busy quiet weekend

This weekend was busily quiet.  I spent time in the kitchen, sewing, and in the garden.  The strawberries are blooming so I would say spring is here.  You cannot tell by my garden though because the beds are just dirt.  I am currently double digging so they are ready for plants.

I bought flowers at the farmer's market just for another hint of spring.  They are beautiful and are wonderful company in the kitchen.

I was requested to make another skull cap for my Beloved.  He wanted cotton and let him go through the cotton yarns in my knitting bowl to decide what he wanted.  The main body is a pale grey green and the edge is a grey blue.  He likes how it turned out.  I need to make a similar one for a newborn that is a friend of the tall short person.  More on those presents later.  I did say busy even though it was quiet!

chocolate sauce

Yesterday I wrote that I would share the chocolate sauce recipe that I use for anything chocolate sauce.  Yesterday was roasted bananas but it could be ice cream or smoothies or cake or anything that you would put chocolate sauce on.

Chocolate Sauce

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup cocoa (the better the cocoa, the better the sauce)

1 finger pinch of ground ancho

1 finger pinch of ground chipolte

2 finger pinch of cinnamon

In a pan, put the water and sugar.  Bring to a boil and let boil one minute.

Turn the heat off.  Measure out the cocoa and whisk into the sugar mixture.  Be careful that it does not boil over the pot.  Add the ancho, chipolte, and cinnamon.  Whisk well.

Pour the goodness on roasted bananas or dip bananas into it or use it in a smoothie or.....

I store it in the refrigerator once it cools.

roasted bananas

We had dinner with our Tall Short person last night.  Life has not shown her the straightest path lately and she needed some comfort food.  For us, that was Japanese.  My Beloved decided that he needed dessert and had something called Monkeys Gone Crazy.  It had bananas, chocolate, and ice cream.  I decided I wanted to make a dessert based on the banana and chocolate bit.  This is what happened:  roasted bananas with chocolate sauce.  I would have sworn up and down that I had already posted the chocolate sauce recipe but I could not find it when I searched so I will post it tomorrow.  But first, the roasted bananas.

Roasted Bananas

2 bananas

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In an oven proof skillet, put the butter and melt over medium heat.  When melted, slice the peeled banana into it.  Add the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Stir a bit.  Put in the oven for ten minutes.  Pull out and stir.  Put back in the oven for another ten minutes.  

It should be all bubbly and fragrant.  Take out of the oven.  Split between two bowls.  Add chocolate sauce.

Incredible decadence!  

If you ate a big dinner, I can see where one banana would be enough for two.  We had my easy macaroni and cheese so we each had a banana to ourselves.

yumminess!

gluten free blondies

Blondies worked!  These are not vegan but they are gluten free and the gluten free flours I used were whole grain.  I started with the blondie recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  I liked how few ingredients there were.  I find that I have the best luck with changing something to gluten free when the recipe is simpler.  My Beloved likes the protein count in these as well.  The flours add a bit.

Blondies

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground flax (as fine as possible)

1 tablespoon boiling water

1/4 cup arrowroot flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup sorghum flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter and "flour" a 8 by 8 inch pan.

Mix the butter and brown sugar together.   Really cream well.  Mix in the egg and vanilla.  Mix the flax and boiling water together in a small bowl.  Add to the sugar and butter mixture.

Add all the flours, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.  Mix well.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.  

Cool if possible!  They will come out of the pan easier.

These were good.  Not too overwhelmingly sweet but I think a bit of that is the whole grains.  I think they are lovely.  My Beloved makes them disappear.  It will be interesting to see how long they last (grin)

Chef's roll

Blondies were a failure.  The non-dairy yogurt was a failure.  Some weeks are like this.

I did help my Beloved make a Chef's roll.  I have had a little more experience working with leather and cutting things out then he has.

He finished a set of knives and decided that they needed a Chef's roll.  The knives are beautiful in themselves but when you are taking them places they are hard to carry.  That is what the Chef's roll is for.  Easier transportation, especially since they are very sharp.

We bought two cow hides and sized them for the roll and the protector that covers the knives.  We then cut out a piece that holds the knives in.

We riveted the pieces of leather together.  I have done this in the past so I showed my Beloved how to do it and he perfected it.  Every rivet was a learning process and there were even a few defective ones.  After he put straps, buckles, and handles on, the Chef's roll was done.

The knives fit in nice and snug.  I find I have to be careful when I pull them out but that is not surprising.

I am really pleased with how this turned out.  We even kept some of the live edges from the hides so it is unique.

The knives and the Chef's roll are for sale at Serenity Knives.