Death By Chocolate (Brownies)

This recipe is for Fairmaiden and Stephanie .....

Ingredients

7 ounces of organic semi sweet dark chocolate

8 ounces of unsalted butter

1 ¾ cups of brown sugar

4 eggs

1 1/3 cups spelt flour (can also use rice flour or a gluten free blend for a gluten free brownie)

1/ 4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup organic cocoa, sifted

1/3 cup Medaglia’ D’Oro (espresso powder)

1 ½ cups fresh raspberries and/or blueberries... OR both

Note –  frozen berries work for this recipe and you do not have to defrost them

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Melt chocolate / butter over low heat, stir until smooth

Remove from heat and let mixture cool

Mix butter/chocolate in mixing bowl with sugar and eggs

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa and espresso powder

Add to chocolate, butter, sugar and egg mixture

Mix until all ingredients are combined

Spray a 9x9 inch glass baking with canola spray

Line with parchment paper

Pour brownie batter into pan 

Top with berries

Bake @ 375 for 45 + minutes

Enjoy!! OR as Julia would say...."Bon Appetit".

Doodle Dog Biscuits

Yesterday (4th of July) our beloved Tara Dog took her last breath in our arms. We have had the good fortune to share our journey with her for almost 10 years.  She found us - and while I am partial, I must confess, she was a sweetheart of a dog, mellow and most loveable.  She will be greatly missed, in so many aspects... and especially on my/our daily morning walks out into the desert.

Today's recipe features Tara's dog biscuit recipe.  I will miss making her "biscuits" and her asking for them.

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients

·        4 cups of spelt flour (can substitute whole wheat)

·        1 cup of whole grain oats

·        ½ cup wheat germ

·        ¼ cup of cornmeal

·        ¼ cup nutritional yeast (powdered form)

·        2 Tablespoons of parsley (dried or fresh will work)

·        4 Tablespoons of molasses

·        1/3 cup of olive oil / or other

·        1 ½ cup of vegetable stock (can use water)

·        Combine dry ingredients, and then add the molasses, stock (water) and olive oil.

·        Knead until all blended together well (can take 2-3 minutes)

·        Roll out dough to ¼ “thickness and cut with cookie cutter of your choice

·        Bake at 350 degrees on parchment paper (or ungreased cookie sheet) for 30 minutes, or until edges start to brown

·        Cool and freeze in containers.

For the "gluten" intolerant dog in your life, this can easily be adapted.  I have used brown rice flour, millet flour, oat groats (ground up) and other gluten free products.  Most important is to keep the measurements similar to the amounts in the above recipe.

Depending on size of cookie cutter, this makes about 160 dog biscuits (I use a 1/ ½  heart shape cutter)