These thin delicate cookies are a nice end to a heavy meal. They are very lite, and a bite of the chocolate is satisfying, so you don't need to eat much. Of course if you are hungry, and these are out, you can eat a pile of them for the same reason, they are so lite.
These are not among my healthy recipes, so proceed with caution :) If you do, throw caution to the wind and enjoy every bite.
Ingredients:
6 tbsp butter or coconut spread
2 ounces dark chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
pinch of salt
nonstick vegetable spray
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped almost fine
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a flat cookie sheet well with the cooking spray.
Place butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until almost completely melted, about 1 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add the sugar and the egg and whisk again. Then add the flour, both extracts, and salt, whisk again until smooth. Let the batter stand for 10 minutes.
Scoop teaspoonfuls of batter on to a cookie sheet leaving plenty of space between. Spray the bottom of a 2 inch drinking glass with cooking spray and use it to gently push down on the cookie batter, flattening them to a thin round. To keep the batter from sticking to the glass you need to use lots of spray and might need to spray after each use. Once the sheet is done sprinkle some pistachios over the cookie.
Bake the cookies for about 8 minutes in the lower third of the oven. The edges of the cookie should just be changing color slightly to a lighter brown which means the cookie is almost done. Allow to cool 2 minutes on the cookie sheet. Then remove them to a surface covered with either wax paper or parchment paper and allow to cool and get crisp. This will take several hours.
Repeat the process until all the batter has been used.
You may need to experiment with the cooking time like I did. Ovens are different and these cookies are so delicate that they can easily be under cooked, which means they will not get crisp, or over cooked which means the flavor will not be a good.
I like to pile them on a pedestal cake stand and I also put them in clear cookie bags and give them as gifts.
Making yourself some flavored water will help you drink more of it each day. I make a pitcher full and keep it in the refrigerator. You can look around your own kitchen and see what you have to add to the water and make your own flavor combinations.
Cucumber. I first had this at a day spa I went to and was surprised at how good it was. Simply fill a pitcher with good quality filtered water, cut a cucumber into slices and add it to the water. Put a top on the pitcher and store in the refrig. Drink several glasses a day.
Other things to add to water:
Peach
Watermelon
Berry's
Citrus. Lemon, lime or orange work very well. A few slices of orange in some water can make the difference between drinking enough water or not. It's a simple easy thing to do for yourself.
What flavors do you love? Start there.
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a gaggle of wings
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This sauce is sweet and sticky and can also be a little spicy if you want. It's a great sauce to use when grilling chicken. I used chicken wings but I would also suggest using drumsticks. You want to pick this up with your figures to really get in to it. You can serve this as the entree or an appetizer. If serving as an appetizer split them apart, separating the three parts, so you are only dealing with one piece at a time.
The process is that you want to prepare your chicken. Then make the sauce.
Ingredients:
1 /12 cup dry red wine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or liquid amino
2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Salt
Chicken of your choice
Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Do not cover. Reduce until it is the consistency of honey. It will take about 45 minutes. Allow to cool.
Season the chicken with salt. Grill to within a couple minutes of completion, probably 20 to 25 minutes. Brush the chicken with the sauce, turn and brush the other side. Do this a couple times until the chicken is completely covered with the sauce and the heat has started to caramelize it on the surface.
Option: We like a little spice in ours. And I do mean just a little. We don't like it really hot, we just like a suggestion or an under laying note so we added a tablespoon of Sambul to the sauce. One tablespoon is very mild so if you would like a little more heat add more. That way you get that sweet and hot thing going.
Finger licking good!
Serve this with some typical summer BBQ food like potato salad or coleslaw.
Sometimes I want a little something special in the way of cocktails. I am a wino at heart, but every now and then I like to have a special cocktail on a holiday or special occasion. I made these for the 4th of July and they were mighty thirst quenching.
I would suggest making the lemonade the day before you want to use it. That way it gets nice and cold.
To make the cocktail:
Fill a tall glass with ice. Add vodka to preference. (I like 1/3 in my drink, my husband likes his at 1/2, so that's what I do.) Add a couple tablespoons of pomegranate juice. You don't even need to measure, just eye ball it. Then fill the glass with lemonade. I like to take a quarter of a lime and give it a final squeeze into the cocktail.
To make the lemonade:
Make a simple syrup with:
1/2 cup of sugar or stevia
1/2 cup of water
1 3 inch stem of rosemary
Heat in a small saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Take off heat and allow to cool. Discard the rosemary.
Juice about 3 or 4 big lemons to get 3/4 cup of juice. Add 4 cups of water. Add simple sugar to taste. If you use the entire amount it might be too sweet, so start slowly. I add half of the simple syrup and go from there. Slice a lemon and add to juice. Put it in a pitcher and place in the refrig to chill.
Salute! Enjoy!
I love love love ice cream. I could eat it everyday. But I can't. And I miss it. So when I saw this recipe I went completely nuts and had to make it right away.
I've been playing with various combinations for the past few weeks so I thought that it was time to pass it along to you. It is the best kept secret for dieters, or diabetics, or those who don't eat dairy. It tastes like ice cream and is oh so satisfying. That's really the gift. The fact that when you eat it, you are satisfied, and you think you have had something bad. I mean how many dishes can you that about?
The basic recipe is 2 bananas and 1 cup of blueberries and a handful of walnuts. You will need to good blender or food processor. I have a vita-mix and it makes this so easy. Just throw it all in the blender, blend until smooth, poor into a freezer container and wait. Waiting is the hardest part :) And after a few hours you have mock ice cream. Tada!
I made this cherries instead of blueberries and it was delicious. I've used almonds and pistachios instead of walnuts. I added some raw organic cacao nibs to give it that chocolate chip taste. I used some coconut water as well and make it like a granita, where you scrap it into and ice type treat. You can add vanilla or cinnamon. The possibilities are endless. You could make this every week with different fruit and nuts.
The thought of this being available to me all summer makes me ecstatic!!!!!
I hope you enjoy. And if you do send me a message and share your experience.
