Monday, October 31, 2011

Voila! Limoncello.

Finally! I finished my limoncello this past weekend and cant wait to make another batch. Yes, it was that good!

After steeping for 40 days, you can read about that process here, I stirred together 1 3/4 Cups of water and 1 1/4 Cups of sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolved. After cooling completely, I then pored the sugar syrup over my vodka mixture and let stand over night at room temperature.

The following day, I strained the limoncello through a coffee filter and discarded the lemon peels. Then it was finally ready to chill! I placed the bottle of limoncello in the freezer along with a couple of tall shot glasses (the closest thing to cordial glasses I had) and chilled for a couple hours.

Voila! Limoncello.
Well worth the wait!






Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Nerdy Sugar Cookies

That's right, Nerdy sugar cookies! I had a bunch of left over candy nerds from our movie night and thought it would be fun to use them in cookies. Positive this had to of been done before, I searched for a recipe only to find that nerds aren't exactly ideal for baking with. Turns out they melt in the process and create more of a rainbow mess then anything else. However, I was determined to make it work. I wanted nerd cookies damn it! So nerdy cookies is what I got.


Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup butter
3 egg yolks
1 tsp brandy (cause that's how I roll) or vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vinegar or fresh lemon juice
additional sugar for rolling cookies
candy nerds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cream sugar and butter together then beat in egg yolks and brandy
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and vinegar or lemon juice
4. Form dough into balls and roll in sugar
5. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Do not flatten.
6. Now there are two ways you can add the nerds -

If you dont want the sourness of the nerds in your cookies then (1) add the nerds before placing them into the oven. Lightly press 5-6 nerds on top of the dough balls being carefull not to flatten them. Otherwise, if you want to keep the sourness of the nerds, you can (2) add the nerds the same way during the last 2-3 minutes of baking. This keeps them from completely melting down.

7. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until tops are cracked and edges begain to brown.
8. ENJOY!



Monday, October 3, 2011

Too much protein is known to cause some chronic health issues, but food allergies?

Its no secret that food allergies have been on the rise for the last decade, but still no one seems to really know why. There are some theories, which I have discussed in earlier posts, however, none have yet to be proven causes. In fact, most of these theories have been widely debated by both medical professionals, scientist and the general public.

So, for whatever reason, I was thinking about these suspected theories the other night and it dawned on me, over the last 10 years our diets have drastically changed. People have been increasingly jumping on the high protein, low carb diet bandwagon over this time period. Could this have anything to do with the increase in food allergies?


My husband has been one of the millions to take on this new way of eating. This includes the use of protein bars and shakes throughout the day to complement work outs. I have always been skeptical of these bars and shakes loaded with extra protein as I am a firm believer in diets high in fruits and vegetables to achieve over all health and weight management. This would mean no processed foods right? Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a commercial protein bar considered to be a highly refined, processed food?
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a sucker for a good filet mignon, but were we even created, or should I say designed as not to open a whole different debate, to eat meat period? Look at our teeth for example. For the most part, our teeth consist of incisors and molars. Then there are our four blunt, unsharpened canine teeth. Not exactly ideal for tearing through meat like those of  a carnivore, which can be defined as a flesh eating mammal comprising the cats, dogs, bears, seals and weasels.  Now Obviously, meat is just one example of protein, hence my issue with the additional proteins found in supplement bars and shakes. Actually, all foods grown in nature contain protein. So where am I going with all this?

If our bodies aren't set out for eating meat, then how could they be contrived for all that additional protein consumption? I should just say that I understand protein is an essential part of our diet and our bodies do depend on small amounts of dietary protein in order to survive. However, could this excessive intake of proteins be changing the make up of our bodies and the way they process foods all together? After all, too much protein can not only cause our cell's to become toxic, but it may also disrupt the osmotic balance of cells. Too much protein can also lead to kidney problems, low calcium, cancer, gout and other chronic health issues. So why not food allergies?

I am by no means an expert, but rather throwing the idea out there. Feel free to comment below and share your opinions and knowledge. Like I said, I am all for a good steak dinner so by all means, prove me wrong!

Related posts:
Do You Know What's Causing Your Childs Food Allergies?
The link between Food Allergies and Migraines
Food Allergies: Health and Healing Book Review