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Pistachio Cookies with Pomegranate Icing

5/11/2023

These Pistachio Cookies are made with pistachio and almond flours are not only gluten free but so delicious and beautiful!

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links which help to keep this blog running.**

Pistachio Cookies Pomegranate Icing
Yields approximately 14 cookies

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 Tablespoons dried rose petals
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon rosewater
1 cup pistachios, finely sliced
For the icing:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted (use Powdered Monkfruint Sweetener to make Keto)
2 - 3 teaspoons pomegranate juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C). Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

Combine the almond meal, confectioner’s sugar, nutmeg, cardamom and rose petals in a mixing bowl. Stir the egg white and rosewater until it comes together.

Take tablespoons of the mixture and roll them into balls, then roll them in the sliced pistachios to coat well.

Place the balls onto the baking sheet and press down to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Bake for 20 minutes until pale golden. Cool completely on the tray before icing.

For the icing:
Place sifted confectioners sugar in medium bowl. Stir 2 teaspoons pomegranate juice with sugar until combined. If icing is too thick, add more pomegranate juice 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to desired consistency.

Use spoon to drizzle icing over the cookies. Allow the icing to set completely before storing in an air tight container.

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Day Trip To Lüneburg, Germany

5/8/2023

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**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links which help to keep this blog running.**

I was in Hamburg during Easter week. On Easter Monday, my friends and I decided to do a day trip to Lüneburg. Not much was open due to it being a holiday in Germany, but we had a lovely day wandering around the town and eating a wonderful lunch.

We stopped to have lunch at Das Kleine, located right on the riverfront. I had a burger that was a combination of beef and lamb. It was delicious!

Lüneburg is a town of red brick Gothic architecture that rose to prosperity during the middle ages. It's best known for its salt which was in great demand in order to preserve herring that caught in the Baltic and North Seas.

During our visit to Lüneburg, we enjoyed a walk along the banks of the Ilmenau River which flows through the town.

It's a really picturesque area and if you’re looking for postcard-perfect photo ops, this is where you’ll find them. You have the weeping willows swaying next to the river, you can see buildings in a variety of architectural styles all standing next to each other, and the bridge is covered in love locks.

Lüneburg’s town hall building is built in multiple architectural styles.

There are a lot of churches in Lüneburg. The main three are Basilica of St. Nikolai, St. John’s Church (the oldest Lutheran church with its 108-meter tower rises crookedly towards the sky), and St. Michael’s (an abbey church of the former monastery of Benedictines).

On our walk, I noticed that some of the buildings looked crooked so after I got home I researched why.

During the Middle Ages, Lüneburg found its wealth through salt, a time when table salt was almost as valuable as gold. The problem is that the salt was underneath the town and water was pumped down to extract it creating cavities. This resulted in parts of the town sinking and it’s something that continues to happen to this day. You can see this as you walk past buildings that aren’t quite level and whose doorways and windows look crooked.

How do you get to Lüneburg?

The best way to get to Lüneburg is by train. It's approximately a 30-minute train ride from Hamburg Hauptbahnhof to Lüneburg on the RE (Regional Express) for about €12.

Blackberry-Raspberry Pie (Gluten Free)

5/4/2023

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Flaky and buttery gluten free pie crust filled with blackberries and raspberries for the ultimate summer pie.

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links which help to keep this blog running.**

Blackberry-Raspberry Pie (Gluten Free)

Ingredients:
One 16-ounce bags frozen blackberries, thawed and strained
One 16-ounce bags frozen raspberries, thawed and strained
1 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for sprinkling
2 Tablespoons cinnamon, plus 1/4 teaspoon for sprinkling
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
2 Tablespoons gluten free all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Butter, for greasing
Two prepared gluten free pie crusts

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the baking sheet on the center rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Allow the baking sheet to heat for 15 minutes.

To a large bowl, add the blackberries, raspberries, 1 cup of the sugar, 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon, the arrowroot, flour and salt, and toss gently to combine. In a separate small bowl mix the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and set aside.

Butter a 9-inch ceramic or glass pie dish. Unroll one pie crust and place into the pie dish. Pour the berry mixture into the crust. Place second pie crust on top of the filling.

Pinch the edges of the top and bottom crusts together to seal. Fold the double edge under and crimp, making a decorative edge. Sprinkle the reserved sugar and cinnamon mixture over the top. Using a paring knife, cut a few slits in the top of the pie crust.

Place the pie into the oven on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling through the slits, 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Cool the pie to room temperature before serving.

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Monthly Recap: April 2023

5/3/2023

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Destinations Visited

This month, I visited two cities in Germany - Hamburg and Lüneburg - during our spring break. This was my first time to Germany. I was very excited and Germany definitely didn't disappoint. Although it was a lot colder in Germany than in Portugal.

In Hamburg in the Warehouse District

In front of City Hall in Lüneburg, Germany

Being a Local Tourist

This month, I visited two museums in Lisbon:
The Agua Museum with my friends, LeEllen and Derek.

As well as the Berardo Art Deco Museum.

Later in the month, some friends and I also took a day trip to Mértola (where we had a wonderful lunch and Vila Velha, explored the castle ruins, the local church as well as going to the bread, honey and cheese festival) and Beja (for the county fair), both in the southeastern Portuguese Alentejo near the Spanish border.

Porco Preto and Sweet Potato Chips

Food and animals were the main attractions at the Beja County Fair. I bought some olive oil and olives from one of the vendors.

Expenses

My budget was over by €711 in April (this doesn't include my two trips - travel is a separate budget). Again, my Health expenses were high, paying €125 for the 2nd part of my microscopic root canal and replenishing vitamins and facial creams (€210). I even got a massage (€40) and manicure/pedicure (€32 for both) this month which I also put under Health category.

I spent €261 on food at the grocery store. I ate out 9 times while in Lisbon for a total of €117.85 for an average of €13 per meal. Not bad!

Entertainment costs for the month were €23.50 which included entrance to the Agua Museum (€4), Museum (€6), Beja County Fair (€8) and one ticket to the movies seeing "Air" with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (€5.50).

Highlights

Visiting a new country, of course!

Challenges

Recovering from my microscopic root canal while traveling. It was pretty painful and look how swollen my cheek was. I could barely lift my left side of my face to smile.