I'm not so good at the sugar free thing, but I have a couple of celiacs in the family, and am getting better at the gluten free requirements. It's not chocolate, but my Aunt greatly enjoyed this honey cake: FLOURLESS HONEY ALMOND CAKE From EatingWell: March/April 2009 Honey and almonds flavor this simple (and gluten-free) cake. It's lovely for afternoon tea or a spring holiday dessert. Be careful not to overbeat the egg whites, they should be white and very foamy, but not at all stiff or able to hold peaks. If you beat them too much, the cake may sink in the middle as it cools. Ingredients Cake •1 1/2 cups whole almonds, toasted (see Tip) •4 large eggs, at room temperature (see Tip), separated •1/2 cup honey •1 teaspoon vanilla extract •1/2 teaspoon baking soda •1/2 teaspoon salt Topping •2 tablespoons honey •1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (see Tip) Preparation 1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the paper. 2.Process whole almonds in a food processor or blender until finely ground (you will have about 13/4 cups ground). Beat 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup honey, vanilla, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer (or use a paddle attachment on a stand mixer) on medium speed until well combined. Add the ground almonds and beat on low until combined. 3.Beat 4 egg whites in another large bowl with the electric mixer (use clean beaters on a hand-held mixer or the whisk attachment on a stand mixer) on medium speed until very foamy, white and doubled in volume, but not stiff enough to hold peaks, 1 to 2 minutes (depending on the type of mixer). Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the nut mixture until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. 4.Bake the cake until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and gently remove the side ring. Let cool completely. 5.If desired, remove the cake from the pan bottom by gently sliding a large, wide spatula between the cake and the parchment paper. Carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter. To serve, drizzle the top of the cake with honey and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Nutrition Per serving : 234 Calories; 14 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 8 g Mono; 85 mg Cholesterol; 22 g Carbohydrates; 8 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 208 mg Sodium; 54 mg Potassium OK, here's my stab at a chocolate dessert. I don't know but I think the coconut sugar might be a very nice addition in place of the very small amount of white sugar. I'm only assuming that you can get a dark chocolate bar that would meet your specifications? CHAI CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME From EatingWell: January/February 2007 The haunting, subtle flavor of chai spices adds depth and richness to these elegant French baked custards. You could use the leftover egg whites to make meringues. 8 servings : Active Time: 40 minutes : Total Time: 5 hours (including 3 hours chilling time) Ingredients •2/3 cup whipping cream •2 1/2 teaspoons crushed cardamom pods, or 1 teaspoon bruised cardamom seeds (see Tip) •7 whole cloves •4 slices peeled fresh ginger •4 1/2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (see Tip), finely chopped •1 1/4 cups reduced-fat milk •3 tablespoons sugar •1 large egg •3 large egg yolks •1 teaspoon vanilla extract •Whipped cream for garnish, (optional) •Crystallized ginger for garnish, (optional) Preparation 1.Position a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Lay a double thickness of paper towels in a baking pan large enough to comfortably hold eight 4- to 6-ounce heatproof custard cups or ramekins. Set the cups in the pan (the paper towels will keep them in place). 2.Heat cream, cardamom, cloves and ginger in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture just comes to a full boil. Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Place chocolate in a 4-cup glass measure. Return the cream to medium-high heat and reheat to boiling. Immediately pour through a very fine sieve set over the chocolate, pressing down on the spices to extract as much flavor as possible; don't stir the chocolate. Let stand for 3 minutes, then gently stir until the chocolate completely melts and the mixture is well blended and smooth. (If the chocolate is not completely melted, microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds on High, then stir.) 3.Wipe out the saucepan, add milk and sugar, and heat just to boiling, stirring until the sugar dissolves. In a slow, thin stream, gradually stir about two-thirds of the boiling milk into the chocolate. If the mixture looks separated at any point, stop adding milk and stir the chocolate until it is smooth again before continuing. 4.Whisk egg, egg yolks and vanilla in a small bowl until well blended. While constantly whisking the egg mixture, add the remaining milk in a slow, thin stream. Strain the egg-milk mixture through a fine sieve into the chocolate mixture; stir well to combine. Evenly divide among the custard cups, about 1/4 cup each. 5.Place the pan on the low oven rack. Add enough very hot tap water to come 3/4 inch up the sides of the cups. Bake until the tops appear barely set when the cups are jiggled, 16 to 20 minutes; don't tap the tops as this will mar the surface. 6.Transfer the cups to a wire rack. Let cool thoroughly, about 1 hour. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Let warm up just slightly before serving. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and a small piece of crystallized ginger (if desired). Nutrition Per serving : 204 Calories; 15 g Fat; 8 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 132 mg Cholesterol; 17 g Carbohydrates; 4 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 36 mg Sodium; 87 mg Potassium Tips & Notes •Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. : Equipment: Eight 4- to 6-ounce glass custard cups or similar ramekins •Tips: You can use either whole cardamom pods or the peppercorn-size seeds for this recipe. Crush or bruise the seeds with the side of a chef's knife or a heavy-bottomed pan to help release the flavor. If necessary, substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom; the flavor will be fine, but the texture will be a little less silky. • Almost any semisweet or bittersweet chocolate will work in this recipe, although if you choose an extra-bittersweet one with more than a 65% cacao content, reduce the chocolate to 4 ounces and increase the sugar to 1/4 cup. I like the chai spices with the chocolate and truthfully, I like the darker chocolate without the addition of extra sugar, so I'd say sweeten it to taste. This is one that's in my "to try" file, it does use your coconut sugar, has no gluten and uses cocoa in place of a chocolate bar. I've not tried it because I have no experience with coconut sugar. GRAIN FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH HONEYED RICOTTA Yield: 1 (8-inch) cake; 8 - 10 servings A light and flavorful gluten-free, refined sugar-free chocolate cake made with almond flour. Adapted from Annie Bell's Gorgeous Cakes. For the Chocolate Cake: •4 large eggs, separated •2/3 cup powdered coconut palm sugar •2 1/4 cups almond flour •3 tablespoons dutch processed cocoa powder •1 teaspoon baking powder For the Honeyed Ricotta: •3 cups low-fat ricotta •1/4 cup honey •1 teaspoon vanilla extract •pinch of kosher salt For the Topping: •1/4 cup grated carob or refined sugar-free chocolate Instructions Make the Chocolate Cake: 1.Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter an 8-inch springform pan. 2.In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and powdered coconut palm sugar until pale and creamy. 3.Sift together the almond flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Set aside. 4.In a separate medium bowl, beat the egg whites to medium peaks. 5.Stir 1/4 of the whipped egg whites directly into the egg yolk mixture. Fold the remaining egg whites into the yolks in two to three additions. 6.Fold the almond mixture into the egg mixture in three additions. 7.Transfer the batter into the prepared springform pan. 8.Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the center of the cake is set and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. 9.Run an offset spatula around the edges of the cake. Allow to cool completely in the pan. Make the Honeyed Ricotta: 10.Combine the ricotta, honey, vanilla, and salt. 11.Refrigerate until ready to use. Assemble the Cake: 12.Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice a paper thin layer off the top of the cake. This will let the moisture from the ricotta soak into the cake. 13.Cut the cake in half, being careful to keep the layers even. 14.Spread half of the ricotta mixture on the bottom layer of the cake. 15.Place the top layer on top of the ricotta. Spread the remaining ricotta on top of the cake. 16.Top with grated carob or refined sugar-free chocolate. 17.Cover and refrigerate overnight. 18.Bring to room temperature before serving. Good luck and happy birthday to your wife. Annie

KKNY I don't know what to make of you. Of course we don't make the skids 'spy' for us. They brought the subject of smoking up themselves, we usually don't ask about those things (BM's drinking, the smoking - while pregnant of course, and other negative trades). That is because we'd feel bad knowing that the girls would probably feel like defending their mom. So therefore we wait till they volunteer the information and then we might ask what they think about it, or how they feel. The therapist has given us really good advice on how to be supportive of them, and how to adress these kinds of issues without criticizing their mom. However we do ask the girls general questions to show an interest in their other family, which is important for them. Like about their little brother or what they were up to on the weekend? Is that allowed?? Ima already explained it very well. It's about the power of brainwashing,I guess you're not that familiar with it. Like Ima's SD saying it is raining when the sun is clearly shining (that was your post Ima, right?) Also what is the significant difference for you between Stepmom or SO? I'm FDH's SO and stepmom to the skids. They actually started calling me that without my encouragement, they think it's 'cool' and so that's fine with me. You always think that it's the SM's vs the BM's here, and I don't understand why? Surely you're not that shallow to assume all Stepmoms are on the same page and all BM's are on the other? Just because I'm Dutch doesn't mean that I'm on the same page as all other Dutch people, right?

Kat, no, you can have 2 for free. No garden recycling here in this little town. I don't think they even recycle, at least I've never seen anything in the paper about it. I used to just throw all my yard waste into my giant compost area out back but when I started seeing the same weeds coming back in my garden after using the compost I decided not to do that anymore. I only put grass, old vegetable plants or tree leaves, that type of thing in there. I know if you properly maintain your compost bin it is supposed to kill everything but I don't. I don't have the time or energy. So, it takes years for my stuff to break down. Moni, normally this Friday would be my day off, but next week I requested that Friday off so I could pick up the girls at the airport, so they are making me work this Friday. Mariend, never thought of that, if I find anymore I will set them aside and call them. I plan to have a yard sale and anything that doesn't sell I'm donating to the animal shelter's annual rummage sale.

No quippy comebacks when looking for things, but I sure hated for mom to send me looking. She'd have 27 instructions, all of which I was to remember....."Up the stairs, to the dresser, on the left side of the bed, in the third drawer on the right, under my pink slip on the left next to the blue one, near the back but not all the way............." Whew!!! I hated for her to send me looking for ANYTHING! And it was never there. UGH! Mom's favorite whenever we sassed her..... You'll be dead before God can get the news! Mom's favorite whenever we argued with her..... If I say the Detroit River is coming through the front door, don't go look. Just run for a pail and start baling! My favorite to let my daughter know I was serious..... I'll knock you into next week.