Rhodiola?

So after watching an entire episode of Dr. Oz that was ENTIRELY about Vagina's...  I learned about a nifty little herbal supplement called Rhodiola Rosea.  So this stuff is supposed to be the miracle pill handed to us by the Siberian shaman's themselfs. It has all of these promises:

• Increased energy
• Increased mental focus
• Weight reduction (when paired with exercise)
• Lowers blood pressure
• Protects the liver and helps it recover from exposure to certain poisons
• A powerful antioxidant

So the whole point of this pill in a nut-shell is it has anti-aging effects, helps with fatigue, and mental performance.  Its very popular in Russia, primarily in Siberia, to help them cope with the terrible climate and living conditions.  So that makes me wonder what it could do for me!!

Its supposed to give you the jitters at a high enough dosage, so I'll see where my line is with that.  Cause I still plan on consuming Espresso and Oolong Tea throughout the day.  Just not today as I'm getting a baseline of how I feel without those other stimulants. 

Results:

I only took a 250mg capsule before breakfast.  Feeling a little peppy by 10'ish. Its a nice relaxing feeling, but still energetic and focused.  Its not a Night/Day type experience but I do think its worth it so far.. I'll have to append to this after I give it a full blown regular day with the tea/coffee combination!  LETS DO THIS!!!!!

Cookies and Coffee

So... Last night I had the foresight to prepare myself for a morning treat!  After some requests from Kairi for some more of these Almond Macaroon's I felt that we needed these cookies, and Caramel Latte`s too!  But you can't have all that espresso that late at night, so I baked away and put them aside for a breakfast treat!  Totally something quick and easy that should be attempted..

Almond Macaroon Cookies

• 3 cups blanched slivered almonds
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

First I open up the food processor, toss in all 3 cups of them almonds then let it rip till it looks like a good mealy mess.  Toss in all the sugar and let it go another 15 seconds to blend well (kinda toss it around with your spoon if need be).  Then toss in your egg whites and almond extract and let it rip!  You'll see the dough form in front of your very eyes!  Once it looks like cookie dough throw about a tablespoon of it like 1-1.5 inches apart on parchment paper then throw it a 300 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or till it looks nutty brown around the edges.

I like to slip a few of the almond slivers on the top of the cookies to make them look fancy :)

Add one large mug of Caramel Latte` with whipped cream and you're in business!!!  They were nice and crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle.  Very tasty with coffee...

Watch as I Brulee this Creme!

Well, this is my first attempt at making my very own Creme` Brulee.  I had once done this with my brother back in Louisiana and now get my chance to wield the flame!

So I gathered the supplies, grabbed a recipe from one of my all-time favorite's Alton Brown and departed on this one-way journey to tasty town.  Because its 4 6oz. ramekins I had to reduce the recipe by half (shown below for 24oz. of Creme Brulee batter).

• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• 1/2 Vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1/2 cup vanilla sugar, divided
• 3 large egg yolks

I preheated the oven to 325 degrees F and tossed the Heavy Cream in a sauce pan on a medium-high fire.  I cut the vanilla bean in half, then split the half down the middle by starting a cut then leaving the knife planted into the wooden cutting board and pulling the bean. Then using the spine of the knife (the back dull part for you laymen) then tossed all the scraped out innards and bean casing into the heavy cream.  Once the heavy cream came to a boil I removed the pan from the fire and let it cool for 15 min.  While that was happening I leisurely de-yoked the eggs and put 3 large egg yokes into a bowl then fed the whites to the dog.  Then adding 1/4 cup of sugar to the yokes I whisked furiously until it became a pale color.  by this time the new vanilla creme is ready for action so I took the vanilla bean casings out and patted them dry with a paper towel so they could be tossed into a jar with some sugar (the other 1/4 cup or more) and let it sit.  After tempering the egg yokes with the creme by slowly introducing it and whisking it eventually got all mixed in.  I then poured it into the ramekins and tossed it into the water bath before introducing it to the oven for 45 minutes.

I wish I would have taken more pictures but I was too distracted with other things going on.. it was a crazy day!  I was getting all this ready early cause they have to sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours after baking for 45 min.

They came out AMAZING!

I grabbed some of this yummy vanilla sugar and sprinkled about a half a tablespoon on top of each evenly

With a torch and small circular motions it Brulee'ed quite nicely to a hard sugary crust!

YUM!!  Make sure you let it rest for a few minutes before serving!

I can't wait to try some chocolate creme brulee now! I'm going to come up with some other fun uses for this torch, cause that was just too fun.. hehe..

Taste the Magnums!

Holy crap in a pita!  These frozen treats are crazy tasty!  I have to admit, I was first annoyed that the box had 3 bars and this had to be for myself and Kairi to share... so I guess I have to sneak the 3rd one when she's not looking!  Then when I went to checkout at HEB with this delightful box of goodies the guy behind the counter picked the box up to scan it and one of the other cashiers had to snatch the box from him and go "OMG!! WHO'S BUYING THESE?!".. my blank stare must have told it all, because she instantly realized she was being retarded and went away.  I got home, reveled my conquest to the dog and tossed it in the freezer so the anticipation could build before my teeth could sink into that magnum (I love how it sounds like I plan on chewing on a condom..they come in golden wrappers too!).

After eating a great dinner as usual, Breaded chicken breasts with roasted asparagus and Cheesy rice & broccoli, I had a seat on the couch then turned on the gayest show I could muster.  So after getting The Voice on (stop laughing..) I sunk my teeth into this AMAZING treat.  I totally forgot to tell you which ones I got!  I went for the double caramel flavor, since they didn't carry the dark chocolate variety.  The chocolate was great, the caramel was frozen but smooth and tasty, and WHAT IS THIS?! YES!! Another layer of chocolate!!!  then some smooooooooth and yummy vanilla ice cream inside!  I loved it!  It was like a joyful ride of frozen tasty awesomeness that made me completely forget about  what was going on with the The Voice.

I would say, its a must try.  Not a shopping list staple (mostly because of the cost) but totally worth having as a fatteningly awesome treat!