What I’m Reading

Squeezed

Wow, what I didn’t know about orange juice–and what you probably don’t know–is frightening. In short, if you didn’t watch it being squeezed you didn’t get what you or I would consider real orange juice.

Sure, it started out as orange juice, more or less. Then it was concentrated (read boiled), frozen, and probably reconstituted (water and a flavor pack added). The “not from concentrate” stuff that you might reasonably think of as orange juice is even worse. It’s treated with high heat, has all the essential oils removed, then is stored for up to a year(!) before a flavor pack is added and it’s sold to you as “fresh” orange juice.

Oh, and that 100% Florida orange juice thing? Up to 10% of the juice might be mandarin and some unknown and probably unknowable percentage of the juice is from oranges raised and squeezed in Brazil.

This is a must-read if you buy orange juice rather than juice oranges yourself.

I ♥ Macarons

Here’s a cute little book about a cute little cookie that includes cute little step-by-step pictures so you can bake your own cute little cookies to make into cute little gifts. But hey, if you really want to make macarons, this little book is going to make your life easier. Includes basic recipes for macarons and butter creams, and suggestions for using the leftover egg yolks.