THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods
Also visit our main website, TheNibble.com.
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September 8, 2011 at 7:43 am
· Filed under Cookies-Cake-Pastry, Giftable
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Who wouldn’t want an invitation to the homes of Mary Ann McCormick and Nicole Nordensved? These mother-daughter bakers make such delicious cookies that friends and neighbors urged them to go into business.
The result, Lark Fine Foods of Essex, Massachusetts, is dedicated to making “deliciously different artisan cookies for grown-ups.”
Highly flavorful and not overly sweet, the all-natural cookies are made by hand in small batches using fresh ingredients.
We tried two of the eight varieties, Polenta Pennies and Salted Rosemary Shortbread. Both were excellent and make a beautiful presentation to enjoy with coffee or tea, or for a light dessert with fresh fruit, ice cream or sorbet. The Polenta Pennies, laced with lemon zest and golden raisins, also complement a cheese plate.
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Polenta Pennies: a delight for home
enjoyment or for gifts. Photo courtesy
Lark Fine Foods. |
Other flavors include Cha-Chas, the spiced chocolate shortbread that started the entrepreneurs in business; Coco Locos, buttery coconut cookies with a touch of rum; Lady Birds, whole grain cookies with chocolate chips and dried cranberries; Mighty Gingers, chewy cookies with lots of ginger; Russian Teacakes, butter balls with nuts, covered in confectioners’ sugar; and Scourtins, French-style sweet and savory olive wafers.
The sturdy, handsome packages are giftable, and we’ve put them on our holiday list. At $6.00 a package, they’re a delectable gourmet treat for recessionary times.
You can buy the cookies online at LarkFineFoods.com. There’s a retail store locator on the website.
How many types of cookies can you name? Check out our beautiful Cookie Glossary.
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September 7, 2011 at 8:43 am
· Filed under Kitchenware-Tabletop, Tip Of The Day
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Measuring cup for both fluid ounces and dry
ounces, from Taylor. This one has an easy
digital readout. |
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Do you know the difference between ounces (that is, between dry ounces and fluid ounces)?
If you don’t, it’s easy to screw up recipes by substituting one for the other. Make sure to use either a fluid ounces measuring cup or a dry measuring cup, as appropriate to the recipe. The measuring cup shown in the photo has fluid ounce markings on one side and dry ounces on the other. But it’s easier to measure dry ingredients from a set of graduated cups (1 cup, 3/4 cup, 2/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup and 1/8 cup).
The ounce (dry ounce or avoirdupois ounces, abbreviated as .oz) measures mass or weight.
The fluid ounce (fl. oz.) measures volume.
Weight and volume are not analogous to solid and liquid. Weight and volume have nothing to do with the property of the materials. How much a fluid ounce will weigh, for example, depends on the density of the fluid.
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What Makes Things Confusing
There are 16 ounces in a pound, and 16 fluid ounces in a pint. But that doesn’t mean you can substitute a dry measurement for liquid measurement.
A fluid ounce of water weights a bit more than a dry ounce (1.043 ounces per fluid ounce), so here the substitution is almost equal. But for any other liquid (olive oil or juice, for example) substitution will result in very different quantities.
What To Do About It
Make sure you’re using the right measure—especially if you have a dual-measuring cup that has fl.oz. markings on one side and dry ounce markings on the other.
Study the differences in this chart.
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September 7, 2011 at 7:57 am
· Filed under Snacks, Top Pick Of The Week
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If you love those soft-and-crunchy half-popped kernels in the popcorn bowl, you’ll love Halfpops.
We are very fond of those special kernels, so it’s no surprise that Halfpops, new in the marketplace, has become one of our favorite snacks.
Not only are these crunchy kernels great with a beverage—beer and wine are our beverages of choice here—but they are terrific garnishes for salads, soups and other foods.
And Halfpops are a guilt-free snack: Popcorn is a whole grain.
Read the full review.
Find more of our favorite crunchy snacks.
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Halfpops are our favorite new crunchy snack.
Photo by Jaclyn Nussbaum | THE NIBBLE. |
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September 7, 2011 at 7:40 am
· Filed under Bread-Crackers-Sandwiches, NutriNibbles-Organic-Health, Organic
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Crunchy nuggets with a cinnamon blush.
Photo courtesy Kashi Company.
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Our grandfather loved Post Shredded Wheat, and we came to love it too—despite the fact that his daughter (Mom) didn’t like it and wouldn’t keep it in the house. So when we went to Grandpa’s, our treat was getting to eat as many bowls of it as we could.
When we left for college, Shredded Wheat became a go-to comfort food, standing in for many a dinner as well as breakfast.
Today we know that Shredded Wheat and similar boxed cereals are whole grain powerhouses. When we saw that Kashi Company’s Autumn Wheat contained 50g of whole grains—even more than the recommended daily value—we switched brands and started each day with a bowl of Kashi. (The flavor is better, too.)
Now the Kashi Company, known for its tasty organic cereals, has launched Cinnamon Harvest: crunchy, bite-size whole wheat biscuits splashed with ground cinnamon and organic evaporated cane juice crystals.
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Just one serving contains 47g of the 48g recommended daily value (DV) of whole grains, and 20% of one’s daily fiber.
It’s a great snacking cereal, too, and is also available in Island Vanilla, made with finely-ground vanilla beans.
Why Is Whole Grain So Important?
Our article on whole grain cereals explains all.
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September 6, 2011 at 7:45 am
· Filed under Honey-Sugar-Syrup, Tip Of The Day
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Our last tip for National Honey Month is courtesy of Ford’s Honey Farm in Newport, New York. How many ways can you enjoy honey?
FAVORITE NEW USE
Poke a hole in the center of a warm biscuit. Fill the hole with honey and enjoy with meals or as a snack.
Consider using hot honey!
TRIED & TRUE USES
Breakfast
Drizzle over yogurt and granola
Mix with butter for a honey butter spread
On bread or toast, English muffins or bagels
On French toast, pancakes or waffles
Over cold or hot cereal
In hot drinks: coffee, hot chocolate, tea
Lunch & Dinner
As a glaze
Drizzled over sweet potatoes or carrots
With the bread basket, in addition to, or instead of, butter
Dessert
Drizzle over ice cream and frozen yogurt
In cakes, pies and cookies, instead of sugar
In the center of a baked apple
Snacks
As a dip for fruit (apples dipped in honey are a favorite)
In iced tea
In smoothies and shakes
Mixed with peanut butter as a spread
Right off the spoon, when you need a sweet treat
Other favorite uses? Tell us!
TYPES OF HONEY
Types of honey based on processing techniques
The different forms of honey
How many monofloral honeys have you tried? There are numerous different types.
CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.
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[1] Drizzle honey over fruit, such as roasted figs or fresh-cut apple slices (photo © Scott Karcich | iStock Photo).
[2] Add honey to your smoothie, drizzle it over ice cream and berries (photo © National Honey Board).
[3] One of our favorite treats: goat cheese and honey (photo © Belle Chevre).
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