Hazelnut Projects
The American hazelnut is a small but sturdy tree that is found across the eastern half of the United States, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The fruit is a globe-like nut that is a great food source for wildlife and humans. Hazelnuts are used in a number of cooking projects because of its mellow nutty taste. The shape of the nut is perfect for crafting projects.
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Christmas Mouse
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Because of its nice round shape and slight point at the bottom of the nut, hazelnuts are perfect for creating Christmas ornaments. Half a walnut shell provides a cradle for a hazelnut face, while felt or faux suede can be used to create ears and a blanket. Gold cord is used to dangled the ornament from branches. This project is easily put together with craft glue.
Christmas Wreath Project
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Make a wreath for the front door of your home with hazelnuts as well as walnuts, pine cones, small ornaments and cinnamon sticks. Use a foam wreath form as your base and hot-glue the pieces on to the form. Paint some of the hazelnuts and pine cones silver or gold before construction to add color to your wreath. The final touch is ribbon with wire edges to make a festive bow that keeps it shape.
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Lip Balm
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Use hazelnut oil found at craft stores to make your own lip balm. Craftbits shares a project in which you combine hazelnut oil with beeswax, aloe vera oil and jojoba oil along with coffee-flavored oil to make your own hazelnut-espresso lip balm. Once the ingredients have been incorporated, the lip balm is poured into containers of your choice. The project requires a double boiler.
Hazelnut-Coated Catfish
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Hazelnuts are associated with desserts when it comes to cooking. But a recipe from Family Fun uses finely ground hazelnuts combined with a cornmeal/flour mixture, cayenne pepper and cumin to coat catfish fillets before cooking them in hot olive oil in a fry pan. Coarsely chopped hazelnuts are used as a garnish.
Hazelnut Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
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The Hazelnut Council has a cookie recipe with coarsely chopped hazelnuts which also includes oatmeal, semi-sweet chocolate chips and broken chocolate-covered toffee bits. Once the oatmeal has been grounded in a food-processor, mix the dough per the directions in the recipe and chill it in the refrigerator of 30 minutes. The dough is rolled into balls and placed on baking sheets to bake in the oven for ten to twelve minutes.
Salads with Hazelnut
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Hazelnuts are used in various ways to make flavorful salads. The Hazelnut Council offers a recipe to add hazelnuts to a salad with pears and cranberries. Another recipe adds hazelnuts to endive lettuce and a cranberry vinaigrette. Or use hazelnut oil with ginger to create a vinaigrette to go over a salad made of radicchio, arugula and romaine lettuce leaves.
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References
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