Making Vanilla Extract

I am afraid that my world is becoming a little too… organized. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not going overboard. Years ago, in a Martha Stewart magazine, I saw her tying neatly-folded sheets and towels in her cupboards with satin ribbon (and that has since been my benchmark of someone who has just a tad too much time on her hands). But my junk drawers are organized, my houseplants watered and fertilized, the kitchen floor neatly swept, the mirror above the sink in the bathroom polished—good heavens, for the first time I can remember, I wouldn’t be totally embarrassed if a friend just happened to drop by.

Of course, the garden lies empty. And several windows need to have the loose paint scraped off and be repainted. No flowers have been planted, either. The water lilies in the pond have to be hauled out and replanted, and soon or it will be too late. The outdoor work is suffering, while the inside of my house is looking pretty darn good.

I have to shake this asthma and get on with my life!

Today I crossed off another item on my list and made a new batch of vanilla extract. I have about 1” remaining in my large brown Penzey’s bottle, and although I don’t bake a lot in the summer, what I made today will be nice and rich for next fall. Good heavens, look at what I’m doing!!! It’s the beginning of May and I’m making vanilla extract for fall and holiday baking!

I kind of like this new way of life. It won’t last long, though.

Anyway, I purchase Penzey’s almond extract in large ounce bottles , when I finish, these are cleaned out and used for vanilla extract. The bottles are dark in color, thereby filtering light which may alter the taste of the extract.

I have bought vanilla beans from many sources, but keep going back to Penzey’s. There are 3 long, fat beans in each glass tube, and they’re very fresh and pliable. Vanilla extract, in its purest form, consists of vanilla beans soaked in an liquor base. I have used vodka and bourbon, and this time I am trying rum. Vodka appears to be the best match as it has a rather bland, neutral taste, but I found it a bit harsh. Bourbon was good, with an underlying flavor that I found quite pleasing. I am hoping to get at least that quality of flavor from the vanilla with a rum base.

Commercial vanilla extracts often contain coloring agents and, what I object to, corn syrup or another type of sugar. These are not needed, and you achieve the most flavorful, purest vanilla flavor when you make your own extract and keep it simple.

The vanilla should be allowed to steep in the liquor for at least eight weeks. The reason I am starting another bottle is because my present batch has been “working” for 2 years now, and I just want to start anew.

Vanilla Extract

Start with at least a 16 ounce bottle or jar. Fill it 2/3 with water, and bring to a boil in the microwave (you can also fill the bottle with boiling water). Cover and allow the bottle to stand for 15 minutes to sterilize it. Pour the water out and let cool.

Split 3 large vanilla beans lengthwise, then cut each in half. Place the beans in the bottle (make sure you also transfer even the smallest amount of vanilla which may fall out of the beans), and add 1 ½ cups of vodka, bourbon, or rum (with at least a 40% alcohol content). Cover and shake gently. Label with a date 8 weeks ahead, and place in a cool, dark place. Shake gently at least once a week (or more often).

After the eighth week of “steeping”, the vanilla is ready to use, although the longer it rests, the better.

Now, I usually wait until I have used about 25% of the vanilla extract, then I will add more liquor and one split, halved vanilla bean, and allow it to steep for a week or two before using again (I have allowed my current supply of vanilla to deplete because I wanted to try rum this time.)

Since the bottle is a little larger than the amount of rum that I add, I place the top edge of the label (and don’t we always label everything???) at the “fill” line, then when it’s time to refill with liquor, I know what level is to be.

Forced Inactivity (and having the time to smell the lilacs!)

Although the steel band around my chest is slowly becoming more elastic, I continue to frustrate myself by getting breathless relatively easily. Asthma attacks suck. :)


I have accomplished several things which I am able to do with minimal exertion, and many of which would not have been done until they absolutely had to be. For example, cleaning out my dresser drawers. So why have I been hanging on to that camisole with the padded shoulders for the past 20 years? Do I really want to look like a football player again? Really, once was truly enough! White and light-colored pantyhose? ANY pantyhose? Why? Knee-high stockings? Come on! And slips. Half-slips, full-slips, every single one had elastic which had stretched out and died over a decade ago. What makes me keep these things? I pulled a chair up to the dresser and methodically went through each drawer, and I was merciless. As a result, my drawers are neat and organized and ready for the next twenty years.


Also, the drawers in the kitchen. Jack brought each one over to the kitchen table and I straightened and tossed and now can actually find a twist-tie or a rubber band without rummaging through cracked drinking straws and pieces of knotted kitchen twine.


The Christmas tablecloths and napkins are ironed, folded in white tissue paper, and stored. And I folded the ironing board and put it away for the summer. It gets too hot here to iron in the summer.


All of the recipes which I have printed out (or torn from magazines) in the past several months and stuck into a folder are now in their own plastic sleeves, and arranged in massive 3-ring binders.


I have also repotted all of my tomato and pepper seedlings, giving them more room to stretch their little roots before I (hopefully) get them in the ground in 3 or 4 weeks.


And I am actually enjoying just sitting and typing without having a to-do list hanging over my head. I have moved the laptop out to the screened-in porch and I see the beautiful colors of spring, and can watch the frogs and toads splashing around in the pond.


I opened the door to let Spooky out yesterday morning and was enveloped by lilac-scented air. The very warm weather which we had experienced during the first part of the week did its magic and pushed our 2 lilac bushes into flower. I took a huge breath, and had a coughing fit. :) I am now practicing moderation in taking lungfuls of this scented air.


Is there anything more graceful that the way cut lilacs just happen to fall into place? No arranging skills needed here!




Since it required minimum effort, I took my camera outside.


Primroses in front, both pink and white bleeding-heart, and far behind is the crimson-bronze of the Japanese maples.




Don't these little guys look happy? Like they're singing, or something.


I love spring!


Hopefully I will be able to return to posting recipes in the next day or two.

Salmon with Spinach and Mustard Sauce

I sit at the computer, gathering recipes, putting together menus and ideas, yet not able to actually get in the kitchen and cook. It’s frustrating, but I am recovering from an asthma attack and I am still taking it easy, out of necessity. I hate it!

When I post recipes and reviews, I almost always include a photo. Today, though, will be a rare exception as even with the short amount of time that this recipe took to prepare, I was too tired to even take a photo before we ate.

I am feeling a craving for super-healthy meals, most likely because my subconscious is telling me that if I eat this way, perhaps I will recover more quickly. Whatever, I am listening to this craving and am going to post a recipe which I made the other evening that hits the Perfect Dinner Trifecta—healthy, seasonal, and quick. Oops. And delicious. Trifecta… quadfecta???? Anyway…

This recipe comes from the book "Cooking the Real Age Way" by Michael F. Roizen, MD and John LaPuma, MD.

Within a half hour of starting this, Jack and I were eating. I didn’t bother with making a rice pilaf, I simply steamed some jasmine rice to serve alongside, and I started it first. To say that this was quick is an understatement. Sprinkle salmon fillets with soy sauce and let them sit while you make a simple sauce and chop spinach. Cooking takes less than 10 minutes. The salmon is pan-sautéed, the sauce is added for the last part of the cooking; then the fish is removed and the spinach sautéed in the sauce and salmon flavors. That’s it. And it’s unbelievably delicious.

I didn’t have any white wine, so I used vegetable stock and I think that next time I will add some halved cherry tomatoes to the spinach for added flavor, color, and nutrition. And take a photo. :)

* Exported from MasterCook *

Salmon with Spinach and Mustard Sauce

Recipe adapted from: "Cooking the Real Age Way"

Servings : 2 Preparation Time :0:25

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

10 ounces salmon fillets

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable broth -- or water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 ounces fresh spinach -- coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon freshly shredded lemon peel -- optional

Place salmon on a shallow plate and sprinkle with soy sauce.

Combine vegetable broth through olive oil and set aside.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot, add salmon, turn down the heat a little and cook for 4 minutes (check during the last minute that it is not burning). Turn salmon over, pour vegetable broth mixture over all, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 3 minutes (until opaque and firm to the touch).

Remove the salmon with a slotted spatula to a plate (allow any liquid to drip off into the pan). Add the spinach to the accumulated juices in the pan and stir until wilted.

Spoon spinach onto plates, top with salmon, sprinkle with lemon peel, if desired.

Source:

"Cooking the Real Age Way" by Michael F. Roizen, MD and John LaPuma, MD

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Per serving: 265 Calories (kcal); 12g Total Fat; (42% calories from fat); 32g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 74mg Cholesterol; 658mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

NOTES : Serve with a simple rice pilaf or crusty bread.

Thai Chicken Pizza

It only feels as though I’ve been sick for months… :)

The thermometer reading here at our farm in southwestern PA is 93, on April 26. It was the same yesterday, and is only to “cool off” a few degrees tomorrow. Suddenly, from 58 degrees and March weather last Friday, we are now firmly in July. Until later this week, when the roller-coaster temperatures are to dip again.

Although I still feel crappy, I did a quick-clean of the screened-in porch this morning so we can catch some breezes and be comfortable as we recuperate. The interior storm windows are still up in the house, and it’s getting a bit warm in there. I don’t think that I have set up the laptop out here this early before.

So I am sitting here at the table, with a panoramic view of Springtime at the Farm. The grass is thick and green (and long, but Jack is still coughing so it will be a few days until he can get that taken care of). The profusion of colors is incredible—Japanese maple leaves are a crimson color, redbuds are pink/purple (???), the lilac bushes are clouds of purple and green, and the new growth on the row of pieris is a bronzy red. Add the pink and white bleeding hearts, white hyacinth (sadly, on their way out now) and purple grape hyacinths, and it is gorgeous outside. Pink and yellow primroses ar lining the path to the door. I am watching a toad float his way around the fish pond, and a green frog is “clucking” from a stone in the far corner.

It is truly enjoyable to sit here and watch it all. Normally I would be outside doing something, but since breathing is almost required for outdoor work, this is simply not possible today.

All in all, though, it is getting better around here. We both experienced about 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night, and that is big. During the past several nights, both Jack and I have woken each other often with coughing fits (and apologies). It seems as though, after 4am or so, we both seem to sleep better. It’s probably just sheer exhaustion.

I look forward to being able to walk around for a few minutes and not have to stop and rest. Today, after a rather cursory clean-up of the kitchen, living room, and bathroom, I fell into a dead sleep for 2 hours (with nary a coughing attack, wonder why?!).

Sunday is Pizza Night, and a little thing like lack of oxygen shall not stop me from continuing this Jack-beloved tradition. Fortunately I had a ball of pizza dough in the freezer, which I actually remembered to take out and put in the freezer to thaw last night before going to bed. I believe that this will be our first grilled pizza of the 2009 Summer Grilling Season because I refuse to turn on the oven today.

Now, I must go over my notes to review the steps to making grilled, as opposed to charred pizza.

The dough must be sturdy. I once tried a very soft, no-knead dough for grilled pizza and it actually slumped between the grids and burnt into thick stripes.

I must remember to prepare all toppings ahead of time. All. No exceptions. While the pizza is cooking, there will barely be time to pour the wine (which is Jack’s job, actually).

The grill must be preheated only to 400F, which is about 12 minutes. Any higher and the pizza will scorch. Once the crust is slid onto the grids, the lid must be shut immediately and the pizza be allowed to bake for 1-1/2 minutes (but I stand by the grill for the last 30 seconds of that time, in case I smell burning). A pizza peel will be used to take the crust off of the grill, the lid shut again as I bring the crust in for embellishing.

The pizza is turned over and the toppings are arranged on the cooked side of the crust. Again, it is taken out to the grill, slid back on the grids, and baked for 2 minutes of so (checking after 1-1/2 minutes).

A few hours later...

Okay, these were the notes from LAST year! I forgot that I now have a baking stone that is not too big for using on the grill, so although the prep has remained the same, the cooking time has changed. But no big deal, just double the times above. I don’t know if I like using the baking stone, though. It certainly is easier, and less chance to burn, but I miss the “grilled marks”. And I am sure that the “grilled taste” was less apparent when the pizza was baked on the stone. But this pizza wasn't charred at all. :)

I made a Thai Chicken Pizza this evening.

Although I see numerous recipes for Thai food which includes peanuts, I’m not entirely certain that they are an authentic ingredient. However, the sauce recipe for my pizza tonight uses peanut butter and I’m keeping it because I really like the flavor and it does give the sauce added body.

I know that I have probably posted a recipe similar to this before, but I don’t often measure ingredients and this time, for the sauce, I did. It’s easy, the most difficult part is gathering all of the ingredients together.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Thai Pizza Sauce

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings : 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

4 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons lime juice -- or rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon crushed ginger

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek -- or other Thai hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Combine all ingredients except sesame oil in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently until peanut butter melts. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently as the sauce thickens.

Remove from heat, and stir in sesame oil. Allow to cool (it will thicken even further).

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Per serving: 179 Calories (kcal); 10g Total Fat (2g Saturated); (47% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 1mg Cholesterol; 865mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates

The sauce is very flavorful, but it is high in sodium and fat (that peanut butter!) so even though it’s a favorite we do try to rein ourselves in and have this only once or twice a month.

About the pizza, I have trouble initially stretching the dough even though my whole wheat recipe uses added wheat gluten, and I allow it to rest after the second punching-down. So I have discovered that taking the plastic wrap which covered the bowl during rising and placing it on the outside of the upside-down bowl, then forming the pizza dough into a flat disc and allowing it to stretch over the inverted bowl, makes the process a bit easier.

Here’s a photo of the pizza crust, still on the grill, after the first side was baked:

And after the pizza was done:

Tonight, in addition to the sauce and lowfat cheddar, I used sautéed spinach, red pepper strips, and onion; then added chopped chicken breast and water chestnuts. I have to mention that, when making this particular pizza, I try to remember to reserve a tablespoon of the sauce, mix it with a tablespoon of water, and toss the chopped chicken breast with it to keep it moist during baking. Tonight I forgot, but the pizza was still good because I had poached the chicken breast and it remained moist. The additional flavor of the sauce would have been good, though.

Okay, I just realized that although I cooked a more extensive meal for dinner tonight than I have in the last 2 weeks, I’m not particularly exhausted. In fact, I’m sitting here, typing, and not really even wheezing! Could this nasty problem be in its waning hours (oh, yes, let’s not get too excited—days. I’ll take waning days!).

Potsticker Soup

It has been a pretty rough couple of weeks here. My cold quickly turned from that into a respiratory infection, which triggered the worst asthma attack I have had in 5 or 6 years. Even though I disinfected everything I touched, Jack caught the same cold and his turned into bronchitis. In fact, I hate to admit it, but I was so miserable that I thought his cough was just a “sympathetic” cough, and didn’t do much about it except throw cough drops at him for a few days…

In the last 10 days or so, I have totally depleted my freezer full of chicken and vegetable stock since I prepared only very simple, quick soups and stews. I actually located a couple of meals in the freezer (I have to remember to make extra and freeze occasionally for situations such as this) which I was able to use as well.

Today, however, looks a bit brighter. Although it sounds like a 1950’s hospital TB ward around here with all of the coughing going on, I realized that I could make it the whole way up the stairs to the second floor without having to stop and breathe. Pretty pathetic.

Back when this all started and Jack was still cold-free, he met with our accountant and, when he arrived home, brought me a huge container of wonton soup from our favorite local Chinese restaurant. I love their wonton soup, and had recently found out that it tasted so good because the owner makes his broth from scratch. Yum. There’s nothing worse than salty, greasy chicken broth. A few days later, on our way home from my doctor appointment, we stopped at the same restaurant and I had the soup again. It just made me feel so much better!

While talking with the owner (Glenn!), he mentioned that he enjoys chicken broth with potstickers as a quick meal. Hmmm. Why had I never heard of this before? Jack and I love potstickers, any kind, and we have found that Trader Joe’s chicken and vegetable dumplings are one of our favorites. However, I had never heard of boiling them in broth, only steaming or pan-frying.

Today, we needed more soup. We are living on soup. As I mentioned earlier, my freezer supply of homemade chicken and vegetable stock had been depleted. As was our supply of cough drops. So I went out to the local grocery store and picked up a few supplies.

The only low-sodium chicken stock or broth which had been suggested to me, and was available at the small store, was Swanson’s chicken stock. Armed with a couple of boxes of that, plus some vegetables and fruit, milk, juice, and cough drops, I came home and took a nap. :)

When I finally got around to moving again, I dug out a package of TJ’s dumplings out of the freezer and went to work. The soup which I made was incredibly simple, but very delicious. The dumplings were more filling than wontons, and I added some vegetables and a few seasonings as well, which made this a well-rounded meal.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Potsticker Soup

Recipe By; Vicci

Servings: 2 Preparation Time :0:20

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ ---------------------------------------

2 1/2 cups low-sodium defatted chicken broth

2/3 cup water

1/4 teaspoon minced ginger

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1/8 teaspoon oriental hot sauce -- (sambal oelek is a good choice)

1 large carrot -- split lengthwise and sliced diagonally

3/4 cup thinly sliced green cabbage -- any kind, but I prefer Napa or Bok Choy

2 large green onions -- slice all but keep the green tops separate (for garnish)

12 whole Trader Joe's Chicken Gyoza Potstickers, unthawed

1 teaspoon arrowroot -- mixed with 1 teaspoon water, optional

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Bring the broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepot. Add the ginger, garlic, hot sauce, carrot, and cabbage.

Turn down the heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add the green onion WHITES and the potstickers, turn up the heat to return to a boil, then turn the heat back down, partially cover, and cook until the potstickers are tender (TJ's directions say about 2-3 minutes)

If a slightly thicker broth is desired, add the arrowroot-and-water mixture and stir until thickened. Turn off heat and stir in the sesame oil. Divide between two deep bowls, sprinkle with the reserved sliced green onion tops. Dust with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.

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Per serving: 260 Calories (kcal); 4g Total Fat (1g Saturated); (15% calories from fat); 16g Protein; 30g Carbohydrate; 26mg Cholesterol; 1347mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

I have to add that Jack loved this soup so much he has requested it for tomorrow, too! :)

Next time I get to the store, I will pick up some snow peas to shred into the soup as well-- I think it would be a delicious addition.

King Arthur Flour's Ciabatta Three Ways

My cooking (and blogging) has come to a screeching halt.

A “tickle” in my chest on Saturday night turned into a full-blown head-and-chest cold, the likes of which I have not experienced in many years. Easter lunch was canceled, so there will be no post of the lemon-glazed chicken cutlets and almond rice pilaf (although the dessert will be reviewed at a later date as I had already made a Meyer lemon cake which, because I cannot taste anything, is now in the freezer awaiting my recovery).

After almost 3 full days of rest, hot liquids, and vitamins I cannot say that I am much better. The few prepared foods that I had in the freezer are gone, and tonight we will eat leftovers from Sunday. Hmmm, if they were never eaten in the first place, are they still considered to be leftovers? And, to add even more fun, Jack had to take Spooky to the vet for an emergency visit (and this is the first time Spooky has ever needed to go to the vet for anything other than his twice-yearly Senior Wellness Checkups). I'm sneezing and blowing my nose and trying to ignore the headache as I , very anxiously, await their return.

One last note: Puffs Plus ROCKS! But I doubt if I will even have a nose in another day or two if this doesn’t let up…

So until I am up and cooking again, I will post a recipe review that I wrote a couple of weeks ago.

We love flavorful, slow-rise breads with a thin, crispy crust and this ciabatta recipe from King Arthur Flour did not disappoint!

One of the wettest dough I have ever worked with, this one literally poured from the bowl onto the baking sheet. Problems with handling it can be minimized, however, if you remember to grease your hands and utensils with shortening beforehand. It is a messy, but necessary, process. I have made this bread three times and, no matter what I do, mine does not rise as much as KA’s does although that’s certainly not a reason for me not to ever make it again.

One of the options is to make this ciabatta into garlic bread. I’m not a fan of garlic bread, I prefer plain ol’ bread (and, if it’s really good, you don’t even need butter), but I made the garlic version for our family Christmas dinner and it disappeared immediately. I was asked to make it again for my Dad’s birthday dinner a few weeks ago, so I did. Again, one slice was left and it was fought over by my 3 nephews.

One of the loaves:

I made a change to the recipe this time, and this was to broil the bread instead of baking. I didn’t notice much of a difference, but Dad liked the “crispy edges” better.

After broiling, I re-sandwiched the halves together then sliced them.

And this was one of the bread baskets, just seconds before the swarms dove in to gobble it up.

Again, the dough is a bit of a pain to work with but the result, whether enjoyed plain or with the garlic and-cheese (and butter!) topping, is incredible.

Start the bread the day before since the starter needs to rest for at least 8 and up to 15 hours, and after this it will be another 3-1/2 to 4 hours before you will slide it into the oven.

I have found that those breads which use a slow-rise starter taste so much better than those made by the more common “knead-rise-punch-rise-bake” method which takes only a couple of hours. Give this one a try. Really, what is more worth waiting for than really, really good bread???

Pizzelles

Easter is a very low-key holiday this year, and the only baking which I have produced has been that one absolutely essential holiday cookie- pizzelles.



My Italian grandmother used a pizzelle iron which made one at a time. She stood in their basement, at the "second stove", baking each cookie over a gas flame. It must have taken her forever, flipping the iron over and back to cook each side. It took us kids seconds to wolf them down.


So, every time I make pizzelles with my electric two-at-a-time pizzelle iron, I thank her (because I'm fairly certain that she is watching me from above, and smiling).


I love my pizzelle iron. I bought it at a local Italian store because it was the kind my Mom has, and when I got it home I realized that it is manufactured a couple of miles from here. West Newton, PA. A tiny town, smack dab on the biking trail we use.


I found this on Amazon. I paid about $40 for mine, probably 20 years ago, and it is everything that I could ask for in a pizelle maker.



I developed this pizzelle recipe because I wanted to use an egg substitute rather than the dozen eggs which my Mom's recipe called for. And find a way to reduce the 2 cups of vegetable oil. I have to admit that hers are a little lighter in texture than mine, but I can eat more of my pizzelles! And they still taste great.


Make the batter the day before because it really has to sit for the flavors to develop.







* Exported from MasterCook *


Pizzelles


Recipe By: Vicci
Servings: 48


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
8 ounces Egg Beaters® 99% egg substitute
4 large eggs
2 1/4 cups sugar
6 ounces canola oil
2 teaspoons orange extract
2 teaspoons anise oil
4 1/4 cups Eagle Mills All-Purpopse Unbleached Flour


Beat first 4 ingredients until frothy. Mix in flavorings. Stir in flour (the batter should be the consistency of a very thick pancake batter; you should be able to scoop the batter out with a cookie scoop with ease). Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.


Heat pizzelle iron for 15 minutes. Using a paper towel, rub shortening into the grids.


Add a tablespoon of batter in the center of each form (I use a cookie scoop), the close and lock lid. Check after 40 seconds. Discard first 2 pizelles. Darker pizzelles will take about 55 seconds per batch.


Immediately remove pizzelles from iron to a cooling rack. Store in a loosely-covered container to keep crisp.


Yield:
"8 dozen"



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Per serving: 71 Calories (kcal); 4g Total Fat; (48% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 16mg Cholesterol; 12mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates


NOTES :
Other flavorings can be used: lemon extract, vanilla extract, with 1 tablespoon FRESH lemon zest, almond extract, vanilla extract, 1/4 cup very finely ground, toasted almonds (decrease flour by 1/4 cup)

Easter 2009

I used 1/4 cup of almond syrup and 1 tablespoon of almond extract, and also needed to add a little extra flour.