DIY Honey Lemon Candy

✧・゚: * We wish you a [belated] Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎄🎁 *:・゚✧

Here in Calgary, it is snappy cold. It is so cold that I seldom leave the house unless I absolutely have to freeze my face off. Yesterday, I needed to run some errands and happened to stumble upon a pharmacy that had Pfizer vaccines. The timing was right, so I ended up getting my 3rd Covid-19 booster shot. So far so good – I have a sore arm, but otherwise I feel fine. These days, I am still trying to avoid the general public as much as possible without resorting to a complete hermit lifestyle. The temperature here is disgusting, and there is nothing glamorous about staying frosty. Last night, it was -30°C (celsius) which is stupidly #cold.

Tis’ Flu Season Too

Not only is it unbearably cold AF, but it is also cold season (pun intended) ❄ I know that everyone is sick and tired of the pandemic so I don’t want to harp about the importance of getting vaccinated. I did what was best for me and you need to do what is best for you. I know that my immune system is not very good and I even wrote about my crappy immune system in an older blog post. I try my best to stay healthy, but sometimes sickness cannot be prevented regardless of how cautious and healthy you are. Sure, you can sanitize your hands and wear a mask all you want, but at the end of the day, there’s still a chance that you will get sick.

(◔_◔)っThink about it this way: It’s not a matter of if you catch it. It’s a matter of when you catch it. 😷

Thank goodness that I am not sick right now *knock on wood* but when I am sick, I usually get a sore throat. If I don’t get a sore throat, it’s usually a bad head cold. Head colds and sore throats are icky, and I really don’t care for the store-bought throat lozenges. The most effective throat lozenges usually contain eucalyptus which is so overpowering and makes me wanna gag. Eukalyptus is definitely an acquired taste. Sure, an alternative is store-bought vitamin C drops which are pretty palatable but they can be quite pricy for what they are, and I much rather get my mega doses of Vitamin C from fresh citrus fruits! 🍋🍋

I hope that my dear readers aren’t sick right now and that everyone stays healthy this holiday season. Whether or not you have a sore throat right now, I have a special honey lemon candy recipe to share with you today. This recipe tastes like store-bought candy but it is healthier and cheaper than what you would typically find in the supermarket. To be honest, I did not change the original recipe all that much; I used slightly less sugar in mine. Here is the link to the original candy recipe: https://www.manusmenu.com/honey-hard-candy

Even though the author says that you need a candy thermometer, I haven’t been able to find one. I made this recipe a handful of times without a candy thermometer and it worked fine. You really need to keep a close eye on the candy or you might end up with burnt sugar instead. An alternative to a candy thermometer is to take a cold bowl of water, and using a spoon, scoop some of the mixture out of the pot and transfer it to the bowl of water. If the candy sticks to the spoon and hardens right away, then that’s the texture you want. Also, this recipe calls for 6 tbsp. of sugar but I prefer to use 4 tbsp. of sugar for a tarter lemony flavor 🍋 It really depends on your personal preference! 😅

Not convinced yet?

Here are some photos of my cute heart-shaped candy creations. I hope that you enjoy making this DIY honey lemon candy recipe as much as I did. If you enjoyed this recipe and would like me to share more candy recipes in the future, please let me know in the comments below ↓ Have a safe and healthy New Year everyone! 🎉😷

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

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Virgin Piña Colada

Disclaimer: This recipe was originally posted as a separate pageI changed it to reflect the direction that this blog is headed in. Thank you for understanding! 

Nothing beats this classic drink recipe. You may have noticed that I talked about this delicious drink in my blog post titled, March Recap Spring 2021 because this drink was one of my favourite things to drink while I was pregnant. Re: Virgin Piña Colada!

I made this drink often while pregnant, and people ridiculed me for drinking it because they thought I was drinking its alcoholic cousin. Seriously, who do you think I am?! To this day, I rarely drink alcohol because I really don’t see what’s so great about drinking nail polish remover. Sorry, not sorry! Alcohol does not taste good to me and I have to drink it with loads of sugar to make it more palatable 😝 So if you came here for the alcoholic version of this drink, feel free to add your own alcohol. For the rest of you who enjoy Shirley Temples and other fun non-alcoholic drinks, you are in for a treat today. My sans alcohol version of the classic Piña Colada has been tested and approved by myself and my family. Cheers! 🍍🥥

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Virgin Piña Colada

Servings: 1                          Time: 2 minutes                          Difficulty: easy

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 tbsp. crushed pineapple
  • 1/3 can low fat coconut milk
  • 2-3 tbsp. pineapple juice
  • 6 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS

  1. Using a personal blender (I use a Nutri Ninja), add the crushed pineapple, pineapple juice and coconut milk. Quickly pulse the ingredients. Using a spoon, taste to make sure the coconut balances the pineapple. If flavours are balanced, continue to step #2.
  2. Add the ice. Personally, I like my drink very iced so I use 6 cubes. Slowly add a few ice cubes and pulse. Then add a few more ice cubes so the blender doesn’t get jammed. When the desired consistency is reached, it is ready to drink.
  3. Pour into a fancy glass and add a milkshake straw (optional).
Photo credit: Pineapple Supply Co

I encourage you to give this recipe a try. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments section below ↓ I love reading your comments 💕

Thanks for stopping by!

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Carrot Coconut Muffins

Disclaimer: This recipe was originally posted as a separate page on November 15, 2017. I changed it to reflect the direction that this blog is headed in. Thank you for understanding!

My husband and I take health and well-being very seriously. Usually, I will make several trips to the grocery store when trying a new recipe but this time, I decided to only use what was in my cupboard. I changed the original recipe I was referencing quite a bit. You can find the original carrot muffin recipe over at Genius Kitchen.

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CARROT COCONUT MUFFINS

Servings: 12                          Time: 40 minutes                          Difficulty: easy

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 cup coconut
  • 2 cups shredded carrots

DIRECTIONS

  1. Crack an egg into a bowl and whisk the egg.
  2. Add orange juice, margarine, brown sugar, and white sugar to the bowl. Stir well.
  3. Sift together dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
  4. Stir in egg mixture and mix until dough is moistened.
  5. Gently fold in carrots and coconut. I shred the carrots using my Vitamix blender.
  6. Spoon into well-greased muffin pans. Cupcake liners are optional but I don’t recommend using them for this particular recipe. The dough is too dense, making the cupcake liner difficult to peel away.
  7. Sprinkle some of the white sugar on the muffin tops for extra shine. Again, this step is optional.
  8. Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees F.
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Photo credit: Genius Kitchen, photo by Jose G.

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

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