Cooking With C.C. ~ Gluten Free Chocolate Bread

It's time for the 8th installment of Cooking with C.C. I had been wanting to try baking bread and when I happened across this recipe for chocolate bread, I knew it was the best of both worlds. :)


First off, gather your ingredients.


In a microwave-safe bowl, place 4 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter


and 3 ounces of coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate.


Microwave for 30 seconds at a time


until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Set aside to cool slightly.


In a separate bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups gluten free flour,


1 1/2 teaspoons xanthum gum,


3/4 teaspoon salt,


6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder,


1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon,


1 teaspoon baking soda,


1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar,


and 8 tablespoons sugar.


Mix well.


Add 2 teaspoons instant yeast. Mix until combined.


Mix in 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips.


Add 1 tablespoon oil,


1 teaspoon vanilla extract,


1 extra-large egg and 1 extra-large egg white,


and melted chocolate/butter mixture. Blend until dry ingredients are just moistened.


Slowly, but steadily mix in 1 1/4 cups of 100* F milk.


Mix on medium-high for 4 to 5 minutes.


Here's what your mixture should look like.


Spread in greased loaf pan.


Cover loosely with plastic wrap.


I know this part will be different than if you've ever baked bread before and had to wait for it to rise. Gluten free bread is different because the flour is heavier than traditional flours. So, what you'll need to do is saturate a hand towel with water and heat it in the microwave until it's hot enough that you can hardly handle it. Immediately and quickly, open the microwave door, place the pan inside, cover the pan which is already covered with plastic wrap with the hot towel, and close the door. Let the dough rise for at least 20 minutes before checking it. If the dough is not risen enough (which is normal), go through the process again. Sometimes it takes a third round (it did for me).


This is what the dough looked like after the whole microwave process (the plastic wrap got stuck to the top so that's why it has the funny design on it).


Preheat oven to 375* and place the bread pan (without the plastic wrap on it!!!!) in the oven and bake for 45 minutes (rotate it halfway through). You'll know the bread is done when a nice crust has developed and it sounds hollow when you thump it with your finger.


Remove from oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes.


Then remove the bread from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.


Slice.


Serve!

Not everyone was a fan of the bread. I personally thought it was amazing, but the major response I got was that it was a bit strange to have chocolate in a seemingly regular loaf of bread. It didn't bother me. LOL! Why not combine bread and chocolate? So, you'll have to try it yourself and see what you think! (And then let me know too!)

This recipe came from the Gluten Free on a Shoestring Blog. Check out the blog because she has tons of great recipes.

Hope you've enjoyed this episode of Cooking with C.C. I'll be back soon with another recipe. Enjoy!

Bad Flare Day

It's been a really bad flare day today with the fibromyalgia. I think it comes down to the weather as the primary agent today. It snowed here in New Mexico on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Even though I stayed inside, I could feel it seeping into my body. I struggled to fall asleep last night and when I woke up late this morning, I could hardly move. It took several minutes to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen to get some breakfast. Instead of settling into the desk chair to start my daily routine, I crawled back into bed.

I have a few go-to things I do when I have a bad day like this.
1. Last year after the holidays, I bought a twin size heated blanket for a really great price. I lay this blanket out over the bed or a recliner and then sit or lay on it. It's like a giant heating pad. I've been sitting/laying on it all day today.
2. A long soak in an epsom salt bath. Not only is it relaxing, but it's a great way to distract me if I have a good book to read. I spent 2 hours in one today and would have stayed longer but the water was getting too cold (the book I was reading was that good!).
3. Use a TENS unit. I don't have one of my own, but I have my mom's. I haven't used it today simply because it's really hard to attach the pads to my back which is one of my major pain areas.
4. Watch Netflix. I have been distracting myself with mindless tv today (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Burn Notice).

What do you do when you have a bad flare day? I'd love to try some of your strategies to see if they might work for me. Or if you try one of my strategies, let me know. I want to hear if it helps you.

Praying for a less-pain day for all of us tomorrow!

Cooking With C.C. ~ Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Brownies

It's time for the 7th installment of Cooking with C.C. I know it's been a couple of weeks, but I'm back today with a recipe we made at the end of October. Russ specifically asked for something chocolate so I figured this recipe for gluten free dark chocolate brownies definitely fit the bill. Let's get started!


In a saucepan, combine 5 ounces of dark chocolate chips and


1/2 cup oil.


Stir over low heat until


completely melted.


In a bowl, combine 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar,


3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour,


1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum,


1/2 teaspoon sea salt,


and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Mix well.


Beat 2 eggs and add them to the saucepan of melted chocolate.


Add 1 tablespoon vanilla to saucepan.


Mix well.


Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in ingredients from saucepan. Beat until the batter begins to come together.


Continue beating until batter becomes smooth and shiny.


Preheat oven to 350* and spray cake pan with non-stick spray.


Spread batter in cake pan.


Bake for 32 to 35 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and allow brownies to cool.


The icing on the cake, I mean the brownies, is to ice them with chocolate frosting (we just used a can of frosting rather than making some).

We all enjoyed these brownies. They were moist and yummy and most importantly, well, actually, the most important thing is that they are gluten free, but the second most important thing is that they are chocolate!!!!! :)

This recipe came from the Gluten Free Goddess. Check out her blog because we made major edits by making this without almond meal and rice flour. We used all purpose flour and xanthan gum instead. If you want the original, you'll want to visit her website to get it.

Hope you've enjoyed this episode of Cooking with C.C. I'll be back soon with another recipe. Enjoy!

Baby Shower for Wyatt

So, almost a month ago, we had a baby shower for my nephew Wyatt. He is due to be born in about 2 weeks to my sister Carrie and brother-in-law J.R. I finally got all the pictures (my mom took some and Damaris and I took some) organized. Thought yall might enjoy them. As you'll notice, Lola, Wyatt's big sister, was quite the helper with the gifts.


Do you have a special or funny memory from a baby shower you've been the honoree at, that you've attended, or that you've hosted? What I remember from the shower that friends hosted before Damaris was born is that I was swollen so much, I couldn't get my shoes on. Russ had to go buy me some slip-on shoes like 3.5 sizes bigger than my normal size. And they weren't pretty either! LOL! At least my feet went back down to almost normal, just .5 size larger than before I got pregnant. What about you?