Monthly Archives: December 2007

Amanda’s Cocoa Butter Almond Financiers

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Which she made for me with the following note:  “To one fearless leader from one leerless feeder.”

What is cocoa butter?  The natural fat of the cacao bean (from which we get the incredible stuff known as “chocolate”).  Do we sell it?  But of course.  Cocoa butter has a melting point just below average body temperature, which is why chocolate remains solid at room temperature, but melts in your mouth. Cocoa butter gives a smooth texture to so many confections containing chocolate, and is often used by culinary experts (ahem, now you’re one). ...Read More

Simplest Dessert Ever

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This is a repeat of one of my (it’s Debra again!) favorite desserts (to complement just about anything).  No mess in the kitchen, and nutrient rich.  And what a concept — a dessert that keeps those you care about healthy!  

We all know dried fruits like apricots, peaches and prunes have lots of fiber, which is especially helpful at the holidays, and also are rich in iron, which means they’re good for relieving anemia too. ...Read More

Think Sharp!

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We have more than an entire shelf’s worth of brain supplements at the store, and all sorts of stuff on other shelves, too, that people take to be smarter.  And most of them, frankly, won’t do much for you at least not if you’re basically okay to begin with.  It’s only when you head off into senile dementia, or start having strokes (or are looking to prevent them, years or decades down the road), that most of these really kick in.  There are also some nutrients which help people with ADHD, or soothe the endless worries that interfere with normal concentration.  But if you don’t have these problems, they won’t help you much, either.

There are a few things, however, which work even for normal healthy people.  Here are five of the best.  In no particular order: ...Read More