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

everyone here is so great. I hate to take up any more space when i know that there are people here just starting out who need advice. I was going to go this one last decision on my own, and i believe that i know what i want, but keep going back and forth. i need to bring these tile samples back tomorrow and place my order. they tell it will take 6 weeks for my tile to come in. EEek! 6 weeks? Anyway, i have two natural stones from sonoma and can't firmly decide which one looks best with my granite, and kitchen overall. these will be 3x6 subways. I also will have a custom blend mosaic over my stove done in small rhomboid shaped tiles. the small tile pictured, will be in the mix and it will also be ordered in molding pieces to go around the mosaic blend. It will be against the subways, so i pictured it with the tiles. I want them to blend in with very little contrast. For some reason, my photos this morning show my granite darker. it really is more of a whiter white background. i also have pictured some crackle glazed tiles that i could do. i see really awsome glazed ones here. i found a glazed color of each of the stone tiles that i'm considering. i find that the martinique, the darker stone, picks up the grays in my granite. but, the lighter cashmere may overall go better in my kitchen and with my cabinets. I just don't know. This is driving my bonkers. one minute i tell myself i know which one and put the others back into the bag, then i find myself getting them out and changing my mind again. this has got to end. thanks so much for all of the help. "

I feel the same way about my husband's exwife. I am custodial stepmom of 3 chlldren. My husband has always had custody because the exwife decided one day she no longer wanted to be married or a full-time mother. Before I came along she constantly dumped 99% of her time on my husband, he of course never said no, she had full control of her old household only she lived in a differnt place and had her own life. It was a very unhealthy situation. My husband just never stood up to her, he struggled to keep a full-time job and take care of 3 children. I give him tremendous credit because many men in his situation would not be able to take on that responsibilty. Well, then I come along, we get married and all of a sudden she begins to take a deeper interest. Mainly because I would not allow her to control my household and my husband began saying "no", She always used us as her babysitter, whether it was a work meeting, an exerecise class or a European vacation. She has been nothing but a major PIA, she wouldn't pay child support when my husband enforced the order she opened a full blown custody case, suing us for full custody because she did not want to financially support her children. We also have a screwed up schedule. During the school the chldren visit their mother Mon&Tues 4-8pm with alternating weekends. During the summer they visit her Mon-Wed 4-8pm with alternating weekends. The exwife wanted some crazy, they live with her 3days one week, then us 4days, and the next week it was the reverse. Mind you, she only had a 2bedroom condo. All three children sleep in the same bedroom. 2 girls 13&10 and a 8yr old boy. The master had enough sense to reconize that the living arrangemnents were not appropriate and would not grant anymore overnight visits except for the already standing 2 weekends a month. The schedule is crazy. The exwife is crazy. She teaches the children it is ok to lie to us. She is NOT supportative of myself or my husband. She has harrassed us to the point that she is not allowed on our property, she can not contact us by phone, she may only communicate via email, unless it is an emergency related to that day's schedule, then she may leave a message on our cell phone. She would call my husband at work and pull him out of meetings with the CEO of the company for some nonsense question. HE would get numerous calls on a daily basis. I never saw 2 divorced people talk on a daily basis. We have insulated ourselves as much as possible but everyday there is some new issue. She never returns clothes that the kids wear over there, one day she sent my ss home with no shoes on. She won't take the kids to baseball games and then tells them we did not give her the information. I could go on and on. But your words say it best I HATE HER!!!!! If I had hindsight my posting would be alot differnt. I would be like that one woman who used to be involved with a man with children. Trying being involved with a man who has custody of his children. The rewards have been few and far between. I have lived this from the first day I moved to where my husband lives (I moved from a different state). So the entire two years of my marriage have been filled with this crap. My husband's relationship with his children has also suffered terribly. I was divorced for 11yrs before I remarried and never experienced one ounce of the trouble I have in this life, and it isn't even my divorce. The best advice I can give you is stand your ground. Say NO, she is responsible for her custodial time. It took my husband a long time to be able to say no, it is very easy for me. I know that he is still uncomfortable with saying no but I help him, Remember you can't let her control your life. Good luck, God Bless. I understand, it's one hell of a way to live.

Yes, California Brand Storm. I was confused b/c some said that you can't apply a second coat of stain over the first...that it will just peel? Thanks for clarifying.