Growing up, my mother strove to instill the values of diligence and persistence in all of her children. These attributes are particularly valuable in the realm of gardening, which, incidentally, my mother taught me to love.
I have more seeds to sow!
The sunflowers and broccoli will have to be started indoors and then transplanted in March. The lettuce, however, can be sown directly into the ground now.
As much as I am anticipating Spring’s arrival, I am still enjoying the flavors of Fall.
I chain-drink this tea at my Addiction Support Group. Nearly everyone else goes for the coffee. Coffee tends to upset my stomach, so I usually stick with hot tea. This blend is really good; it tastes like pumpkin pie.
Speaking of pie, I have been craving sweets and decided to try baking something that I haven’t made before.
I made brownies from scratch for the first time, using Cocoa Powder, Oat Flour, Coconut Oil, Sugar and Ground Flax.
The good news is my mouth can handle under-cooked baked goods.
The better news is that my healing gums give me a fantastic excuse to eat brownie batter. 😉
Because brownies aren’t chocolate-y enough, I ripped off adapted Brittany’s recipe for Homemade Chocolate Sauce:
- 1 Cup Virgin Coconut Oil
- 1/2 Cup Raw Cocoa Powder
- 1/4 Cup Natural Maple Syrup
Because I had used up all my Cocoa powder making the brownies, I substituted a Bittersweet Hot Chocolate Mix for both the powder and the sweetener.
I mixed 1/2 cup of the mix with 3/4 cup of melted Coconut Oil.
I also stirred in 2 tablespoons of regular peanut butter and then refrigerated the sauce in a ramekin.
Directly out of the refrigerator, the sauce has a consistency similar to Magic-Shell.
Microwaving it for about 15 seconds yields a perfect chocolate sauce for every meal the brownies.
I am also going to try drizzling it on my go-to snacks such as mashed banana and peanut butter and the ubiquitous Greek yogurt.
My lazy adapted version of the Chocolate Sauce recipe was incredibly easy and delicious. Using the Hot Chocolate mix worked perfectly and ended up saving me the sweetening step.
There is something so satisfying about making a recipe “work” with what you have on hand in the pantry.
Do you like to follow recipes precisely or do you adapt them as you go along?
On the few occasions in my life where I’ve “cooked,” it was very stressful! These occasions are limited to Gwendolyn’s early birthdays. I’d make her chicken parm or something else that she’d love. Seriously, following measurements to the perfectionist T drove me freaking insane. This is why I much prefer having others do it for me. Cooking is not enjoyable for me. Maybe if I had a human mate with whom to cook (like Carrie Bradshaw and Big making pasta sauce), then it would be fun. But wait, Carrie never ended up being a cook anyway so I take that back. Ha ha! I love that you mooched a recipe from Brittany. I don’t like brownies but I’m glad that you do! xoxo
Brittany has some awesome recipes on her site! Wow, chicken parmesan sounds complicated. Too many steps/chicken handling/etc. I make Rennie scrambled eggs a lot. (Well, I make them for myself and she ends up with half, somehow!) She likes hers with cheese.
