use your fingers to press it down and spread it out. It takes a few minutes to work it across the pan. It is worth it I promise! You could also make it with pistachio pudding instead of chocolate and use crushed pistachios in place of the Heath Bar.

I hope you all enjoy my wonderful Nana's delicious dessert!

Honey Me This

Did you know that honey is one of natures super foods? Honey has been used by mankind for over 2500 years and is known for its antiseptic and anti-fungal properties, it is loaded with antioxidants that help boost your immune system and  when combined with warm water, cinnamon or lemon juice it can be used to help aid weight loss. Eating honey that is local to your area can also aid those who suffer from allergies by helping the body build immunity to local pollens. There are an infinite amount of applications to use honey, from cooking and baking to skin and wound care to easing a cough and sore throat. Just a quick side note, you should never feed honey to children under the age of  12 months due to the risk of botulism.

Ironically, most honey sold in the United States can hardly even be considered honey (source).  3/4 of the honey on grocery store shelves has been filtered so that all of the pollen is removed.

Why is the pollen so important? It is how honey is traced to a region. Different regions produce different flowers and pollen is a key ingredient in honey. Despite the fact that we have a  Food & Drug administration honey, unlike milk or meat, does not have a standard of identity. The lack of regulation enables potentially unsafe honey to make its way to our grocers shelf.  It is estimated that 1/3 of the honey on our store shelves has been smuggled in from China and contains traces of illegal antibiotics and heavy metals (Source) . 

How can you be sure that you are getting safe honey? Make sure that the honey you purchase is non-filtered. 

                         

When I buy honey, I buy from either of these two companies. I like them both, but for different reasons. The Sleeping Bear Farms honey is somewhat local to me and I can usually find it at my local grocer. It is made in the northern MI area, where I spent so many summers as a kid. I love the way the Star Thistle honey tastes, its like pure sunshine on a spoon. The Savannah Bee Company makes the best Tueplo honey I have ever tasted. This is the honey I use when I make Baklava. I also adore their line of body care products. The blackberry lip shimmer is my current go to lip gloss and the mint julep honey bar soap keeps my winter skin super soft and moisturized . It smells fantastic to boot.  Both companies have great reputations for being a quality product and if you get the chance, check out their websites.                                                             

I consider honey to be a mandatory kitchen staple since the variety of uses are endless. Did you know it never goes bad? From time to time it will crystallize and become cloudy in the jar. To return to its natural state put a pot of water on to boil. When it barely begins to boil place the jar of honey in the pot, turn the heat to low and let it heat up. The heat will make the honey clear again. When the jar is clear take it out of the pot and let it come to room temp before you put it away.

If you want to learn more about honey and find some links for great honey recipes check out The National Honey Board for more information.