Cherry Clafoutis

Alright, so I have to post this new recipe. I found it online, and honestly I loved it so much. When I first found this recipe I had no idea what clafoutis was so I was extremely happy  with out it turned out. 

Cherry Clafoutis

1 Tbs. Butter (I used Ghee which is dairy-free)

4 Eggs

1 cup Granulated Sugar, divided (I used organic cane sugar)

1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp. Almond Extract

1 Tbs. Brandy 

1 cup All-Purpose Flour  (Jeanne's Gluten-Free Flour Mix)

1 1/2 cups milk (I used Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk)

1 pound Pitted Cherries (Mine were frozen)

Powdered Sugar (Confectioner’s Sugar), for dusting

•   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
•   Butter an ovenproof dish, deep dish pie plate, or cast-iron pan (at least 1 1/2-inches deep). (I used a cast iron pan, but next time I will use a deep dish pie plate because I had some trouble removing the clafoutis in one piece).
•   Place eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, brandy, flour, and milk in a blender: puree till smooth.
•   In a mixing bowl, toss the cherries with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. (I omitted this step)
•   Place three-quarters of the cherries and their juices in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the batter over the fruit; arrange the remaining cherries on top.
•   Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is brown and a knife inserted into the middle of the dish comes out clean.
•   Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving (cake will sink slightly).
•   Sprinkle with powdered sugar over the top with a sieve.
•   Serve the Cherry Clafouti warm.

Jeanne's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

So if you will notice, in quite a few recipes I post that I use Jeanne's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix. You don't have to use this mix, it is just a mix that I really like. I have to say though that I like to add coconut and almond flour as well to my recipes.


Jeanne's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix
1 1/4 C. brown rice flour
1 1/4 C. white rice flour
1 C. tapioca flour
1 C. sweet rice flour (also known as Mochiko)
2 scant tsp. xanthan gum
Store in an airtight container.

Losing someone you love

I would like to bring an issue forwards to you all.

I know I told you a little about how my family life isn't the best right now. My mom is not around, and my dad, well let's just say he isn't really there either due to how much he has to work and such. Anyways, when I got back from college I didn't find the time or the energy to go and visit my best friend. I explained it to her, and she said she understood. We decided to take some time off as friends, give each other some space. And then, all of the sudden she messages me back and says she is disappointed in me, in the way I had been acting.

Let me just get things straight. I believe that I was and still am slightly struggling with depression, and she tells me that she is disappointed and that she wanted her money back. Wait.... let me back up. She and her mom decided to lend me some money for going to YWAM, which you know from a previous post is not going to happen. Anyways, when she saw that post, she decided she wanted her money back. Previous to this, when we decided to take a break she said she wanted to have most of it back but was going to let me keep about a third of it. I was very grateful for that. I was just about to email her about giving her the rest back when she saw my post, and got all mad, demanding to have the money back right away.

I would like to say right now that I had used that money to help my family pay the bills, the mortgage, and buy groceries. I didn't have that money. I politely told her that I was about to email her and that I would pay her back as soon as possible. She then went on a rant about how I had let her down, and that I was not the person she thought I was. I tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't listen. She just kept going on and on and on about how I was a disappointment and a failure as a friend.

I had been through every rough patch together with her. We were best friends since grade 7. We stuck together, even when we were angry or frustrated with each other. I am a loyal person. When I told her I couldn't pay her back right away she got even more frustrated and so I told her that I would give her as much as I could, when I could. She agreed, giving me two weeks to get the most of it.

I do have a job right now, but it isn't like I am making loads of money. She then told me that if I didn't get that money to her by the middle of July, then she would require for me to cancel my backpacking trip, refund my flight tickets, and pay her back. Before this moment I had attempted to be as friendly as possible, not fighting back, only trying to keep our somewhat friendship intact, but my actions after this point perhaps weren't the best.

I was so hurt, felt so rejected, that I started to cry. She knew about my story. She knew that I had a hard time trusting people. That I struggled with rejection because of my childhood, and she still threw me in the dirt and trampled on me. She told me that she couldn't be my friend anymore because I was never there for her, that I never helped her with anything. She felt it was a one sided relationship, but she was wrong. I would have done anything for her. I would have laid down my life, but I just felt like my family at that point needed me more than she did, and I didn't have the energy to lay myself out there for both my family and for her. I was too drained already.

Every message since then from her has been about money. I try and be polite in my messages with her, but she makes it so hard. "When is my next payment" and "You still owe me $200". I am afraid I blew up at her today. I sent not the most polite message this afternoon to her after she asked when I was sending her the rest of the money in that robot message of hers. I know she already thinks the worst of me, but I hope that someday she can see how I feel in this situation.

I know everything isn't about me, but no matter how I pray about this, I just feel more rejected than comforted by God. I don't mean to make my troubles seem more important than hers but I don't know what to do right now. I was on the verge of breaking when I came home from college. I had gained so much knowledge and faith, and my cup was full; suddenly my family came along, and they drank my cup and I was empty again and my best friend wanted more, something I couldn't give. She asked me to do a simple thing, but I just couldn't. I was about to break. And she will hate me forever more from that point on because she thinks I am stuck up and self-centered.

I just don't know if I am doing the right thing. I know the email I sent was perhaps not the best idea, but I am usually not the person to stand up for what I am feeling. I let people run over me, and I couldn't do it anymore. I had been feeling so drained already by her, her complaints, and her need to always be right, to always be better than me. I was sick of it. Not everything was a competition. So what if I was better at something than she was. I didn't care. I just wanted to do my best. It got to the point where I numbed myself down for her. I couldn't do it anymore.

I keep praying, trying to find a way to forgive myself. I know that I already forgive her. She is an only child, it was the way she was raised, the way she has been thinking her whole life. She wants something, she gets it. She doesn't like something, someone changes it for her. I just hope someday that she will come to realize that. I forgive her, but I don't know if I could ever trust her again. Not after what happened.

I will continue to pray, find hope in Christ, and I will pray for her too, that she will find the same peace that I have discovered in God. I don't know how strong her faith is, it wasn't something we talked about a lot, but I will definitely pray.

Feeling slightly unsure and afraid,

Not-So-Princess Lizzy

Shopping

I have some great news everyone!!!!

So I know that all of you may not have allergies, but this is great information to know, so I just want to post everything I learned today, which was a lot.

I live in this city called Vernon, up in British Columbia, which for all those people out there who don't know Canada, is on the western end, in the Okanagan. This is where a lot of wines come out of, this beautiful area.

Anyways, let's move on from climate lol. As I was saying, I live in Vernon, and there are these two fantastic stores that I have to tell you about. Simply Delicious and Natures Fair. These are the specialty stores in town, the ones that hold most of the bulk foods and allergy foods.

So today, as I was shopping I decided to browse a little bit more, try to see what else there might have been to buy, and I was so amazed! I found so many things that I have been so upset about never having again. I found yogurt that I can have (they had almond and coconut), which I was super stoked about. They also had a butter spread that has no dairy that also has no soy in, which I prefer to stay away from anyways. I am hoping I will be able to use the spread in baking, but I am not quite sure if I can do that yet, as they had diary free baking sticks as well but were not on sale.

So on top of all of this, I found diary free, soy free cheese that I am so excited to try on gluten free pizza. I have a recipe for this pizza dough, so I will have to post and tell you how it went. I have not had pizza in over 3 years, so I can assure you I am super excited.

So, something I was complaining about the other day was never having whipped cream ever again in my life as there is no dairy free whipping cream that I could have. I FOUND SOME! It is this block of whipping cream. All you have to do is take as much as you want, and whip it for 4-5 minutes! When I read the ingredients I was so stoked that I almost screamed lol.

See, lately I have been getting down because it hits me over and over again how little I will be able to eat of what I used to. I mean, I can't have pudding because all the substitute milks don't make the pudding thicken. I have tried everything to fix that including adding corn starch to the baking puddings. Nothing works. It just stays runny, and it is not the same. So today when I discovered all of these new food products I realized that maybe there was more out there that I can have I just haven't found it yet. I will have to keep exploring and tasting and keep you updated on that. An answer to prayer I  must say; a prayer for my sanity.

Praying I don't eat to much,
Not-So-Princess Lizzy

Gluten Free Dairy Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Alright,


All those out there that have gluten or dairy allergies, about to be amazed by these astounding cookies. I changed it a little, making them taste absolutely amazing. 


My family can attest that I complain on a daily bases about not being able to have gluten or dairy. I guess it is my downfall, not being happy with what I what I have. So I think God sent me this recipe just to cheer me up. I found this recipe, altered it a bit due to my own experiments. You can try it the original way, or you can try my recipe. ENJOY


Gluten Free Dairy Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies


Ingredients:

2 1/4 C. gluten free flour (I use 1 3/4 C. Jeanne's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

     1/4 C. coconut flour, 1/4 C. almond flour)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

3/4 C. dairy free butter (I use 1/2 C. ghee, 1/4 C. coconut oil)

1 1/4 C. granulated sugar (I use organic cane sugar - due to sugar allergies)

3 medium eggs (or two large eggs)

2 tsp. vanilla

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips (I use mini chocolate chips as they melt better)


Method:

Heat oven to 375°F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (or a silpat if you have one) to prevent the cookies from sticking.

Combine all dry ingredients (except the sugar) in a medium bowl and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in large bowl until light in colour and fluffy/creamy.  Scrape sides of bowl often.

Add eggs and vanilla. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

Reduce speed to low and gradually adding flour mixture, until well mixed.

Remove from mixer and gently stir in chocolate chips with a spatula.

Drop dough onto parchment paper either by rounded tablespoonfuls or with an ice cream scoop.  Make sure they are about 2 inches apart to prevent them from running together while baking.

Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden brown.

Let stand in baking sheets until cool and solid enough to handle, then remove from sheets and allow to cool completely on a wire cookie rack.

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Note: This is my gluten-free flour mix

Jeanne's Gluten Free Flour Mix

1 1/4 C. brown rice flour

1 1/4 C. white rice flour

1 C. tapioca flour

1 C. sweet rice flour (also known as Mochiko)

2 scant tsp. xanthan gum

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy