Comments section/ Christmas Wishes

Thanks to my friends Vicky and Tammy, I realized that I had some funky settings on the comments. Anyone can post a comment now. Sorry about that!

I also wanted to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas. Whether you cook or not, enjoy the time with your family. This picture of my daughter lighting a candle at St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC is a good reminder for me of why I celebrate. I thought I would share it with you all.

Egg Nog Biscotti - Sugar Free of Course!

The original recipe called for anise and almonds. I am not a fan of anise or black licorice... yucky... SO, I adapted the flavorings and made an Egg Nog Biscotti - isn't that fun and festive?! The original recipe is from bariatriceating.com, but I believe the creator is Linda at Eating Well, Living Thin. At any rate, this is a GREAT treat for the holidays.

Egg Nog Biscotti

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk (I just used two medium eggs, as the ones from our chicken are pretty small)

1 cup splenda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp rum extract (I used the candy oils and used 3-4 drops)

2 TB melted butter

2 cups ground almonds/almond flour

3/4 cup spelt flour (or white or whole wheat)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg (use fresh ground, it's worth it - store the nuts in the freezer)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

With an electric mixer, mix the eggs until thickened a bit, add splenda, butter and extracts and beat a bit more. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the wet and make a thick batter.

I then put it on to parchment paper and make a big 12 inch long turd and pat the top flat. Don't get it too thick or it will crack when you slice it. You can use the parchment to roll it up and help you form it so it doesn't stick to your fingers.

Bake at 350 (on the parchment) and remove when the bottom is brown. Now, don't touch it and let it cool COMPLETELY. Once it's cool use the sharpest serrated knife you have and slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces. I had to "saw" the edges first, then saw the top a bit before I did an actual slicing movement or the little suckers wanted to crack on me. It's a technique, that's for sure. Don't throw away any pieces though, just cook them with the rest for the next step and put them on your yogurt!

Now, take all the pieces and put them back in the oven at 350 for about 8 minutes each side. You want them hard and crunchy. After cooling, store in airtight container. Enjoy with your favorite cup of coffee or tea. Trader Joe's gingerbread coffee is my favorite at the moment.

Sugar Free Oatmeal Choc Chip Cookies

Oatmeal chocolate chip are my hubby's absolute favorite. Finding a low carb alternative to rival his mom's is a quest I will continue, but in the meantime, this sugar free (but NOT low carb) version is tasty and compared to the other stuff sitting around the buffet, not a bad alternative.

Really, really sorry about the picture. It's from my phone. I cant find my camera anywhere....

Preheat oven to 350

1 stick of room softened butter

1/2 cup splenda granular

1/2 cup Diabetisweet Brown (or AnyWhey Gold, or Splenda brown sugar)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cup oats

3/4 cup chopped sugar free chocolate (this is one bar chopped) or use SF chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and sweeteners. Add in the egg and vanilla and keep mixing until fluffy. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to the wet ingredients and combine well. Add oats and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by one inch balls onto a non-stick cookie sheet (or spray a cookie sheet w/ nonstick spray) and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Let cool slightly before CAREFULLY transferring to rack to finish cooling. These cookies are chewy and they are fragile until fully cooled. Yeild about 2 dozen.

*Why do I use spelt flour? - well, it is a LITTLE higher in protein and lower in carbs than regular white or whole wheat flour. Not much, but I cant tell a difference in the end product, so I use it.

*What is Any Whey Gold? - it's a milk based sweetener that does not cause the blood sugar spike that sugar does. More importantly, it is NOT a sugar alcohol, so it doesnt cause a clearing of the room after ingestion.

*What is Diabetisweet?- it is a sugar alcohol (Isomalt). Sugar alcohols are non-absorbed sugars. They arent absorbed so dont cause rise in blood sugar or a lot of calories, but are digested in the large intestine by gas-forming bacteria. It can cause - well - GAS! These dont affect me or immediate family too much, so I use them. BUT I would always warn a guest about possible side effects.

I have a sugar free biscotti recipe I'm working on. Hope to post soon!

Asparagus Frittata

I figured it was time to start using egg recipes. We have a hen who's giving us about one egg a day and we have THIRTY who will start laying in the spring...

Here's a quick throw-together and my first ever frittata. Thumbs up from family.

1 small onion chopped

2 tbl canola oil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp pepper

8 eggs (If using large eggs, six would do fine - mine are teeny)

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Asparagus (I had frozen pencil thin asparagus that I thawed. I used enough to spread evenly around the skillet)

Preheat broiler

Place canola oil in a oven safe skillet and brown onions. I actually cooked mine until carmelized and the kitchen smelled awesome. I also wanted to lick the skillet, cuz I LOVE carmelized onions! Let the hot onions cool a bit in the skillet. Mix the eggs, spice and cheese in a separate bowl and add back in the onions. Pour everything back into the skillet and place on a low heat and cover. Cook until the whole frittata is set. Place the skillet in the oven and brown the top. (This took about 5 minutes) Remove from oven, let cool slightly and serve.