Chocolate, Spring Superfoods, Royal Visit.

Yesterday morning I came across this excellent news about chocolate. It appears that consuming 50 g of dark chocolate a day may help with cardiovascular problems due to the flavonols present in the chocolate. Read the article here. Only trouble none of this good news allows you to really eat chocolate, I mean, how much is 50 g really. I know that Hershey’s make dark chocolate kisses and one of those a day is supposed to be good for you. Only trouble is, I can’t find anywhere round here that sells them. Not only that, I personally prefer milk chocolate which is not as good for you as there are not as many flavonols. Hm, I wonder if the chocolate roses I bought the other day weigh 50 g. We could go back to Reid’s and buy some dark chocolate ones. Matt prefers the dark anyway. Now there’s a surprise, I just weighed my chocolate roses and 9 pieces are less than 50 g. I wonder……. of course if you have too much then you run into sat fat and calorie problems.

Then I came across another article which touts the nutritional value of asparagus, yes, that green stuff I love so much. It too is good for the cardiovascular system. So, to those of my friends who think I rave about asparagus too much, take note. It looks like a meal of asparagus followed by chocolate would be a very healthy combination. Or asparagus with a savoury chocolate sauce! Actually the article I was reading is touting the benefits of all the spring vegetables including things like garlic, onions, mushrooms, radishes and so on.  The article is called Spring Superfoods. Who knew that wild garlic could be so pretty, I certainly didn’t. Shh, don’t tell anyone, especially my friend in Oz, but there is a slight chance I might be able to get some fresh asparagus today.

I just read that Prince Charles and Camilla, Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, will be Canada towards the end of May so that they can join us for Victoria Day (May 21) which is when we celebrate the Queen’s birthday and the visit will also be linked with the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. They will only be here three days so it is going to be a whirlwind visit especially as they plan to visit three provinces whilst they are here. Talk about rushing them through a visit. Glad I am not a Royal, sounds like it would be exhausting.

Didn’t make it for my echocardiogram yesterday, was feeling pretty unwell. Not sure why, but had to cancel. Matt’s back is getting steadily better it seems. What a pair we are.

I thought this recipe would be absolutely lovely for a diabetic like me LOL. I think I would love these. They remind me a bit of Martha Washington Creams as made by a friend every Christmas and I couldn’t get enough of those.

Lemon Snow Drops

Source: Fine Cooking - Issue No. 24

Yields about 3 dozen cookies.

These stay fresh for up to a week; reroll them in confectioners’ sugar before serving.

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup confectioners' sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Pinch salt

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

For Rolling:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Beat the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon or a mixer until creamy. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt; mix until combined. Add the flour; mix until just blended. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and set them 1 inch apart on ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets(or freeze them on a baking sheet, as shown above). Bake until the cookies are light golden and give slightly when pressed, 18 to 20 min. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheet; while still warm, roll them in confectioners' sugar. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Have a great day