2 tbsp. Butter
1- 8 oz. Package cream cheese
2 eggs
Dash salt
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 c. Xylitol
1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 c. Wheat gluten
2 1/2 c. Unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 c. Almond meal
1/2 c. Chocolate chips (85% cocoa or more chocolate bar, crushed)- optional
1/2 c. Walnuts- optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix cream cheese, butter, eggs until creamy. Add vanilla, salt, xylitol, and baking powder. Mix well. Add gluten, coconut and almond meal. Mix in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Scoop one inch balls of dough onto cookie tray covered in parchment paper. Slightly flatten dough balls with fingers.

Cook for 15 minutes or until golden around the edges. Remove from cookie sheet and cool. Makes about 50 one inch cookies.

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Feeds about 4 people
2 pounds of chicken breast, rinsed, dried, and sliced into finger-like shapes. Pieces should be fairly uniform in size.
2 eggs, beaten in a bowl for dipping chicken pieces
2 c. Almond meal
1 c. Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Spices to taste (1 tbsp. Season salt, 1/2 tsp. Black pepper, 1/2 tsp. Sage)
1/2 c. Coconut oil, or enough to have about a 1/4 inch of oil in the bottom of a large frying pan.

Put oil into pan and heat on medium/low. Do not use high heat.
Mix together almond meal, Parmesan and spices into a flat baking dish.
Dip chicken pieces into egg and then cover with the almond/cheese mixture. Place into the warmed oil a few pieces at a time leaving enough room for pieces not to touch. Also leave room to turn them over carefully with a metal spatula after about 5 minutes, or until you can see the bottom half is cooked- it will have a white line about half way up the chicken pieces. Turn over and let cook another 5 minutes. Place done pieces in a pan lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Continue procedure until the remaining chicken pieces are done.

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1 cup (2 sticks butter)
1cup Xylitol
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (1 c. Half and Half with 2 tsps. Vinegar)
2 tsps. Vanilla
3/4 c. Vital wheat gluten flour
1/2 c. Whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. Almond flour
1.5 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 c. Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 c. Boiling water

Prepare two 9 inch round cake pans by buttering, flouring and putting wax paper at the bottom of each pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and xylitol until fluffy in mixer. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add buttermilk. Slowly add in flours, salt, chocolate and baking soda. Lastly add in hot water to dissolve any chunks. Mix until smooth and slightly fluffy. Add half of the cake batter to each of the cake pans and spread evenly. Put aside while you make the cream cheese filling.

Cream Cheese Filling
1- 8 oz. Package cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 c. Xylitol
Dash salt
1 c. Chocolate chips ( I use 2- 3.5 oz bars of 85% or more chocolate such as Valrhona or Green&Blacks)

Cream cream cheese, egg, and xylitol in mixer. Mix well, until uniformly creamy. Add salt and chocolate chips. Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture into each cake pan. Gently smooth the spooned mixture into the cake batter, spread evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool before removing from pans.

1- 8oz. Package cream cheese
2 eggs
Dash salt
1 tbsp. Vanilla
2 tsps. Baking powder
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup whey protein concentrate
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten flour
4 tbsp. Melted butter, or olive oil
About 1/4 cup of Half and Half- adjust amount for desired consistency.
About 2-3 tbsp. Melted butter in reserve

Mix cream cheese and eggs in mixer. Add vanilla, salt and baking powder. Mix. Add ricotta, sour cream and cottage cheese. Mix. Add gluten and whey protein. Mix. Add butter. Mix. Add Half and Half. Mix. Batter should be thin enough to drop into the waffle iron, but not too thick. Use some melted butter to coat the waffle iron before adding batter each time.

Warning: low carb waffles are much more delicate than regular wheat- based waffles, care should be taken when removing the waffles from the iron. I use a waffle iron that makes three quarter cup round mini- waffles. I think that making larger square waffles may hold together even less, but I haven’ t tried it.
Makes about 15 quarter cup sized waffles.

Toppings:
blueberry topping- 2 c. Fresh blueberries, 1 tbsp. Xylitol sweetener ( to taste, or any other low carb sweetener of your choice).
Put blueberries in a microwave safe bowl and heat until the berries turn almost black, this means they are thoroughly heated inside. Proceed in 30 second increments depending on the power of your microwave, the berries will pop and explode when overheated. Mash berries with a fork to form a ” syrup”, and stir in the sweetener to taste.

Whipped cream- 1 pint whipping cream (not light whipping cream). Dissolve 1 tbsp. Xylitol or other sweetener in the whipping cream. Whip using a mixer on high speed or I use an iSi Profi Whip with one cream charger canister.

Syrups to we like:
Splenda sweetened- Maple Grove Farms Low Calorie Syrup Sugar Free Maple Flavor
Maltitol sweetened- Joseph’s All Natural Maple Flavor Sugar Free Syrup

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2 pork tenderloins (1.25-1.5 lbs. each)- Cook to liking. We use a Sous Vide at 141F for 8 – 24 hours.
2 (6.7oz.) jars Trader Joe’s Pesto alla Genovese Basil Pesto Sauce
1/2 c. (1/2 jar) Trader Joe’s Julienne Sliced Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Crushed garlic
Sea salt to taste
Olive oil for pan

In a sauté pan add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Warm and stir the olive oil, garlic, sun dried tomatoes and pesto sauce. Cut pork into pieces, or shred. Add the pork to the pan to thoroughly coat the pork. Add sea salt to liking. Heat well. Serve.

 

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There was an idiot, his name was Moe,

He caught a tiger by its toe.

The tiger hollered, and Moe didn’t let go,

And that was the last we heard from Moe.

As the year once again draws to a close,
What have we done?  Only goodness knows.

January began with a loud bang
I went back to work teaching first grade again
Exposed to young children and their excretions
I longed for good health and a vacation

At the end of March two heroes came to our rescue
To help out with Tomi, Wendie and Erin did join our crew

In addition to various other talents, Jere on his own
Did learn how to play the clarinet and saxophone

In April at last I went on Spring Break
A road trip to SF did Jere and I take
We packed up Tomi snug in the car
And enjoyed four days of sight-seeing that rain could not mar

With another school year gone and done
We all looked forward to a summer of fun
In July to Minnesota we packed up and flew
To visit Jon, Brenda, Grant (and Noah, too).
Next in the Big Apple did we arrive
It was great to see Jac in the place where she thrives.
The famous sights did we see (and got back alive).

Jere then gave us quite a surprise
He converted to Mac and to PCs said his last goodbyes
Now there are iPods and Apples all over the place
Never again will Windows our house disgrace

September brought us the start of another school year
I in half-day kinder with a partner who is dear,
Cam in third grade who now walks to his school very near.
Our dear little Tomi on the twentieth turned one
We thank all that joined in the celebration

To celebrate our second anniversary in November
Jere and I packed up for a weekend to remember
Just on a whim and ’cause it was cheap
We went to Salt Lake City and to our room did we keep

And now here we are and we’re doing quite well
Hoping you and your families are all doing swell

We’ll be off to Oahu for our holiday cheer
Happy holidays we wish to those far and those near

May the New Year be kind and gentle to you,
May peace and good will be known through and through.

Two thousand and five has come to an end
So now is the time to catch up with friends

In January we did both receive
News so good it was quite hard to believe
We were to expect a bundle of joy
Not knowing if it would be girl or boy

The next few months saw Amani so ill
And doctors searched long to find the right pill

As a manager Jere blazed a fine trail
And in his new post is doing quite well

In May our apartment we did vacate
And into our first house did relocate

In June to the giant redwoods we went
About a week with the tall trees we spent

In August Jere’s mom came on to the scene
To help out with baby and fine cuisine

Amani transferred to a brand new school
Where people are nice, the commute not cruel

September brought what we had waited for
A beautiful girl, Tomi we adore

Cameron, eight, is in second grade
He is a good brother and well behaved

And in this manner has our year gone by
So it would seem in the blink of an eye

We send you good thoughts and tidings of cheer
To those who are far and those who are near

We wish you peace, love and joy in the mix
May they come your way in two thousand six.