Toffee Rocky Road Bars

Last night my hubby-who really lets me go on my strange food explorations and restrictions without complaint- told me he really wanted some dessert. Now, I happen to have a very yummy date sweetened raw chocolate cake sitting in the fridge, but I knew that he really wanted something with a lot more sweet, you know, with straight sugar...(I just tell him that the coconut sap sugar we use is the same thing and he nods and goes along with it.)

So, I thought.

And I thought.

And I looked through my recipes.

And I looked through pinterest. (Did I mention that I am a little obsessed?)

And I thought some more.

And I decided to design a recipe that reminded me of rice crispy treats but without the rice crispy part. What ensued has almost no resemblance to those cereal treats, of course.

But it is good!

So here we go:

Toffee Rocky Road Bars

Start with a 15x9 inch baking dish, lined with parchment, (leave lips to pull the whole thing out by)

In a food processor, crush (leaving it chunky), 2 cups raw (soaked and dried) almonds

Make toffee caramel:

1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup butter, grass fed

In a saucepan, begin to melt the sugar, add butter cut up into small chunks and stir until it is well blended and bubbling.

When it is completely blended together and smooth, pour hot caramel over almonds and stir until coated well.

Dump the whole thing on wax paper or parchment to cool. When cool, break up into small pieces. Try not to eat too many of them!

In a double broiler melt,
1 cup soy free dark chocolate chips (or whatever choc you want!)

Then toss that into a bowl with your crunchy almonds and stir until well coated. Let that cool and dry.

Make the marshmallow cream. Check out Mommypotomus' recipe, which I used. It is SO easy!

When you are done mixing, quickly throw the almonds into the marshmallow cream and stir to coat completely. Dump that whole thing into the prepared baking dish and smooth it out so it is even.

Allow it to stiffen, about an hour. Take it out of the pan using that extra paper lip you left, lay it out and cut into little squares.

It looks a little messy, but it is oh so good! (And to tell you the truth, I am not a huge marshmallow fan).

Gluten Free Caramelitas

Since going grain free, I can honestly say that I haven't missed the bread, or the pasta, or the cookies. It helps that I have found some alternatives, (can you say coconut oil and chocolate mint candies?! yum!) to meet those occasional cravings.

However, there was one thing that I couldn't figure out how to get around missing-our family caramelita recipe. It is a divine mixture of oats and freshly ground flour and caramel and chocolate and nuts...and it is so scrumptious that I drool just thinking about it. It is possible that there are some emotional ties to this recipe, as I can recall having them in my earliest childhood memories and making them without using the recipe before I was 11.

In the past week I have been playing with some yummy treats I have found on pinterest. (Did I mention my new obsession?) I made an absolutely delicious samoa cookie, (though I used cultured raw butter for the caramel. Not super impressed with that flavor). While talking to someone about them, I had a bit of an epiphany...I figured out how to do the caramelitas with some of the same ingredients, just tweaking a bit!

Today, I finally got to try it out.

Oh. My. Yes.

I think we have it. Not exactly the same, but a close enough match to make me happy. So, at the risk of having it stolen for use to sell, (um, I just want a kickback. I'm not greedy.), here we go:

Gluten Free Caramelitas
(for dairy free use the coconut)
Shortbread

1 3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 c. coconut flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 c. honey
1 egg
1/2 c. cold cut up butter (or coconut oil)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. toasted coconut, (cooled)

Mix in the ingredients in order, using a pastry blender or your hands when you get to the butter, mixing until is just past crumbly and starting to stick together. You should have a nice press-able dough once everything is in. Divide mixture in half.
Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper so that when it is all cooked you can just lift it out.
Put half the dough into the pan and evenly press it until it fills the bottom. Bake at 350* for about 10 minutes.




While that is cooking make the caramel:

Caramel
1/2 c. good butter (kerrygold is great!) or coconut oil
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/8 cup liquid sugar, (honey, or coconut nectar or rice syrup or tapioca syrup)
4 oz. heavy cream or coconut cream
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Cook the sugar and butter together until it starts to bubble just slightly, mixing well the whole time. Add the salt and vanilla and then the cream. Make sure this is in a tall pan as it will bubble up pretty high. Cook, stirring, until it hits 248*. (I actually went over because I was doing too much and let it hit the hard candy point, so that when it cooled it was crunchy. Still worked, just don't burn it!)
By the time it is done, your pan should be out of the oven. Immediately pour the caramel over the crust, smoothing it to cover the entire thing. Set aside the pan to lick when it is cool.

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips-soy free. (you could use the dairy free, soy free, everything free chips here too.)
1/2 cup crushed/chopped raw pecans or walnuts (If you have prepared crispy nuts, use those!)

Sprinkle these over the caramel in order of listing.
Take the other half of shortbread dough and crumble over the top of everything, spreading pretty evenly.

Bake for another 18-20 mins or until the top is golden brown.

Allow to cool. Take out of the pan, using your parchment paper. Place on a cutting board and cut into small squares. Try not to eat them all at once. Everyone is going to want to try them...

(I'll make these again soon and have more pictures to post. I forgot to take pix of the process until they were already cooked! I wasn't sure enough!)

Fun hair

I must confess to my new obsession, joining thousands of others equally addicted. Pinterest is my new favorite website! I set up a page as a tool for myself to have a central location to keep all those great recipes that I find and then can never find again, or to put those articles that I want to save, but not on my bookmarks, or even just to have an idea page for crafts and homeschooling ideas for the kids. And it started out fine! I was happily pinning away, saving what I needed and only spending about an hour a month browsing other people's pins. Then it happened. I discovered someone who had GENIUS ideas for storage solutions...and that connected me to someone else with AMAZING ideas for kids science and crafts...and then I saw someone else's ideas for kids art and parties...that's it.

I am officially obsessed.

This morning, after spending WAY too much time browsing through, I came across some princess hair styles.

Well!

I have three lovely little princesses! I must try these out!

My first two princesses acquiesced without complaint and were pleased with their results.























My oldest princess, however, is a bit more particular...

Since it is also Chinese New Year today, (the year of the dragon), she decided that she wanted something that would fit the occasion.

When we saw this one, we knew it was the one.

It wasn't even that hard!

But I loved looking at it all day!

At least today, my obsession was justified...we'll see if I can stay away tomorrow...

Oh wait, we are using it for crafts tomorrow. Nevermind. :)

What about pinterest obsesses you?

Juice and Detox and Grains, oh my!

Photo from Evoke blog.
A new year.

New chances for successes.

A quiet time for changes.

This is why I have decided to start off 2012 with some new, and not so new, beginnings.
This month I start school again, for a decidedly different second Master's degree. I will be doing the whole program online, which should allow me to continue to be present for my children in our daily lives. It is for holistic nutrition, which I am very excited about. The best part about the program, for me, is that each of the classes integrates a system of the body with nutrition. THIS is science I can get involved in. After watching my older sister go through all of the anatomy and physiology type classes for her PT program, I am very happy to be learning it all in a context that fascinates me.

My hubby and I are also doing a 21 day juice cleanse. There is not a program that I am following. We are just doing fruits and veggies in season, all juice for me, juice for him whenever he is home, but he will be taking the actual veggies and fruits to work to eat. (Being in his classroom all day is not so conducive for juicing and drinking juice that isn't fresh is just kinda yucky.)
There are many reasons we are doing juice instead of the 21 day sugar detox, or the 30 day paleo challenge. For one, I think it is good to give your body a chance to rest every now and then, allowing the digestive system to redirect much of it's energy into healing the rest of the body. While I strongly believe that going vegetarian is not good for long term, (there is just so much evidence that we need animal protein!), it seems to do really wonderful things for your health and physique on a short term basis. If you have never heard of Gerson's Therapy for cancer, check it out. It is a strong case for short term veggie based diet. Besides, if you have ever talked to someone who has just gone vegetarian, they can't say enough great things about how they feel and how they look.
Another reason we are doing juice is that abstaining from regular foods is an opportunity to add discipline into your life. I don't know about you, but by this time of year, most of my rules and regulations have exited quietly out the back door. (And then run screaming down the street, I think.) While I am anti-system as much as possible, even I have to admit that we all do a little better emotionally, physically and spiritually when there is SOME structure and discipline. This just reminds me of how little effort is really takes to make amazing things happen.

There are more reasons.

I might share some another time.

Photo from Slow Cook.

During our juice fast, I will slowly weaning my children off of grains for the next part of the challenge. Until the end of February, (with the exception of our Third Thursday night out and my birthday), I will be attempting to have my family go grain free. This means no wheat, no rice, no beer, no corn, no grain fed meats and no grain based liquor. Some of this will be easy since we have already been eating a Real Food diet for a few years, (and we don't really drink much). But I gotta say, I'm gonna miss my coconut oil popped popcorn....

I welcome everyone to try the grain free 60 days and share your experiences with me! My sister and some of her friends (and their families) are going to be doing grain free together and we will be posting recipes and ideas of how to make it happen with kids in an easy and affordable way. I might even host a couple carnivals! :) Stay tuned!

Breakfast, again?

When cereal is not an option, every morning becomes a challenge to put a nourishing breakfast on the table that the kids will devour. My recent decision to go mostly Paleo has added additional difficulty. I mean really, how many eggs can a kid have before they just won't eat anymore?

I still let my kids eat some grains, (sprouted of course), because it helps to round out my weekly meal plan...and well, to be perfectly honest, I am not a huge proponent of throwing all of your proverbial eggs into one basket...

Which brings us to this morning! (Well, not technically since it has nothing to do with grains...)
I was reading through one of the Paleo blogs which just has tons of food ideas and came upon one that I knew would work for the kids. And then I modified, of course.

I knew that the main draw for this breakfast would just be that each kid get's their own individualized dish. The possibilities are endless!

So here it is:

First, heavily butter some ramekins, (raw butter for my allergy boy).
Add in some homemade salsa (ours is lacto fermented) or veggies, meat (we did bacon and chicken) and raw cheese (not paleo).

Lame picture that is blurry. That is bacon and chicken with a bit of cheese.

Crack an egg or two on top, add another tiny bit of raw cheese, some salt and pepper and bake in the toaster oven at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes.

My kids all had special requests. One didn't want bacon, (I know, I know! I am working on her!), one wanted extra salsa, one only wanted one egg...and really, it is SO easy to make them exactly what they want!

Overall, it was a good response. My non-bacon girl didn't like it, (duh! It needs bacon!), and only one of the ramekins ended up on the floor!

Coffee Kombucha

Photo by wikia.com

I have been making kombucha off and on for 3 or 4 years and I have to admit, I am a bit unconventional even to the unconventional. Once I figured out that the scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) will ferment anything with sugars, I tried a variety of juices including but not limited to: grape, apple, and blueberry. They were Uh-mazing! So when I saw this post for coffee kombucha on FB, I knew that I had to try it.

Once I brewed up the coffee, I added palm sugar/coconut nectar sugar, allowed it to cool, threw in my scoby and left it alone for a week.

Sampling was interesting since I like my coffee sweet. This stuff was NOT sweet and had a bit of a sour tang. It wasn't bad though, which prompted me to have several people sample it that week. (You know, just to make sure I wasn't crazy)...Once I decided that it would be okay to drink, (nobody keeled over or threw up, though there were a couple of shivers), I was faced with figuring out how to make it palatable for MY tastes.

Keep in mind that this whole experiment was an effort to allow me my specialized coffee drink, but in a nourishing way. (I am all about getting around restrictions-even self imposed.)

The iced latte recipe on the blog I read didn't sound great for two reasons: 1. I don't care for honey in my coffee or my ice cream. 2. Kefir is not my favorite way to get cultured.

So, after more experimentation I found a delicious combination that I just had to share!

Ice Blended Mocha Bucha
1/2 cup coffee kombucha
1/2 cup raw cream (or raw whole milk)
1/4 cup coconut milk or cream
1 1/2 tbsp raw cocao powder
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2-1 tsp pure almond extract
ice (maybe a cup?)

Throw it all together in the blender and blend on high until all the ice is ground and it looks properly slushy. Add more milk or ice as needed for texture.

I'm already addicted. Mmmm!

A New Chapter

Quite literally, a new chapter!

Just last month, my friend Tracey and I, (at her urging), started a chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation in our area. In the past, I had considered doing this, but just had too much else going on to make it happen. But really, it wasn't time until she came along. I can't even tell you how much more is getting done because of her motivation and follow through! We already have a website, (thanks in part to the Santa Barbara folks), a gmail account, a way to send out a monthly newsletter, a FB page and an event, (hopefully with many more to come)!!!


The best part about the website is that we are actually setting up a resource page that I wish I had had three years ago! The joy! No really, it is a pretty exciting time!

In the meantime, we are very excited for summer to start, though we are almost as unplanned as last summer. Hubby is done with school, but hasn't really stopped working yet. The kids will be doing school through the summer, though admittedly it will be much more about field trips than writing samples. Our hope is to head east for a couple weeks to visit family and hit as many historical sites along the way as we can.

Perhaps now that I am on the computer more, I will be blogging more.

Do you have a new chapter starting in YOUR life?

Where I'm From

My cousins, Anna and Martha, started this with a homework assignment and then a followup. I loved it, but wasn't going to do my own until challenged...sotospeak. Now, I'm so glad I did. It really brings back so many amazing memories of a childhood filled with love and joy and an extraordinary family that most could never relate to.

I’m from treehouses built out of scrap wood, raw milk, and walks across the 71^st street bridge for a 27 cent burger, including tax.

I am from the huge garden in the backyard near the chicken coop, the tiny house with the attic bedrooms and the flooded yard that doubled as a rainy day pool.

I am from the fruit trees in summer, the pond up the street where we were chased by bad tempered geese.

I am from “place and pillows saved” and love that knows no bounds, from Bell and Castagna, and an equal partnership of matriarch and patriarch.

I am from the one couch for ten people and food waits for no sleeping person.

From a long line of strong women and stories told again and again and again, until eventually all but one or two have heard and others more than once.

I am from church is the people, God is real and loves us really, and the attitude of service. From home is where the heart is, but home is wherever you are at the moment.

I’m from the windy city, real southern living and the golden state, from Mom’s spaghetti that now has chucks, and melt in your mouth caramelitas.

From the “looking down on you with respect”, the Great Depression with only one day out of work, the love of teenagers who met in a Jewish deli.

I am from hallways of age progression cousins and Christmas Eves taking turns looking through scrapbooks before opening presents.

I am from multiple parts that make a whole and pieces of an intricate puzzle that make a beautiful picture.

Now, why don't you try one? You can post the link in the comments section.

A new day

I figured that I would start out the new year with the hope of writing a bit more. Even as I write that sentence I am wondering how on earth I will have enough time to think about it, let alone actually sit down to do it...but we try.

Just a quick review of 2010:

• Everything this year is measured in time around "the accident". My sister, her husband and their three children were in a near fatal accident on May 26th. It took 90 minutes to extract the adults from the car that had gone full freeway speed into the back of a parked semi truck. For those who know of the "golden hour", they were not expected to make it. My BIL was airlifted to the hospital while my sister was taken by ambulance. My nieces and nephew all suffered broken bones and 4 out of the 5 of them had surgeries. I was first to the hospital and it was one of the hardest things I have ever been through. Still. Miraculously, they all did survive, though not without some lasting effects in each of them, some physical, and some not so physical.

• We replaced every appliance in our entire house this year, starting before the accident, continuing through that time and finally ending some time after. Dishwasher, stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer, mixer and blender. It was a killer year for appliances...

• My kids all turned odd numbers this year. 9, 7, 5 and 5. It is shocking to no longer have babies. If you are curious, we are physically done having children, but there is no telling what God has planned for our family. Ask me sometime about the conversation we all had in the car this week.

• My buyer's club of real foods from real farmers doubled in size when our local natural food store closed. Still not sure how I feel about the extra work, but am truly enjoying the growth of community.

• I started working on the beginnings of our city's first community garden with a member of the buyer's club. We are hopeful that it will be off the ground, (or in the ground rather), this year. I can't wait to see the community that develops from that!

Now today is a new day. We are now in a new year. I have made no resolutions and no plans or promises. I can hope that I will be back to compose again soon. And I can hope that you all will join me.

What are your plans/resolutions for this year?

Stinky Mac and Cheese

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays at Food Renegade.

Recently, my youngest sister discovered that her nursing daughter has a gluten intolerance. This immediately changed her entire diet.

Side note: Isn't it funny how we can do things for our children without thinking twice, but if it comes to doing the same thing for just ourselves it becomes an overwhelming and tedious process. Just an observation...

Anyway, because of her dietary changes, as well as those of another friend who has Hashimoto's- a hypothyroid issue which often includes gluten sensitivity- I have been experimenting with gluten free recipes, in order to pass on some yumminess to them.

This one is made with rice noodles, which I attempted to make today. I haven't tried the noodles yet, but I made them with rice flour, salt and water and used a dehydrator to dry them faster. I'll let you know later how they worked.


This dish is LOADED with the good kind of fats and is fast and easy too.

Stinky Mac and Cheese

1 bag rice noodles- or one batch of homemade (?)
1 cup "stinky" cheese, crumbled (I use raw blue cheese. Gorgonzola would be great too)
1 cup raw cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup raw milk
1/2 lb pastured bacon, cooked and crumbled
Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste
veggie (optional), I've used peas, green beans and chopped spinach on different occasions

1. Cook noodles according to instructions, drain and then dump back into saucepan.
2. Add cheeses, milk, bacon and salt and pepper. Mix until sauce takes on a nice creamy consistency.
3. Add the veggie at the very end, stir enough to warm the peas (I use frozen), or wilt the spinach and then serve.

This has gotten a 4/4 kid rating each time I've made it and is also a bowl licker. (I try to only do that at home with no company though!)

Try it next time you need a quick meal that covers all the bases.