Marshmallow Brownies – Or what to do with failed divinity =/

Peppermint Marshmallow Brownie Bites AKA Frosty Piles (see comment below…)

Don’t throw out the failed divinity!!  When life throws you sugared egg whites – make , um, well, make peanut butter fudge or Peppermint Marshmallow Brownie Bites!  This recipe was inspired by my quest to use my failed divinity.  My good friend Rachelle happened to come by and we came up with this concoction! Enjoy!

Prepare a mini cupcake/tart pan with square of foil (call a good friend to help you!  I didn’t have to – she was already here!)  We used the Pampered Chef tart tool to press down the foil.  Spray with cooking spray.

Brownie:

Recipe from the back of Baker’s Unsweetened chocolate squares.

4 squares baking chocolate

¾ c (1 ½ sticks) butter

2 c sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 c flour

Mix butter and chocolate in microwave safe bowl – microwave for 2 minutes but remove every 30 seconds or so to stir.

When chocolate has melted and blended well with the butter, add everything else and stir.  I wouldn’t use a mixer – just a good ol’ wooden spoon!

Use a melon ball scoop to scoop the perfect amount of brownie into the foil (fill about ¾ way) and bake @ 350°F for 15 mintues.

Remove from oven and use the tart tool to push down the half-baked brownie (wow, we could really start a conversation with this recipe…..munchies, anyone??) Return to oven for about 10 minutes or so.  Remove and push down again to ensure a nice “cup” has been made in the brownie.

Now, cool the brownie cups thoroughly.

The filling:

Failed divinity or marshmallow cream.

Put some of the failed divinity in a zip baggie and cut the end off – this just makes filling the brownie cups a lot easier.

Top off with crushed peppermint candy canes. I did use a bit of grenadine & Jack Daniel’s – just enought to ensure the peppermint stuck to the failed divinity.  I used the back of a spoon to “paint it on.”  Probably used a tbsp grenadine and a splash of whiskey. (I told you – I used Jack on just about everything!)

There you have it!  What to do with failed divinity! Beware – it is very, very rich!

Perfect Pumpkin Pie & Pie Shield

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

The PERFECT Pumpkin Pie

Shut the front door and grab the booze! You are going to LOVE this pie!

1 can (29 oz) pumpkin or about 4 cups fresh pumpkin pureed

2 TBSP ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp ground ginger

Combine the above ingredients in a sauce pan and heat thoroughly over low heat for about 5 m in or so.  You’ll need to watch and stir this about often.  This helps to meld the spices together and takes the “canned” taste out of the pumpkin. (must reference All Recipes here – picked this tip up reading  through a review.)

Heating the guts of the Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Now let the pumpkin and spices cool thoroughly or you will scramble your eggs in the next step!

This would be a good time to prepare your pie shells (no, I don’t mean make them, I mean get them out of the freezer and cut the foil to protect the crust – see below).  Or you could just buy a pie crust protector….

Step 1 – Tear a piece of foil just bigger than the empty pie shell.

Step 2 – Begin cutting from the center, making a circle to just cover the crust.

Step 3 – Mash lightly so as not to crush the crust so that the foil is covered – make sure you do not tuck left over foil under the pie – make it very hard to remove the shield when the pie is hot and needs 10 more minutes of baking without the shield.  Trust me on this!

Step 4 –  Poor pie guts into shell!

OK, so on with the pie, already.  The pumpkin and spices should be nice and cool

4 eggs

2 cans (14 ozs each) of sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp vanilla

****drumroll, please!*****  2 TBSP Jack Daniel’s Whiskey

Mix the above ingredients well then add the cooled pumpkin mixing very well.  Next poor into prepared pie shells. I always cook my pies on a baking stone – seems to help the crust? – also makes removing the pie from the oven much easier!

Bake 15 minutes or so @ 475°F then turn oven down to 350°F and bake for 35 minutes.  Remove pie shields carefully and continue to bake for 10-15 more minutes.  You can do the knife in the middle test, but after you have cooked a bazillion pumpkin pies, you will learn to recognize the signature “jiggle” that all pumpkin pies give up to the perfect doneness (is that a even a word?).

Turn the oven off and allow the pie to cool in the oven – if the pie cools too fast, it will crack in the middle!  Happy Pie!

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A Sense of ….Humor?

I was reading through Katie’s journal she kept throughout her 3rd grade year.  She must have had a lesson on law enforcement that day.  Here is what she wrote:  “The difference between a police detective and a police dog is that a police dog has a sense of humor.” 

I am sure she meant “smell” instead of “humor” but I couldn’t help but think of what a true comparison she made!  I am still LOLing!

Cleansing – On the down hill slide (no pun intended)

Well, I was afraid that I would eat on Saturday & Sunday (Day 5 & 6) and I did, but not a bunch.  A few bites of some crazy fries and kettle corn on Saturday and then on Sunday, I ate a small chicken fry and okra.  Surprisingly, I wasn’t hungry, I just craved the food.  I did continue the senna tea morning and night as well as the lemon drink.

So, yesterday (day 7), I continued with the plan – only a few hiccups along the cleansing road… So far, so good.  From here on out (hopefully until Thursday evening), I am not cheating.  Not even a little bit.

Tonight (day 8) was really hard.  I am hungry.  very hungry – but not weak or dizzy from no food.  I wasn’t hungry at work – at all, but tonight, oh boy…  I think I need a new book to read, or something to do!

Come on Day 10!!!

Cleansing – Day 4 & 5

I felt GREAT Friday morning.  I was really beginning to wonder if I should stick with the cleanse.  I diligently squeezed the juice from 3 lemons and mixed with maple syrup for my work day.  About 9:00 I was hungry – really hungry.  I was very distraught when I realized I had left my concoction at home.  I then got a text msg from my husband who said he would bring my forgotten lunch to Lawton!  I met him during the lunch hour in the parking lot of a Chinese Restaurant.   Mistake.  By this time I really was starving, so I talked myself into thinking it would be okay to eat some vegetables.  I did.  The broccoli was great.  I also tried a few big pieces of sweet and sour chicken.  I could have eaten the whole order.  That is when I realized I really wasn’t hungry anymore, but was craving the taste.  I stopped. My belly tolerated it fine, too.

I learned something about myself yesterday – the difference between hunger and craving and that both can happen at the same time.  I now know how to decifer the two and hopefully will listen from now on. 

I didn’t wans’t hungry again until yesterday evening so I made a glass of nice spicey lemonade.  My headache has disappeared and I really do feel great!

Day 5 – Saturday.  This day will be challenging.  I am taking the kids to the Rattlesnake Festival in Apache today.  I am already craving expensive fried food served from modified campers!  If the fried twinkie is there, I will probably cry…but I am determined to tough this cleanse out for 10 full days.

Cleansing – Day 3

The past two days have been horrible.  I wanted to do the cleanse to start new and of course, to lose weight.  HOWEVER, Day 1 and Day 2, I had gained nearly 17 lbs from swelling.  I read in my book last night that swelling is a sign of toxins leaving the cells.  My lymph nodes were slightly swollen and sore.  This tells me that my lymph system couldn’t keep up with the release of gunk from my cells.  My head throbbed terribly yesterday  – I am thinking caffeine withdrawal?  I also ran a fever of 100.2, body aches and had the rigors for several hours last night.  I could not get warm.  I had been cold all day yesterday but yesterday evening I thought I had the flu

This morning I have lost 2 lbs from my starting weight – which means I lost a total of 19 lbs yesterday.  WOW!  I feel much better today, but the headache is still there – just a little throbbing nag.  The body aches are still there and the swelling is better, much better, however, I still have a dimple on my forehead when I press in on it.

I have not been hungry until last night. I went nearly two days with out eating solid food and very little liquids.  I could not believe that hunger didn’t set in until last night, but I felt so terrible that I did not want to eat.  The book states that whatever food you crave is probably one of the foods that you ar reactive to (the food that is making you sick).  I have not craved anything – yet.  The lemonade drink is not bad, but I think calling it lemonade is very cruel. This is not Mom’s lemonade.  Not even close.  I don’t dread drinking it, but I don’t look forward to it either.  I think I just want to get through this part of the diet and begin anew…7 more days…

The Morning After…

Good thing I was born blonde.  No one would believe that I have a good excuse for the crazy ideas I come up with and follow through with if I didn’t have proof of a head full of pretty blonde hair as a child….no offense to any one who presently displays this mark (ahem…Machelle…).

On my last post I gave the recipe for my salt water flush (SWT).  I only used 16 oz (supposed to use 32).  Well, after an hour or so of no productivity, I did the flush again – only using 16 ozs of water.  Bad move -literally.

This morning I expected to look like Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island but found Mrs. Howell looking back at me.  The bags around my eyes were terrible – double bags.  Seriously, I have not seen bags this bad on me before.  So, I figured I must have dehydrated myself with the SWF which made my body hang on to whatever water it could find and store it.  I also gained 2 lbs over night – which is not normal at all for me, I usually lose about 5 lbs over night. So, yeah…my body is totally not liking my new approach to cleanliness.

Well, of course I read some more last night about the SWF.  32 ozs of water – at least.  This morning, I did it again. Even though the 32 ozs is alot of water, I was able to get it down quickly and, again, the salty taste was not a bother.

I also ordered the Master Cleanse book. Hopefully it will be here tomorrow afternoon!

Let the Cleansing Begin!

Today I began my own variation of the Master Cleanse diet.  Tonight I started by doing a salt-water flush in order to rid my intestines of whatever they are hiding.  I heated about 16 oz of pure spring water on the stove with 2 tsp of pure sea salt for about 2 minutes on high – just long enough to dissolve the salt and heat the water to a drinkable temperature.  I then poured the concoction into a coffee mug and chugged.  I have read that some people have a reaction of gagging and nausea to the mix but I had no trouble, but I also LOVE salt….so I didn’t anticipate any trouble.

It has only been about 20 minutes since I drank the salt water mixture so I am not sure my intestines will welcome it as my palate did.

Tomorrow morning I will begin my day with a warm glass of homemade lemonade (fresh squeezed half of lemon, about 2 TBLS of pure Maple Syrup, a pinch of cayenne pepper and 8 oz of pure spring water).  Sounds yummy to me!! Really, I have been feeling deprived…trying to eat right usually means to avoid something I really love – sweets!  Pure Maple Syrup!!

We are traveling to Oklahoma City tomorrow so I will not be able to follow the Master Cleanse as written, hence my modified version.  Tomorrow will be difficult for me because I am sure I will be very hungry and I am also very sure that we will be eating at a restraurant.  My plan is to order ice water with several slices of fresh lemon and then to sneak in a pinch of cayenne and a squirt of pure maple syrup from my purse.  My family will absolutely be mortified but I have got to make this work!

Coffee-free for 3 weeks!

Three weeks ago I began reading Dr. John Lee’s book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause.  (I can’t help but be angry at myself for spending $1200 last year to have my face lasered to get rid of my sun spots just to have them return already.  I am a faithful sunscreen user, so, I am told the sun spots(more like melasma) on my face must be hormonal.  I might have been okay with that explanation except something kept telling me to look further.  I did and I found Dr. Lee’s book.)

Some of my other symptoms (my doctor said must be my age and hormones):  irritability, depression, weight gain – nearly 30 pounds in 4 months (mostly around the midde), dark spots all over my face, very tired, low (no) libido, vertical ridging on my fingernails, loss of thought (otherwise known as CRS) – my kids knew to write me a note or I would forget what to do that day regading what they needed, PSVT (rapid heart rate for no apparant reason which may last from 10 minutes to hours), etc…

As I thumbed through the book I kept seeing the same theme “avoid coffee.”  Is it because of the heavy use of pesticides and chemicals needed in order to grow huge crops or the leaching of the magnesium and iron?  I am sure both.  I also saw the theme “avoid red-meats, especially feed-lot meat.”  This is hard for me to let go presently…maybe over the next few months, I can incorporate this into our routine.

So, three weeks ago, I gave up coffee.  I had not been a coffee drinker at all- Great Grandma Dupler told me when I was very young that it would put hair on my chest –  until I became a nurse in 2008.  I worked in the ER at a local hospital.  I was hooked and I found myself needing coffee to get started every morning and sometimes in the afternoon…  I was worried about the caffeine headache and withdrawls but nothing happened.  I have not missed coffee at all.  This could be because I have replaced it with organic green tea…

If I do have coffee again, it will be certified organic, however because of coffee’s ability to rob us – especially women – of our iron and magnesium, I will certainly partake only on special occasions.

Supermoon Tonight!!

The moon appears larger tonight! Follow this link: http://newstabulous.com/supermoon-tonight-dont-miss-it/6068/