Chocolate Chunk Banana Walnut Bread

Once again I have let bananas sit too long on the counter.  I cannot resist those beautiful yellow bunches so lovingly displayed in my local market. They entice me into a purchase nearly every time I shop.  Bananas used to be the base of my daily smoothie. There was rarely a morning I would not make a smoothie to go on my way to work.  Since I’ve moved to where I currently live, I have not been able to re-establish that habit.  I went in phases when I first settled here.  I would make smoothies for several days then abandon the idea on days I felt too slow and groggy to go through the hassle of preparing everything, which quite honestly is not that much.  However, in the early days of coming to terms with what happened in my life, nearly everything was too much.  Ultimately, I feel that has come to be the main reason I no longer have my daily smoothie.  My kitchen is so small and counter space is limited.  None of my smoothie making equipment sits out as it used to when my kitchen had more space.  It seems so silly, but it truly is a hassle to pull out the equipment from the bottom drawer, put it all together on the few inches of counter space I have, then moving to another area of my tiny kitchen where I have a bit more counter space to prepare the food to go into my blender.  Once done, I have to wash, dry and put away the things I’ve used.  I have no dishwasher to toss them into anymore.  My counter does not have the space to slide the blender base into a corner as I used to do.  I have to wipe it down, wrap the cord and bend over to put it back in the bottom drawer.  That bending over part is another reason I don’t often make smoothies anymore.  On the mornings I wake in pain, it simply hurts too much to bend over.  When the craving for a smoothie grabs hold, I will not let even the pain of bending over keep me from making one, but it is not something I will do everyday regardless of the desire. The hassle outweighs craving more often than not.

This leaves me with over ripe bananas that plague me.  I cannot have food waste.  The thought pains me deeply.  Really.  I will find any way I can to use something unless it is deemed impossible for consumption.  I remember this same value in my mom.  She would cringe and complain if she discovered food was bad.  She did what I will do and stand over the garbage saying how awful it is that it will be wasted, hesitating to let it drop into the pail.

My mom used to made some delicious banana bread.  During the holidays she would make it in tiny tins for neighbors and friends.  She would take it out of the tin, neatly use plastic wrap over it like holiday paper, then tie a ribbon around the bread like a gift.  As a child, I would take them to my teachers.  People loved getting mini bread loaves from my mom.

When I make banana bread, I feel like I take a step back in time remembering my mom and her process for preparing her bread so lovingly.  Nothing about my bread is like my mom’s except the bananas. I make a very different kind of loaf and as I go through my own process, memories of her in the kitchen permeate my mind.

I am thinking about my mom a lot these days.  The sadness from grief has found a wearisome place in my heart.  I know it is there yet it no longer consumes me.  There is still not one day that goes by without thoughts of mom in my mind.  As the fall season sets into Portland and October rolls around, I am feeling a little raw again as my attention feels more focused on reminders of her.  October is my mom’s birthday month.  It is also the month she began her swift spiral into illness and ultimate death as her cancer devoured her body.  This is a difficult time. I miss my mom more than I can describe, but I think anyone who has lost a parent understands there really are no adequate words to define such a profound loss.

I made this banana bread to use my over-ripe bananas, hearing my mom’s voice saying food waste is a sin.  As I mixed my ingredients I recall memories as a child watching my mom whip her batter with a vengeance.  How did she stir so fast??  Mom loved baking.  You could see the love in her process and taste it in her fantastic treats.  I remember that she loved banana bread, especially with walnuts.  So, this bread is made in her memory.  Since I was the kid who always wanted to do things a little different than the rest and that sentiment remains as an adult, I tossed in dark chocolate chunks.  I don’t know that mom would have approved that variation.  However, we all enjoyed giving mom reason to think outside the box a bit.  I think she would be smiling at this.  Give this banana bread a try.  I’m sure it will make you smile, too.

I adapted my recipe from the original version found on one of my favorite sites:  http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/11/banana-chocolate-chip-bread.html

Chocolate chunk Banana Walnut Bread

4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks (I chopped part of a bar for this recipe)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350ºF
Combine the wet ingredients a mixing bowl.

Add the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and stir until smooth. If the batter looks too thin and wet, add more gluten-free flour, a tablespoon at a time, to thicken the batter.  Add in the chocolate chips and stir by hand to combine.

Pour the batter into the lightly greased standard size loaf pan and bake in the center of a preheated oven for an hour, until the loaf is firm, a bit crusty, and when a toothpick is stuck in the middle, comes out clean. (45 mins – 1 hr)

Cool the loaf on a wire rack. Slice when cool.

Blackberry Birthday Crumble

It’s my birthday!! It’s my birthday!!

Dessert for my special day made on the cheap!  Staying within my new food budget is made easy when the main ingredient is free!!  Wild blackberries are growing in abundance at Sauvie Island!

Made with a grain free topping, this crumble will be delightful!!  Today will be a great day!! Happy Birthday to me!

Crumble Topping

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

dash of cloves

5 Tablespoons cold Earth Balance Spread

Combine the dry ingredients then add the spread.  Using a pastry cutter, or your fingers, mix until well combine and clumps form.  Sprinkle over 3 cups of berries in a greased 8×6 dish (or similar)  I added some turbinado sugar, about 1 teaspoon of arrowroot and a little more cinnamon to the berries, gave them a good mix then spread them evenly in the dish.

(slightly adapted from: http://www.thesensitivepantry.com/small-recipes/)

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Banana Pecan Bread

I have had four bananas getting more ripe as each day passes.  Each morning I silently tell myself to make banana bread before they are too far gone.  My reluctance has been my inability to find my favorite recipe and the ordeal that I know could make this activity incredibly frustrating.  I am still working with limited kitchen counter space and honestly, I find making food in my little kitchen more frustrating than not.  That is just no fun for me! Additionally, I still have many of my kitchen supplies in storage due to my lack of space.

Once I decided to take this task on, I was determined to keep a positive attitude and looked at it as somewhat of an adventure.  I was not going to let my lack of kitchen supplies bring me down so I bought a disposable bread loaf tin.  I decided I would just make up a recipe, feeling confident I could pull off a decent bread.  I have been studying up on the best gluten free flours to use together to create most desirable end result.  Wow, I sure got this one right!

I  managed to get my bread in the oven after a lot of maneuvering.  Gosh, it really should not be so difficult!  I look forward to the ease a kitchen island will bring to me once I find just the perfect one for me.  I was so impressed with my banana bread I am glad I had the determination and patience to give this a try.  I think you should too.  It is a fantastic bread.  In fact, I must say this is one of the best sweet breads I have made.   The texture and  consistency is spot on and the flavor is perfect.  Not too sweet, very banana like with the perfect crunch of the pecans.  It has been a lovely morning snack with my tea.  And, it was an excellent choice for travelling food as I discovered when I packed it with me for my Boston trip.  Stay tuned for my next blog where I share all about Boston gluten free and dairy free eats!!

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Banana Pecan Bread

1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1 Tbsp xantham gum

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup raw can sugar (this could have been omitted. The bananas make it sweet!)

4 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup applesauce

1/3 cup sunflower seed oil

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Measure all dry ingredients into one bowl and whisk to incorporate.  Measure all the wet ingredients into another bowl and mix to incorporate.  Add mashed bananas, mix well. Pour mixed wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just blended, add chopped pecans and fold into batter.  Pour batter into greased loaf pan.  Bake for 50-65 mins.

Makes one large loaf.

Life is like Cookies and Tea

My last couple of days have been filled with some rough stuff.  I am doing really hard work not just physically, but emotionally.  I have faced this new life challenge head on and I am leaning right into what is now in front of me.  It is uncomfortable and I am doing it.  I am both grateful for and disgusted by the many new lessons I am learning and will continue to learn.  Life.  It can get messy sometimes.  At the end of my day, when I know I have conquered what is needed to get through it and do so with strength in my spirit and truth in heart; when I lay my head down in the quiet of night knowing I lived this day fully in all it’s messy glory, I can hear one screaming loud message running through my mind.

 I AM IMPORTANT.

I have tangled with the emotions of acceptance, attachment, vulnerability and loss.  I have ridden a roller coaster of emotions that sometimes scares the hell out of me.  I’m pretty sure I have a discount bracelet for that ride over the next few months.  Strangely, I am ready.  I am always ready for life.  All of it.  Ugly.  Beautiful.  Fun.  Scary.  I am ready because life is worth it.  Love is worth it.

 I am worth it.

When the days get extra tough and I want to comfort the inner child in me, I make cookies. In all of this craziness, I definitely need some nurturing.  So, a job well done deserves cookies and tea.

I found this recipe in my folder of print out recipes and sadly it does not have the original author’s information.  I did some research on my usual favorite websites thinking I may find it, but didn’t so know that this is not my original recipe, however it is a great one and I will update my readers when I discover its author so I can acknowledge their lovely creation!

I adapted these cookies for me so they are grain free, gluten free, dairy free and delicious for an evening treat!  Breath.  Eat.  Relax.  Push replay.  This is what life looks like.

Chocolate chunk cookies

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt (I used 1/4 tsp)

1/4 Honey (I used Agave Syrup)

1 egg (I used 1/4 cup applesauce)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 dark chocolate bar, roughly cut to equal 3/4 cup (I used dark chocolate chips and only 1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Break up chocolate ball or cut with sharp knife.  Put pieces into bowl and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda and salt.

In a separate small bowl, use an electric handheld mixer to beat honey, egg and vanilla (or do as I did and use a whisk on the ingredients substituted!)

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well.

Melt coconut oil and pour into batter.  Mix well.

Stir in dark chocolate chunks.

Drop balls of cookie dough onto a greased baking sheet.  Bake 12 minutes.  Let cool 6 minutes to avoid crumbling.  Eat and be happy.

Perfect Plum Bread

I have been playing around in my kitchen a lot these days. I’ve been experimenting with all kinds of different dishes just for the fun of seeing what I come up with.  I have dared to stretch my imagination and use my creativity to adapt recipes that suit my dietary guidelines, or even more exciting: make up my own recipe!

I finally have time to use my kitchen as my playground all day long if I choose because I recently decided to quit my job.  There were a lot of factors that entered into this decision and many conversations with my sweetie before I chose to go bold and make my exit while I still had some sanity.  The new school year and the new kitchen brought new insights for me.  It became too difficult for me to knowingly compromising my morals on a daily basis. Additionally, I could no longer contain my repugnance at such a broken system.  I had too many concerns and no influence to create change.  The heaviness of it all made me tired and stressed every day.  For my own mental health and really, to say “this is not okay”, I chose to leave my job.  I left on good terms and I will continue to have connections to the people I worked with closely.  It was the best decision I could have made.  I was no longer happy in my work.  From the moment I gave my notice, I felt a lightness in my entire being. It continues into my third week of job freedom.  I have been healing my overworked body and enjoying a slower pace.  Physically, I feel so much better and have more energy. Mentally, I have more focus and definitely more calmness in my mind.

I am deeply grateful I have the option of quitting my job and explore other creative outlets for a while.  There are some new opportunities that have recently been presented to me and I am eager to network with like minds.  I feel excited for new discoveries.  And of course, I spend a lot of time in my kitchen.  So, let’s get back to that!

I purchased some plums at the local farmers market, ate a few then was going out of town so I just popped them in the freezer whole.  I had never tried this before, but I must say it was quite a successful freeze and thawed much like bananas.

I adapted this recipe from the “Eat Right For Your Type” Cookbook.  When I first began my gluten free life transition, I relied heavily on this book to guide me toward healthier choices for my body.  I made this recipe often and always received compliments on it so I wanted to give it a try again to take on our recent trip to Seattle.  However, this time I wanted to make it completely dairy and gluten free with no oats.  I did some substituting and came out with a really lovely bread that has a great texture and consistency, just the way I like a sweet bread to be.  The batter, which had a thick, gummy consistency going into the pan worried me at first.  My experience has been that means the end product will be dense and doughy.   However, it is moist without the gritty texture I often find in GF baked goods.  I was really happy with the outcome.

Here is the original recipe version from “Cook Right For Your Type”[author-Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo;copyright 1999] : 

Banana-Plum Bread

1 cup spelt flour

3/4 cup oat flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

5 Tbsp. softened butter

2/3 c turbinado sugar

1-2 tsp grated lemon rind

1 to 2 eggs, beaten

1 cup mashed banana

3 ripe plums, diced

1/2 to 1 cup walnuts, broken into pieces

I prepared it in the same way as the cook book describes except I used only 1- 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan and I sprayed mine with oil versus coating the pan with butter.

Here’s my adaption:

Plum Bread

1 cup AP Gluten Free flour {I used a brand called Namaste that I purchased from Costco}

3/4 cup almond meal

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

5 Tbsp soy free Earth Balance spread

1/2 cup turbinado sugar

2 tsp grated lemon rind

1 egg, beaten

6 medium sized ripe plums (fresh, frozen then defrosted) or just fresh!, peeled and diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.  Sift flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt into one bowl.  In another bowl, blend “butter”, sugar and lemon rind until creamy.  Beat in egg.  Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in three parts, mix until just combined after each addition.  Fold in plums.  Pour into prepared loaf pan.  Bake about 40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on rack.  Slices very well.

 

Birthday Cake. Birthday Memories.

It is hard to believe that nine months has passed since my mom’s death.  Her absence is so strong and I miss her deeply.  I just celebrated my first birthday without her.  That was strange.  I am here on this earth because of her, yet she is not.  I just found that to be a weird feeling.  I did not get a phone call from her wishing me a happy birthday, nor did I get to request a special dessert; a long standing tradition.  I made my own birthday dessert using peaches picked at Sauvie Island.  I spent my birthday in the woods, enjoying one of my favorite camping spots with people I love dearly.  I reflected on birthdays of the past and memories of my mom.

This post is dedicated to my mom, who could make any dessert absolutely delicious.  I appreciate you in ways I never realized when you were living.  I miss your unconditional love.  I miss your ability to just listen without trying to fix anything.  I miss everything about you including your fantastic desserts, even though I couldn’t eat most of them.  Love was laced through out every dish you made whether it was sweet or savory.  I love you dearly and miss you profoundly.  I feel the loss of you in everything I do.  I grieve for you and I grieve for my kids, who also struggle with their own heartache around the loss of their beloved gramma (G’ma).  I feel their loss along with my own.  Even though they are both adults, I still want to remove the pain of your leaving.  I guess that is just the mom thing…..always wanting your kids to be well regardless of their age.  I know you know what I am talking about, mom.  You held the pain of all of your kids when any of us struggled; I know you did.  I know you were close by for my birthday.  I felt your presence as I stared at the star lit sky.  I imagine you would even try and hold my pain for you leaving here.  You were just that way; never wanting any of us to hurt.  I made my own birthday dessert while thinking of our peach picking adventures in my childhood.  I loved the orchards we visited, always excited to take that first juicy bite into a fresh picked peach.

I chose my birthday dessert for a few reasons.  We had peaches that needed to be used.  We were going out of town so I wanted something easy to make and transport.  I had a gluten free cake mix (Betty Crocker GF yellow cake mix) sitting in the cupboard for months.  The end result was a peach dump cake.

It was pretty good, although the cake mix had a rather gritty texture.  I do not generally buy boxed cake mixes, but if I recall, this was a super deal and I wanted to just give it a try to see what it was like.  Everyone who tried it thought it was fabulous.  I made a coconut whip cream as topping.  Delicious!

I peeled and sliced four peaches and lined the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with them.  I sprinkled a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar over them then dumped the dry cake mix over the top along with a bit of water (about 1/2 cup).  I topped it with a mix of chopped nuts (cashews, almonds and walnuts), then sprinkled a little more cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar over that.  I melted about 1/8 cup of Earth Balance spread (soy free kind) and drizzled it over across the top of the cake then baked it in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.

Happy birthday to me!   This was the first birthday for me that I celebrated you mom, along with me.  Thank you mom for giving me life.  As I sit here staring out at the ocean on one of my last out of town trips of the summer, I feel your presence.  You loved the beach and each time I am here I know you are close.  I wonder if you can feel me when I think of you.  I hope you can feel my love.  You are missed.

 

My mom at around my age. At the beach; one of her favorite places.

 

For The Love Of Produce, and Moms

I wanted to blog about our local Farmer’s Market that I love so much for the best finds in beautiful organic produce.  I had a story to share of how I’d run into one of my mom’s oldest and dearest friends; that we talked for half an hour reminiscing memories of mom, catching up on the family one by one.  I was going to note that I did not miss the irony of this conversation with a woman who has known me most of my life as it was happening under the tent of Deep Roots Organic Farm stand.

I was going to tie in the random musings of my weekend to my first Mother’s Day without my mom.  I had the perfect chosen words that embraced this day; how I spent it in the kitchen baking,  flooded with memories of my mom.  Baking was one of my mom’s favorite past times and she was a darn good baker.  It felt right to be creating in the room that she loved the most; that I love the most.

Clearly, this blog is not my intended.  I did spend my day in the kitchen baking after returning from an early breakfast with my dad.  I used my lovely rhubarb I purchased from the Farmer’s Market to make a delicious Gluten Free Rhubarb, Lemon and Almond Cake as well as some rhubarb chutney to be used for our appetizers and dinner later.

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Gluten-free-rhubarb_-lemon-and-almond-cake-325998

 

While I certainly had plenty of memories surrounding my mom, there were no lovely sentiments floating through my mind that I was eager to blog about.  I had no desire to sit down to my lap top and blog out memories or feelings or recipes.  I had no desire to even look at anything on line other than the few recipes I’d intended to play with for the day.  I stayed away from all my social media and email.  Reading condolences, prayers and thoughts of me on this very difficult day was not something I could bear to see.  I felt too much pain in my heart.  Seeing pictures and shares from my family was not what I wanted to see on this day.  Nor did I want to see glowing, gushing remarks about others’ own mothers.  I needed to protect my heart.

I mentally prepared for this Mother’s Day the best I could.  I thought I was doing fairly well.  But, when this day arrived I was anything but well.  I had a heavy heart and was low in spirit.   My sweetie had to work so I was on my own to get through this day without completely falling into inconsolable despair.  It was rough.  Rough.  I cried.  A lot.  I wanted to be alone.  I felt lost in anguish several times.

I got through the day and I am recovering emotionally.  Grief is like a hard slap in the face.  I think I’ve got this; I can handle it.  I have a tool box filled with useful mantras and such to help me face any challenge.  While all this is true, grief is so heavy I simply forget to do the many things I know are good.  It is too hard.  Too overwhelming.  It continuously catches me off guard, even when I think I feel strong.  Indeed, it is a painful process.

So, I’ll share my pictures, but the original story is changed.  I can tell you how happy the market produce makes me feel.  I can say the baking and playing in the kitchen all day did give moments of contentedness.  The big picture still remains.  I am forever changed with the death of my mom.  I feel like I now search for a new place; one that I hope will someday bring me peace in my loss.

Although I am one day late of the officiated day, personally, I think Mother’s Day is every day and I bet most mom’s would agree.  We need to celebrate ourselves more and give kudos to the people who have the hardest job in the world.  I wish you all a blessed day; every day.

I love you, mom.  I miss you terribly.  I am beginning to appreciate you in ways I never imagined.  I am thankful for you.  Happy Mother’s Day to you–somewhere over the rainbow.

beautiful radishes

My take home stash

 

Spring Time Treats

One of the many things I love about my new blogging world are the immense opportunities for sharing and learning from my fellow food bloggers.  Every time I check my reader I have a sense of renewed inspiration.  This is my motivation as I continue to find it difficult to get creative in the kitchen.  However,  my desire to dream up new dishes has been bringing me to my favorite room a bit more often.

We recently had the pleasure of sharing company with good friends who joined us at our house for some sun worshiping on our back deck.  These sunny, gorgeous days sure help lift my spirit.  So do these lovely people.  I am always delighted when I know the E.B’s are coming over.  Interestingly, this knowledge also brings a desire to make dessert.  It must be because the E.B’s are such sweet people.  Going with some ideas I had gotten while checking out other dessert blogs, I created a light and tasty spring time treat.

We drank ice cold lemonade brought by the E.B’s and indulged in a delightful dessert.   We engaged in pleasant conversation and a little bit of laughter.  It was an quite an enjoyable evening.

I really wanted to make a sweet bread as the base for this dessert, but time and lack of energy kept me from getting it done.  I had a large supply of gluten/dairy free granola bars that were recently given to me so I decided to use those and work from there.

Here is what I used to make this dessert:

granola bars

mango chunks and blueberries

cashew cream

coconut cream

sprinkling of nutmeg

Starting with the  granola bars, I broke them into bite sized chunks and dropped them into the bottom of a wine glass.  I added a dollop of cashew cream, then the fruit. I made a second layer in the same way and topped it with coconut cream with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Here’s how to make cashew cream:

1 cup of cashews (soaked in water at least 6 hours in fridg)

1/4 cup of water

agave to sweeten as desired

Blend in a magic bullet, vitamix or strong blender until creamy.

To make coconut cream:

remove the thick cream from the top of a full fat can of coconut milk.  It’s best to chill it in the fridg overnight first.  Open the can upside down and pour out the coconut water for later use.  What’s left will be about a half cup of thick cream.

Put into a bowl, add pure vanilla extract, a little sweetener and whip with hand beater until fluffy and creamy.

Goodness in a glass right here.  Give it a try.  You deserve a treat!

 

There’s Snow here in Stumptown

This is the day I’ve been longing to enjoy. For weeks I’ve been begging and pleading with Mother Nature to blow some white stuff this way. I don’t mean some pretty flakes floating down only to have no evidence of snow hours later. I want a good Portland kind of snow dump. I want the kind of snow that snarls up the city and shuts it down. We are not well equipped here in Stumptown for the amount of snow we are seeing today. It is the type of day that allows for the city to call a snow day and I am fortunate enough to have the flexibility in my job to let me have my snow day.

I found myself feeling a little giddy as I prepared my afternoon of leisurely activities. I love this kind of snow because it is one of the only times that I allow myself to really just do nothing. Snow is my permission and my excuse. It’s the perfect “storm”.

Considering my recent yearning to remain in my pajamas and under the covers all day, today is the perfect opportunity to indulge in this desire.

I miss my kids the most as young ones when there is a lot of snow here. I have such fond memories of homemade hot cocoa simmering on the stove top waiting for us to delight in while we chilled our cheeks and fingers making snowmen and snow angels. We played, drank hot cocoa and watched movies. It was a time of relaxed togetherness that I completely enjoyed.

I got a spontaneous desire to recreate some of those memories by making hot cocoa, picking out a good flick and getting cozy in my pajamas. I am going to enjoy this snow day!  Having been living vicariously through my daughter who now lives in Boston, I’ve been a tad envious of her stormy snow stories. Stumptown is trying to compete with her new home state today. However, Boston doesn’t shut down like Portland does. She must keep the pace and I get to just sit back, look out the window in wonder and sip on some hot cocoa.

Here is my recipe for what turned out to be more of a sipping chocolate than hot cocoa. It is smooth, chocolaty rich and only lightly sweet.

I’ve got my snow day pajamas on; lovingly made by my mom. I’ve got my chosen movie. I am cozy on my couch cuddled up with my sweet Boy kitty and I will enjoy every moment of this snow day. Here in Stumptown we don’t see many of these days and it is sure not to last.

I suggest giving yourself permission as well; permission to indulge in some rich chocolate goodness and relish time in your pajamas. Enjoy the peace of our lovely snowy day. It really is so beautiful.

Sipping chocolate:

6 ounces of light coconut milk

6 ounces of almond milk

2 ounces of organic 72% cocoa bar, broken into small pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons of agave syrup

1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and warm on medium low heat until chocolate is melted completely and all ingredients are completely combined. When heated to a good sipping temperature (around 145 degrees), remove from stove, pour some into your favorite mug and enjoy.

Topping:

3 Tablespoons of coconut milk

1/8 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Blend in a bullet or some other similar device, drizzle over hot cocoa and finish off with a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes.

sipping cocoa

the back deck

Boy & my snow day pj’s

All glutinous and spicy nice

My mom was an amazing baker. It was her forte. Many of my childhood memories are sprinkled with mom in the kitchen contentedly assembling ingredients for the continual supply of cookies that materialized in our cookie jar. Our home was the place most desired by the neighborhood kids. “Mrs. C” as she was called, would usually give in to their pleas and prodding by offering up a cookie with an “oh, I suppose.” She couldn’t resist. Secretly, she loved being the neighborhood “mom”.

I loved the days I walked in the door from school and knew that lovely aroma meant a jar full to the brim with fresh baked cookies. I remember the sound of the lid when I lifted it; a scratchy chalky sound as the ceramic lid moved against the top of the jar. It was definitely not the kind of cookie jar you could sneak into when mom wasn’t looking. I think she may have planned that!

I enjoy cooking food over baking treats. It’s so hard to get baked goods just right when using gluten free flours and I’m often disappointed. I have a few cookie and dessert recipes that I’ve perfected, but I rarely make them. However, today I decided to bake. Regular flour, butter and eggs kind of baking. There’s a bunch of my kind of “no-no’s in this recipe. Today is a special day. It is my younger brother’s birthday. Every year he asks our mom to make her yummy coconut topped spice cake for his birthday cake. Oh, I do remember the taste! It’s divine and the most delicious part is the topping. This year I wanted to continue this tradition for my brother and I want to honor my mom for the amazing person she was. She always granted our birthday food wishes we requested. I cannot think of a better gift for my brother. Well, there are the cool import beers I like to find for him, but that’s for a different blog. My mom was just too conservative with the topping so I made it extra thick because after all, that is the best part! It’s heavenly.

I asked my dad to take a picture of mom’s actual recipe and send it to me so I could attach it here, but instead I got her White Christmas Pie recipe. I’ll let you in on that wondrous dessert someday!  If you’d like to replicate Mrs. C’s spice cake dessert, the recipe is below. It was my mom’s favorite cake to make for any outing, potluck or special occasion. Indulge.

Mrs. C’s Spice Cake

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup of white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1/12 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

TOPPING:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 1/4 cup flaked coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. in a small bowl, pour boiling water over oats; let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with the oat mixture, beating well after each addition.
2. Transfer to a greased 13 in.-9 in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and milk to a boil over medium heat. remove from the heat; stir in the coconut and vanilla. Pour over warm cake. Set under broiler for 4 minutes or until topping is lightly browned and the coconut is toasted.Cool completely. Serve. Enjoy.
4. Yield: 12-16 servings