Breville Crispy Crust Pizza Maker
Talk to any professional pizza maker and he will tell you there are two secrets to making a great pizza: the crust and the right oven. Crust is subjective with most people preferring one made of white flour although whole wheat and whole grain doughs are gaining in popularity. And, then there is the type of crust: thin, Neapolitan, Pan, New York Style, Sicilian, and more to consider. But, no matter what kind or type of crust is preferred, the pizza can never be cooked properly unless the right oven is used which makes pizza making quite difficult at home….until now.
Chocolate Gifts
All you need is love. But, a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. -Charles M. Schulz
Finding the perfect chocolate gift for that special someone can be daunting with all the choices – dark, milk, or white, truffles, ganache, nuts, caramels, assortments – but zeroing in on the recipient can make the decision easier. Is the token of your affection an athlete, a baker, a Francophile, a chocolate connoisseur, a vegan, or a cookie lover? If so, consider the following possibilities: Read more 
Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Oatmeal
Oatmeal can be boring; why else would grocery stores offer so many flavored varieties in the cereal aisle? The problem with flavored oatmeal is that most are loaded with sugar, sweeteners or additives that don’t provide any nutritional benefit beyond raising the caloric and sugar content. Purely Elizabeth (of granola fame) recently launched four new ancient grain oatmeal and hot cereals: Read more
Spelt: The Golden Grain
I’m partial to spelt…
One of my favorite grains is spelt, a member of the wheat family that has a chewy texture and a nutty flavor. In its whole grain form, spelt is referred to as a berry although it looks like a long golden seed or grain.. Similar to rice in texture – but more flavorful – spelt can be used instead of rice in recipes for pilaf, salads, and puddings. Spelt berries can also be boiled and added to cooked steel-cut oats to make a delicious breakfast bowl. Add some cinnamon, chopped bananas and strawberries for a morning feast. Read more
Sweetie Beans Many Cake Cake Mix
Sweetie Beans Many Cake Cake Mix is a gluten-free and vegan blend of ingredients – primarily white rice flour, sugar, tapioca starch, potato starch and potato flour – that serves as a base to make truly delicious cakes. Several months ago at a convention for health products, I was drawn to a booth with a crowd of people vying for samples of a variety of large sheet cakes – chocolate, spice, vanilla, and more. Read more
Kelapo Coconut Oil Cooking Spray
All-natural Kelapo Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Cooking Spray is one of the newest alternative cooking sprays on the market. Made with one ingredient: unrefined cold-pressed organic extra virgin coconut oil, Kelapo Cooking Spray is a surprisingly healthy and delicious alternative to vegetable oil sprays, butter, and margarine. With no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, and no soy (for those who prefer a pure coconut oil spray), Kelapo Cooking Spray is convenient way to coat pans and cookie sheets to keep food from sticking to the cookware. Read more
Natural Food Colors, Sprinkles, and Sparkles
It’s that time of year when many of us start dreaming about cookies: rolled cut-out, springerle, snowballs, pinwheels, gingerbread, crescents and more. Most holiday cookies have some type of decoration which led me to start thinking about what I was putting on top of my cookies. As I went through my baking cabinet reading labels, I was surprised to learn that nearly all the bottles of food coloring and jars of sprinkles and sparkles contain artificial colors and additives so I tossed them in the trash. I knew there had to be healthy alternatives out there so I set out to find food coloring, sprinkles and sparkles made with natural ingredients. Read more
How ’bout a Date?
Several years ago while living in Switzerland, a friend gave my family a tray of dried fruits – figs, dates, and apricots – from the Middle-East where he often traveled. The jumbo sized dates formed my idea of what a date should be: sweet, moist, creamy and delicious. Unfortunately, the standard date available at grocery stores (and even Whole Foods) does not live up to the dates from lands far away, which led me to look for for a high quality date in the US. My search led me to a Indio, California which is about 23 miles southeast of Palm Springs, where Shields Date Garden is a major draw for locals and tourists alike. Read more
Bragg Organic Sprinkle
While shopping at a food coop in Middlebury, Vermont last month, I picked up a jar of Bragg 24 Organic Herbs and Spice Seasonings – a blend of all natural herbs and spices which adds flavor without sodium to soups, salads, pizza, vegetables, rice, beans, potatoes, marinades, and more. Formulated by Paul Bragg (a health crusader before his time and quite a colorful character) more than 80 years ago, Bragg Organic 24 Herbs and Spice Seasoning was aptly named because 24 herbs and spices go into making this flavorful seasoning. Read more
Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts
When most people think of hemp, they think of marijuana and although the association is understandable, there is a big difference between hulled hemp seeds (which are also called hemp hearts) and marijuana. They both come from the cannabis plant but hulled hemp seeds or hemp hearts have .001% (one thousandth) of THC (the mind altering agent) whereas marijuana has 3-22%, with an average of 9%. So although hemp has gotten a bad rap from its distant recreational drugee cousin, hemp in reality is a very nutritious seed that provides a complete protein and is easily digestible. Read more
Paddock Post 