Monday, January 23, 2012

Gluten Free Brownies And The Zombies!

 These are the pecans that my Daddy gave me and he gave me the Duke's Easy Nutcracker too! Thank you, Daddy!  (And there are more pecans, it was enough to fill a five gallon bucket!)


This is the five pound bag of almond flour that was sent in the mail to me by a wonderful cook and gluten free blogger.   Does everyone know how healthy almonds are? It's wonderful to make something for Richard that not only tastes good, but is good for him too.

 These are the gluten free brownies that I made for Richard from the pecans and almond flour.

  This is the beautiful Cadbury's tin that Richard usually keeps his Melting Moments in...but now will hold the scrumptious brownies!  What decade is that supposed to be from, the 20's, the 30's? Love the clothes!

 This is  a calendar that my mother in law gave me in 1997, could you tell?  Thank you, Joan!  (I keep it in my kitchen because I love the old ads so much..."The jeopardy of life is immensely increased without such a simple precaution as ENO'S FRUIT SALT".  The wording is amazing!  That is an old Beatrix Potter calendar that I also can't bear to take down.  Beatrix Potter's drawings are perfectly done.  Look at rabbits sometime, really look and study them and you will see what I mean.  

 This is a cookbook published in 1967 which only has recipes from beans! It also was given to me in 1983, the year I was married,  by one of my sister's good friends when she found out that Richard was on a gluten free diet. The recipe for the brownies is in this cookbook.  Thanks, Judy!

And I am sorry, but I just had to make sure you saw the top of this tin..."Absolutely Pure, Therefore Best".   Imagine an ad using the word "therefore"!

Here is the recipe:                Brownies (says it makes 2 dozen, but I cut mine into 15 pieces)

                                            1/3 cup shortening
                                            2 squares chocolate (I used 1/3 cup chocolate chips)
                                            1 cup sugar
                                            2 eggs, slightly beaten  (Eggs from my Daddy too!)
                                            1 teaspoon vanilla
                                            3/4 cup nuts, chopped
                                            1/2 cup almond flour  (recipe book calls for SOY flour)
                                            1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Melt shortening and chocolate in double boiler over hot water. (I don't have double boiler, I use a stainless steel bowl over simmering water, it works just fine.)   Cool slightly, then add remaining ingredients in the order given and mix well.  (Just mix it up with a fork.)

Spread evenly into greased pan (9x9x2 inch pan) and bake in 325 degree oven for 35 minutes or until done.   Cool before cutting.   ENJOY! 


Now here is a song that I have just heard that my son told me about. It's by the Zombies! It was in a movie a few years back called "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou." (Never saw the movie but I am told that is why more people are familar with it. ) Give it a listen and let me know what you think.  It's wonderful to hear someone who can actually SING, isn't it?  You can't fool someone if it is a capella...
                                              

20 comments:

  1. The brownies look delicious! I wonder how long the 15 pieces will last... ;-)
    But I am surprised the recipe came out of a recipe book for beans, since I can not detect any beans in the recipe.
    I'd say the Cadbury's tin is supposed to show a scene from the 1920s.

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    1. Librarian,
      I made them Sunday, and there are seven left! R & C have really enjoyed them. (I just had 1/2 of one, to save it for the "men".) The bean part of the recipe is that the recipe calls for soy flour, which is made from soybeans. I have learned from my gluten free sources, i.e. blogs, that soy is really not a healthy thing to have in this country due to PESTICIDES!
      Oh, and I must tell you that, as always, your last book review was excellent! I hated that I couldn't leave a comment on there but maybe it will sort itself out soon. Cerulean was one of my FAVORITE colors in the Crayola crayon box. Did you have Crayola crayons too? (We didn't call them crayons, we called them "colors".)

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  2. I'd love to try that almond flour! In Corsica, they use chestnut flour a whole lot. Cakes, bread, you name it. Chestnuts are one of their staple foods. It gives a lovely taste to everything.

    The design on the tin dates from about 1920, before women started getting to be "flappers" I have old family albums where all the women are dressed like that.

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    1. Dear Jenny,
      That almond flour is heavenly. Imagine coming home and finding that someone has mailed that to you!

      Thank you for telling me the 20's. I am almost finished with my Cadbury's cookies from Christmas and they are heavenly too!

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  3. Pecans - oh joy! Every Christmas I get two large packs from Sandy in Warner Robins. She even shells them for me - what a good friend is she.

    I always put them in the freezer and take them out as and when I need them - needless to say they do not last long and certainly not long enough to cook with!! The ones we can buy in the UK are ok until you taste the ones that are fresh from Georgia.

    Thank you for another posting that reminds me so much of our wonderful holidays in the Southern States.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Spesh 1 (Pat!),
      Pecans were very expensive this year. I am very grateful that my Daddy gives those to me! Oh, Warner Robins is close to Macon and we used to live in Forsyth (also close to Macon) when I was a kid, my little sister was born there in 1966. We would always wave and salute the soldiers from there and they would always laugh and wave back! (Do kids do that anymore?)
      Thanks for your comment!

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  4. Mmmmm...brownies! If I make them, I guarantee they won't last very long. I've never heard that Zombies song before, but I really have to say that the singer CAN sing. (Blogger hasn't bumped me off this page yet, so maybe I'll get a comment in today. I hope all the commenting issues are being resolved and I can leave a message on your wonderful posts from time to time).

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    1. Plowing Through Life,
      It has been like looking through a candy store window not being able to leave a comment! It's there, you just can't get to it!
      I never met a brownie I didn't like! It is a very easy brownie recipe and if you don't have that much chocolate, you can just use a little bit and call them blondies! And I don't see why you couldn't use regular flour either, let me know if you make them!

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  5. Hello Kay:
    The Brownies look absolutely delicious. It seems singularly appropriate that they will be kept where the 'melting moments' are usually kept as we are sure that these Brownies will melt in moments too!!

    Cadbury's chocolate, part of every English child's heritage, we suspect. The tin is lovely and the perfect place for storing the precious Brownies.

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    1. Jane & Lance,
      Thanks! And they taste better than they look! On Sunday evening, I put one in a bowl , slightly heated it in the microwave and put a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt on the top for dessert! I really need to put Richard's Melting Moment recipe on here, it is from England, of course.
      We LOVE Cadbury's chocolate at my house! Hershey's is okay but...oh dear I feel another blog post coming on!
      Thanks for your comment!

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  6. Hi Kay, Those brownies look delicious! I eat a lot of almonds, and you're quite right - they are very good for us. I've seen the Complete Bean cookbook a few times over the years in Goodwill, I'll have to take a closer look if I ever come across it again - had no idea it would contain a brownie recipe :) The wording on old ads is so charming - we could do with a bit of charm in this day and age. And a great voice - enjoyed The Zombies.

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  7. Dear Jane,
    The cookbook has some good recipes and it is interesting to see how different cookbooks were from the 60's!
    You are so right, you may see a post on "charm" from me soon! Glad you liked the song, my 22 year old son told me about it, so in other words, that is why I included it in this post...something else that was given to me! And I am thankful for all of it.

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  8. The nut crackers look fantastic..our house is practically a hard hat area when I'm cracking nuts, with shells flying all over the place.

    SP

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  9. SP,
    That's funny, I used to do the same. But that nutcracker is so good and I am now so expert at it that I rarely have any flying nutshells. My siblings were given the same nutcrackers but they don't get excited over good tools like me and my Dad.

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  10. Thank you for creating a delicious sounding homemade recipe, I bake with Honeyville almond flour also and just love it. I tend toward gluten-free brownie mixes because I do best on a low-sugar diet which means I bake dessert infrequently, and as a gluten-free traveler I often tuck one into my suitcase. I write a travel blog where I write on the best gluten-free chocolate brownie mixes: http://travelsketchwrite.com/2011/12/06/best-gluten-free-chocolate-brownies/

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    1. Dear Sue,
      Oh, I thank you for your comment!That Honeyville almond flour is wonderful! I think I would like to found my own city and name it Honeyville, I love it so much! (Honeyville, GEORGIA, doesn't that sound nice?) I will try to find your travel blog and I look forward to reading about your travels on a gluten free diet! We find it very difficult to travel and find that it is easier to have a kitchen. It is becoming more well known in the USA now since more people have been told to go on a gluten free diet. In 1983, no one had heard of it!

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  11. I have severe gluten intolerance - celiac disease. I love eating out, I love my food, I truly do, but trying to find somewhere to eat is a nightmare. I am grateful that I live in Toronto because there are a few places that specialize in gluten-free cuisine. One of my favourite restaurants, Hibiscus Café, offers amazing buckwheat crêpes and homemade desserts. Unfortunately, eating out is one of the biggest leaks in my budget. That is why I decided to I put my cooking skills to the test with easy recipes that taste good and can be prepared quickly. Your brownies look delicious; I will definitely try your recipe at home.

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    1. Dear Kate,
      Oh, my husband has celiac disease too. He has had it since he was a small boy in England. We find that simple meals are the easiest and probably healthy too.
      There are so many WONDERFUL gluten free blogs out now with such terrific recipes. Be sure to look at www.glutenfreeeasily.com and see if you don't think that Shirley's recipes are exactly that, gluten free and easy, and tasty too!
      Please come back and leave a comment and let me know how you got on with these brownies. My husband really liked them!

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  12. Hey Kay,

    First, thanks for the shout-outs! I so love that you didn't waste any time and got right on using your almond flour. ;-) I think brownies are just about the best choice you could make. :-) I'm thinking I should try this recipe today using coconut oil for my shortening. Will let you know, dear!

    Oh, and I love everything else you're shared, too. I am totally smitten by anything Beatrix Potter as you know and love those quaint expressions that we don't often see any more. My Celestial Seasonings tea tins had images and words that were sweet like that. And I love the Cadbury tin (special tins make the contents taste better IMHO). All beautiful and/or interesting (i.e., The Bean Book) ... thank you for sharing!

    Hugs,
    Shirley

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  13. Hey Shirley!
    LOVE that almond flour! I really can't thank you enough, that was so kind of you to send it to me. Thank you so much for your encouragement that you give to EVERYONE. Now that I have my own blog, I can tell how much time it takes you to so carefully use your words in reply.
    Happy that you like the same things that I do, if we are not sisters, then we are best friends separated by just a few states!
    HUGS TO YOU!
    From Your Captain

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