Whenever we have new customers get hooked on our lavender products, they are always asking me what my favorites are. Its so hard to pick! Well luckily I was able to narrow it down to my top ten, okay okay, I couldn't narrow it down to JUST ten, so here are my top fifteen favorite products by The Lavender Apple. With so many great choices, you will be sure to find the perfect gift for that hard to buy for person on your list. (All products available online at www.lavenderapple.com) 

Lavender Jellies

Lavender Herbs De Provence, Lavender Salt, Lavender Lemon Pepper, and Culinary Lavender

Lavender Bath Salts

Lavender Dryer Bags

Lavender Eye Pillows

Dried Lavender Bundles

Mulling Spices

Lavender Honey

 Lavender Goats Milk Soap

Lavender Body Oil

Lavender Sugar Scrub

Lavender Salt

Lavender Water 

Lavender Sugar

Lavender Sachets

Lavender Carpet Refresher

Well there you have it. Now you have NO excuse not to have all of your Christmas Shopping complete. Link to Shop: www.lavenderapple.com 

You can elevate any desert recipe to holiday proportions by simply adding peppermint oil to your recipe. That trick is never better when used in a dark chocolately brownie. These brownies are rich thick perfection with just a hint of mint to make them merry. 

1 stick butter at room temp
1 cup flour
1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp peppermint oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chips
8 ounces dark baking chocolate 
2 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting

Directions: 
Melt your chocolate and butter together in either a double boiler or microwave. Add sugar when mixture is hot and stir to combie. Add eggs, flour, cocoa, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt. Mix until just combined. Bake at 350 degrees in a 9 inch greased pan for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar for a snow effect. 

May all of your recipes be spiked with something wintery and wonderful this month. Enjoy!

Not all of us have large families, so cooking a large turkey or ham for a holiday meal is not only labor intensive, but it's impractical. When you don't live near family, or if you have a small family, a wonderful alternative for a festive meal is making a turkey roast. Turkey Roast's are much smaller and more affordable than regular turkeys, and also much easier to make. They are the perfect size for a small family, and still leave enough for leftovers the next day. 

Ingredients: 
3 pound turkey roast
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 tsp dried thyme 
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
Salt & Pepper

Place your turkey in a large baking dish. In the bottom of the dish, pour your wine and broth. Coat your turkey roast with your butter, then sprinkle liberally with your thyme, sage, and salt and pepper. Bake at 325 degrees for 2-3 hours or until your roast reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. 

This recipe is easy and delicious and will leave you with a moist and flavorful way to enjoy turkey that doesn't require any stress. Enjoy!

I discovered a new dish that I cannot wait to make again. It's a creamy and satisfying polenta. It tastes buttery and rich, but is surprisingly low fat. And then you send this dish over the moon balsamic glazed mushrooms. It's seriously so so good. And the best part? It's super simple! The whole dish comes together in about 10 minutes. 

Ingredients: 
2 tablespoons olive oil
16 oz mushrooms (I had white which was great, but baby bella or cremini would be wonderful)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
18 ounces instant polenta (we LOVE the organic trader joes brand) 
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf italian parsley
salt and pepper

Directions: 
De-stem and cut your mushrooms in half or quarters depending on the size of the mushroom. You want them to be small bite sized pieces. Remember they will shrink down during cooking. Heat your olive oil in a skillet, add your mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the mushrooms are golden brown and cooked through (about 10 minutes). Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, melt your butter and cut open your polenta. Spread the polenta evenly across the pan and warm until cooked through. Top with half of the cheese. Once your mushrooms are done, add them to the top of the polenta. Top with your parsley and the other half of your cheese. Season again with salt and pepper and serve immediately. 

For a 10 minute, meat free, inexpensive and healthy meal, this is one that you will want to make over and over. In fact, I'm going to go make some more right now.