Black and White cake

I have been enjoying Elanas Pantry every since Tracey , over at Intend to Live told me about it. Every Thursday I host a Mums and Tots Bible Study. And these Mums are usually my guinea pigs to my dessert experiments. I have been grain free (except rice and  one or two bites during weekends) for the past 4 weeks. Wow! that' s a month. I haven't realized that. Anyways, back to this recipe. So, I have a mum who is gluten, & nut allergic. Among many other allergies. So we try to bake sensibly.

This one caught my attention . Easy. looked yummy.
I made the first batch with the recommended almond flour, popped it in the oven and then realized... hmmm.. she is allergic to nuts. And this has almond. And its a nut. Hmm.Okay. No need to panic. I have coconut flour.

So the below recipe is as Elana wrote. And then for the non almond batch , I just substituted the same amount for coconut flour. Completely different results. The coconut flour Black and White cake batter was like a cookie dough texture, when spread on to the tray. When it was baked , it was dry but still nice. But the almond flour Black and White cake was incredibulous (not a real word). Moist and dark and yummy. And can you believe it, if I said there wasn't any sugar or butter in it?

Here it is....The italics blue version is my modification.

Easy Gluten Free Black and White Cake

1 cup chocolate drops (I converted that into 170 g of melted dark chocolate bar with 70% cocoa.)
1/2  cup coconut milk
2 eggs
1 1/4  cups blanched almond flour(you can grind blanched almonds in a food processor or get it at De Tuinen in Netherlands. Its not as expensive as in the Ekoplaza)
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt (I used sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white chocolate chips (I get Hershey's when my brother comes from the States. I only used half a cup.)

1. Melt the dark chocolate bar and coconut milk in a small saucepan over very low heat.(I melted the chocolate in the microwave and mixed the coconut milk.Trying to do everything in one dish. I used a big glass microwave proof Pyrex bowl)
2. When the chocolate is completely melted, remove from the saucepan.
3. Stir eggs into saucepan containing chocolate/coconut milk mixture.
4. Next, stir in the almond flour, salt, and baking soda.(For my second batch, I added the coconut flour instead of the almond flour.Used the same amount.)
5. Fold in 1/2 cup of the white chocolate chips.(I folded in  only the 1/2 cup.)
6. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with oil of your choice.
7. Pour the batter into the baking dish,then sprinkle remaining white chocolate chips over the batter.(Didn't sprinkle any.)
8. Bake at 350 degrees F (176.66 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes.
9. Cool and serve. (Jump in and eat. Tongue burning at your own risk.)

Right: With the coconut flour. Left: With the almond flour.

Again

My Five minutes for this Friday.. rather... the weekend

GO

Again.....

There are certain things that need to be done again and again. I love it when I finish five loads of laundry, ironed and put away. the sense of accomplishment is mind blowing. The sense that my house is in order fills my eyes with tears of joy. And then, I am back to square one. This week I had another 5 baskets of laundry because I pushed it away for 2 weeks. Not wanting to get up to the attic laundry area and fold and iron the washed and dried clothes from two weeks ago.  All our cupboards were empty of everything.  I had to force myself to go upstairs and start this process all over again. So I took my laptop and put on the latest Grey's Anatomy and finished two baskets. And while I watched and forgot what I was doing, I put in a few loads of laundry too. Today another basket was done, another load was put in, while I watched BBC Casualty and Holby City. The kids were away at a friends place after church. I had the time and I couldn't make any excuses.

We all have to do those repetitive mundane things to keep going. As Elizabeth George puts it, We are an assignment from God to our family. We may not like many of the things we need to do, but we better find a way to do it, and the find some joy in it, because we have a family. I am blessed with a family to care for and to cherish.(and clean toilets, do laundry, cook meals.....)

Looking forward to seeing you next week Mr. Laundry.

STOP

Dive when He says GO

Joining Lisa Jo Baker this Friday.....

A new Year to change things, to try new things, and to attempt to never repeat mistakes from last year. Thinking about all these on the first day of year, has suddenly caught me diving into the 11th day of this new year. The past 11 days have been a blur. The next 354 days can very well turn into a blur if I dont wait and take a few steps back on that diving board.

This write up started Friday, dragged into Saturday after attending the monthly AGLOW for Women and now here I am on a sunny but cold Sunday afternoon after a wonderful all Age Service to finish out my Five minute Friday.(This is not anymore a Five minute write up or Friday! :)).

The AGLOW speaker spoke on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and something that we are all entitled to as the children of God. These are meant to be used in situations that requires the use of these gifts. So that means I can ask for the gift of tongues and prophesy, if He wants me to use it.

And this mornings All Age Epiphany service had us flying from Eindhoven to India to Ireland and finally to Nigeria and back home. Exploring the ways Jesus' Words reached the people. With adults and children from these parts of the world showing us our story, we  learnt how we became who we are because of our ancestors accepting Christ through St. Thomas in India, St. Patrick in Ireland and Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther in Nigeria. And the service ended with a short video clip of a recent scene(2010) taking place in Papua New Guinea on how a multitude was waiting for a plane to land, so they could receive their first New Testaments in their native language. The joy and tears of receiving this gift was unforgettable. And we have Bibles of various versions, one for women with special study notes, a few children's bible lying around in every room. The preciousness caught hold of me strongly.
Our ancestors did the diving so that we could enjoy the benefits of knowing Him and be saved from damnation. And we take it all for granted.

I can choose to make resolutions to lose weight, de-clutter the house, finish 15 books this year....
but I choose to be grateful for this free gift of salvation and become more like Him. I may not be able to reach out and go on mission trips, but I can be a helpful, listening friend. I can cook a meal, or fold laundry for an overwhelmed new mum. I can dedicate at least 30 minutes of my time building my relationship with people. I can pray for them at all times. I can pray for those unsaved in my family. I can pray that HE will show me how to be His instrument ..... wherever He wants me to be and do whatever He want me to do....

I choose to dive  when He says GO.

Baby shower gifts

 Our church is a fruitful church. That means we have about 4 mums expecting in a year. When one falls off the list, another one comes on! Our creche, kidzchurch, and teen groups are bursting with kids.
So with these babies on the way, comes baby showers. And with baby showers comes the question: What do I get for this Mum? There are new mums, second timers, third timers....

There are cute things , and  the essentials...
I am definitely sure , no mum would say " no " to diapers. And why not gifting them diapers? It may look boring , but there are tons of ways to make them look "gift type". There are tons of ideas you can find on the internet. Here are a few that I have done.

Here is an example of a gift basket I made for a recent baby shower.

A cute pink basket (with diapers, pacifier, baby bath, baby bath oil, body cream for the mum, bibs, spit cloth). Wrap in clear plastic and tie a bow. Use baby stickers to glorify the basket.

A diaper cake with a cute teddy bear and essentials

Diaper cake with a pink pair of booties

simple diaper cake

Diaper tractor with bibs

Diapers can also be arranged as a cake or any other meaningful shape. This also turns out to be a beautiful decoration piece for baby showers. We always have one on the table.











A mum can never have enough bibs and spit rags.Another way to present bibs and spit rags are arranging them to look like cupcakes.Here is how to do them.

Bib cupcakes

I also got through Etsy stick ons on rompers/onesies with numbers from 0 to 12 for months. Bought a range of 12 white onesies/rompers pinned the stickers on them and hung it on a clothes line for the baby shower . The mum can stick them on, every month for a memory photo, at the beginning of every month. Here is an example of how it would look.

(Picture copied from Etsy shop)

Onesies hang out

If there are siblings, I always get a small gift for them too, since its a huge change for them too. And especially when mum and baby are getting all these gifts, the biggie is definitely going to be grumpy.I get them a big sister/brother T shirt. I use fabric glitter pens to write out the name of the child and "Big sister/brother " at the back or on the front. You could always buy it too, if you think you are low on creative juices.I also get them a book about a new baby in the house, or being a big brother/sister .You could also make a basket of small things that they would enjoy. Like stationary and cuddlies. Small cars and coloring books.

Books for siblings: (Click on them to be redirected to Amazon)

There's a house inside my mummy

Waiting for baby

I am a big brother

Another baby shower coming, better start preparing.
Enjoy!

Stay

Back from a short break..... right into my Five minutes.

You know how it goes. Join me if you can. Say a word or two. Have a read.

GO

I have heard dog owners say"stay""sit" "heel".People comment in light conversation," You are really busy, doing so many things". So I take stock, to see what I am busy with. Usual routine stuff. It does feel that way. But it isn't. I seem to be increasing it to a factor of 5 in my head.

Last weeks word "roots"meant more to me than just the word. Where are my roots? India? Kuwait? or now here, the Netherlands? Are we meant to stay here? How long? Can we buy a house? Can we agree on a house? Is this the best place to raise my kids? Am I doing what He wants me to?

In every quiet time, there is a time to keep silent. Keep still. And listen. A season to hear and listen. And so, the voice says "Stay". In all the words that keep swirling like a hurricane in my mind, this one leaves the swirl and hits somewhere. This one makes sense. And how do I know? It doesn't allow me to move on. Or be the one swirling along. Such is the power of the soft voice.

So I sit still and wait.

Be still, my child........

STAY

STOP

Look

It's Friday... and here I am .. as hundreds of women will be.... Five Minute Friday hosted by Lisa Jo Baker. Whats the word?

LOOK

GO

Autumn break was supposed to be "look around the house and do what is required". Well its Friday now and I have just begun to look around at the things that I planned to do since Monday.
What happened?
Well, I was taking the kids out to play areas and for play dates... thats what happened? So I wasn't wasting time.

Can I look around and clear up areas that need clearing up in the next three day, before I start work,again?
Yay! Of course I can!
There will always be "clear up lists"and I dont have to "clear up" the entire 3 days.
The autumn break was for me too and not just for the kids.

Thankfully , not that bad!

Rest is as important to the body and mind as  is a "junk cleared house".

So thats what I am just about to do.
Look around to where my eyes dare go. Clear up. Choose my rest moments wisely.
Its not the end of the world, when stuff hasn't been cleared up.
Enjoy your weekend!

STOP

The welcoming gift

Every Friday, the word is released. It appears on our screen, as we wait for the word, welcoming it to hook on to our hearts and mind. I usually ponder over it throughout out the day and finally write it at the end of the day, or even sometimes Saturday. Today I awoke at 6 am , because I wanted to know what that word was. And swore I would write my 5 minutes worth as soon as I saw it. No pondering, no thinking, no editing, no back spacing , no tracing back and reading it a million times to check the sentence structure... Five minutes of pure unstoppable pouring.

 Welcome to this weeks Five minute Friday....

Welcome

GO

Those with open hearts usually have an open house. My first experience was when I was doing my Masters. And I entered the open doors of one of our campus churches. I knew quite a few from back home. Acquaintances were  renewed. This couple invited me with open arms into the service 9 years ago.The church was very welcoming. But their home(the couple's), was an open house for students to come in. A place to relax, a place to pour out burdens and struggles, a place to savor her wonderful cooking when one was homesick. Some of us even slept there. When one was sick, we went there and she would care for us. Sometimes, because of exhaustion we slept  in their room. Her poor husband would sleep on the couch.

Some who received more would trample on their love and guidance, some betrayed their trust, some left and never kept in touch. 

But they still continued to pray, guide and love us. They couldn't keep the hurt long enough. That wasn't how they were built. They were built to welcome and care, and give. Their arms were meant for hugging and caring.

They have been spiritual mentors for many. Many still keep in touch. Many still call for guidance. Many have learned to care for others through them. They helped many to recognize their purpose and their gifting. They helped guide many, when it was time to decide on a life partner.

Five minutes isn't enough to pour out here on what they mean to us, what they meant to me.

Their open house, set my heart right with God. Their open arms taught me the true meaning of the open arms nailed to that cross. 

They welcomed us in to their home and into their heart.

Jerry and Blessy, I love you guys and its been an honor to know you. 

STOP

(We meet every year when I am in India, and we call, on and off. She usually starts off,blasting me for not calling sooner, and then just begins to pour out her love.)