SIGN OF THE TIMES

Since Oops50 is a site about and for women over 50, I have to tell you that I am usually not aware of how old I am.  That’s why I don’t write about menopause, aches and pains, hot flashes, sharing the best face cream to take years off my face, etc.  OK, once in a while I notice something new, like jowls, and I have to write about it, but really, I  don’t think there is anything to be done about it except to be aware of my mind freaking out at times, and just accepting what is.

When I first started to develop breasts and have a period, I didn’t think I could change it; I just accepted it and didn’t really dwell on it.  It was also a change, and it was kind of weird, just like menopause.

I could also share what I heard the latest date on Rapture is (I think it’s the end of May now), how I feel about the radiation levels all over the planet, or how the Oxford English Dictionary added a lot of new words and phrases, including OMG and LOL (which I thought meant “lots of love” and now know it means, “laughing out loud”!).

Instead, I’d like to share one of my favorite recipes that is easy and very delicious.  When you read it, it’s going to sound complicated, but believe me, it’s not!  And not only will you be glad you tried this recipe, but you will feel like a genius and your loved ones who eat these will also look at you in a better way.

SADHVI'S SWISS MANDELGIPFELI !

Now you could just go buy some frozen puff pastry dough from the supermarket, but when you make this just once, why would you waste gas, and money, to get something that is filled with junk that is poison for your body?

Sadhvi’s Swiss Almond “Gipfeli”* (croissant)

The recipe for the pastry dough:

2 cps. Flour (I use King Arthur’s All Purpose Organic White Flour)

3/4 t. Salt…put all this is a bowl and whisk to mix.

Take 1 stick + 1 T. cold Organic Butter (and not Land ‘o Lakes), cut in pieces, and by hand, blend it and squeeze it and think good thoughts while doing so.  Think of your loving grandma, think all good wishes, think that you are making this for all the hungry people in the world, and imagine that everyone that eats it will be filled with love and happiness, and that will spread all over the planet.

Add…1/2 cup = 1 T. Sour Cream, or Yogurt, or Quark, and mix quickly into a ball…don’t knead!

Flatten in a ball in a bowl and put it in the fridge for a half hour.

Take out of fridge and roll out on a floured surface into a rectangle, about a half inch thick.  Bring the 2 shortest sides to the middle, and brush off any flour with brush or hands.  Cover with a t-towel and let it rest in the fridge for a 1/2 hour.

Now roll out the dough so that the short ends are now the long sides, and take fold the ends so that the top short end is folded under and the bottom short end  is folded under the bottom in the opposite direction than the top.  It sounds complicated, but really, just follow the instuctions.

Put it in the fridge again, covered, for another 30 minutes.

Now you want to make the filling:

2 cups ground Almonds

4 T. Apricot Jam

4 T. Milk…mix all these in a bowl, and add the grated rind of…

1 Organic Lemon

Line a baking pan with some parchment paper.

Preheat over on middle rack to 425F.

Take the dough out and divide in half, and make 2 balls.  Roll out one on a floured surface into a circle. Take a knife and cut into 8 triangular pieces…like you are cutting a pizza.

Spoon about 1 T. of the Almond filling along the outer rim, and brush some Milk or beaten egg mixture along the edges.

Roll each triangle from the wide end to the tip, making sure to lay on baking sheet this tip side down.

Brush with Egg or Milk mixture before putting in over.

Bake for around 18 minutes.

While waiting, mix 3 T. Powdered Sugar and 1/2 t. Lemon Juice in a little coffee cup.

When the Swiss Almond “Gipfeli” or croissants come out of the oven, brush this  mixture on top.

Let cool, and…enjoy!

SADHVI

p.s. “Gipfeli” is a Swiss word for the top of a mountain!