Almond and Orange Blossom Croquants

From the department of Who Has Time To Make Edible Gifts In Advance Anyway comes this last-minute recipe, shared by French food writer C�cile Cau on her blog a couple of days ago. It is a recipe for croquants, which is the French word for a variety of crunchy cookies from the South of France, most often thin and involving almonds.

I read the recipe and was enchanted by its simplicity. Flour, sugar, eggs, almonds, and a splash of orange flower water: I had all these on hand, and since my desk is about four steps from my kitchen, the temptation was great to just drop whatever it is I was supposed to be doing and bake a batch.

I halved the recipe, wanting to take it for a test drive before I committed three cups of almonds to it, and modified a few things: I used a combination of regular and light whole wheat flour, decreased the quantity of sugar, determined an amount of orange blossom water that seemed right to me (C�cile's recipe didn't provide a measurement), and added a bit of salt, both mixed into the dough and sprinkled on just before baking.

The result is a truly delicious, crisp, slender cookie, not too sweet, and subtly (but noticeably) flavored with orange blossom. It could be compared to biscotti or cantuccini, and indeed they are cousins, but these are two to three times thinner, which makes a significant -- and in my opinion, desirable -- difference in the final texture and eating experience.

So, will you give these a try? And do you have any last-minute edible gift ideas to share?

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Source: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2011/12/almond_and_orange_blossom_croquants_cookies.php

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Green Lemonade

This is a naturally tart/sweet juice that tastes just like it sounds, like lemonade with a twist - of green, that is.


 
I'm told this recipe was originally published by Natalia Rose, but I don't have her books so can't be sure. It has been circulating on internet cooking forums for years in various forms.

This recipe requires a juicer, not a blender.

Green Lemonade

Ingredients:
2 organic Fuji apples (or similar)
1 whole organic lemon, peel on
1 big head of organic Romaine lettuce
5 stems organic lacinto kale (or other greens)

Just juice, stir, and enjoy!

Source: http://blog.susanscooking.com/2011/05/07/green-lemonade.aspx?ref=rss

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Headache ? Causes and Herbal Treatment

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ayurvediccooking/~3/YWxIj57j9Pc/headache-causes-and-herbal-treatment.html

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Pretzel M&M Oatmeal Cookies

Surely everyone has had Pretzel M&M's before, right?  Have you ever tried baking with them?  I found this recipe for oatmeal cookies that are loaded with crushed Pretzel M&M's. Sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy oatmeal cookie goodness. Go make them now to show to your invisible internet friends.

Source: Bakers Royale

Ingredients:

• � cup unsalted butter
• � cup cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• � cup sugar
• � cup dark brown sugar
• 1 � teaspoon baking soda
• � teaspoon salt
• 1 � cup flour
• 1 � cup oats, quick cooking
• 1 9.90oz Bag of M&M Pretzel (I used a meat tenderizer to crush them in the bag.)

Directions:
 
Makes 31/2 dozen cookies

Preparation: Line bake sheet with parchment. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Melt and heat butter until it is brown and nutty. Set aside to cool slightly.


2. Place softened cream cheese, egg, sugar, dark brown sugar, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium until mixture is fully combined and shiny, about 1-2 minutes. Add browned butter and mix to combine. Turn off mixer.

3. Place flour and quick cooking oats in a bowl and whisk to combine. Use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to fold flour mixture into wet mixture and mix to combine.

4. Using a meat tenderizer crush M&M Pretzel in a plastic bag and add to cookie dough and fold to combine.

5. Scoop one heaping tablespoon of cookie dough onto parchment lined baked sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms of cookies are golden brown.

Cookies will keep 2-3 days in a tightly sealed container.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DeliciousMeliscious/~3/2TMzUaK2L7E/pretzel-m-oatmeal-cookies.html

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Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food

I am of the mind that the process of learning how to cook should always begin with learning how to shop.

If you know how to select the highest-quality, freshest ingredients you can afford, and if you can organize your life so there's time to stock your fridge and pantry with those, you've really won half the battle.

First in terms of cooking motivation -- we all know the magical inspirational powers of vibrant produce -- but also in terms of results: the exact same recipe and skills will yield an incomparably tastier dish if you're working with the good stuff. (And in truth, the good stuff barely needs your intervention to shine.)

This is why I was thrilled when I received a copy of the just-released Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food book, co-written by Sam Mogannam, who runs the popular independent grocery store near Dolores Park in San Francisco, and food writer Dabney Gough.

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Source: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2011/10/bi-rite_markets_eat_good_food.php

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Three Very Good Things: Buckwheat Pralin�, Pasta with Hokkaido Squash, and a Red Collapsible Lunch Box

I recently had the opportunity to meet the lovely Stephanie -- the no less lovely Aran introduced us -- and I am therefore a new reader of her blog, "where practical meets pretty." She wrote about gratitude lists in a recent post, and the first comment underneath that post was by Mary, who talked about her weekly round-up of Three Beautiful Things.

I loved the idea, as I am definitely one to find gratitude and joy in small things. In a flash I decided it would be wonderful to start a (weekly-ish) Three Very Good Things series, in which I'd share three delicious things made, tasted, and/or experienced during the week.

Here's my inaugural Very Good Trio. Feel free to chime in with your own in the comments section, or on your own blog if you'd like to adopt the idea too!

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Copyright Clotilde Dusoulier © 2003-2011. This feed is for personal enjoyment only, and not for republication.
If you are not reading this in a news aggregator, the site you are viewing is guilty of copyright infringement. Please alert Clotilde Dusoulier.

Source: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2011/10/three_very_good_things.php

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Diet for High Cholesterol - Effective Natural Cure

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