Substance of Living

There are times that we just don't feel like messing with the stove to make homemade hot cocoa but still want something hot and tasty.  Today's hot chocolate solves that problem and more. Pour milk (dairy or any non-dairy) into a microwavable cup, heat for about 1 1/2 minutes on high, open your favorite hot chocolate package, pour in cup, stir, and now add a 1/2 to 1 full shot of your favorite peppermint liqueur. You're done and the sensational sipping begins within two minutes! When you're hosting a gathering on a cold evening, try setting up a hot chocolate bar with instant as well as homemade.  Have hot milk, hot water, sprinkles, marshmallows, whipped cream, and of course alcoholic and non-alcoholic flavorings to add. Notes: We used non-dairy milk and of our favorites are almond milk or coconut milk.  Soy and rice would also be nice. We like dark chocolate and have found Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate to have a rich flavor. There are other varieti...

Take a look and drool over everything that came in the September Send Me Gluten-Free box!  I'm telling you, these boxes of goodies each month are AWESOME!!! Thanks to Pamela's , we enjoyed a pancake breakfast one morning. Had a romantic picnic, provided by gopicnic , Beanfield's , and Lovely , inside by the fire one evening. Breakfast and a snack on the go by Giddy Up & Go and SoyJoy . I'm telling you, these boxes are like a little surprise gift each month and the best way to sample all sorts of gluten-free items.  It's so much better and cheaper to enjoy new goodies each month than to go out and purchase items that you've never tried.  You and I both know how expensive a lot of gluten-free or specialty food items are to just to fill your grocery cart full of new items. Take a look at last month's box of SendMeGlutenFree and you'll know what I've been going on about.  There are some products I've tried before, which are...

I'm beyond excited to introduce you to what I'm calling "The newest sensation in eating gluten free" !  You can now sign up to receive a box in the mail each month packed full of gluten-free items from Send Me Gluten Free .    This is what my box looked like this much.  In addition to some full-size items, there were samples of tea, sweets, energy bars, lip balm, and coupons galore.  After your box arrives, you'll also receive an email with links to each of the products and if you complete a quick survey they'll send you additional discounts or coupons. Another email will come giving you recipes and ideas of how to use the items in the box.  For example, this month there was Sevierly Good: Garlic Bread , TeeChia: Blueberry Date Quickbread , and other recipes . Close up of Items in the August 2014 box. Close up of Items in the August 2014 box. Close up of Items in the August 2014 box. I don't know if I'm actually supposed to co...

There have been so many diet plans that promised us weight loss.  And that's great!  What was it about that particular diet that was healthy or unfortunately unhealthy?  Did we really keep the weight off or have we found the "lost" weight and some of its friends? Comments I've heard through the years about various diets (can you guess which ones I'm talking about?): "You can eat all the meat you want!" "There's no fat so I can eat as much as I want and not gain any weight!" "All the stars are doing it and look how great they look!" "I can eat anything I want within a certain color." "All my food is prepared for me." "I can eat one of anything and still lose weight." The list of comments can go on and on and on.  You get the point. Diets are fantabulous for businesses and marketers.  Not so much for us. Getting back to my question about gluten-free being a fad.  For those of us who ca...

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil When I was asked to sample and review Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, I knew a special recipe had to be created.  Something everyone would enjoy, something for the holiday season, something new and something easy. These cookies hold their shape, slightly crunchy on the outside with a moist and crumbly interior that melts in your mouth.  Mini muffins were tried and they held up to the test of the cookies as well as the baking time.   Ingredients: 2 cups All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour 2 teaspoons Baking Powder 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt 1 cup Brown Sugar 1/3 cup Sugar 3/4 cup Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil (room temperature or slightly melted) 2 teaspoons Vanilla 1 cup Pumpkin Puree (not pie mix) 1 cup Chocolate Chips  Directions: Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.  Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Combine wet...

Buffet Table Setting as seen on Divine Dinner Party This has to be one of my more politically correct, non-offending party ideas.  You may already know this, but in case you forgot or are new, I'm 99% vegan, my oh-so-fabulous husband is pretty much 95% vegetarian, and our family and friends are probably 100% meat eaters (with a vegetable or two thrown into the mix).  Oh!  I'm also gluten-free.  I'm overstating this but I think you get my point. In the eyes of our family and friends, we are the non-normal ones out of the whole bunch of bananas. It used to scare our family and mostly our friends to come over and eat at our house in fear that they may have to eat seaweed and tofu.  lol What DH and I like to do is come up with a theme for the party / event / dinner and work from there.  So, say we are going to have a Father's Day buffet, a Mystery Murder Buffet, or a Theater Buffet.  Once we figured that out we would decide on a bunch of food...

Homemade Hot Cocoa See all the dark chocolate swimming around in that rich and creamy cup of steamy hot cocoa?  If we hadn't drank all of it last night, I'd be sitting here with a cup right now.  Then again, there might be some chocolate left in the pantry.  As soon as I'm done here, I'm going to go see.   There are all kinds of cocoa. There are instant, homemade, kid friendly and of course adult versions. So let's start with your favorite version of cocoa or hot chocolate mix, whether that is from a package or a secret family recipe passed down through the generations.  If you don’t have a favorite, here is one I think you might enjoy. Ingredients: 4 cups Non-Dairy Milk 2 Tablespoons Vegan Butter 8 ounces Chocolate (candy bars, baking chocolate) 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract Directions:   Chop the chocolate very finely.  If you’re using dark chocolate you might need to sweeten your drink a bit.  However, i...