If you’ve never had Pears Hélène (more properly called Poire Belle Hélène), today’s the day: National Pears Helene Day.

The dessert owes its origin to the opera La belle Hélène by composer Jacques Offenbach. It’s a comedic take on the elopement of Queen Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, with Prince Paris of Troy.

The opera debut, in, 1864, was a big success, and the dessert was developed by the great chef Auguste Escoffier as a tribute.

The dessert is composed of poaced pears, topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and crystallized violets (today sliced almonds generally replace the candied violets).

It’s easy to poach a few pears, top with ice cream and your favorite chocolate sauce, and sprinkle on the almonds. Make Pears Hélène for dessert tonight.

Bees love lavender nectar—hence lavender honey. And you can drizzle some of that honey over lavender-coated goat’s milk and sheep’s milk cheeses.

Lavender pairs with chocolate, baked goods and desserts (lavender pound cake, lavender scones and lavender ice cream are favorites). The flowers are candied and used as cake decorations.

Lavender sugar is a popular addition to iced tea—but lavender iced tea or hot tea is a must-try if it isn’t already one of your favorites. Steep a spring of culinary lavender the next time you have a hot cup of tea, and see for yourself. Enjoy it with lavender marshmallows. Try this exquisite lavender white hot chocolate.

A bouquet of lavender. Photo by
EwaDacko | SXC.

Note the difference between lavender and culinary lavender. You can pick up decorative bunches, but they may have been sprayed with pesticides. Culinary lavender is chemical-free.

You can fill your yard with lavender, or have a herb pot indoors. The herb will add grace to every dish it touches.

Tender jerky with a jolt. Photo by
Jerry Deutsch | THE NIBBLE.

Perky Jerky is “the world’s first all-natural performance enhancing meat snack.” In other words, protein- and sugar-laden beef jerky has been caffeinated with guarana, a natural energy booster with about twice the caffeine content of a coffee bean.

The idea is, if you need energy but don’t like energy drinks or coffee—or if you’re simply hungry—tear open a portion-controlled package and enjoy a flavorful snack full of nourishment and energy. Caffeinated beef jerky: Gotta love it—and we did.

The 100% beef jerky is tender and flavorful (some of the jerky brands we try are so dried out and unpalatable, we literally give them to the dog). And yes, it gave us ENERGY!

Perky jerky is available in one-ounce or two-ounce packages, 12 for $30.00 and $59.88, respectively. You can try an individual package for $2.00 or $4.99.

Fun fact: Perky Jerky is a accidental invention, like potato chips, yogurt and many of our foods. An energy drink spilled over some jerky, drenching the meat. Not about to throw good jerky away, the “inventors” ate it and discovered that it was not only more tender, but a great energy boost. (Today, the process for making Perky Jerky is a bit more sophisticated.)