Snack Like A Smart Cookie

Having a coffee and a cookie in the afternoon may make you sharper. The combination of caffeine and sugar improves cognitive performance, attention and memory;

a study in the journel Human Psychopharmacology.

Now you have a great reason to have a cookie and caffeine every afternoon!

Here's a great gift idea to thank your hosts for a weekend visit- A basket of plump, ripe tomatoes and sprigs of fresh just-picked basil from your garden or a local farmers market.
Add some pasta, fresh garlic, wedge of fresh parmesan, balsamic vinegar and a good quality olive oil. Tuck in some fun dishtowels and a bread mix

Marigold Dip Mixes

Fiesta Party dip mix-make a quick guacamole, fiesta bean dip or fiesta party dip

Dilly Onion-makes a great dip for crackers & veggies

Creamy Bacon Onion-add to pasta salads, baked potatoes, deviled eggs, hamburgers

and omelets

Classic Onion-makes a awesome spinach dip

Creamy Vegetable-mix with 8 oz. cream cheese and 8 oz. sour cream for a quick dip or spread

Sun-dried Tomato Basil-make the delicious Brushcetta recipe on the back

All Dip Mixes $2.95

Farmer's Market Recipe

Pick up a pint of your favorite plump berry or a basket of perfectly ripened peaches at your local farmers market. Top them with Marigold's HEARTLAND HONEY GRANOLA and you have a fresh fruit crisp dessert in no time. General rule of thumb is 3 parts fruit to one part topping.

Quick Peach Crisp

4 medium fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoon soft butter

4 tablespoon brown sugar

1 cup Marigold's HONEY HEARTLAND GRANOLA

Preheat oven 375 degrees

Place peaches in a 8" or 9" pie pan-Combine butter, sugar, and nutmeg and mix together then mix it with the granola. Mound the topping on top of the peaches. Bake in the oven 15-20 minutes-till the top is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream. 4-6 servings.

Start the day off with HEARTLAND HONEY GRANOLA

Heartland Honey Granola is Marigold's secret recipe that is blended by hand in our kitchen. Eat it by the spoonful, handful, or bowlful, this is a blend of oats and nuts that is satisfying all day long.


Stir it into yogurt or oatmeal, sprinkle it on ice cream, mix it with fruit.


Granola Pie Crust


1 cup Marigold's Heartland Honey Granola


2 tablespoons brown sugar


2 tablespoons cold butter


Combine in a food processor until mixture comes together. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 8" or 9" pie pan. bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and fill with your favorite pie filling. I recommend Key Lime, Fresh Strawberry, or Peanut Butter pie fillings.

Spring Cleaning in the Kitchen

Every once in a while it's good to prep the kitchen: clear it out and clean it up. If you look around your kitchen and feel the need to de-clutter, consider these tips. You will be happy with your new "pleasant-to-cook-in" space.

Toss or Give it Away

What has become useless is a matter of personal taste. If you haven't used a certain pot or a paticular kitchen gadget in a few years, you probably won't use it again-ever.

Throw Out Old Spices

When you buy spices, try to buy small amounts in bulk. Most spices should be thrown out after six months, and certainly after a year. Use the smell test: spices should be fragrant.

Make Your Kitchen User-Friendly

Spend a little time reorganizing your kitchen (spices, utensils, pots and pans) so that what you use most often is close at hand.

Clean Your Fridge

Toss old agingfood and condiments, clean anything stuck in the back and buy a new box of baking soda to trap odors. Same goes for the freezer too.

Keep It Clean

Yes, be a neat freak. Dirty dishes in the sink and an unorganized space will definitely not inspire you to start cooking a meal.

Source: http://www.loulies.com/

How I Got Started In The Kitchen

Growing up in a family of 7 kids we all had to learn some survival skills. One was "what is for dessert tonight?" This spice cake recipe was one of my first baking experiences. I remember the two oldest siblings making this cake quite often. So eventually it was my turn and it turned out yumtastic! Let me know how you like it. Susan

Spice Cake

2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoon molasses

1/2 cup crisco

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

heat oven 375 degree

Topping

1 TBSP soft butter

1 TBSP flour

4 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix together topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl place sugar and crisco and mix together. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the topping mixture over the batter, sugar topping gets crusty and extra yummy when baked. Place the pan in the middle rack of the oven and bake 20-30 minutes, until the edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you can wait at least 5 or 10 minutes to cool before you start eating it, you have SOME willpower.

BAKING TIP: when measuring molasses or crisco, spray the measuring cup with cooking spray and it should slide right out. Brilliant!

Let's take a quick minute to talk about Buttermilk

Buttermilk is an important part of baking. The acidic milk combined with baking soda in a recipe is a baker's dream. See when baking soda is combined with the lactic acids of buttermilk, the soda releases carbon dioxide that when heated, releases tiny bubbles that expand and lift and lighten whatever your baking.

I have been asked if there is a substitute for buttermilk, I have 3 solutions. Although having buttermilk on hand in your fridge it will last a long time after the expiration date.

Lemon and milk: in a 1-cup measuring cup, add 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice. Top the lemon juice with milk. Stir and let sit for 2 minutes.

Yogurt and milk: mix 3/4 cup plain yogurt with 1/4 cup milk.

Milk and cream of tartar: mix 1 cup of milk with 1 3/4 tsp of cream of tartar. To ensure that the mixture doesn't get lumpy, mix the cream of tartar with 2 TBSP of the milk first.