The Dome

At my bridal shower, when I opened the Martha Stewart cake plate and dome that I had registered for and received as a gift (from my sister), someone said, "I didn't know they still made those."

That's far from my world. I love my dome. While part of the reason the dome is out all the time is because I don't have a good place to store it, I also decided it was a good way of keeping it full. While it was empty for several months leading up to the wedding and then after while we were away (I previously wrote about how Greg banned me from making anything to put in the dome in the weeks leading up to the wedding),

By having it on the counter, I am constantly thinking of what I can make to put in it. Of course the recent zucchini muffin disaster doesn't help (I somehow managed to grab the rice flour instead of the gluten-free flour). We try to eat well and it's a game for me to figure out different ways I can make desserts more healthy and not so laden with flour and butter.

Or in the case of the fudgy vs. cakey brownies you have to pick between more butter or more flour– I wanted more butter but Greg wanted more flour. He then reminded me of how I swindled him out of his coffee milkshake in Taos when I didn't like the maple one I got (this scene is replayed in my new book, The Green Dress). So I went with more flour and gave Greg the cakey brownies he wanted.

The dome has become a joke with some of our friends, too. One weekend I found the leftover hot dog and hamburger buns from our lunch by the pool in the dome.

"The dome needed something," my friend Debi said.

It's not that hard to keep the dome full. After our wedding, we had the leftovers from brunch and I put the desserts in it, trying to tempt everyone to eat them before we left for our honeymoon. 

The dome has brought us not just a conversation piece but laughter and as we all know, it's not just about eating food, but often we like to talk about it, too.

Find the cakey brownie recipe from Martha Stewart that I used here.

Gluten-Free Brownies That Rock

I didn't think they'd be that good.

I had made a mess of my kitchen: bowls everywhere, brown rice flour on the floor (that Nestle, the yellow lab, didn't think was good enough to lick up) because the package leaked, and melted chocolate in spots all over the counter. I was beginning to wonder if it was worth it.

I thought it was worth a shot to try the recipe for gluten-free brownies in the Martha Stewart Clean Slate Cookbook but I have this habit of not looking closely enough at the recipe and I'm usually missing something.

Yeah, more than one thing this time. I only had half the chocolate for one. Even though it had to be melted, I added carob, while I also realized that carob does not melt well. And then there was the almond flour. I may be all for different types of flour but almond flour is one of the most expensive and that I'm not for.

I knew I had some garbanzo bean flour and while I was looking for it I found brown rice flour. And when I read on the back of one of the packages of the two being used together, I thought it might be better in case one didn't work as well. Instead of the 2/3 cup of almond flour I went with a 1/3 cup each of garbanzo bean flour and brown rice flour.

By the time they went in the oven, I thought they weren't bad but when I pulled them out and tried them I worried they were a little...tasteless.

While I don't like a lot of really sweet foods, especially because I've gotten used to more natural and less processed food, I wasn't sure these were even good enough for that. I cut the brownies, left them on the counter, and went for a walk with two friends.

When we walked in the door, I started to say to Greg that I wasn't sure if the brownies were good enough until I realized he had a piece in his hand and he said, "I can't stop eating them."

Here's the link to the original recipe and my version is below:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao- do not use 100% cacao as you will end up throwing out the brownies!!! The Target Simply Balanced brand is 70% and works very well), chopped

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons carob powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with oil. 

Melt half of the chocolate in an heatproof bowl; whisk in oil, sugar, and syrup. Remove from heat. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, then cocoa and baking soda. Fold in flour and remaining chocolate plus walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan and cook until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

Carob Peanut Butter Brownies

Ah, the carob peanut butter brownie.

I started making carob brownies in my quest to create something for myself that didn't include chocolate and was a bit healthier than the regular brownie. It started with cookies and branched into brownies when I realized it was an easier way to make a dessert for a gathering (it happened to be a Tupperware party I held last fall).

I took a peanut butter cookie recipe that has no egg and used wheat flour and altered it with carob plus upped the ingredients to make a thick, moist brownie.

And honestly? It's one of my favorites. When I need a sugar fix, I know I'm getting better nutrition here (flax! oats!) than with many other sweet desserts.

Carob Peanut Butter Brownies

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup ground flax seeds

1 cup quick oats

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons applesauce

½ cup maple syrup (minimum)

½ cup peanut butter, creamy style

2 cups carob chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. I usually add more maple syrup and extra carob chips. Bake in greased square pan 35-40 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cut after the brownies have cooled and thickened.