Okay, I confess…while it’s not something I do often, sometimes I yearn for a cold glass of good ole chocolate milk. But with my aversion to all things processed, the cartons of dry mix or bottles of liquid sludge sold in stores aren’t going to cut it. Fortunately, my grandmother gave me a couple of fabulous cookbooks, circa 1950, that have proven exceptional reference points for making food and treats out of real ingredients (as opposed to those created in a laboratory). I’ve tweaked the chocolate syrup recipe and found something that works great over homemade ice cream, as well as squirted into a glass of organic milk  on occasion. Enjoy!

Larissa’s Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Place the following ingredients in a medium saucepan:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 square of unsweetened chocolate (optional, but makes it richer!!)
3/4 cup water
dash of salt

Over low heat, stir until melted and thicker…about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat and add 1 t vanilla, then refrigerate in glass jar.  For thicker syrup, simply use less water.

Currently reading: New Moon by Stephanie Meyer (yes, still!) and Insight Yoga by Sarah Powers

Tags: chocolate, currently reading, Homemade staples

Yummy pie crust time!  I started making nut crusts several years ago mainly because I was too lazy to go through the hassle of creating a traditional flaky pie crust with the specialty flours I use in baking. Can honestly say I haven’t missed those traditional crusts one lick. While I don’t necessarily try to avoid all gluten, I definitely feel better when I keep wheat out of my desserts.

This recipe is quick and easy. Works great whether you’re talking about a fruit pie — apple, pumpkin, etc. Also works wonderfully as a substitution for a Graham cracker crust in things such as Magic Cookie Bars. Simply adjust the amounts based on how large your baking dish is.

For a basic 8 x 8 square — or deep dish pie pan:

Combine the following ingredients directly into your baking dish and stir to mix –

3/4 + cup very finely chopped pecans (measure after chopping) NOTE-walnuts, or a combination of the two, would also work fine, but when I have them on hand I tend to use pecans because they’re slightly sweeter

1/8 to 1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)

2-3 heaping tablespoons gluten/wheat-free baking mix (Pamela’s works wonders but is very expensive. I tend to use homemade stuff– recipe will be provided in a future post.)

Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons olive or safflower oil (I admit…I never measure anymore, just start pouring in a thin stream) over all of the other ingredients.

You’ll have an easily smooshable mixture you can easily press into the bottom of your pan and up the sides if you choose. If this is going to be for a pie filling that you don’t cook (such as puddings), you can bake this for 5-10 minutes at 350° and you’re good to go. For pies or other goodies that you’re going to bake, I simply pour the guts straight on top and bake as usual.

Next Friday? Details on nuts!

Currently Reading: Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind (I know…I’ve been reading this one a while. It’s a really long book so I cover 150 pages at a time then pause and read other stuff. Can’t wait for the television series Legend of the Seeker to be released on DVD!)

Just Finished: Lady in Green, one of Barbara Metzger’s older regencies.  Adored it! How often do you have a bald heroine?

Tags: currently reading, Desserts, Homemade staples