Tonight my dad and his lovely bride, Jody, drove in to have dinner with us for my birthday. Because going out is stressful, I offered to make dinner. Tommy grilled steaks, I made mashed potatoes and corn... and this pie.
http://glutenfreeeasily.com/chocolate-silk-pie-recipe-gluten-free-dairy-free/
YUM! It turned out better than I had hoped.
A little backstory, my dad LOVES chocolate pie. I don't think I had ever had it before I met him. His wonderful mother usually makes it for him for his birthday, and at most family gatherings. Her traditional chocolate pie was my inspiration for making this pie, which is gluten free and can be made dairy free and grain free. It also has no added sweetener in the actual pie filling except for the sugar in the chocolate chips, and because the crust is almond flour and honey, it's low carb. So it's healthy pie!
Gluten Free Chocolate Silk Pie
Crust
2 cups almond flour ( I used Bob's Red Mill, but if you are not cooking for someone with celiac disease, you could get away with Whole Foods' bulk almond flour, it's half the price!)
1/3 cup honey
Filling
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
1/2 cup butter (dairy or non-dairy)
pinch of salt
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs
2/3 cup canned full-fat milk of your preference (dairy, coconut)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pie plate with cooking spray.
Mix almond flour and honey in a small bowl. Drizzle honey evenly over flour, then use a fork to completely incorporate. Using fingers, pat into a crust in greased pie plate. Set pie plate aside.
In a large microwave safe bowl, heat butter for 30 seconds, then stir in chocolate chips. Heat for 30 more seconds, then stir, then for about 20 more seconds. Chocolate and butter should be completely melted, watch it closely so it doesn't scorch. Bowl will be hot!
Add to bowl salt, cocoa powder, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract, whisking after each addition until you have a smooth mixture.
Pour filling into crust.
Bake 30 minutes or until filling has puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Garnish as desired. I topped this pie with honey sweetened whipped cream.
Honey Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream (or coconut milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons honey
Chill mixing bowl for at least twenty minutes prior to mixing. Add all ingredients to chilled bowl, then mix on high speed until thickened and, well, creamy, about 5 minutes. If you want to cover the entire top of the pie, you will need to double this amount, this is enough for a good heaping spoonful on each piece.
I changed a few things from the original recipe to suit my own needs. For example, next time I will mix the crust ingredients in a separate bowl and then press into a greased pie plate. I followed their instructions of mixing in the pie plate and the crust was completely stuck to the plate, but, duh, that's what honey does.
This brings me to the thought that this could be made crustless. The texture of the crust was nice, don't get me wrong, but if you are nut free, you wouldn't want the almond flour. The pie filling really firmed up nicely, and stood up to me having to dig the slices out of the plate, so I think an experiment is in order to see if I am right. It would also be a lot cheaper to make!
Also, I don't own a double boiler, nor am I talented enough to do the bowl over boiling water trick, so I cheated on the melting of the chocolate. But nobody complained about the process, they were too busy eating the pie!
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Life Story
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." - Phillippians 4:12-13
It is easy to feel like what we have isn't enough. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for whiter teeth, smoother thighs, fuller lips. We watch "reality" tv shows and the lives of the "Real Housewives" are full of luxury and opportunity. Our children misbehave, while other children seem angelic in comparison, and we wonder why it is so easy for everyone else.
The answer is, it's not. Everyone has struggles and skeletons, scars that we see and those that we don't.
I come from a very different environment than the one in which we are raising our children. My mom worked as a library aide and started taking college courses at night when I was five. My daddy was a welder and a laborer, mainly building waterfront retaining walls and boat docks or installing awnings for the wealthier residents of Lake Dunlap. He struggled with alcoholism and mental illness for most of his life. Sometimes there was work and sometimes there wasn't, and we were occasionally recipients of welfare. We had happy times, but I knew something wasn't right.
My parents divorced when I was in the fourth grade. My mom remarried and was finishing her teaching degree, and by most accounts, we were a happy, lower middle class blended family. My step dad was a band director at the high school, my mom eventually taught middle school science, and there were five kids from 11 to 15, all living in a two bedroom, one bathroom rental house in an older neighborhood.
I thought we had won the lottery. My step dad was stable, he was happy, he never drank anything stronger than iced tea. He loved me and my sister as if we were his. I grabbed his hand on the day I met him and never let go.
I didn't see my daddy much. He didn't always have the right to visitation because he was in and out of treatment and sometimes jail for a year. I loved my daddy very much and it was a very hard time in my life.
And then my daddy passed away. He took his own life in the summer between fifth and sixth grade. I was spending the night at a friend's house and my mom came to pick me up very early. We got to our house and my sister was sitting in the kitchen staring into the backyard. She had left two days before for a weeklong trip to the coast with her best friend's family. It was so confusing to see her there. My mom and step dad took me into their bedroom in the back of the house and told me that my daddy was gone.
I remember feeling nothing, empty. I went into the room that I shared with my sister and two stepsisters and laid down on my bunk bed. I did that a lot for the next few days. My daddy's funeral is a blurry memory. It was horrible.
Psalm 11:17-18 says, "You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more."
I think about this story of mine, and how it could so easily be the beginning of a life of sadness and self doubt. But instead it is a story of how God provided me with so much. He gave me a daddy who loved me as a little girl, and took me fishing and camping, and let me sit with him while he was dove hunting, no matter how loud I was.
And then He gave me a dad who loved me when he didn't have to, and walked me down the aisle at my wedding, and was there when I had my babies, and holds my hand and doesn't let go.
And He gave me my faith in my Heavenly Father, the One who guides me and gives me strength when I have none.
So I think of all that I have in my life, and I am blessed.
Dear God, thank you for all of the blessings and opportunities that you have given us in this life. Help us to feel contentment in our lives, and give us strength to walk through devestation. In Your Holy Name we pray, amen.
It is easy to feel like what we have isn't enough. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for whiter teeth, smoother thighs, fuller lips. We watch "reality" tv shows and the lives of the "Real Housewives" are full of luxury and opportunity. Our children misbehave, while other children seem angelic in comparison, and we wonder why it is so easy for everyone else.
The answer is, it's not. Everyone has struggles and skeletons, scars that we see and those that we don't.
I come from a very different environment than the one in which we are raising our children. My mom worked as a library aide and started taking college courses at night when I was five. My daddy was a welder and a laborer, mainly building waterfront retaining walls and boat docks or installing awnings for the wealthier residents of Lake Dunlap. He struggled with alcoholism and mental illness for most of his life. Sometimes there was work and sometimes there wasn't, and we were occasionally recipients of welfare. We had happy times, but I knew something wasn't right.
My parents divorced when I was in the fourth grade. My mom remarried and was finishing her teaching degree, and by most accounts, we were a happy, lower middle class blended family. My step dad was a band director at the high school, my mom eventually taught middle school science, and there were five kids from 11 to 15, all living in a two bedroom, one bathroom rental house in an older neighborhood.
I thought we had won the lottery. My step dad was stable, he was happy, he never drank anything stronger than iced tea. He loved me and my sister as if we were his. I grabbed his hand on the day I met him and never let go.
I didn't see my daddy much. He didn't always have the right to visitation because he was in and out of treatment and sometimes jail for a year. I loved my daddy very much and it was a very hard time in my life.
And then my daddy passed away. He took his own life in the summer between fifth and sixth grade. I was spending the night at a friend's house and my mom came to pick me up very early. We got to our house and my sister was sitting in the kitchen staring into the backyard. She had left two days before for a weeklong trip to the coast with her best friend's family. It was so confusing to see her there. My mom and step dad took me into their bedroom in the back of the house and told me that my daddy was gone.
I remember feeling nothing, empty. I went into the room that I shared with my sister and two stepsisters and laid down on my bunk bed. I did that a lot for the next few days. My daddy's funeral is a blurry memory. It was horrible.
Psalm 11:17-18 says, "You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more."
I think about this story of mine, and how it could so easily be the beginning of a life of sadness and self doubt. But instead it is a story of how God provided me with so much. He gave me a daddy who loved me as a little girl, and took me fishing and camping, and let me sit with him while he was dove hunting, no matter how loud I was.
And then He gave me a dad who loved me when he didn't have to, and walked me down the aisle at my wedding, and was there when I had my babies, and holds my hand and doesn't let go.
And He gave me my faith in my Heavenly Father, the One who guides me and gives me strength when I have none.
So I think of all that I have in my life, and I am blessed.
Dear God, thank you for all of the blessings and opportunities that you have given us in this life. Help us to feel contentment in our lives, and give us strength to walk through devestation. In Your Holy Name we pray, amen.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Movie and a Pizza
Our house has movie night on Fridays, I try to get my act together early enough to make pizza. This afternoon we got some big clouds and it got really cool and breezy so we spent some time in the yard with the neighbors. So pizza is coming AFTER the movie, oh well, flexibility is a great thing.
Tonight's movie is Mary Poppins and the pizza is 1 part cheese, 2 parts veggie and 3 parts pepperoni.
Here's Stephanie's delicious pizza recipe, I've added my two cents:
3 Tbsp yeast
2 C brown rice flour
1.5 C tapioca
6 Tbsp powdered milk
2 Tbsp xanthan gum
1.5 tsp salt
3 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 C warm water
1.5 tsp sugar
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp vinegar
Optional- cornmeal, grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, toppings
1. Set oven to 425 degrees.
2. Blend all dry ingredients on low speed with a mixer. Slowly add water, oil and vinegar.
3. Beat on high speed for 4 minutes. If dough is too thick, add more warm water.
4. Grease the pan, I also sprinkle the bottom of the pan with cornmeal, then press the dough onto the pan with wet hands and smooth out. Cover lightly and let rise for about 20 minutes.
5. Sprinkle uncooked crust with parmesan cheese and garlic powder if desired.
6. Cook about 12 minutes or until golden and not shiny.
7. Remove and add toppings.
8. Bake an additional 7-10 minutes. Just keep a close eye on it, the cheese will melt and edges will get a darker brown.
I make about a 16 inch large, you can also make two smaller and parbake one crust and freeze for later.
It's pretty good! The best gf pizza recipe I've made!
Tonight's movie is Mary Poppins and the pizza is 1 part cheese, 2 parts veggie and 3 parts pepperoni.
Here's Stephanie's delicious pizza recipe, I've added my two cents:
3 Tbsp yeast
2 C brown rice flour
1.5 C tapioca
6 Tbsp powdered milk
2 Tbsp xanthan gum
1.5 tsp salt
3 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 C warm water
1.5 tsp sugar
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp vinegar
Optional- cornmeal, grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, toppings
1. Set oven to 425 degrees.
2. Blend all dry ingredients on low speed with a mixer. Slowly add water, oil and vinegar.
3. Beat on high speed for 4 minutes. If dough is too thick, add more warm water.
4. Grease the pan, I also sprinkle the bottom of the pan with cornmeal, then press the dough onto the pan with wet hands and smooth out. Cover lightly and let rise for about 20 minutes.
5. Sprinkle uncooked crust with parmesan cheese and garlic powder if desired.
6. Cook about 12 minutes or until golden and not shiny.
7. Remove and add toppings.
8. Bake an additional 7-10 minutes. Just keep a close eye on it, the cheese will melt and edges will get a darker brown.
I make about a 16 inch large, you can also make two smaller and parbake one crust and freeze for later.
It's pretty good! The best gf pizza recipe I've made!
Monday, September 12, 2011
A Father's Love
"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." - Zephaniah 3:17
The image I have in my mind when I read this scripture is that of a big, strong father holding his newborn child. The child is upset, the father is soothing the child patiently and gazing at this tiny, angry bundle with absolute adoration.
Infinite patience, immeasurable love, complete joy.
My patience is never what I want it to be. I was always asking God for help with patience until I read an article in which the mother being interviewed said that when we pray for patience, God gives us situations in which we can practice our patience. Not exactly what I was asking for! I have found myself to be more patient as the years pass, so maybe by the time I'm 70, I will have the patience required to raise a family! But patience is a kind of faith. It is faith that the next moment can be better than this one, and so if we can hold on just one more moment, and then another, then we may experience the patience we have asked for.
Our love for our children can be overwhelming. I remember looking at Kate as a newborn and feeling like my heart had grown too big for my chest. I just loved this little wonder so much, it didn't seem possible that there was room in my heart for anything else. And then Brooke came along and there was even more! I think of my own mother and father, who love me, but still fail me at times. We are told that as much as we love our children, God loves us even more. How comforting to know that even when our parents are incapable of soothing our hurts, God's love will sustain us.
We sing a lot at our house and we always have. My mom made up little songs all the time about whatever we were doing, and I have done the same thing with my girls. Now Kate does it, too. We just love to sing! When we find ourselves singing is usually when we are at our happiest. Reading that God rejoices over me with singing again brings to mind the delighted parent, just pleased as punch with His beautiful children. He watches us with delight as we make our way through life and sings at the moments when we bring Him joy, when we are living our lives to His glory and raising our children to follow Him.
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:16-19
What makes you sing? How can you be an example of God's love in the life of someone who needs it? What can you do to be more patient with your spouse, your children, or yourself?
The image I have in my mind when I read this scripture is that of a big, strong father holding his newborn child. The child is upset, the father is soothing the child patiently and gazing at this tiny, angry bundle with absolute adoration.
Infinite patience, immeasurable love, complete joy.
My patience is never what I want it to be. I was always asking God for help with patience until I read an article in which the mother being interviewed said that when we pray for patience, God gives us situations in which we can practice our patience. Not exactly what I was asking for! I have found myself to be more patient as the years pass, so maybe by the time I'm 70, I will have the patience required to raise a family! But patience is a kind of faith. It is faith that the next moment can be better than this one, and so if we can hold on just one more moment, and then another, then we may experience the patience we have asked for.
Our love for our children can be overwhelming. I remember looking at Kate as a newborn and feeling like my heart had grown too big for my chest. I just loved this little wonder so much, it didn't seem possible that there was room in my heart for anything else. And then Brooke came along and there was even more! I think of my own mother and father, who love me, but still fail me at times. We are told that as much as we love our children, God loves us even more. How comforting to know that even when our parents are incapable of soothing our hurts, God's love will sustain us.
We sing a lot at our house and we always have. My mom made up little songs all the time about whatever we were doing, and I have done the same thing with my girls. Now Kate does it, too. We just love to sing! When we find ourselves singing is usually when we are at our happiest. Reading that God rejoices over me with singing again brings to mind the delighted parent, just pleased as punch with His beautiful children. He watches us with delight as we make our way through life and sings at the moments when we bring Him joy, when we are living our lives to His glory and raising our children to follow Him.
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:16-19
What makes you sing? How can you be an example of God's love in the life of someone who needs it? What can you do to be more patient with your spouse, your children, or yourself?
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter Weekend and the Attack of the Horrible GF Bread
Tonight for dinner, I rotisseried (is that even a word?) a chicken in my rotisserie oven from Heather and Matt, and made a delicious asparagus-spinach risotto. It was divine, but I dirtied half the dishes in my kitchen and all of the available countertops, so I am putting off cleaning my kitchen, hence the new blog post.
We had all of my in-laws in town for Easter, which included T's parents, his only sister, her husband and their three boys. We had a great, mostly stress free weekend, and just truly enjoyed each others' company.
I was coming down off the high of a couple of successful GF baking attempts, and with a traditional ham dinner for Easter Sunday on the docket, I decided to make GF "dinner rolls."
Quotation marks are because they looked like biscuits and tasted like something I would feed the dogs. Oh, wow, they were horrible.
They didn't taste like anything I had ever had before. I can't even truly describe how bad they were, my sister in law said they tasted like a tennis shoe.
My brother in law walked into the kitchen to snag one as they were cooling and was trying really hard not to show his disgust, the nice man that he is. But even though we warned him, T put on his game face and ate one on Sunday because he is my wonderful husband. 95% of the meals I put in front of him are delicious, so he remained loyal even during this experimental GF stage.
I didn't take any of this personally because even though I was honestly slaving in the kitchen over them, I thought they were pretty bad, too.
I also made GF "cinnamon rolls," which I am putting in quotation marks because they had more of a cinnamon roll inspired brioche-thing going on. Jill and I made these on Saturday night for Easter morning, because cinnamon rolls used to be our Sunday morning staple prior to Kate's CD diagnosis. Kate, one nephew and the adults all liked it, Brookie and the two older boys did not. 2 out of 3 ain't bad! I will probably try a different recipe next time though, because for the amount of work I put in, they weren't amazing.
The oatmeal cookies were a hit and amazingly there were a few left on Sunday, so T got to have one after his Lenten fast from sweets was broken. Such dedication to his personal sacrifice! I tempted him a lot with desserts over the last 40 plus days, just call me Eve.
I also made Brazilian Cheese Rolls, or pao de queijo, which are traditionally made with tapioca flour and are gluten free. The texture reminds me of the sausage balls you make with Bisquick, cheese and Jimmy Dean sausage, crunchy on the outside, and soft and springy on the inside. The recipe is one that you can play around with, using different herbs and cheeses and they are really easy to make. I will definitely be making those again. The first time I made them, I shaped them to be about the size of my palm, this time they were much smaller, about the size of a plum. I think somewhere in between will be perfect.
On Saturday, we took family pictures with Jill and her family, me, T and the girls, and my in-laws. We hired the photographer who took our Christmas pictures, my friend and hairstylist Amy came over and did our hair and makeup, (ooh la la!) and we all did the white shirts and blue jeans thing. I was really worried that it would look boring, but it didn't at all! The girls wore white sundresses and looked adorable, I will share the link to Deanna's blog when she posts them.
That's really all, it was a low drama weekend, which I am very grateful for. So today I am thankful for:
- Living in a country where I am free to worship God and celebrate the resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.
- Family and friends
- On the Border corn tortilla chips being sold in a huge bag at Sam's and being gluten free!
Okay, here I go into domestic bliss!
We had all of my in-laws in town for Easter, which included T's parents, his only sister, her husband and their three boys. We had a great, mostly stress free weekend, and just truly enjoyed each others' company.
I was coming down off the high of a couple of successful GF baking attempts, and with a traditional ham dinner for Easter Sunday on the docket, I decided to make GF "dinner rolls."
Quotation marks are because they looked like biscuits and tasted like something I would feed the dogs. Oh, wow, they were horrible.
They didn't taste like anything I had ever had before. I can't even truly describe how bad they were, my sister in law said they tasted like a tennis shoe.
My brother in law walked into the kitchen to snag one as they were cooling and was trying really hard not to show his disgust, the nice man that he is. But even though we warned him, T put on his game face and ate one on Sunday because he is my wonderful husband. 95% of the meals I put in front of him are delicious, so he remained loyal even during this experimental GF stage.
I didn't take any of this personally because even though I was honestly slaving in the kitchen over them, I thought they were pretty bad, too.
I also made GF "cinnamon rolls," which I am putting in quotation marks because they had more of a cinnamon roll inspired brioche-thing going on. Jill and I made these on Saturday night for Easter morning, because cinnamon rolls used to be our Sunday morning staple prior to Kate's CD diagnosis. Kate, one nephew and the adults all liked it, Brookie and the two older boys did not. 2 out of 3 ain't bad! I will probably try a different recipe next time though, because for the amount of work I put in, they weren't amazing.
The oatmeal cookies were a hit and amazingly there were a few left on Sunday, so T got to have one after his Lenten fast from sweets was broken. Such dedication to his personal sacrifice! I tempted him a lot with desserts over the last 40 plus days, just call me Eve.
I also made Brazilian Cheese Rolls, or pao de queijo, which are traditionally made with tapioca flour and are gluten free. The texture reminds me of the sausage balls you make with Bisquick, cheese and Jimmy Dean sausage, crunchy on the outside, and soft and springy on the inside. The recipe is one that you can play around with, using different herbs and cheeses and they are really easy to make. I will definitely be making those again. The first time I made them, I shaped them to be about the size of my palm, this time they were much smaller, about the size of a plum. I think somewhere in between will be perfect.
On Saturday, we took family pictures with Jill and her family, me, T and the girls, and my in-laws. We hired the photographer who took our Christmas pictures, my friend and hairstylist Amy came over and did our hair and makeup, (ooh la la!) and we all did the white shirts and blue jeans thing. I was really worried that it would look boring, but it didn't at all! The girls wore white sundresses and looked adorable, I will share the link to Deanna's blog when she posts them.
That's really all, it was a low drama weekend, which I am very grateful for. So today I am thankful for:
- Living in a country where I am free to worship God and celebrate the resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.
- Family and friends
- On the Border corn tortilla chips being sold in a huge bag at Sam's and being gluten free!
Okay, here I go into domestic bliss!
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