Kinds of Girl Scout Cookies

When America thinks of girl scouts, they think of one thing: Girl Scout cookies. Every year, at the beginning of the year, millions cookies are sold all around the world. Every year we wait in anticipation to see if there are any new kinds of Girl Scout cookies. These cookies have created frenzy throughout the world, that doesn't stop until the last box is sold.

Kinds of Girl Scout Cookies

Kinds of Girl Scout Cookies

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Kinds of Girl Scout Cookies

Kinds of Girl Scout Cookies

There are fourteen different kinds that come out each year. Often times, there are new cookies that come out and test the waters. Usually these cookies have failed, but there have been a few successful stories. Here are a list and brief description of each:

1. Thin Mint: The most enduring and universally familiar.

2. Do-si-dos or Peanut Butter Sandwiches or Savannahs: a sandwich cookie

3. Trefoils or Classic Shortbread: These shortbread cookies are shaped like the Girl Scout Trefoil design.

4. TAGalongs: These round cookies with a cookie center are covered with chocolate, having under their swollen chocolate surface an inner layer of peanut butter

5. Samoas or Caramel deLites: These consist of a circular vanilla cookie about 2inch in diaMeter with a small hole in the center

6. Golden Yangles: a sugar free cookie

7. Lemon Coolers: A reduced-fat cookie

8. Lemon Pastry Cremes: Pastry style sandwich cookies with lemon creme in the middle.

9. Thanks-a-Lots: Crunchy fudge coated treats, these cookies are circular and are about 3.5 inches in diaMeter

10. All Abouts: A shortbread cookie with a layer of chocolate on the bottom and featuring related sayings on the top.

11. Cartwheels: A cinnamon-oatmeal reduced-fat variety

12. Caf Cookies: A gourmet style cookie, coated with cinnamon

13. Classic Creams: A sandwich cookie made in the same style as Oreos, only the top and bottom are different colors

14. Double Dutch: A chocolate cookie dough with chocolate chips

These cookies are all very tasteful and delightful, but more so than others. As of 2004, the favorites were:

• Thin Mints (25% of total sales)
• Samoas/Caramel deLites (19%)
• TAGalongs/Peanut Butter Patties 13%
• Do-si-dos/Peanut Butter Sandwich 11%
• Trefoils/Shortbread 9%

All though the rest are quite tasty, they just don't seem to make the cut. Whether you enjoy thin mints, samoas, of TAGalongs, there are so many different kinds of girls scout cookies; you should definitely find a favorite.

Kinds of Girl Scout Cookies

A List of Different Varieties of Apples

An apple a day is said to keep the doctor away, but the many kinds of apples number in the dozens, and one may need a doctor for trying to commit them all to memory. This list of different varieties of apples narrows the choices down to some of the most popular ones, as well as offering some recomMendations for serving them.

A List of Different Varieties of Apples

A List of Different Varieties of Apples

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A List of Different Varieties of Apples

A List of Different Varieties of Apples

CORTLAND

Taking its name from Cortland County, New York, this is a mid-season apple variety that comes out in mid-September. It has easy-to-peel bright red skin with yellow streaks and gray-green spots, and sweet-smelling white flesh that does not discolor even when cut open. An all-purpose apple, it is recomMended for use in baking apple pies and as applesauce.

EMPIRE

An early-October mid-season apple, the Empire is a cross between the McIntosh and Red Delicious apple varieties. Round and medium-sized with spotted skin and creamy-white flesh , this all-purpose apple is especially great for salads and applesauce.

GOLDEN DELICIOUS

True to its name, the Golden Delicious has yellow skin and sweet, juicy, semi-firm flesh. Very fragile, it has a tendency to shrivel and bruise, and so must be handled carefully. In season from autumn to winter, it is used in pies, salads, applesauce and apple butter.

GRANNY SMITH

Named after Maria Ann Serwood Smith (1799-1870), who first cultivated it in 1868. The Granny Smith apple has light-green skin and has a texture harder than other apples of its hue. It is a favorite for use in salads and pies.

McINTOSH

Not named after the Computer (most probably the other way around), this apple variety takes its name from John McIntosh, who discovered it in his farm in 1811. In season from early to mid-September, its skin is dark-red with green streaks and has a crisp, juicy, delicious flesh. It is favored for pies, applesauce and apple cider.

RED DELICIOUS

A late-season apple harvested in mid-October, the Red Delicious was at some point considered by some as The Great American Apple. Commonly eaten out of hand, the reasons for its name are perhaps obvious.

SPARTAN

The product of scientific breeding, the Spartan is a cross between the McIntosh and as yet unspecified apple variety. With dark-red, white-spotted skin, and ranging in size from medium to large, ithis all-purpose apple is sweeter and more crisp than its parent the McIntosh.

Apart from the ones just cited, the list of different variaties of apples goes on and on. Nutritious as well as delicious, the various types of apples are as numerous as the various ways of eating them, offering a multitude of options for enjoying what is perhaps the most popular among all fruits. If one has an apple a day, one might as well try a different kind each time.

A List of Different Varieties of Apples

Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

The tomato is a popular Food item around the world.  But where did it come from?  Did people actually think it was poisonous at one point in time?  And is it a vegetable or a fruit?  Read more to learn the answers to these questions and more.

Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

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Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

A Brief History

The tomato is native to South America.  From there, it spread to Mexico where it was grown and eaten by the Aztecs.  Early European explorers to South and North America brought the tomato back to Europe.  It was widely cultivated in Spain and Italy, before being adopted by the English. 

The first written evidence of the tomato in Europe was in 1544 by Pietro Andrea Mattioli, an Italian physician and botanist.  He referred to it as an herb called "pomi d'oro" or the "golden apple".  The first cookbook that uses tomatoes in recipes was published in 1692 in Naples, Italy.  There is evidence that by this time the Spanish were widely using tomatoes in Food dishes, however, it was not used by all cultures.  In Florence, Italy and surrounding areas, the tomato was not widely used for Food until the 17th and 18th centuries.

However, in the 1600's, Britain and main of its colonies did not eat tomatoes, as they believed that they were poisonous.  This belief was promoted by John Gerard in his book "Gerard's Herbal" which was published in 1597, despite the fact that he knew the Italian and Spanish frequently ate tomatoes without ever being harmed.  This belief continued until the 1700's, at which time the tomato was embraced and became very popular in a variety of food dishes in Britain and its colonies.  Tomatoes have remained popular throughout the world ever since.

Fruit or Vegetable? 

While tomatoes are actually fruits, the debate about whether they are fruits or vegetables continues because the tomato is often referred to as both. 

What is the definition of fruits?  Fruits are defined in botanical terms as a flowering plant that produces food with edible seeds.  In botanical terms, the tomato is a berry, which is considered to be a subset of fruit. 

However, the botanical classification system does not use the term vegetable.  Therefore, it is often defined by culinary terms.  Culinary terms distinguish between vegetables and fruits by when they are eaten in a meal.  Vegetables are eaten or served during the main course and fruits are eaten as a part of dessert.  However, vegetables are also defined by its edible parts, which for vegetables are the leaves, stems and roots. 

From the definitions above, the tomato is clearly a fruit because it has seeds and does not come from the leaves, stems or roots of a plant.  However, the desire to eat tomatoes as part of the meal means that it continues to be incorrectly referred to as a vegetable. 

Other Uses

Tomatoes are popular in food and in drinks but they do have other uses.  Here's a short list of other ways that tomatoes can be used:

• Bathing in tomato juice is an effective way to remove the smell if a skunk sprays you or a pet;
• Wash your hAir with them after swimming in a pool in order to remove the chlorine from your hAir;
• To tenderize meats; and
• To clean copper pots instead of using harsh or abrasive chemicals.

Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

What To Use Instead Of White Flour

There are many different types of flour to use in baking and Cooking if you either cannot or do not want to use the usual white, all purpose variety. Gluten allergies also prohibit many people from enjoying the Foods and baked goods they enjoy but using alternative flours is one simple way to solve that problem.

What To Use Instead Of White Flour

What To Use Instead Of White Flour

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What To Use Instead Of White Flour

What To Use Instead Of White Flour

Corn flour comes from milled corn and is often used along with cornmeal for making breads and muffins. Corn flour also works well for pancakes and waffles as does cornmeal, which comes from either ground yellow or white corn.

Soy flour works best when used in conjunction with other types of flour and it offers a distinctive nutty taste. Soy flour also has a high fat content and contains a high amount of protein. Use soy flour for making baked goods like brownies, cookies, and breads with fruits and nuts.

Brown rice flour is valued for its health benefits as it contains bran. This particular type of flour is often used for making muffins and breads and even healthy cookies. White rice flour regularly appears in gluten free recipes for baked goods. It features a bland taste and works well with most all other types of flours. You may also see white rice flour in recipes for Asian dishes and it is sold in Asian markets as well as in health Food stores.

Whole wheat flour is a healthy alternative to white flour but it is often used along with the all purpose variety for adding texture and nutrients. Whole wheat flour is made by using the enTire grain including the bran, which gives it its brown color. Use whole wheat flour as you would other types of flours but remember it has a shorter shelf life than its white, refined counterpart does.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe

What You Need

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 packages dry active yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• The toppings of your choice

How to Make It

Using a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine both types of flour, the packages of yeast, salt, and sugar. Gradually add the warm water while the machine is mixing and knead on the low setting for about 10 minutes or until the dough is firm and smooth.

After mixing, add the olive oil and mix again for about 10 seconds to coat the dough.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm location to rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Just before the dough is done rising preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are using a pizza stone, be sure to preheat it in a cold oven.

Divide the dough in half and place on a flat, floured surface like the kitchen counter. Form each dough section into a ball then stretch into a circle. Use a rolling pin coated with flour to roll the dough out into a large, thin circular shape.

Sprinkle cornmeal onto a large baking sheet and add your toppings. Transfer to the pizza stone or bake on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Repeat the process with the second round of dough or freeze it in a freezer bag for later use.

Makes 2 thick medium sized crusts or 4 thin crusts.

What To Use Instead Of White Flour