Marie Cookpad

   I've been really thinking lately about reducing the amount of refined sugars and fat that we consume.  I heard on the television the other day that people who eat a diet which contains a lot of highly processed foods don't live as long as other people.  Food for thought there.   I don't think this knowledge is going to make much of an impact on most people so long as the food industry continues to offer highly processed food at a lower price than good and wholesome foods.  The facts are staring you right in the face when you go into the shops.  It doesn't take a genius.   If I had a house full of children, was living on a limited income, and I had the choice between a plastic bag holding a handful of green beans or a paper sack holding half a dozen large sausage rolls for about half the price . . .  the choice is easy.   It would take several bags of the green beans to feed your children and keep them filled or you could buy a couple ...

  The other day I was in the shops and I thought I would buy a loaf of gluten free bread to try it out.  I have one word to say. BLECCH.  It was a very popular name brand, and it did have a nice texture and it looked like real bread, albeit a much smaller loaf, and very expensive I might add. £3 for a seeded loaf.  It didn't taste bad. It just left a pasty kind of coating in my mouth.  I couldn't bring myself to eat any more of it.  I just couldn't.  I will have to try making my own.   If these delicious brownies are any example of how good homemade gluten free baking can be, then we are in for a treat. I need to do some research first on bread.   I am not sure why it is so difficult to photograph chocolate things. They never come out looking at tasty as they really are.  If you have any hints or tips on that, I would really appreciate!   These gluten free chocolate brownies are fabulous. Dense.  Fudgy and chocolatey!...

  I love almonds.   I also love macamia, cashews and pistachios, oh and pecans and walnuts. Ohh, and honey roasted peanuts! Well . . .  I guess I just love all nuts, but almonds are at the top of the list!   I saw a recipe for Almond Horns on Pinterest and had to check it out.  They looked fabulously tasty and chock full of almonds.  The recipe was on Kitchen Bowl.   They looked incredibly tasty and easy to make.  Based on a German Cookie called Mandelhörnchen, Almond Horns are filled with almonds and naturally gluten free.   The dough for the cookies is composed of almond paste/marzipan, ground almonds (almond meal), almond essence, sugar and egg white.   Beaten together these make a somewhat sticky dough, that you roll into logs and then into even more almonds.  Shaped into crescents, they are then baked until golden brown.   The end result is a moreish cookie, golden and crisp on the edges and yet deliciously chewy cen...