AGAVE: Not just for tequila anymore!

The real question is: can I sweeten my margaritas with agave nectar? Hmm, how about if I rim the glass with agave nectar and colored sugar crystals...the possibilities are endless!

clipped from www.yumsugar.com Know Your Ingredients: Agave Nectar Agave nectar (or agave syrup) is a liquid sweetener made from juice extracted out of the core of the agave plant. This sugar alternative, which is roughly 25 percent water, dissolves easily in cold liquids, and is sweeter than white sugar, yet less processed than refined sugar, and has a healthier glycemic index. It comes in light, amber, dark, and raw varieties. Light nectar has a delicate, almost neutral taste; amber possesses a caramel color and medium flavor; dark has stronger notes of caramel. Raw nectar is produced at temperatures below 118ºF and contains natural enzymes and a mild taste. Agave syrup can also be employed to substitute equal parts honey. Unlike honey, agave nectar is vegan, and does not crystallize when stored. When cooking with it, keep in mind that 3/4 cup agave syrup has the sweetening power of 1 cup of cane sugar, and when baking reduce the temperature by 25ºF.

Recipe: Coconut Milk Chicken

Since it's getting cooler outside, it's time to get my "comfort food" recipes in order...


Recipe: Coconut Milk Chicken:

"Since falling in love with Jamie Oliver's Chicken in Milk recipe, I've wanted to try another take on the concept and simmer a whole chicken in coconut milk. How decadent! Read Full Post"

So here's the recipe:

Chicken in Coconut Milk
serves 4

One 3-3.5 pound whole chicken
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 pound fingerling potatoes
2 cans (13 - 15oz) regular or light coconut milk
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
10 whole garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
Zest of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons chopped lemon grass stems
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper at a rate of about 1 tablespoon salt per pound and 1 tablespoon pepper per three pounds. Heat the butter and sesame oil in a pot that will fit the chicken snugly, like a Dutch oven, and set the chicken in the hot oil. Cook, turning the chicken to get an even golden color on all sides, about 5 minutes total.

Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and dispose of the fat left in the pot. Return the chicken to the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in the preheated oven, basting with the cooking juices every 20 minutes, for 1 - 1.5 hours. It is done when the meat pulls away from the bone without much effort and the potatoes are tender when pricked with the end of a paring knife.

To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide with potatoes between plates or serve on a platter. Spoon over a hefty helping of the milky sauce. Mind the cinnamon stick.

Related: Jamie's Chicken with Lemon and Milk

Learn the health value of specific ingredients used in common herbal teas

What, no chai?

clipped from www.womansday.com 10 Healing Herbs Used in Teas Learn the health value of specific ingredients used in common herbal teas Chamomile is a flower long loved for its soothing, calming and sleep-inducing qualities. Lemongrass teas are often served as an after-dinner drink to aid digestion Unlike other herbs, jasmine is most loved for its robust fragrance rather than its health value It’s believed that the menthol-containing leaves help soothe irritable bowel syndrome, nausea and other stomach-related ailments by calming the abdominal muscles and improving the flow of bile, which aids in digestion. Peppermint is also said to cure minor cases of bad breath. There is much debate over whether echinacea really prevents or cures the common cold. Rosehips are the seed-filled red-orange pods that form at the base of the rose bloom. Notable for its high concentration of vitamin C, the herb is valued for its immune-strengthening properties Blackberry leaves Hibiscus Orange pee Hawthorn

Seen on JakandJil.com

SELF SERVE//: "

Those lace-ups are Hella cute!

The ‘Very Hot’ Pumps From Emanuel Ungaro! (from the.LIFE Files)

The ‘Very Hot’ Pumps From Emanuel Ungaro!: "

Emanuel Ungaro didn’t lie when he named these pumps ‘Very Hot’

£640

Shoeperwoman

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Growing A Set

Recently, I've gotten bold enough to share my blog(s)--yes, I have a few--with friends and acquaintances. No big deal for some, but a huge step for me. In my head, its easier to be criticized by strangers than analyzed by friends and family. Don't ask me why. Not the point.

I figure if I have to see and talk to people who might actually take time out of their literally BUSY schedules to read my thoughts, I'd better say something worth reading. I'm not always thought-provoking, but I try not to post news you can get from a far-more qualified source (Mmm hmm, I know! How could that be, right?)...and I don't post "cute kitten" pictures or forward chain e-mail.

Instead, I post things to make you laugh, spark conversation or day dream a little more often.

Especially when I have my Befitting Service hat on.

Oh, and I hope to spotlight new shoes to covet.

Shout out to Sharron, my smut-writing cohort with a joi de vivre I haven't seen in about five years. VERY REFRESHING. And obviously inspiring.
--N.

[Responding from my Blackberry]

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