CRYSTAL AND DAISY MAE'S PHOTO-BLOGGING SITE
NOT JUST A PHOTO-BLOGGING SITE!!!!
Serves 8.
35 minutes 20 minutes Makes About 20
Peppermint extract can be found in most supermarkets.
4 Servings
To prevent toppings from sinking into the batter, sprinkle them on after brownies are baked. An extra 5 minutes in the oven melts the topping together for easy slicing.
45 minutes 10 minutes Make 16
1 hour 10 minutes 8
Cocoa powder is a mixture of many substances that are left over after cocoa butter is extracted from cacao beans. One tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa power contains about 10 calories, and has virtually no fat, cholesterol, or sugar. And because it is 100% cacao, it is jam-packed with antioxidants.
Try mixing cocoa powder with almond or coconut milk for a homemade hot chocolate, or add a scoop to plain or vanilla Greek yogurt or as an addition to your favorite smoothie. Cocoa powder can be used in savory dishes as well – especially in many traditional Mexican dishes (cocoa and chili pepper!). For a crunchy snack, try cocoa dusted almonds (lightly drizzle almonds with honey and roll them in cocoa powder).
Cacao nibs are basically Cocoa beans themselves, which have been roasted, removed from their husks, and broken into small pieces. In other words, they are a less processed form of cocoa. Cacao nibs are crunchy and taste similarly to unsweetened chocolate. They can be ground into a powder and used just like cocoa powder, or they can be eaten as is and added to yogurt, trail mixes, smoothies, or in your favorite baked good. Cacao nibs are naturally low in calories (just one ounce contains about 130 calories), are a good source of heart-healthy fiber, (9 g per ounce) and contain a number of beneficial minerals and antioxidants.
It is important to choose dark chocolate with at least 70%cacao in order to reap all the antioxidant benefits. Plus, the darker the chocolate (aka the higher % of cacao), the less sugar will be in the bar.
Carob is a tropical pod that is derived from a tree in the Mediterranean. Its pulp is roasted and ground into a fine powder that tastes very similar to cocoa powder. Carob is naturally low in fat, high in fiber, contains calcium, and unlike cocoa or chocolate, does not contain caffeine or theobromine (a good alternative to those who are sensitive to caffeine or migraines). Additionally, it is naturally less bitter than cocoa, so it does not need additional sweetening.
Carob comes in many forms which can be used in cooking, such as powders, liquids, and carob chips. Add carob chips to trail mix, fruit, yogurt, or use it as a substitute for chocolate chips in baking (but set your oven about 25 degrees lower or it could burn!).
I can’t think of a better way to satisfy a sweet craving while still staying within a healthy eating plan than with fruit. Most fruits are high in vitamin C, potassium, antioxidants, fiber, and health-promoting phytonutrients. Generally, the darker the fruit’s color pigment, the more nutrients it will have! Strawberries and whipped coconut cream, anyone? Or try mixing up a medley of cherries, raspberries, blueberries, and pomegranate seeds, with some carob chips or cacao nibs sprinkled over top for a delicious and healthy treat!
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THANK YOU,
Sometimes Sparks comes easy for me and sometimes not. Ever had that happened. On the Morning of October 6, 2018, I was reading my devotions with the Lord and came across something interesting I felt I should share with you. First let me tell you what it was about. My devotion from Our Daily Bread was called God Was at Columbine. It was about the killings at Columbine School. I know you’re probably wondering how is killing positive and encouraging. Below is what I found out and it’s positive and encouraging.
This item appeared in a newspaper after the 1999 fatal shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado:
Dear God: Why didn’t you save the children of the Littleton school?
Sincerely, a student
Dear Student : I am not allowed in schools. Sincerely, God
Interesting thought isn’t it? Even though God may not be allowed in schools He’s always there no matter what and thankfully He is.
When tragedy, heartache, and sorrow abound,
When evil appears to have conquered the right,
We center our heart on our Father’s great love,
For He will bring hope in the darkest of night. —DJD
God may be doing His greatest work
when evil seems to triumph.
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Information gotten at: https://www.checkiday.com
Feline Friday is simple to join. All you have to do is: post a picture, drawing, cartoon or video of a cat(they may be silly or cute). Click on the Feline Friday Badge to get the Feline Friday code. Paste the code under your cat picture. Add your name and link after you publish your Feline Friday post. The code is at https://comedy-plus.com/feline-friday/. This is the code for May 4, 2018.
While I was thinking about what to do for Sparks I had a thought and that thought was why don’t you do something with the meaning of encouragement. Of course I tried and tried to come up with something else but all I could think of was wanting Spring to get here and the sunshine and the pretty flowers to stay for a while. Then I said to myself, flowers that’s it I’ll do it on flowers. So I looked up on the internet to see what flowers are associated with encouragement and friendship and this is what I found. I have included their meanings as well.
ENCOURAGEMENT AND FRIENDSHIP FLOWERS AND THEIR MEANINGS:
Due to the fact of so many, furfriends, loved ones passing lately I made up a brief flower list for that to in honor of them.
FLOWERS OF SADNESS AND THEIR MEANINGS:
My information and some of my pictures are from Flower Meanings, A – Z Flower Dictionary and Flower Pictures , Flower Meanings Chart and Guide to Unique Gift Giving , Images of The Galax Flower and the Graphic Credit for the Purple Hyacinth goes to http://fineartamerica.com.
We all need encouragement daily and I found these encouraging words to be helpful and hope they are helpful and are an inspiration to you. Below is my Spark.
Feline Friday is simple to join. All you have to do is: Post a picture, drawing, cartoon, or video of a cat (They may be silly or cute). Go to Comedy Plus and click on the Feline Friday code to get the link.
Why I’m Writing This Post:
I’m writing this post because I came across this good blog post that spreads Positive Thinking and I liked the idea so I’d thought I write this post.
Today we need all the positive thinking we can muster. But we shouldn’t just think about doing positive thinking but we should take every opportunity to show positive thinking and even create positive thinking where there isn’t any.
CREATING POSITIVE THINKING:
Creating positive thinking also helps with your attitude. If you don’t have a good attitude then you’re less likely to have a positive outlook but remember this it takes more wrinkles to create a frown then to create a smile. So smile because who wants all those wrinkles.
I wrote a post called WHAT MEETING MAYA ANGELOU DID FOR ME because Maya Angelou was a wonderful woman and very encouraging to. Below are some quotes of hers and another encouraging person who is P.K. Hallinan. The one quote is by an unknown source.
Make sure you have a smile on your face because people will wonder what you’re up to and your attitude will be a lot better.
Stay positive my friends.
Daisy Mae here, I wanted to share with you some exciting news. Sister Crystal has changed the site name from CRYSTAL’S PHOTO-BLOGGING SITE to CRYSTAL AND DAISY MAE’S PHOTO-BLOGGING SITE. It’s just a slight change.
Can you believe it? She included me in the name which means I get to help her. I can’t wait. I sure hope everyone continues to visit our site.