Big win.

Brownies! And not a moment too soon.

Went big shopping yesterday and got a bunch of different flours to try and make my own baking mix.  Or at least mess around with baking gluten, corn and soy free.  Before I tell you about the brownies, though, I’ve got to talk about shopping.

For the last 4+ years I’ve had months on end when driving the car was too much.  I was in pain, on medication, brain fogged beyond stupid.  And driving was painful, taxing and dangerous.  Fast forward to yesterday when I took the van and went shopping; not one store but two!  Had well thought out lists in my pocket for each store (shocking) and knew how to get from one place to another.  (Since I’ve lived in Spokane my entire life, it was pretty confusing after I was diagnosed when I started having trouble figuring out how to go somewhere and/or getting all turned around and lost.  Spokane is not Metropolis.)

Anyway…

I zipped through my shopping and arrived home to find Kevin fast asleep in a nap.  So I brought in all the groceries.  If you’ve never had fibromyalgia or some equally baffling syndrome-ish disease you probably can’t feel the import of that phrase.  It was eight trips back and forth from the car to the kitchen.  Oh yeah, I counted!!  I was triumphant.

PLUS, you’ll never guess.  It was a rainy day!  I mean, come on…really?  I felt like I finished the Fibromite Iron Man.

To reward myself for just being so damn cool, I made another attempt at brownies.  I started with a recipe from Great Gluten-Free Baking by Louise Blair.  I tweaked it for my own taste and ingredients.  I think I’ve changed it enough to reprint it here without violating Ms Blair’s copyright privileges.  If she sues me, I’ll let you know.

Nummy Nutty Brownies

• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate.  I used plain baker’s chocolate which may or may not have been gluten free.  I was desperate.
• 7 T butter or marg.  I used Smart Balance which is soyish but vegan.
• 1 c organic brown sugar.  I didn’t pack it down in the cup because even though I love brownies I don’t like them sickly sweet.
• 2 eggs, beaten.  Sorry all my vegan readers.
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 1/2 c ground almonds (mmmmm…)
• 2 T brown rice flour
• 1 1/2 t sorghum flour
• 1/2 c chopped pecans
• 1/2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 11 x 7 inch pan.  (NB: I don’t think my pan was the right size so watch your cooking time.)  After I buttered the pan, I dusted it with dutch cocoa instead of flour.  I don’t know if it makes a difference but it made me feel all fancy!

Melt the chocolate (I used the microwave) and then the butter/marg.  Stir that all smooth and pretty.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients gently and lovingly.

Pour the batter into your pan and stick it in the oven for 30 minutes or until done.  I read somewhere that with gluten-free brownies it’s better to err on the side of underdone and chewy rather than way done and crumbly.

Cool, cut and enjoy!