Hazelnut Meringue Kisses

I wanted to try these...but haven't yet. Sooo, filing them online. Where they won't get lost in a pile. So I can throw away the page I clipped from the Delicious Living magazine.

Makes about 24
These ethereally crispy clouds are easy to make, very low in fat, and a pretty addition to a candy platter or gift tin. Prep tips: Heating the egg whites with the sugar dissolves the large crystals and results in a loftier meringue. If you have a pastry bag with a large round tip, it will come in handy for this recipe. If not, just use a spoon to shape the kisses.


2 large egg whites
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup finely ground hazelnuts
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

1. Line a baking sheet with cooking parchment. Preheat oven to 275°.

2. Place egg whites and sugar in a bowl that can nest on top of a pot filled with a few inches of water. Bring water in pot to a simmer. Place bowl over water and whisk egg-white mixture until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is very warm, 3 minutes. Remove bowl from hot water and add cream of tartar. Beat on high speed until very dense and shiny, about 5 minutes.

3. With a spatula, gently fold in vanilla extract and hazelnuts. Spoon mixture into 1-inch dollops (or use a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip) onto prepared baking sheet. Bake until meringues are dry and firm to touch, and almost dry inside (break one open to test), 35–38 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Sift cocoa powder over meringues and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

PER SERVING (2): 37 cal, 24% fat cal, 1g fat, 0g sat fat, 0mg chol, 1g protein, 6g carb, 0g fiber, 9mg sodium

Christmas Break Brainstorm

If I don't write it down, I won't remember, so welcome to my brainstorm. Please comment if you have other ideas (feasible in the Denver area). Thanks!

- Ice-skating and Cocoa at the Evergreen Lake
- Bus-ride to the library and Whole Foods, story time and lunch
- Deliver family's Christmas dinner
- Hammonds Candy Factory?
- "This Year You..." review of kids' milestones and favorite quotes and memories (ha! It's a brainstorm, so even ideas that will never quite get done can be included)
- Painted feet "trees" (will Zach's foot still fit the cardstock?)
- Video of kids singing "Jingle Bells"
- Update blog
- Send kid pics out!
- Head to Lil Monkey Bizness when the weather's too cold to be outside
- Head to the sledding hill when we've got more snow
- Make a snowman
- Cocoa in the car to tour the neighborhood's Christmas lights displays
- Wallace tradition: roast wieners and eat queso on Christmas Eve
- Spend a night in the mountains with a "real" fire?
- Bake some more cookies! Scott's requested oatmeal with Christmas M&Ms, and I have to try Theresa's chocolate thumbprints, at the risk of ballooning up...
(more to come)

Giving on a Budget

Ideas from Delicious Living, December 09:

1. Donate Empties ($0) - used ink and toner cartridges can be donated for resale. habitat.org, mowaa.org, humanesociety.org may be interested.

2. Feed the Hungry ($1) - foodforall.org has partnered with hundreds of grocery stores. Consider tacking $1 to your bil each time you check out at the grocery store.

3. Stop Junk ($20) - www.tonicmailstopper.com gets you off junk-mail lists *and plants five trees in your honor*

4. Surf for the Earth ($0) - use www.ecosearch.org (powered by Google) to retrieve the same search results and know that any ad revenues are donated at 100% to non-profits like Rainforest Alliance and Sierra Club.

5. Plant Trees ($5) - www.plantabillion.org

6. Moisturize for Good ($20) - spend $20 on Lush's Charity Pot hand and body cream, and 100% of proceeds (minus taxes) goes to support animal, humanitarian, and environmental foundations

7. Adopt a Polar Bear ($25) - www.worldwildlife.org offers symbolic adoptions of 100 species, and 82 cents of every dollar goes toward conservation

The article suggested reading How to be an Everyday Philanthropist by Nicole Bouchard Boles, to find more ideas on low- and no-cost ways to make a difference.

Kid Soup for Dinner

If you saw my facebook post from last night, you’ll know that Zach was pretty cute. (“Best.Christmas.Ever…Family Time,” etc.)

Today, not so much.

We were outside preparing to put up Christmas lights, when I looked over to discover him proudly grinning at me from the neighbor’s driveway. He was still standing in front of the neighbor’s Beemer. Olivia had since moved on. They had both spattered the car with red-dirt mudballs. On all sides of the car. The red dirt was dug up from the augmented “driveway” the neighbors put in. It’s full of little pebbles.

&*%$!

So, the kids went to their rooms, for quite a long while, while I hosed down the car and washed it up a bit. Then we loaded into our car to go buy (using money from the kids’ piggy banks) a chamois the kids will present to Rhonda tonight, when they apologize.

Sheesh!

I guess it’s my fault for not watching them closely enough and not having already had the you-should-never-throw-mudballs-at-the-neighbor’s-BMW talk yet.

Who’s coming over for dinner?