Here are my Thursday Things for the week:
1. Manuka Honey. This is the Cadillac of honey. If you like honey, Manuka honey is going to rock your world. It’s the most wonderful tasting honey I’ve ever tried. This type of honey is typically produced in Australia or New Zealand and there are different brands of Manuka honey. To be labeled Manuka honey, honey should have a manuka pollen count of at least seventy percent.
I tried Manuka honey for the first time about six years ago and fell in love.
I am a believer in the healing properties and benefits of honey, too. Honey is antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, but most honey you buy in stores isn’t living and has been pasteurized and has had the good properties stripped away.
Honey has UMF Ratings. “The UMF® found only in selective Manuka honey describes the anti-bacterial property (from non peroxide activity), sought after for its qualities that support the body’s natural health and wellbeing. Independent laboratory testing determines the UMF® value after the honey is packaged. The higher the UMF level, the higher the level of anti-bacterial benefits. Besides the health promoting properties this product has wide appeal as a pleasurable eating experience…”
UMF:
0 – 4: Not detectable
5 – 9: Maintenance Level
10 – 14: Suitable for therapeutic usage
15 and higher: Superior levels with very high activity levels for therapeutic usage
2. UMF Active 10+ honey is a little bit of a splurge but you’re worth it. Consider it your sweet treat to yourself for Valentine’s Day.
Use code AVE630 to save $5 on your iHerb order and all orders over $40 ship free. Never pay retail for anything from vitamins to protein powder, nutritional yeast, stevia, lotions, probioics, bulk spices, and more.
3. The Eater Spring 2012 Cookbook and Foodbook Preview
Do I “need” another cookbook? No. Do I want 27 more after looking at this list? Yes. I love cookbooks.
4. Deb’s post on Why Did My Cookies Spread?
There’s all kinds of possible reasons. Dough temp, butter or margarine, temperature of the cookies sheets, surface of the cookie sheets…
5. That post ties in with my thin-nish Mango and White Chocolate Cookies. Tasted great and were super soft and chewy (even more so than thicker cookies which was a bonus), they just a little spready. But they got eaten. No problems there.
6. And that ties in with flour and does the brand of flour matter?
Thanks for your thoughts and comments on if you think King Arthur is worth it.
7. These Tom’s Lina Woven Ballet Flats. They are not backordered in my size. For once, it’s good to be a bigfoot.
8. Can you wear the Valentine’s Women Classic year round? I think I’d like to try.
9. Can you eat chocolate and peanut butter year round? I don’t have to try. I do.
Ritz Cracker Stuffed Peanut Butter Cups (NoBake and Vegan. Ritz are ‘accidentally vegan‘) combine my two year round faves.
10. Personalized spoons on Etsy. So cute.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
What are your Thursday Things?
What’s caught your interest lately? Food, recipes, websites, products, books? What are your things?
Do you like honey? Shoes?
I want every single one of those cookbooks. A girl can’t have too many cookbooks, in my opinion!
agreed!! I bet you and I could start a library with our combined stash :)
I love Manuka honey, definitely worth the extra cost :) I remember buying it for my Mum when she had an awful chest infection, and everything cleared up so quick! Those ballet flats are gorgeous, and the spoons are so sweet!
Glad that the honey really helped your mom!
Manuka honey rocks. I had my oldest son wash his face with it for a week and his skin cleared up! I also put it on an infection I had from an old piercing and it went away. Good stuff…
One of my Thursday things is that I bought a donut pan from BBB today. However, they only had a giant donut pan or mini donut pans so I bought the mini one. Can I make your donut recipes in that pan and if so, how do I adjust?
Happy Thursday to you…it’s almost FRIDAY!! Woo hoo!!! :-)
Piercing infections….oh I remember when I was about 18 and had a navel ring that was a little funky. Where was the manuka honey back then…I think I used rubbing alcohol on it. lol
Mini recipe/regular side-by-side
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/12/baked-eggnog-vanilla-donuts-with-eggnog-rum-glaze.html
No need to really adjust anything, batter is the same; just watch the cooking times…the mini cooks FAST. Like maybe 6-8 mins? Not long if memory serves…
All other recipes, same batter recipe. Just don’t overfill the cavities or you’ll have a hot mess, literally :)
I lvoe the looks of the Toms but they look uncomfortable. Everyone swears they aren’t though.
Manuka Honey. I like it, but I like the raw tastes like frsoting honey better. I can eat a jar in a week So I rarely buy it. That’s an expensive habit, you know.
My Thursday Thing is Heart of Palm. I had never had them until today. I ate an entire jar for my afternoon snack and then went to the store tonight to get more. Oh lord. I’m in trouble.
Heart of Palm. When Scott and I went on our first date (to Atltana! from Chicago…he picked me up at my apt and took me to…the airport!) and we went to Atlanta and I remember eating at a restaurant called The Palm (they are in many big cities) anyway, I had a salad with heart of palm on it and have been a fan every since. Great in stir fries, too. Alongside baby corn, water chestnuts, and those Asian-ish veggies.
I don’t use too much honey but did you know that eating local honey helps cure seasonal allergies? And I LOVE my toms. I just got them about 6 months ago but I wear them anyday I don’t have my rainbow flipflops on. I wish those ballet flats werent so expensive though!
That’s why I’ve been eating more of lately: seasonal allergies. Glad you know about that, too.
Love your Toms? Ok, good, b/c I ordered my first pair :) My other shoes that I live in are Rainbow Flips. For the past 10 years, it’s all I buy. Or Nikes!
I’m still swooning over those ritz peanut butter cups. Just can’t seem to bring myself to add more dishes than what I already have! But I will have to make them soon. My husband has a sweet tooth and he loves the idea. My father in law keeps talking about black honey- I haven’t tried it yet but would like to.
So easy..you literally need one bowl to melt the chocolate and a knife to spread the PB on the cracker. Everything else is self contained in a wrapper :)
I generally have raw local honey around but forgot about the Manuka so now I want to find some after reading about its superior quality. I started ordering from I-Herb after learning about it from your blog and you are so right about their prices and good deals. Love shoes (and boots this time of year), and bags…. and jewelry…and bargains!
Glad you’ve been saving $$ via iherb. And yes, get the Manuka. A bit of a treat but it’s amazing!
I need to look for that honey!
And that slocombe ice cream book? Totally rocks!
They sell Manuka honey at WF’s but it’s wayyy cheaper on the internet, iherb.com, etc.
I bet you have a cookbook stash to beat the band :)
I love natural unprocessed raw honey. It smells and tastes heavenly: meadow in my mouth! When we moved here, my first farmer I became friends with was a “honey man”. This cute 80+ years old man is a sunshine on his own. He’s funny, knows his product super well, and – a bonus – I get a bee’s wax and a pollen from him for my skincare products! Sorry, what was the question?! oh, yes, my thing. I guess I want some honey now, I am going to make some tee and have it with some honey… If you’ll excuse me… :)
What a neighbor! That’s such a great story and I want a neighbor like that!
I have to admit- I didn’t know about any different grades/ratings of honey. I love honey, but am certainly not a connoisseur! I will have to check out that site and LOVE that shipping is free over $40- I am sure that spending that much won’t be a problem. Thanks! I think….
My current “thing” of the week are chickpea cookies… I’m kind of obsessed. :)
I still need to try chickpea cookies and iherb has saved me soooo much money over the years!
FYi- I spent WAY too long on that site today. I stopped myself when I got over $40 but I will be back to order much more. I’m so excited that the shipping time is 1-3 days and free- that is CRAZY! You started something here… :)
It’s my total go-to :) and if you spend more than like $75 then they start taking off 10% and sometimes then at $100 they take off 15%…it gets even cheaper :)
I like honey, especially the delicious stuff I won in your giveaway!!! It is soooooo good!!!!
And shoes … ooooooh shoes … don’t even get me started!!!!!!
this is even better!
My heated pad to soothe my muscles after a run. A must have. I don’t know why I haven’t gotten one sooner.
honey! yumm. i’m actually lucky enough to have my own honey thanks to a few hives in the backyard :) local + raw/unpasteurized, can’t beat it! i grew up on the stuff- natures best antibacterial!
a few hives in the backyard? Well isn’t that just awesome!
love those spoons! PERFECT gift.
That honey sounds wonderful! My favorite tasting honey is the stuff that comes with the individual cups of Fage greek yogurt. Nothing I buy locally compares taste wise for me, it’s weird. I should try the Manuka honey! Those Toms are so cute too!
TRY the manuka. I think you’ll be done with the Fage stuff after manuka :)
I am not a big fan of the look of the regular Toms but soooo want a pair of the wedges and loving the ballet flats too.
I almost bought the wedges but was like…be practical. And for me, the flats will get worn whereas the wedges will collect more dust :)