Macaroons! YUM YUM!

I love coconut.
So I made coconut macaroons today.  The ones I made are inspired by
http://joyofbaking.com/CoconutMacaroons.html
But with my own twist, and I think it's a twist for the better.   It's kind of an easter-ish dessert for some reason, but honestly I've been looking for an excuse for weeks to make these.  They're super easy too.  Hope you enjoy!

COCONUT MACAROONS!

INGREDIENTS:

baked!  check out the nice golden colour

2 egg whites (about 60g, if you have pasteurized ones in a container, those are good)
Scant 1/2 cup of white sugar (about 90g)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup on unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut1 cup of sweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1/4 cup (approx 1 oz) of almond meal
1/4 tsp of almond extract
1/4 tsp of vanilla extract

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew - Moroccan style!

This is an old post, and I don't have photos, but it was delicious so I'm sharing!

I've made a very similar recipe for chicken, which you can see here but I like this one better!   Not so many photos because we've all seen crock pots before (that, and I forgot to take some)

Serves 6 (quite heartily!)

Recipe inspired by and adapted from:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-colombian-beef-and-sweet-potato-stew/
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/beef-and-sweet-potato-stew/

INGREDIENTS
1 KG of stew beef (cut off visible flat globs)
2 tbsp of cornstarch = 1 tbsp of potato flour (alternately, use 1/4 c all purpose)
salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp each)
4 C of sweet potatoes peeled with large dice (about 2 large, or 3 medium)
1 small onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 stalks of celery sliced
2 medium carrots sliced
4 whole cloves
1 large cinnamon stick (or 2 small ones, alternately, use 1 tsp of grated cinnamon)
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp of cumin
1 cup of beef broth
1 28 oz of diced tomatoes in juice
Fresh parsley for garnish
2/3 c of sliced dried apricots and/or prunes