Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Yields 24 bars

1 Cup Butter
2 Cups Brown Sugar
8 1/2 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
2 Tbsp Brown Rice Syrup
4 Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
4 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Heavy Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and dust an 11x8 pan with coconut oil and cocoa powder.

Place butter, sugar, chocolate, and brown rice syrup in a medium sized pot and melt on low heat, stirring until everything is well blended and smooth. Sift in the cocoa powder, Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Beat the eggs and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer until frothy.  Then on low speed, mix in cooled chocolate mixture and sugar. Next, add in the flour, heavy cream, baking powder, beating mixture after each addition.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake the brownies in the preheated oven for 30 minute or until the top of the brownie is crisp and the edges begin to pull away from the pan. (The inside of the brownie will be dense and soft to the touch.)  Cool the brownies in the pan on a wire rack until cool. Dump the brownies out of the pan and cut into bars and serve.  Frost with chocolate or vanilla frosting if desired. Enjoy!


I forgot to take a picture before I frosted the brownies, sorry about that.  They were crisp on top, and they did not melt down to make a smooth surface.  These brownies are rich, and dry, The frosting makes them very sweet.  I added it to make sure my DH would try them.  He did, but they were to dry for his taste.  We like more of a gooey brownie, so the texture was not what I had hoped for.  But the flavor was delicious.  I will try these again with something added to increase the gooey factor, maybe apple sauce or a bit of coconut oil, another egg or something. 
I did break down and buy the brown rice syrup, it was about $6 at the store, and since it's supposed to be very low on the glycemic index and so I thought it would be good to have on hand and to try the recipe as created the first time.  Trying the syrup on it's own I found that it is not super sweet, but it did well in this recipe.  I liked it best with a full glass of cold unsweetened vanilla almond milk to accompany it.
I will be taking some to a friends house tomorrow, I will post the results after they taste it. 
In case you didn't notice, I did use to different gadgets for this recipe.  The Pampered Chef stoneware, and the Kitchenaid mixer I like being able to add ingredients while the mixer continues to work, the spill guard helps when adding dry ingredients as well, as they don't end up all over your counter, and you don't have to keep stopping and lifting the mixer to add more ingredients.  If you have a stand mixer of some sort, it will help you when adding in the flours since they do have more fiber and can clump if you do not keep mixing.  If you don't have a stand mixer, either ask a partner to mix while you add, or add in small amounts and beat well in between adding small portions.
If you try this and are able to make the brownies more gooey, please let me know how you accomplished this. I will post my results after I find the best option.
Happy baking, gluten free and lower glycemic (there is brown sugar in the recipe).

Coconut Flour Pizza Crust

Pizza Crust - GF, LC

Makes 2-4 servings

• 2 cups whole milk organic mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 large organic eggs
• 2 tablespoons flax meal
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper out for baking sheet.
Mix cheese, eggs, flax, coconut flour, and baking powder together until a sticky wet dough is formed. Spread with a spatula to ¼ inch thickness on a baking sheet lined with one piece of parchment paper.
Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven. Halfway through the baking process, flip crust over by sliding it off the baking sheet with the parchment paper, placing the second piece on the sheet, and turning the crust over unto the new sheet and peeling the old paper off. Return to oven until done baking.
Remove from oven, slide off of parchment paper, and flip over again for cooling. Once crust is cooled, top with sauce, pre-cooked veggies or meats, and cheese. Set crust with toppings under the broiler on high for a minute or two until cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice and serve.
Recipe submitted by Lauren, Fort Myers, FL

crust before sauce was spread over it

broil in the oven to meal the cheese

Okay, so waxed paper is not a good substitute for parchment paper.  It smokes in the oven.  Aren't you glad I saved you the trouble of finding that out on your own?  Use the silver aluminum stuff instead, and coat with a spray or oil.   
I removed it from the paper to broil with the toppings.  Am I the only one who is excited that I get to have pizza again?  My stoneware is being put to use again. 
Tonight this was the only option for dinner so DH had to try it this time.  There were no complaints, but there was no going back for seconds.  This could also be because he ate many many sugar cookies before dinner. 
This recipes tastes more like dough than the cauliflower pizza crust, but it still is cheesy flavored.  The flax meal makes it looked like a wheat and herb crust. 
I like the freshness of the cauliflower pizza crust, but this one is easier to serve to my DH. 

Here again with the nutrition facts, I hope these are helpful for some. It does take time to add special ingredients and the recipe into the Lean Cuisine custom foods program.  The division is for 4 slices, and these facts are for one slice.  The amounts could be off a little as I had to convert tablespoons into grams, in order to convert it into the 2 tablespoon amount rather than 6 Tbsp.  So, now you know I'm still not good with fractions and I choose the easier route. yep, that was easier than fractions, sad huh?

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Slice (121g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 278.9

Fat Calories: 152.6

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 17.4g	27%
Saturated Fat 9.4g	47%
Cholesterol 150mg	50%
Sodium 488.2mg	20%
Total Carb 11.9g	4%
Dietary Fiber 6.5g	26%
Sugars 2g
Protein 19g	38%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending  Thank you to Tropical Traditions for this recipe, and Lauren in Ft Myers Florida

Sleep masks and Hot water bottles

If it's good enough for Audrey Hepburn, then it's good enough for me; or something like that.  I love the fashions that Audrey Hepburn wore.  So, why shouldn't her sleep wear be something I would take note of, even if it's only in a movie.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

The Opulence

PCOS: Its just not worth losing sleep over!
It's worth looking into some of the effects of sleeplessness on our bodies. Even WebMD has written articles on sleep and weight loss. Anything, not drug related, that can help you sleep is good to look into.  Eye masks help me the most, along with pilates or yoga moves for relaxation.

How to choose a sleep mask
 This step is another important thing to figure out.  This site has masks for relaxation, and soothing properties, and masks for sleep. If you are like me, sleep is a difficult thing to achieve.  I prefer the 100% light blocking versions, and have the Dreamer currently, but I am considering the Opulence, it's pretty, good for side sleepers, and has a place to put my ear plugs. 

The Dreamer



I have another strange love, hot water bottles. Yep, you thought they were gone ages ago, but really they are quite functional, from heating yourself up to easing pains.  On cold winter nights, it's nice to snuggle under a blanket and hold a hot water bottle on your feet. 
I am particular though about the hot water bottles I use. Plain rubber smells nasty, and you can't put in really hot water.  Fashy hot water bottles have taken it to a new level.  Fashy Homepage
I used to be able to order from Fashion Hot, but that is no longer the case, now to order you can either go to Amazon or straight to My Perfect Beauty

Fish hot water bottle

This one is another of my favorite versions of their hotwater bottle.  If you look hard enough you can find all sorts of shapes, covers, and styles.

Now just to be clear I am not paid to review items, and I only share these little treasures that I have used, loved, or dearly want.  These items here I have and I use on a constant basis.  I have multiple hot water bottles now, and one very good mask, but I am considering another, and I noted before that Opulence is calling to me.

If you find these helpful I'm glad, it will help me later if I find myself needing to reorder these items, the Fashy hot water bottles can take time to track down.  I wish you all restful sleep and warm winter nights.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Sites for liquid sweetener substitutions

Okay, I've found myself getting lost in recipes on the Tropical Traditions website.
I've been slowly changing my diet, and I have all sorts of new flours such as soy, almond, flax, and now coconut.  I will may or may not keep up my stock of some of these, but for now it's nice to have them to try all of these amazing recipes that I have recently found.  But I have not gotten many new sugar options. I have Splenda, Stevia, and of course regular white sugar and brown sugar, and honey. I'm still working on looking into any other substitutes that I would like to keep around, and I'm thinking about brown rice syrup and coconut sugar.  But for now these are not yet a part of my pantry.  So I needed some ideas for substitutions, and I thought I should share them with others.
The Cook's Thesaurus has many different helps, and these are the one's I needed help with tonight. 
I have a brownie recipe that came in with my coconut flour order, and I'm thinking that this weekend would be a great time to try it out.  So I will be substituting brown rice sugar for honey since I do happen to have that in my pantry.  Change does take time, and I'm taking it one step at a time.

Liquid Sweeteners

liquid sweeteners   Notes:  This category includes various syrups, honey, and molasses.

Varieties:
almond syrup

barley malt syrup = barley syrup = malt syrup = dark malt syrup = malted cereal syrup = extract of malted barley  Notes:  This tastes a bit like molasses, and it's not as sweet as sugar or honey.  It's mostly used to make beer, but it's also used to make breads or other baked goods.   Substitutes:  molasses (1 cup barley malt syrup = 2/3 cup molasses) OR rice bran syrup (1 cup barley malt syrup = 4/3 rice bran syrup) OR maple syrup

black treacle = dark treacle  Pronunciation:  TREE-cull   Shopping hints:   This is the British version of America's blackstrap molasses.  It's common in Britain, but hard to find in the United States. Look for it in specialty markets.  Don't confuse this with golden syrup, which is sometimes called light treacle.   Substitutes:   blackstrap molasses OR molasses OR golden syrup (Many cooks prefer this over black treacle for their treacle puddings and tarts, since it's less bitter.)

blackstrap molasses = black strap molasses   Notes:   This has a strong, bitter flavor, and it's not very sweet.  It's sometimes used to make chili.  Look for it in health food stores.

brown rice syrup = rice syrup = rice bran syrup = rice malt = yinnie syrup   Notes:   Health buffs like this because it contains complex sugars, which are absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream.  It's about half as sweet as ordinary table sugar. Some rice syrups include barley malt, and may pose a problem for people with gluten allergies.  Substitutes:  maple syrup (substitute 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons liquid for each cup of brown rice syrup) OR molasses (substitute 1/2 cup for each cup of brown rice syrup) OR barley malt syrup (substitute 3/4 cup for each cup of brown rice syrup) OR honey (substitute 3/4 C honey plus 2 tablespoons liquid for every cup of brown rice syrup)

coconut syrup   Notes:   Hawaiians like to pour this syrup on pancakes, but it's also used in several mixed drinks.  To make your own:   See the recipe for coconut syrup posted on kitchenmixes.com.   Substitutes:  cream of coconut (for mixed drinks)
Falernum  Notes:  This is a Caribbean cane syrup that's delicately flavored and slightly alcoholic.  It's sometimes used in rum-based cocktails.  Substitutes: simple syrup (less expensive)
flavored syrups  Notes:  These are often used to flavor Italian sodas or coffee.  They come in dozens of flavors, but some of the most popular are vanilla, almond, raspberry, Irish cream, and hazelnut.  Popular brands include d'Arbo, Monin, and Torani.  To make your own:  Make a simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water, then add flavored extract to taste.  Store in the refrigerator.  Substitutes:   liqueur OR fruit syrup OR syrup from cans of fruit packed in heavy syrup
fruit syrups

golden syrup = cane juice = jus de canne = cane syrup = sugar cane juice = light treacle   Notes:    This amber-colored liquid sweetener is popular among British, Caribbean, and Creole cooks.  It's made by evaporating sugar cane juice until it's thick and syrupy.  Lyle's Golden Syrup and Steen's Pure Cane Syrup are popular brands.   Substitutes:  Combine two parts light corn syrup plus one part molasses OR equal parts honey and corn syrup OR maple syrup (This is thinner, and not as sweet.) OR dark corn syrup (This is thnner and not as sweet as golden syrup.  If you like, try reducing the corn syrup in a saucepan to thicken it.) OR light corn syrup (This is thnner and not as sweet or flavorful as golden syrup.  If you like, try reducing the corn syrup in a saucepan to thicken it.)

honey
Karo syrup
khus syrup  Notes:  Indians use this to make desserts and drinks.  Substitutes:  rose syrup

maple syrup   Notes:   Made from the sap of sugar maples, maple syrup is a traditional topping for pancakes, waffles, and French toast.   It's also used to make candies, frostings, candied yams, meat glazes, and baked beans.  Lighter syrups usually have a more delicate flavor.  Refrigerate after opening.  Don't confuse authentic maple syrup with the cheaper and more commonly used pancake syrup, which are based on corn syrup.  Substitutes:  pancake syrup OR berry syrup (on pancakes) OR brown rice syrup OR brown sugar (on hot cereals) OR light molasses (on pancakes or hot cereals) OR honey thinned with apple juice OR granulated sugar (If you're baking, substitute 1 cup sugar for every 3/4 cup of maple syrup, then increase the liquid in the recipe by 3 tablespoons per cup of sugar.  If baking soda is used, decrease the amount by 1/4 teaspoon per cup of sugar substituted, since sugar is less acidic than maple syrup.)

mint syrup   To make your own:  See the Mint Syrup recipe on CooksRecipes.com.

molasses = treacle   Pronunciation:  muh-LASS-sis Equivalents:  One cup = 8 ounces Notes:    Sugar is made by extracting juice from sugar cane or sugar beets, boiling them, and then extracting the sugar crystals.  Molasses is the thick, syrupy residue that's left behind in the vats.  It has a sweet, distinctive flavor, and it's a traditional ingredient in such things as gingerbread, baked beans, rye bread, and shoofly pie.  There are several different varieties.  Light molasses = sweet molasses = mild molasses = Barbados molasses is taken from the first boiling.  It's the sweetest and mildest, and is often used as a pancake syrup or a sweetener for beverages.  Dark molasses = full molasses = full-flavored molasses is left behind after the juices are boiled a second time.  It's less sweet but more flavorful than light molasses, and it's a good choice if a recipe simply calls for molasses. Blackstrap molasses comes from the third and final boiling.  It's too strong and bitter for most recipes, and it's mostly consumed for its alleged nutritional benefits.  Most of the molasses sold in supermarkets is unsulfured.  Sulfured molasses has sulfur dioxide added as a preservative, and isn't as mild and sweet as unsulfured molasses.  Food grade molasses is almost always made from sugar cane.  Sugar beet molasses is very bitter and is mostly used as cattle feed or as a medium for growing yeast.  When measuring molasses, grease the cup and utensils to keep molasses from sticking.  If your molasses crystallizes while being stored, heat it gently to dissolve the crystals.  After opening, you can store molasses in your cupboard.  Substitutes: dark corn syrup OR maple syrup (works well in gingerbread cookies) OR honey OR barley malt syrup (weaker flavor; use 1/3 less) OR brown sugar (Substitute 1.5 cups brown sugar for every 1 cup molasses)

orgeat = orzata = almond syrup  Pronunciation:  OR-zhat   Notes:   This sweet almond-flavored syrup is used in many mixed drinks.  Look for it in liquor stores.  To make your own:  See the Almond Syrup recipe on the ichef website.

orzata
palm syrup   To make your own: melt palm sugar, then strain

pancake syrup = maple-flavored syrup    Notes:  This is the inexpensive version of maple syrup that Americans love to pour on pancakes and waffles.  It's usually based on corn syrup, and flavored either with artificial flavoring or real maple syrup.  To make your own:   See the recipe for  Mock Maple Syrup on RecipeSource.  Substitutes:  maple syrup OR berry syrup (on pancakes) OR brown rice syrup OR brown sugar (on hot cereals) OR light molasses (on pancakes or hot cereals) OR honey thinned with apple juice OR granulated sugar (If you're baking, substitute 1 cup sugar for every 3/4 cup of maple syrup, then increase the liquid in the recipe by 3 tablespoons per cup of sugar.  If baking soda is used, decrease the amount by 1/4 teaspoon per cup of sugar substituted, since sugar is less acidic than maple syrup.)

rice bran syrup
rice malt
rice syrup
simple syrup = sugar syrup   Notes:   This is a mixture of sugar and water that's brought to a boil and simmered for about five minutes so that the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes syrupy.  When it cools, it's used to make mixed drinks, liqueurs, baked goods, sorbets, sauces, and many other things.   The thickness of the syrup depends upon the ratio of sugar to water used.   Many simple syrup recipes call for equal parts sugar and water.  For a thinner syrup, combine two parts water with one part sugar.  Rock candy syrup, a heavy syrup used to make some liqueurs and mixed drinks, is made with two parts sugar and one part water.   

sorghum molasses = sorghum syrup   Notes:  This is made from sorghum cane juice, and Southerners sometimes use it instead of molasses to make things like barbecue sauce, baked beans, and gingerbread.  Look for it in health food stores.   Substitutes:  golden syrup OR molasses (not as sweet)

Coconut Bread

Coconut Bread

Ingredients

¾ cup sifted Organic Coconut Flour
½ cup Organic Virgin Coconut Oil melted
6 eggs
2 tablespoons honey or agave
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Method

Blend together eggs, butter, honey and salt. Combine coconut flour with baking powder and whisk thoroughly into batter until there are no lumps. Pour into greased 9x5x3 inch or smaller loaf pan and bake at 350F for 40 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

 

 

  
 Here is the recipe as I made it, with the exception of the honey, I did use agave.  I used the Lean Cuisine meal planner to figure out these stats.

Recipe

Coconut Bread

Author: Samantha N  

Ingredients:
12 Tbsp Coconut flour sifted
8 Tbsp Brummel & Brown butter with natural yogurt melted
3 large Egg, raw
3 large Egg White, raw
2 tbsp Honey
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder, double-acting

Cooking Directions:

Blend together eggs, butter, honey and salt. Combine coconut flour with baking powder and whisk thoroughly into batter until there are no lumps. Pour into greased 9x5x3 inch or smaller loaf pan and bake at 350F for 40 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

Recipe Facts

Serves: 10.0
Preparation Time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking Time: 40 minute(s)

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Slice (170g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 112.2

Fat Calories: 56.3

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 6.4g	10%
Saturated Fat 2.3g	11%
Cholesterol 63.5mg	21%
Sodium 262.2mg	11%
Total Carb 9.8g	3%
Dietary Fiber 3.6g	14%
Sugars 3.6g
Protein 4.2g	8%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs. Ms. Samantha who presented me with the recipe made the bread with 1 Tbsp of agave to keep the bread very low on the GI scale, and she like it just fine. I thought I would make it with the 2 tablespoons just to see what the stats would look like with it. The bread is great. I would caution against eating the bread too soon when it comes out of the oven.  I ate a bit, and it made my throat itch, but my second little slice was cooler and it was perfect. My bread was rather flat, I need to find a smaller baking dish, and it will help give it some height. It is a dense bread, but not like a quick bread.  It is still lighter than quick breads.  There is no overwhelming coconut flavor, and it tastes great with butter.

Things that remind me to laugh

Funny Clip From Ruthless People [Slightly out of sync sorry!]

Here is a clip from a funny movie.
I feel like I'm working with some of these characters, yep, pay attention to the guy robbing the clown.

There are days when the people we interact with just are not getting it. They are not the best and the brightest, or the fastest, or sharpest people.   In these moments it is good to have a lot of patience and a good sense of humor.  Lately I've needed the reminder that these moments are, in fact, funny.  maybe not for the poor soul who just is not getting it, but for those of us who get to help them find their way.

Look for the things in life that make you laugh, and just keep on laughing.

Pharaoh's Daughter - Halloween costume

Pharaoh's Daughter - 9 years old

So here is the one costume I did have, for the Harvest Festival at Salt Lake Christian Center.  Things have changed over the years, but that was where my sister and I did get to dress up.

But before then, we had another type of celebration.  We had friends of ours come to the house and all of us kids played games, and had candy, and had a grand time.  The Crainers have been life long friends of ours, and their boys were like our brothers.  We grew up together in a different church, and were in plays together, got in trouble together and of course we teased them.  There was one of these occasions were the two oldest boys, my sister and I were picking on the then youngest boy about something or other, and he ran and hid in the closet.  Coaxing him out took most of the night.  This could have also been the night that we colored the wall in mine and my sisters room with crayons.  Our artistry knew no bounds, we moved the bed to make sure that we all had plenty of space to color.  It never completely washed off either, that was the beginning of wallpaper in our room.  I have never been a fan of wall paper, especially when removing it and repainting.

Now my sister used this costume later on, and she got a full shot of the outfit.  It seems that my mom was much more concerned about my eye makeup.  It was the first time I wore eye shadow, and it was caked on, and itchy.  I do not remember anything about the party, but I do remember my mom putting on the eyeshadow and how it felt.

My little sister as Pharaoh's Daughter - I'm not sure how old she was

So now that I'm an adult and you'd think we'd be over celebrating by dressing up, it seems that all of my employers here in Cali love to dress up for Halloween.
Here are some of my costumes, I'm still not great at coming up with costumes, so I'll explain them.

Cat Burglers - Accounts Receivable Department 

I went as Miss Marple, an Agatha Christie character, and yes, no one knew who she was so my costume was pointless

Well this year I might go as a window installer, or I will wear one of my Indian outfits - Salwar Komeez
I'm not a fan of dressing up for Halloween, and I'm not excited about having to do it for my work.  It's really frustrating when I can not explain it to my boss about my not believing in celebrating the holiday for Religious reasons when she shares the same religion, but views this holiday differently than I do.  Well here's to celebrating holidays in all the ways that people do.