Road Trip : Honey Bear Brown

On the road again, Sunday drivers trailing along...

We fuel up on a road side diner, for some old fashion breakfast special, and a hot pot of coffee served up in a mug.
I love waitresses; I do.

And, I am all about honey spoon stirred into my coffee as well.
If my chance I cannot find my Honey Bear, a pour spout of syrup will do.

And I love a big booth too.
I like the smell of dusty old cafe curtains to compliments the condiments.
I prefer the mix of low lamp light and natural light anytime I dine.

I like to read the laundry list of Specials up on the board.
I like to know I can show to do this by day or by night and all the way through.

We grocery shop along the trail leading back to home.
Fresh fruits abound, nuts and seeds, even eggs from the chicken coop out back.
Honey, honey, honey. Not far there is a "Honey Tasting Room" that you can find
in Piru. Piru Canyon Honey by Bennett Honey.

Francisco's Fruits along Hwy 126 is a necessary stop on the route back home. We peel in just before the close at 8:30pm!
Last time we ran in at 8:35, and they still let us in.

With our health and our happiness in mind, we gather up all our sources
and search out our hunt.

We stack up on our dried fruit treats.
Tamarinds are my personal feasts, tucked in glass candy dishes, piled high in mixing bowls, and more filed away in the pantry cupboard.

We find treasures other than the veggie kind.
I like to stick to the honey theme when it comes to my skin.
The Beeswax Skin Cream soaks right in.
The Ojai Valley Bee Farm has a full product menu to choose from including my favorite Cherimoya lip balm.

Road Trip : Blue and Beyond

We start the day bright and cheery to better make
a good impression for the remainder of the day.
Blackberries and blueberries atop plain yogurt
...and drowned in honey is a light and easy play.



We pile in a crew of our most willing and waiting personalities.
We leave the "Maybe's" behind waiting for their life to unfold.
We rev it up, hear it rumble and then let out the clutch.
We cut it short, to run back in to grab that one last thing we forgot.
Again, we let it roll on out.



We stop for the view and take notice of the small
...and subtle surprises that surround.
We snatch a souvenir that won't get us a arrested,
...and grab another snack to keep us roving.


Where ever we wander we will always obey and respect the terrain,
being sure to show no trail of destruction or neglect.
We even bring along our own bags to carry all our sandwiches, salads, chips.
We even pick up other people's trail of trash if need be.





We finally settle into our designated scene
and tickle our toes in the cold sea foam.
We watch kids dig for sand crabs and listen to them howl
as the seagulls steal their new score for their own meal.
We see the locals strolling by dogs in tow both tiny and tall.
We spy dolphins skipping along, and flipping for fun,
...and we'll all swim out to try and greet them knowing
all along they'll give a tease and keep on their run.
Pelicans will dive from the sky for their dinner with pride.




We make the most of the day my staying put as long as the light will allow.
..and our bladders hold out!

We day dream as a group and make tentative plans that
feed our fantasies and float our expectations.
We breath in deep through our nose,
...and breath out slow as we can manage through our sun kissed lips.
We make mental notes to do this again.

Hey There, Pink Cheeks!

One of my most favored talents is making great fresh-fruit-blended-ices or smoothies.
I especially love having them and serving them at 'cocktail hour' and I like them a sharp and refreshing. Any time, before or after a meal...pre-breakfast/post-breakfast, pre-lunch/post-lunch, late-after-noon-I-cannot-wait-for-dinner, and even for a fabulous dessert. Juice or fruit for that matter is usually best had by itself, and not to be paired with a meal; just to much confusion for the tummy.
Keep it simple. Keep it sublime. Keep it mine-all-mine.

I am lucky enough to have very generous neighbors, who not only leave town often but, also return bearing fruit! The have property in the dessert that yields trunk loads of citrus. Good citrus. Grapefruits that look tiny and yellow on the out side but, reveal themselves pink and sweet on the inside. I love a good surprise!

Grapefruits are less acidic than oranges, so they settle in easy. They also have a tiny bit of caffeine or something that resembles a perky effort; another nice surprise.
So they make for a great pick-up-that-face-you're-dragging-around-town. And, yes they do melt through cellulite!..what?..yes...fat burning; Can't beat that good surprise.

So here is the dilly-dally: I like my pink grapefruit with fresh ginger, for a little extra prick-up-those-cheeks. Ginger helps digestion by making our tummy sing, warming us up, and therefore making our sweet-cheeks-flush-pink! Smile...

In the blender: Pink grapefruit, fresh grated Ginger root, Honey (secret ingredient), ice, and sometimes...this time with a shot of fresh Pomegranate juice (I get mine from the local farmer's market and it looks like dark Port wine). Push the button high, while you reach for a straw.

Now, Pomegranate does two things that are extremely special. One, it gives us a huge dose of iron, which is good in moderation. So a big shot glass or a small wine glass is will do the trick just right. Two...it is the most fabulous sleepy-time-night-cap!..
One little glass alone after a zooming day, and I am out in 20 minutes flat; I have to remember to brush my teeth and get straight to bed. I have caught myself many times, stuck in the same spot I was sipping in..stuck and I can't get up. Lights on, T.V. on, jeans on...that really sucks. So just jump right it and get it over with.

The combo of the pick up Grapefruit + the sleepy time Pomegranate = a nice little afternoon delight; a.k.a.... "Cocktail".
You could impress the guests and shake it up with a splash of Vodka; I won't tell.
Oh, and a dropper of rose water to take it a step further in creating a "Love Potion".

Cheers to our health, Sweet Cheeks!

Be well.

Honey Bunny

Oh, my Honey Bunny!
A huge fan of honey, I am always on the hunt to sample another version of the same treat.
Though my favorites have been the desert road side stands, with that made by hand, back yard technique, I have stumble on this new find on the bright light shelves of Whole Foods; Who new?
'Honey Bunny': Creamed Clover Honey is Organic of course.
100% pure Peace River honey from Alberta Canada.
Note the small print on the back.."This adorable little pouch of creamed honey is sure to bounce around you kitchen table. A true delicacy! Squeeze your Honey Bunny today"!

> Everyday it makes it into my Mate, my coffee, my tea or however I plead that day.
> It is a simple allergy cure in a pinch.
Start to sneeze, fill a spoonful, and it's fixed.
> A facial treatment. Start with a warm wet towel, to heat things up,
dip your finger, and then share that with your other finger tips.
Press tips to your newly cleaned face, and pull away, and away and away.
Pull all those little blackheads off and away.
Rinse it all off with the warm wet one more time.
Clean and done for the day.

www.honey-bunny.com

Hot Sweet & Sour Salsa

Hot, Sweet and Sour Salsa, is a transition piece for plums.
So many ways to taste the seasons, and yet another twist.
A deep dark, and flavor full plum; chopped.
One quarter red onion; chopped.
Sauce it up with a blend of...
One tablespoon...Sesame oil.
Two teaspoons...Honey.
One teaspoon... Vietnamese chili sauce.
Splash a little less, or more, depending who you are making it for.
Dip into it, or top on some favorite taco or such.
Serve it for an intro it an early supper or a late lunch.
Simple and salted slim chips will do; Taro might be better.
Keep fists full of fresh crisp leafy greens to cool the tender tounge down.
Share it over cool cocktails, iced jasmine tea, or even a ginger lemonade.
When the weather cannot decide whether to stay fair, or shower around,
...enjoy this piece of transitional Plum, to make for some good play.