Whole-Wheat Walnut-Raisin Biscotti

When you want a little something after dinner, skip the guilt and dip one of these crunchy, nut-studded treats into a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee.

Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

24 slices

• Vegetable oil, for baking sheet
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for work surface
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup walnut halves
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a baking sheet with oil; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; stir in walnuts and raisins. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Add to flour mixture; stir just until combined.
3. On a lightly floured surface, with floured hands, pat dough into a loaf about 1 inch thick, 2 1/2 inches wide (and about 7 inches long); transfer to baking sheet. Bake until risen and firm, 20 to 25 minutes; cool completely on sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
4. Place loaf on a cutting board, and using a serrated knife, cut diagonally into 1/4 inch-thick slices; place slices in a single layer on sheet. Bake, turning once, until dried and slightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes; cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 month.

From Everyday Food, January/February 2007 

 Veronica 
 http://averycountrychristmas.blogspot.com/
http://veronicas-korner.blogspot.com/

1-800-Flowers.com Mother's Day Flower Picks

How To Pot A Plant: Gardening Tips

Start with clean, scrubbed pots–preferably sterilized–for better success with your plants. Coarse steel wool or metal scouring pads clean pots in a jiffy.


Pot Cleaning Tips:

* Most harmful organisms can be killed by placing a stack of pots on a cloth under the hot-water faucet and running hot water slowly into the top pot for five minutes.
* Another option is this quick recipe for cleaning pots: 50/50 water and vinegar solution. Works well on both plastic and clay containers.


Getting Ready To Plant:

In planting, place a piece of broken crockery over the hole in the bottom of the pot and cover with a handful of soil (you can use a few small stones instead of crockery pieces). The idea is to allow water to drain (instead of being trapped in the pot) without losing soil. Placing a piece of broken crockery or a few rocks will provide filtered drainage.


How To Pot A Plant:

* Hold the plant in the pot with its crown just below the rim and spread the roots out evenly.
* Fill the pot gradually with soil, and firm it, without packing, as each handful is put in.
* Final soil level should be at least 1/4 inch below the pot rim to allow for easier watering.
* You can mix your own organic potting soil, see recipes here: Make Your Own Organic Potting Soil.



Repotting Plants:

In repotting plants, remove as much old soil as possible from roots, particularly from the top of soil ball, disturbing roots as little as possible. Use a pot proportionate in size to the plant. Plants should be shifted to bigger pots as they grow larger.


Consider The Container:

* Unglazed clay pots provide ideal growing conditions for plants. They are porous, providing necessary air circulation to roots, and have drainage holes in the bottom, making overwatering less likely.
* Plastic pots are lightweight and easy to handle but, as in metal or ceramic containers, water evaporates slowly, so you have to be careful not to overwater.
* If drainage is not provided, water can accumulate in the bottom of the container. Then roots rot and give off gases toxic to the plant.
* If you find a pot unattractive, set it in a jardiniere that better suits your taste.



Source: Adapted From Better Homes & Gardens Garden Book

Courtesy Of: www.tipnut.com

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Lemon-Espresso Bites

Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Makes about 16

• 1 cup sliced blanched almonds
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
• 3 large egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (preferably Meyer)
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2/3 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

Directions

1. Process almonds and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in confectioners' sugar. Put egg whites and salt into bowl of mixer fitted with whisk attachment; beat on medium until soft peaks form. Add remaining granulated sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Mix in vanilla and lemon juice. Fold in almond mixture in 2 batches. Stir in zest.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Put batter in a pastry bag fitted with a 1 1/2- inch round tip; pipe 2-inch rounds onto a nonstick baking sheet. Bake until golden and set, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
3. Bring cream to a boil in a pan. Pour over chocolate and espresso in a heatproof bowl; whisk. Freeze, stirring, until thick, 6 minutes.
4. Spread 2 teaspoons filling onto bottom of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

From Martha Stewart Living, December 2005

Amarillo Texas Fried chicken