Honey Nut Cake

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup honey
1 egg separated
2 tbs lemon juice
3/4 cup plus 2 tbs milk

Sift together dry ingredients and set aside. Cream the shortening and slowly add the honey; beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk. Combine the lemon juice and milk and add to the honey mixture alternately with the flour mixture. Fold in stiffly beaten egg white. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 min. Top the cake with the Honey Nut Topping as soon as it comes from the oven. Return the cake to the oven and bake at 425 for 5 min. Serves 12 to 14

Honey Nut Topping

1 cup peanuts, chopped
2/3 cup honey

Combine the peanuts and honey and spread over the cake as directed.

Pure Honey Taffy

Heat 2 cups of honey to boiling. Add pinch baking soda. 1 tbs butter, 1 tbs lemon juice, and a few grains of salt. Boil to hard ball stage. Pout into butter pan. Cool. Pull.

Honey-Lemon Cough Syrup

Cut up 2 lemons and boil with 1/2 cup water. Add 1 cup honey and simmer until syrupy. Can be stored and used for couphs.

Honey Nuggets

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 package semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cream together shortening and honey. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Sift together flour, soda and salt. Add to first mixture along with chocolate pieces and nuts. Drop by tsp onto greased cookie sheet. Bake in moderate oven about 375 10 -12 min. Makes about 4 dozen.

Honey Glazed Carrots

12 small carrots or 6 large carrots, halved
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs honey
3/4 cup grated orange peel
3 tbs finely minced parsley

Cook carrots in small amount boiling, salted water until tender, about 15 min. Melt butter in a skillet, add sugar, honey orange peel and drained carrots. Cook over low heat, turning carrots until well glazed. Remove from pan and roll in parsley. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Using Honey

Because honey absorbs moisture, it keeps such baked goods as cakes and breads softer longer. However that same quality may make candies and meringues soft and sticky.

Measure honey accurately. It can mound up so it should be flattened with a knife or spatula. Honey is as sweet as sugar and can replace it cup for cup,but the liquid in the recipe should then be reduced by 1/4 cup for each 1 cup of honey.

You could soda to the flour mixture when substituting honey for sugar to help neutralize the honey's acidity. The amount of soda needed to neutralize the acidity in 1 cup of the average honey is 1/12 to 1/5 tsp., though it should be remembered the darker the honey the more the acid. When sour milk and honey are used together no soda is necessary.

STORING HONEY

Honey should be kept in airtight containers at room temperature to retard granulation. Most honey is pasteurized so yeasts can't grow to cause fermentation.

Honey may darken a little after lengthy storage, but it is still usable for syrups and spreads.

Honey will harden after a time. All you need to do to bring it to it's original state is to put the container that has the honey, in a pan with water about 1/4 full. Turn the heat on low, warm the honey until it is in it's original state. You then can use the honey as you would normally. Honey will keep for a very long time.

I have found that honey that was bought in a metal container will turn very dark and will have a tinny taste. So if I buy honey that is in a metal container I transfer it into glass jars, fill to the rim and place the lid on tightly. You then can place the honey in a cool place. It will be content for many years.