Sweet and Tangy Ribs

Ribs with a tang

 Mothers Polynesian Gooey Ribs

Now you have all had some variation of  bar b que ribs. Personally I am not a fan of rubbed smoked ribs. Or, ribs on the bar b que with some kind of tomato or vinegar based sauce they put over it. Just doesn't do it for me. I like my slab cooked slow in a nice cozy oven. Covered with a concoction that I can only describe as Polynesian.  I like my sauce sweet, gooey and tangy. Fruity with a bit of spiciness I get from the ginger and garlic. They are fall off the bone tender. But not steamed, as to end up as boiled meat.

Fruity, Ginger Garlic Spare Ribs

1 large slab of spare ribs. St. Louis ribs will do.
4 oz. apricot preserves
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1 can of crushed pineapple in own juice
1/2 cup of tomato ketchup
1 tbs of yellow mustard
3 tbs of finely chopped fresh ginger
salt
white pepper
1 tbs of olive oil
1/4 stick of butter
1/4 cup of white apple cider vinegar
4 large cloves of garlic chopped very fine

1tbls of onion powder
1 tsp of garlic powder
2 tbs of lemon juice
1/2 med. yellow onion finely chopped
1/4 cup of soy sauce or terriaki 

Salt and pepper ribs on both sides and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in oven at 300 F. takes about 1 hr cooking time. Cook it slow. When you see that it is partially cooked take it out of the aluminum foil and put in a baking pan. Add water to bottom of pan. Checking it while it cooks. Continue cooking slow @ 325 F.

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl or container that is suitable. Except the butter. Taste sauce so as to adjust to your taste. You will not get full flavor or strength of ginger until it is cooks, so be aware. Heat the ingredients in a sauce pa. Melt in butter and stir until melted and incorporated.

With ribs cooked to almost off the bone perfection. Pour the mixture over the ribs. Cook the ribs all the way. the sauce should have turned gooey. If there is still a liquefied amount in the pan. Place the pan across two top burners and heat as if reducing a sauce. Now those are ribs to howl for. 
 

Dona Putana's Pink Gulf Shrimp and Asparagus

Fast and easy. This is a plate of seafood you can't resist. It is and attractive to see on a plate as well as pleasing your palate. So satisfy your need for seafood on whatever day of the week it might be. It is a winner and can be spread over angel hair pasta. Or. another type of thin pasta or linguini. It is just as good served without. This dish is a hit with diner guests along with some crusty bread and good a pinot grigio. Or, your favorite brew. 

1 lb. of pink Gulf shrimp 35- 40 per pound size
 de veined. tail on
Olive oil
dry sherry

1  bouquet of  fresh parsley 
1 lg. head of garlic or two small ones
salt
pepper
4 tbls. of butter
2 lemons
1tsp. of crushed red pepper
1 bunch of asparagus the thinner the better.

First snap off the bottom thicker part of the stem. With a sharp parring knife scrape off the outside thicker green layer of each asparagus.  Place the stems standing crown up, in a pot. Salt the water and put a few drops of lemon juice. Some how or another prop them up so that the bottoms of the stems are boiled till just tender. The tops will steam as the lower parts cook in the water. Scraping off the outside layer will prevent eliminate stringing. After steaming drain and place on paper towels to dry.  Then put olive oil in a saute pan. Get oil very hot. put in 3 gloves of finely chopped garlic. Put the asparagus in carefully. Make make sure you are wearing clothes. Saute the asparagus and garlic together till completely tender. Take out of the pan and plate it in a large platter.

Dry shrimp on a paper towel. Salt the shrimp liberally add pepper to taste. Heat olive oil and butter in a saute pan till very hot. Finely chop 4 to 5 cloves of garlic. Chop parsley coarsely.  Put garlic into the pan and let cook about 5 sec then put shrimp in. Sprinkle some dry sherry over the shrimp Saute until they become deep pink in color. Now put in your parsley and saute for another 10 sec. Place shrimp over asparagus. Sprinkle crush red pepper over the top. Garnish with more parsley and slice up the lemon into wedges of four. Place over the top to look nice.

If you wish to serve over angel hair pasta or linguini.  Remove tails before time. Do not serve with lemon.
 

Pasta and beans....

                                 Pasta and Beans or pasta fagioli.
                                                          Warning this is not a soup.
   

So you go into a restaurant and you see on the menu, "pasta & fagioli". Or, "pasta fazzole". The same thing. One of the simplest of  all meals. Totally vegan with the protein you need, carbs and roughage age included. All that in a pasta and bean dish.  It will warm you on those cold nights.  And stick to your ribs if you have to go out to shovel snow. Never the less this dish suits any weather.  The kids balk at it at first. That' ok this is for the adults. So get some chicken nuggets for the kids. You will make everyone happy. Most of all yourself. Especially when you see how easy it is to put diner on the table. The origins of this pasta dish is of the regular folks. It is a common dish served in the agricultural south of Italy. From Naples to Sicily.

It is made with either a red kidney bean or white cannelloni bean. I prefer the red kidney bean. I find the white bean  too starchy. Now you can either buy the uncooked beans in a package That you would have to cook and drain prior. This can take a while. It is good to soak the beans overnight before cooking, they are a dried food product. Or, use a good canned product. It can happen, trust me. This dish feeds four.

Ingredients

1 lg. can of  Progresso red kidney beans. or cannelini beans
Or, try the Goya, if you want. You can also get cannelloni beans in a can.

1 lb. Box of shell shaped pasta.( medium size )
I recommend shells because the bean finds it's way into the shell.

2 Tbls of  Olive oil.

4 cloves of garlic peeled and chooped

Pepper and salt.

Locatelli grated cheese.

A wine glass for wine you will be drinking. A full bodied red wine will do just fine.

1. Bring water to a boil and salt the water. Throw in the pasta and follow directions on box as to the cooking time.
2. In a sauce pan, put in the olive oil and bring up the heat. Now throw in the garlic. after a half a minute. Put in the beans. Their liquid as well. Lower the heat and let simmer, stirring once or twice.

3. When the pasta is to your taste and firmness, drain. Leaving some of the water in the pot. About a 1/4 inch  of water should cover the bottom of the pot. By the time you do that the beans are ready to mix with the pasta. Mix the beans into the pot with the pasta,  pepper to taste. . Mix and serve in family style bowl. Put some grated cheese over the top. Some chopped parsley as garnish.  That's it folks. You will be licking your spoon looking for more.

My friend, Mr. Zucchini

 Zucchini They are easy to grow in most gardens


In an effort to keep this Recipe Blog simple. I will continue to include recipes that are simple to make but fit into sophisticated life styles. As well as those who like to entertain family and friends. They also fit into the classification of popular fare for a for a working family. I like to think of it as a reversible jacket. They are primarily vegetable dishes.That are tasty, nutritious and economical.  They will augment pasta, biscuits and bacon, potatoes, chicken and beef. Or, even a thick crusty bread. There being beauty in simplicity.  There is no doubt that these recipes will fulfill that axiom. You may find that I can be sarcastic in my remarks or rhetoric. You are right to assume this because I am. However; you will have fun. You will be laughing with me and not I at you.

Now this is a good one that I will describe to you. My mother would make it on a Friday night. Friday being meatless as to the Catholic dogma at the time. We could not even make that sacrifice of having a meatless  day. So the Pope got rid of it. Well who am I to judge. I just write a blog. This is really a cool recipe. You probably have most of the ingredients in your cupboard or refrigerator. Italian being the most popular in the country. It also has been incorporated as to the post immigration American scene. So these ingredients are prevalent.  As other immigrant groups, cultures did as well. It is just that Italian food tastes good to everyone. Come on, who doesn't like pasta? No one I know. If you know of anyone let me know.
 I would like to meet that person. No crazies please.

Zucchini Over Linquini. 
 Enough for 4 or 5 people

Come on even the name sounds beautiful. I'm telling ya', it can't be beat. Ok,  now that I got you all worked up lets begin.


6 to 8 medium size zucchini 
A zucchini is very useful weapon. I had a cousin in Florida who claimed he beat an alligator off with a zucchini. It was a long distance call on New Years Eve . So you figure it out.

1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of linquini fini. If not any thin spaghetti will do.Or just linquini.

Ronzoni has the perfect linquini fini. No. 17 . Then there is linquini, No. 18, or thin spagetti No.9. Of course Ronzoni Spagetti No. 8 will always do. Or any of the recognizable brands. Stay away from the high priced imported ones. We in the U.S. are experts at making pasta. My grandfather made pasta in the U.S one hundred years ago. He was one of many that brought it from Italy. Then you have the Asian pasta products. Yes, they make a lot of pasta in the U.S. 

Olive oil 
You will want to use a good one. Even though we will be cooking with it. Virgin is necessary. You will see why.
Garlic 
A medium size head, the amount depends on you. For some there is never enough garlic. For others it is always too much. Peel and chop the garlic finely but not mushy.

Black Pepper
Amount to taste

Do not peel the zucchini
Slice the zucchini into1/4 inch slices. Try to keep them as uniform as possible. Only a pro can do that with a knife. Use a gadget they are always selling on T.V., that slices and dices.  

1 cup of  Grated  Peccorino Romano cheese. Imported from Loccatelli Italy. That is the best. If not, so what. Get something else that is good. Pre grated, or "grate as you go", off a wedge.
 Get a skillet or a frying pan that is at least 12 inches across. If you have it..... If not so what..For this job a 12 inch tongs will come in handy along with a kitchen glove. To protect you from the hot oil.  Safety first. Never cook naked.
Now heat up the Virgin olive oil till very hot. Then begin to lay out the zucchini slices around the pan. As each one is done on one side it is turned over. to fry on the other. Keep doing that till they are all done cooking.

 Meanwhile you have the water for the pasta going at a rolling boil. You salt the water then put the pasta in to cook. The instructions on the side of the box tell you how long to cook until it reaches the point of desired texture. Now just about the time the pasta is ready the last batch of zucchini is frying. That is when you throw in the garlic. And add some more oil  By the time you have the last slice out the garlic will be done.

Now drain the pasta. Leaving a bit of the water it was boiled in.  That is important. it is starchy water that cling to the pasta. It will bond the different flavors to the pasta. It is a cement. That builds and holds then binds it all together. You probably will need a little extra liquid because of the cheese. It adds that special texture to all is coupled with.  Ok so you have your pasta in a big bowl. You pour in the oil and the garlic that is left in the pan. You will notice the green color of the oil. It is rich from the wonderful vegetable that was cooked in it. The garlic just a bit toasty. You can serve it one of two ways You can mix in all the fried zucchini and a half a cup of cheese. Or, make an individual dish of past and lay the pieces of zucchini on top. You can  leave it to them. If they would like more cheese or virgin olive oil. Black pepper. This a little time consuming but you will be licking your fingers. So try it.



  

Traditional Greek Holiday Cookie

Do we have any Greeks in the house? If we do. You may be interested in this quick, but totally sanctioned by my friend's Ya Ya. Recipe for Greek Easter Cookies. These are real good and should be shared by the whole world. I love them and like to eat them. The only down side is that you can't eat just one. I can't control myself but I don't care. When I eat them I just fall shy of committing one of the seven deadly sins. Which is gluttony. No matter, I will just have to live with the guilt.

Greek Easter Cookies (koulouria)

Ingredients
1 cup of sweet butter                                     5 Tbsp. of baking powder
2 cups of granulated sugar                            1 tsp. salt
7 large eggs, room temperature                   Shot glass of anisette liguor
1/2 cup of milk,                                              1 Tbsp. of vanilla pure extract
9&1/2 cups of flour, un-bleached                             Sesame seeds
 
Cream the butter by hand. add sugar and incorporate well.  Add beaten eggs and continue to mix. No friction please. You don't want to cook the eggs with the heat you may produce. Sift together all of your dry ingredients. Now add it to the sugar, butter and eggs alternately with the milk, flavoring and liquor Mix together and knead well. Then shape as desired. Traditionally two strands are twisted together. A small log is good too. about three or four inches long, Dip in sesame seeds. On a cookie sheet bake them at 350 degrees f. for 15 or twenty minutes Or until they are a light brown in color. Pre heat the oven.  

Cookies from the past

Now here is a recipe that I took out of the archives of my closet. I found it under a coffee pot. That I never use since all the high tech coffee makers came on the scene. The best coffee for my money is still made the prehistoric way. It is commonly known as Hobo coffee. You boil water in a pot and then add the coffee to the pot. You allow it to boil for a while. Strain it so as to eliminate the grounds and then pour it into your favorite mug and drink it. Now that is what I call getting back to nature. But I digress. 



                     ORANGE CRISPIES
 
 1 lb.    Flour
 4 lg.    Eggs
3/4 cup Crisco Solid Shortening
1/2 ox  Baking Powder
1/2 lb.  Sugar
Tbl.sp of pure extract
Vanilla, Orange or Lemon
1/2 oz.  Baking Powder
1/2 lb.  Sugar

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl
Melt Crisco and let cool, but not solidify
Put in the eggs. Please crack open first.
Add the extract and the melted shortening.
Knead and chill
Roll out dough and shape with cookie cutter

I like to use a round cookie shape for this one. If you don't have a cookie cutter then use the rim of a glass.
Place on cookie sheets about 1 inch apart from each other. Bake in pre heated oven at 350 degrees f. 

Francie' Eggplant Parmigian Part 2

Francie's Fancy Eggplant Parmigiana
Part 2

Ok now that we got part one out of the way (that part that is so boring). So you drain and dry off the slices of eggplant. You lay out the bread crumb in a dish or other suitable receptacle. This is where my tip comes in. About adding a little bit more. The Italian flavored bread crumb already comes with cheese peccorino romano as a mater of fact . Even so sprinkle a little bit more. Why not? But not too much as it could make it taste bitter and change the texture.

Scramble a couple of eggs. Put it next to the bread crumbs. Put some vegetable or cannola oil in a large frying pan. Add a bit of olive oil. About 4 to one. Heat the oil to about 350 degrees, I think. at any rate make it real hot so it sizzles.

Dip a slice in the egg and then coat it with the bread crumbs and fry it in the hot oil. Adjust the heat. Fry the slices till crispy on the out side and soft around the edges and inside as well. That goes without saying. Then  drain them on paper towels as they are done. Great that was easy. It's just that you have to stand there. Well there is another way. You can bake them. But you do have to keep going back. Selectively turning and removing them.

Ok now slice the mozzarella. You can slice in slabs or shred it yourself.  In order to spread over each layer of fried eggplant.That you spread over the bottom of a baking pan about 3 inches high.

The sauce, ah yes the sauce. Using a sauce pan you pour the prepared tomato sauce. That you got from a jar. Nothing wrong with that. Heat up the tomato sauce and add some more oregano and some black pepper and a pinch of red pepper if got it. If you have chili powder that will work just fine. Not too much. Let it simmer just a bit. About  5 min. with the cover on. You may need more that one jar. It depends on how much you are making. What ever... Scramble up some eggs.

Begin by covering the bottom of the pan with the slices your have fried. Spread some sauce over them. Spread or place the mozzarella cheese over the layer. Next sprinkel some grated cheese over the top.
Now the coup de grace. You spread the egg mixture over the top evenly if you can. It can take some manipulation. Remember the egg will expand when cooked. So make it thin. Continue with the layers.Three to four layers. I recommend four layers. Maybe five, but no more. You can't pin me down on that one. Do the same on each layer except the top layer. That gets no egg.

Now pop it in the oven, as all those T.V. chefs like to say, at 350 degrees F. Bake it until the cheese on the top melts and spread over the top layer. The sauce will perculate along the side and bubble up to the top. That is about when it is ready. Nice and hot. The best thing is that it is just as good at room temperature. As well as "ice box cold". Now you eat it and you know why it is called fancy.

If you want to use sausage in your recipe. Pre cook the sausage and then let cool and slice. Placing the slices on the layers of the eggplant. Along with the other stuff.  One slice high.

Francie's Eggplant Parmigiana Part 1

Francie's Fancy Eggplant Parmigiana

Most of the civilized western world knows what this dish is all about. Especially here in America. It is a popular one. Found on the menu of many a restaurant. Not only Italian eaterys. Although they get the credit for the dish. People make it all the time at home. It can be time consuming. Or you can do it the quick way by eliminating the need to make a home made tomato sauce. I do it both ways and I am satisfied with either.
There are plenty of jar sauces on the store shelves today. So take your pick. We usually all have a favorite. So use that one. I like Classico with basil. I stay away from those that contain meat. For no reason, other than that. No reason. This is basicly a vegetarian dish that my mother used to make on a friday night. In my house we adhered to the, no meat on friday dogma of the Roman Catholic faith. I don't have a photo so use your imagination. We all pretty much know what the finished product looks like.

I have been told many times by non Italians. Although not as much now as years ago." I followed your recipe but it doesn't taste the same". After I ask some questions I find out why. There are certain ingredents in cooking that can not be substituted in kind and quality. Especially when it comes to southern Italian cooking. Will you be held hostage to that. I don't think so, but don't expect great results. One of them is good olive oil and the other is good cheese. Especially grated cheese. The very finest can be bought on most house hold budgets. As a matter of fact it is more economical in the long run.

Ok so here we go. With this recipe I will not list the amounts of the ingredients used because if you are reading this blog. You pretty much know what you are doing and I don't intend to teach to the lowest level.

Eggplants:  the large ones
Try to pick out ones of the same size and shape

Locatelli Pecorino Romano: grating cheese.
If you can not get that use one of the American brands of Pecorino Romano cheese. The cheese industry has come a long way from cheddar. They are good cheeses and come close to the imported brands. I still stick to Locatelli, a brand named after a town in Italy where it is made.

Olive oil:
no need for virgin olive oil
but if that is what you have then use it, che peccato

Tomato sauce:
as I indicated but did not recommend, a good jar sauce is ok, eh!

Italian sausage: Johnson will do just fine if you are hard pressed to get home made Italian sausage. What can you do? You can't have everything. 

Canola oil or vegetable oil.

Mozzarella:
Poly O or Sorrento:
try to use part skim. It is better for you.

Italian flavored bread crumbs:
Progresso or 3 C and Colonna brands.
try your best.

Start by slicing off the outside peel. But do not take all the peel off. Slicing off the peel and leaving the next with the peel . Ending up with a stripe design. In other words leave the peel on. From the bottom of the eggplant slice it in 3/4  inch slices.  Then soak them in cold salted water for about one hour or two. Put a few drops of lemon juice in the water so the eggplant does not turn black.

This is the end of Part 1 of Francie's Fancy Eggplant Parmigiana
  

Philosophy of cooking my way

 Common sense tips
Never cook in the nude. It is a recipe for disaster. 

What ever amount is listed, always use a little bit more.

Don't be shy about cooking. Get into it with both hands and if necessary elbows.

Rolling out dough can be tedious. So chill the dough. Makes it easier to handle. 

Stay away from recipes that are complicated. They are not useful in everyday life.

"Complicated things are not always useful, simple things are always useful". A. Kalishnicov, Russian inventor

Two women in the kitchen, an argument. Three women in the kitchen, results in a fire.

Use your imagination and have a glass of wine while cooking, but just one.

If you are cooking Italian play some Italian music. If you are cooking Greek do the same. Etc.

Don't be afraid to try something new. If you mess it up you can always order a pizza.

There is beauty in simplicity. So KISS  ( keep it simple stupid )

Always have three colors on a plate.  You eat through you eyes.

If you are cooking a roast beef for company. Don't,  it is boring and no one likes it.

Get someone to make the salad and set the table. Make them part of the creation.

Clean as you go. Unless you have a maid.

Too many spices in a recipe will cancel each other out so it is all for show. 

Traditional Holiday Recipes

Strufulli di Ribera. Or, Honey Balls


There are many recipes that are considered traditional. We see them every year at particular holidays. We can count on one or two persons to produce it around that certain time of year. It eventually passes down to others that are willing to wear the mantle. They take the time and make the effort to replicate what they believe it should be. It usually does not come out exactly the same. Understandably so, but it is recognizable as such and that is enough. The effort is appreciated by all. Well mostly all. Then there are those who have something to say about everything. I presume you know what I mean. I am one of those people I am sorry to say. However, in my case it is meant as constructive criticism. I realize that there is a little secret that the original creator forgets to tell us about.

Many times it is by design. Most times it is because what makes it what it is. Is so small a factor that it is just not mentioned. Many times you can't go back and review it because that person has passed on. Invariably you have just begun to attempt to create it because of  that very factor. Then again there are those who will not tell you whether they are alive or not. They are just so covetous that they consider the recipe proprietary. "That mean old aunt so and so," you may want to exclaim. Or, "she or he took it to their grave", is another phrase you may use. Never the less you press on. One or more of you may try to get it down pat, so to speak. Usually only one continues to try and produce what they remember as "oh so good ". Attempting to bring back to share with others what themselves enjoyed. I think that is great and very unselfish of them. Most of these recipes are very labor intensive and can be costly to prepare. The following recipe is one of them.

A recipe that is not exactly rocket science. It does have a history and is made in different parts of Italy and Sicily. This product is sometimes referred to as strufulli. We did not know it as strufulli and indeed it is not strufulli. It is called pinnuolata.  Made similar to struffuli. It is completely different. That is the main reason it never comes out the way we in our family remember it to be. Attempts to make it are therefore failures. It gets mixed up with the struffulli product and is neither that nor pinnuolata. So I am going to tell you how to make it and try to include the secret as it was told to me. By the way, the kids and others who have not had the advantage of being first generation Italian Americans now call it,  "Honey balls".Ok so now they are honey balls. I could just see me asking my grandmother if we were going to make honey balls.

The product is one that is a contribution of Moors of N.Africa and I would assume it was adopted by the Spanish and then made it's way to southern Italy and Sicily. There is no doubt it changed and took on the twists that recipes, with the passage of time, do. In this case probably a thousand years have passed since first introduced. Ah who knows, just speculation.

Ok, here goes,

Ingredients

2 1/4 pounds of unbleached flour
6 large eggs ( room temperature)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 oz bottle of non parallels (  red,yellow,green, blue, white, little balls )
1 lb  low moisture natural honey.
1.5 qt  Vegetable oil
12 oz. Almonds (natural)
If you have the luxury of a aviary near by. You should try to get honey there. If not, the supermarket carries several brands. Here is a tip I have found to be helpful. The packaging that appears least commercial is the one you should buy. That is purely an observation on my part. Not an accepted axiom.

One package of almonds, about 12 oz. or more. If you like almonds?  Too many will turn it into something else. So use your own judgement. There are many on the market. Try to get those that have a smooth thin brown skin. Or without the skin is even better You will have a hard time finding them. So don't go crazy. Others will do. Just don't tell my aunt Lillie.

In a large bowl place the flour, the eggs and baking powder. Incorporate it and get it where you can manage it on a kneading board or flat surface. Proceed to knead it until you see that the dough develops a sheen. Wrap the dough in saran wrap or waxed paper and put in the frig to chill. This is done to facilitate the cutting of the dough.

Now begins the part that you can have some fun with. It brings the family together and the kids can help as I and my cousins did so many years ago. Of course they would make so much of the product that it would have taken a month to do it if not for the help of those little hands.

Take some dough, about a handful and roll it into a 5 inch by 2inch roll. Then cut it and roll that out longer and then do the same again. Now roll out the dough so that you have a long piece about the diameter of a fat pencil. Begin to cut it into small pieces about 1/2 inch in size. Going along and re rolling the dough to maintain the diameter. As it has a memory and will spring back into itself.

While doing that heat up the oil. In a pot or deep fryer. About 6 to 7 inches of oil will do. Unless the fryer has safety guidelines. In which case do what they say for safety sake.  About 375 is best. Adults only to do this part. Put in one and see if it it rises to the top rapidly. If it does it is ready to put in a bunch of the others. If it does not rise rapidly and float then you screwed up. Start over from the very beginning. Too bad so sad.

When they come to the top. Stir them around to get them all cooked evenly. When they cook to a tan color remove. They will get darker as they cool. Put on paper towels to draw the excess oil. Then put into a paper bag to further absorb the oil from them.

Keep cutting and frying until they are all done. Now if you did find almonds without the skin, fine. Other wise you would have to soak those with the thin skin in water and then remove the skin. You don't have to do that. You can roast them with the skin. But don't tell my aunt Lillie. Chop the almond with a knife into chunky pieces. Then roast them in a frying pan or spread them out on large pan and put them in the oven. Try not to burn them. The tiny pieces will burn and so will the bits of skin. That is ok, but don't tell my aunt Lillie.  

Now comes the part that keeps them sticking together. It also gives the honey a stronger aromatic taste. You have to cook the honey. Pour about 4/5ths of the honey into a pot at high heat. Cook the honey until you see it boils to become a white foam. At that point take it off the heat. If you leave it to long it will start to get like sugar and granulate.

Now you are ready to mix it all together. The honey will be sticky. But not sticky enough to mold it into the large wreath like shape. I never mastered that. That is something to shoot for but I will let you all know when I do.