Instead of the usual cinnamon rolls, try this brightly flavored alternative. Great after a balloon ride over the Napa Valley!

Equipment needed: 8 inch cake pan, mixing bowl, rolling pin

2 ¼ c All-purpose flour
½ c Sugar
2 ½ tsp Baking powder
½ tsp French Sea Salt
3 Tb Chilled butter cut into small pieces
1 Tb Chopped fresh lavender Flowers (or 1 tsp dried)
½ c Milk
1 Lg Egg, lightly beaten
2 Tb Apricot preserves
1 Tb Chopped dried apricots
Olive oil
1 ½ tsp Sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in lavender. Add milk and egg, stirring just until moist. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 5 times. Roll into a 9 by 7 inch rectangle. Mix dried apricots into preserves. Spread apricot preserve mixture over dough, leaving a ½ inch border. Beginning with long side, roll up jelly-roll fashion; pinch seam to seal (do not seal ends of roll). Cut roll into nine 1 inch slices. Place slices, cut sides up, in an 8 inch no stick round cake pan lightly coated with olive oil. Sprinkle the slices with the 1 ½ teaspoons sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Yield 9 servings.

Equipment needed: A medium pizza stone (at least 12"), Baker's peel

1 Recipe Lavender Pizza Dough (see below)
Flour
2 Tb Fine Olive Oil
1 c Coarsely grated Mozzarella cheese (approximately 4 oz)
2 - 4 oz Sliced Aged Asiago cheese
1 ½ c Cherry Tomatoes cut in half (Use Yellow tomatoes or mix colors)
½ c Thinly Sliced Yellow Bell Peppers

Make the pizza dough and let rise.

Thirty minutes before baking, place a pizza stone on the bottom shelf of the oven and set oven to 500 degrees.
On a floured surface, divide the dough into 2 pieces and form into round balls. (Put one dough ball aside.) On the floured surface with your hands pat out and stretch dough evenly into a 9-inch round, keeping hands flat. (Do not handle dough more than necessary. If dough is sticky, dust it lightly with flour.)
Dust baker's peel with flour and carefully transfer inch round. Jerk peel once or twice and, if dough is sticking, lift dough and sprinkle flour underneath it, reshaping dough if necessary. Brush olive oil over dough leaving a 1-inch border and sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Arrange tomato halves and pepper strips over Mozzarella, then add slices of Asiago on top.
Line up far edge of peel with far edge of stone and tilt peel, jerking it gently to start pizza moving. Once edge of pizza touches stone, quickly pull back peel to completely transfer pizza to stone. Bake pizza until dough is crisp and brown, about 8 to 12 minutes, and transfer with peel to a cutting board.
Cut pizza into slices and serve immediately. Make a second pizza with the remaining ingredients.

Makes 2 9-inch pizzas.

2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
¾ c plus 2 Tb Lukewarm water (110 degrees)
2 c Unbleached bread flour
2 Tb Olive oil
½ tsp Sea salt
1-2 tsp dried Lavender (be sure to experiment and find out if you like a lot or a little of the dried Lavender in your crust)

Equipment needed: Large sauté pan or risotto pan.

1 lb Salmon fillet
Olive Oil
4 Tb Olive oil
½ Yellow Onion, diced
2 Cloves garlic, minced
2 c Arborio rice
24 oz Vegetable stock, low sodium
3 c White table wine
¼ c Meyer Lemon juice
1 tsp Fresh Lavender florets
1 ¾ c Grated Jarlsburg cheese
2 Tb Fine olive oil to finish

Brush the fish with olive oil prior to grilling to seal in the juices. Grill the salmon. Use a fork and flake salmon; pieces should not be larger than bite size. Cover and set aside. (You may prepare the fish up to a day ahead and refrigerate.)

Over Medium heat, sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil until the onion is glassy (about 5 minutes). Add the rice and sauté until the rice becomes slightly translucent with small white dots in the middle. (This takes about one minute.) Add one cup of the vegetable stock. Stir continuously. As the liquid cooks down, continue to add liquid one cup at a time, alternating between the vegetable stock and the white wine. (I like the wine flavor, and I think it makes for a dish that is much lower in sodium.) After 10 minutes, add the lemon juice and continue stirring. After about 18 minutes, begin testing the rice every 2 minutes. (NOTE: This entire process of adding liquid takes about 20 minutes, and you must stir continuously.) When the rice is almost done, add the fresh lavender. Remove the rice from the heat after 2 minutes. Add the flaked salmon and mix well. Add the cheese and olive oil and mix again. Spoon into a serving bowl and enjoy. Yield: 4-6 Servings

Equipment needed: Cookie sheets, 1 small and 1 large mixing bowl, whisk or hand beater

2 c All-purpose flour
2 tsp Baking powder
¼ tsp Salt
½ c Coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
2 Lg Eggs
½ C Granulated sugar
3 tsp Dried lavender flowers
¼ c Melted butter
2 Tb Honey
1 Tb Lemon rind
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tb Milk
½ tsp Vanilla or lemon extract

Optional: melted chocolate for dipping

A luxurious dessert…and easy to make. Thank you, Marnie, for this recipe!

Equipment needed: 8 " tube or bundt pan, Large mixing bowl, Small mixing bowl, Medium saucepan, Cooling rack

1 Package Yellow Cake Mix
1 Package Vanilla pudding mix
½ c Vegetable oil
½ c Rum
½ c Water
4 Medium Eggs
½ c Pecans Chopped
1 tsp Dried Lavender florets

Glaze: (enough for 2 cakes)
¼ c Butter or margarine
¼ c Water
1 c Granulated sugar
½ c Rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour cake pan. In a small mixing bowl, toss chopped nuts with 1 teaspoon lavender. Sprinkle nut mixture over the bottom of the pan. In large bowl, beat together cake mix, pudding, vegetable oil, rum, and water. Add eggs and the remaining lavender until smooth. Do not over-beat. Pour batter over nuts. Bake for 60 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean. Cool down for a minute or two and then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

To make the Glaze: Bring the butter, water and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly. (Sugar should be completely dissolved.) Remove from heat and let stand for 1 minute. Add rum and stir. Poke holes into the cake with a skwer or long-tined fork. Brush and/or spoon ½ the glaze over the cake.

The glaze keeps well in the refrigerator. The cake also freezes well if wrapped tightly in plastic.

Equipment needed: Medium saucepan, strainer, large pitcher

2 ½ c Water
1 ½ c Sugar
½ c Frozen or fresh, hulled strawberries
¼ c Fresh Lavender flowers chopped
2 ¼ c Fresh Meyer Lemon juice
2 ½ c Water
½ c Sugar (optional) If using Meyers lemons, sugar may not be required.
Fresh Lavender flowers for garnish

In Medium saucepan, combine 2 ½ cups water, sugar and strawberries. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat. Simmer 5 minutes to extract pink from strawberries. Remove from heat. Stir in lavender. Cover and cool. Strain cooled liquid into large pitcher, gently pressing juice from berries. Add remaining 2 ½ cups water and lemon juice. Stir well. Add ½ cup more sugar, if desired. Just before serving, add ice cubes. Pour into chilled glasses. Garnish with lavender flowers.

Yield: 6-8 Servings

A wonderful drink on a hot summer day.

Equipment needed: Medium saucepan, strainer, large pitcher, large covered jar

2 ½ c Water
1 ½ c Sugar
¼ c Fresh Lavender flowers chopped (or 2 Tb dried Lavender - to taste)
6-8 Servings Ginger Lemon Tea
1/3 c Fresh Meyer Lemon juice (you may substitute frozen lemonade)
Ice
Fresh Lavender stalks for garnish

In Medium saucepan, combine 2 ½ cups water and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lavender. Cover and cool. Strain cooled liquid into large jar. Brew Ginger Lemon Tea. Pour into large pitcher, add 1 cup lavender syrup, and blend to taste with lemon juice and ice. Stir well. Just before serving, place fresh lavender stalks in pitcher (or add to the individual glasses). Add ice cubes to each chilled glass. Yield: 6-8 Servings

Store remaining lavender syrup in your refrigerator for up to 5 days. Use it for another batch of iced tea or make some Lavender Pink Lemonade.