Don't be chicken to use coconut flour

Saturday when I got back from Sauk Rapids, I needed to prepare the chicken legs for supper.  Dale likes to have them breaded and fried then finished off by baking.  I wanted to make them healthier at the same time.

Coconut flour and spices

I mixed together coconut flour and some of the Mrs. Dashes original seasoning.  Then I dusted the chicken legs in the coconut flour.

Browning in Olive Oil

The only oil that I have in the house for frying is olive oil.  I didn't need to use too much of it.  Just enough to brown the chicken legs before they bake.  I think the next time that I do this I think that I will coat it in egg first.  

Lined up in my stoneware

I put a little bit of chicken broth in the bottom on the pan before putting it into the oven.  Then I covered it with tin foil and let it bake while I colored my sisters hair.  It made a tasty, low carb, good fat evening meal along with the salad that I ate with it.

Cooked until it falls off the bone

Saturday with Sister

Tabatha found herself as a hunter widow this weekend.  Although she would much rather be hunting, she made the best of it and came down to Watkins so that I could play with her hair.

She wanted her hair color revitalized.  She got so many compliments about the red - violet that she decided to go there again.  (Without makeup you can see how the color compliments her skin tone.)

Then I trimmed her hair.  The very back got a wee bit too short but as fast as her hair grows, you won't notice by Monday. 

It made me miss my time as a cosmetologist.  At this point,  I am only legally allowed to do family members hair. 

Tabatha before

Another before picture

Hello beautiful!  Tabatha after

Another after picture :^) fun color! 

I gave in....

One evening this week, I packed up my short-sleeved and light weight shirts along with my T-shirts and put them in storage upstairs.  I brought down a couple arm loads full of sweatshirts and other winter shirts.  It is cold - windy and just plain nasty outside.  After all, it is the beginning of November.  I don't think that I will need the summer clothes again until next spring.


I realized as I was packing the clothing away that if I maintain my weight loss none of these clothes will fit next spring.  I think that it embarrasses Dale.  But I am cheap.  And since I work from home, I am wearing clothes that are 1-2 sizes too big.  Why not wear it out at least a bit more. 


My postings have been a bit intermittent this week.  After work, I have been busy working on a book for my Father; Hugs, Hands, and Heaven Help Him.  I want Dad to read and give input on the book while he can.  He was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer several months ago.  His first round of chemo treatments hit hard and he has physically been unable to take the second treatment.  Hopefully, a week from Monday he will be well enough to take his second treatment. 


This book is designed to be a very personal perspective of a man who has three wives die of cancer.  When we hear the "C" work, don't we freeze? What do we say?  Then to find out that someone has lost three wives to cancer! Is there anything appropriate to say? How can one person handle that and marry a fourth time?  I interviewed Dad a couple of months ago.  I want to get some writing in front of him and hopefully get more of a perspective from him.  After all, every one has a different perspective.  In fact, Dad has pointed out some of his perspectives that have changed in the past 20 years.


I will try to keep up on my posts.  But forgive me if I miss one or two during this time.

American Architecture

There was some architecture in America that still stands today.  It was created by craftsmen that took pride in their work.  It was created to last. 

Front View

Yet, here we are in our disposable society, tearing it down for a more modern facility.  At one point in history this building served as an active Catholic school.  When the school closed, they continued to use the building on a limited basis.  But the upkeep and cost of renovation was deemed to be too costly.


Side View

I had never been in the building.  Seeing the inside, after they tore down the walls, it was obvious that nothing had been kept up inside.  Some of the old lessons were still up on the chalkboards.  

Tumbling Down

As I watched the crane operator tear down the building, I couldn't help but wonder if he had attended school here?  Was there some kind of a secret joy for the crane operator in destroying his school?  There were many people stopping by and watching with a sadness in their eyes.  There was a lot of personal history made within the walls of this building.  Bucket by bucket it was knocked down, the beautiful architecture along with the personal memories fading away with each piece that falls down.

Piece-parting

Pumpkin Cheesecake for me

I had some spiced pumpkin left from the pumpkin that I cooked up and pureed.  So I decided to make myself some cheesecake. Start by blending the cream cheese and pumpkin together.

Blend together cream cheese & Spiced pumpkin

8 ounces cream cheese
10 ounces fresh baked spiced pumpkin puree (it was what I had left)
24 drops liquid stevia vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 egg
I added the rest of the ingredients together.  I tasted it periodically to test for sweetness.  I know, it is not recommended to taste dough with raw egg in it.  But I do it anyways.

Mix in remaining ingredients

I sprayed the cupcake pan with coconut oil except for the one with a hole in it.  There wasn't quite enough mixture to make an even dozen.  Because I was baking the pumpkin pie the oven was stuck at 375 degrees.  I made it work.

Fill with cupcake pan with mixture

I removed them from the oven when they got a golden brown.  I let them cool enough to work with the pan.  I could not resist, I had to taste one.  You know what they say, "You can't just take one bite." It was a challenge not to eat the entire pan full.  But I did resist, I gave the one in the liner to my neighbor woman and I froze eight for another week.  

Who ate that?

These are healthy for diabetics.  86 calories, 7g fat, 2.3g protein, 3.3g carb (one cake will not set off an insulin reaction.)

Baking Garden Fresh Pumpkin and Pumpkin Pie

I cut a couple of my pumpkins in half today.  I grow the sweet "pie" pumpkins.  I cleared out the seeds and pulp around the seeds.  Then I put a little bit of water in the pumpkin halves and covered them with tinfoil.  I let them cook for a couple of hours.  

Fresh Baked Pumpkin

When I pulled them out, I drained the water that was left and they scooped out nicely.  I scooped out the pumpkin and put it into food processor. 

Place Pumpkin in food processor

I added 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice and pureed until blended well and smooth.

Puree and add spices

I had asked Dale if he wanted a pumpkin pie.  He said as long as it was a "normal" recipe.  Which got me thinking.  I wonder what the pilgrims pie recipe looked like?  I bet it wasn't loaded with sugar.  This is what I came up with for the recipe:

Pie with "sugar and normal pie crust" aka "Normal Pumpkin Pie"

16 oz fresh baked pumpkin (spiced)

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

2/3 cup sugar

½ tsp salt

2 eggs

Yes, I cheated and used a ready made pie crust.  Precook pie crust per instructions.  While it is cooking mix together the rest of the ingredients.  Pour into pie crust bake for 25 minutes with edges covered.  Then another 25-30 minutes until done.  Allow to set for 2 hours before cutting. 

Pumpkin pie for Dale

I am not sure that covering the edges help that much.  But I have heard many people recommend it so I decided to try it.  

They say this helps the crust

It wasn't ready in 50 minutes.  But then I lost track of time and gave it an extra 15 minutes which was just a smidge too long according to the darker spots on the top.  

Pumpkin Pie

I am on a "cheat day" eat anything as long as you don't stuff yourself.  I tried a small sliver of pie.  Since I have gotten away from eating food with sugar in it my reaction was "too sweet!"  (but still very tasty!)

Ready for a slice?

I think that the best thing is that when I walked out of my house and came back inside the scent was a little bit like Grandma Field's house when I was a child; an earthy scent with the sweetness of fresh baking. 

Spoiled dogs

Every week I go at least once a week to the butcher shop (Knaus meat market).  It is our weekly treat to have a meal of butcher shop fresh meat.  It I also a treat for the dogs.  The butcher shop keeps the bones with a little bit of gristle on the edge and they smoke them.  


Bones

After they are smoked, they put them in a cart and we can buy them for the dogs.  Oh, do they LOVE them!  But they are such a big hit that they don't always have any on hand.  You can buy them individually at $1.75 or 7 for $10.  With three big dogs, I buy seven at a time.

Sonjia

They each choose a separate spot in the lawn that they are far enough away from the others that they don't need to worry about someone else "stealing" their bone.  


Misty Blue

It is amazing how they can use their front paws to position the bones so that they can eat them easier.  


Duchess

We are well known at the butcher shop.  The owners are long time friend's with Dale.  I had just paid when he came out from the back room.  I am not sure what they were working with on the back counter but the "scraps" were dried and crunchy like rice cakes.  No, I did not eat them but I could hear it crunch as the dogs ate their treats.  It was nice to be in the right place at the right time. :^)


Baker's Special