Gluten-Free Brownies

So last night as I was making my way to bed, it dawns on Mere that now would be a good time to inform me that she NEEDS a dessert for her book club at school tomorrow. So here we go folks, how to make delicious, healthy, gluten free brownies! These are so easy to make, that I couldn't say no.

What you will need:

• A blender or a food processer;
• An electric mixer;
• An oven;
• A spatula;
• A colander;
• 8x8 pan;
• 1 can of black turtle beans;
• 3 large eggs;
• 3 tbsps. of vegetable oil;
• 1/4 cups of cocoa powder;
• 3/4 cups of white sugar;
• 1/2 cups of "goodies"(Skor bits, chocolate chips, mint chips, Reece's pieces, nuts);
• 1 pinch of salt;
• 1 tsp. of vanilla

1) Start off by gathering all of your materials, and make sure you have a clean workspace. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) In your blender or food processer, place rinsed black beans, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Blend this mixture until a smooth consistency is attained.

3) Pour wet mixture into your electric mixer bowl and add sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Turn mixer on at a low speed, scrapping down the sides occassionally, until mixture is evenly blended.

4) Add your "goodies," this is what makes every batch special, for these Mere asked for Skor bits.

5) Lastly, pour your brownie batter into your greased pan, and put it in your preheated oven for 30 minutes. After you remove your cooked brownies from the oven, allow then to cool completely before cutting and eating.

*Tips: You can never go wrong serving them with a scoop of French Vanilla ice-cream.

How to Sterilize Jars

It may be a little bit of an after thought, but after yesterdays jam making, I realized that not everyone sterilizes jars on a constant basis. So for today's how-to, sterilizing jars!

Firstly, you will need:

• Jars and lids (food grade);
• Cookie sheet;
• Sauce pan;
• A sink of soapy water
• A sink of rinse water
• Oven
• A set of tongs

1) Wash all equipment in warm soapy water, and rinse.
2) Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
3) Place the lids in sauce pan and cover with water, and place in heated oven.
4) Place jars and tongs on the cookie sheet, and place in heated oven.
5) Keep everything in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn off heat and keep warm.

Now that all your equipment is sterilized, use a clean pair of oven mitts to remove the tongs from the cookie sheet. Use the tongs to move all jars and lids, never touch the inside of the jars or lids. If you have any further questions on canning, we would love to help, e-mail us at craftycabin6@gmail.com !

Homemade Mixed-Berry Jam

This morning started off like a regular Monday morning, I woke up at 6am and put on a pot of coffee, then I went and I woke the kids up for school. When Aidan went to make his typical  peanut butter and jam toast, he used up the last of the jam, and this is how today's craziness all started!

1) Gather all necessary ingredients:

• 4 cups of crushed assorted berries;
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice;
• 7 cups of white sugar;
• 1 package of liquid Certo (yes I cheated);
• 1 cup measuring cup;
• potato masher;
• wooden spoon;
• 4 canning jars, with lids;
• cookie sheet;
• large pot;
• canning funnel

*Note: Make sure to sterilized all your equipment prior to using.

 

2) Crush and measure out 4 cups of berries, add 1/4 of a cup of lemon juice, and stir in 7 cups of white sugar.

3) Now bring the ingredients to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Keep the pot at a hard boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat, and add the 1 package of liquid Certo, keep stirring this consistently for 5 minutes. 

4) Now you have officially made jam! Scoop the jam into sterilized jars, putting the sterilized 2 piece snap lids on immediately after, and lightly tighten. Let these jars of jam set and cool overnight.