DIY Thursday: Homemade Gummy Bears

Yeah, it's healthy, but more importantly it's healthier to eat. No suspicious preservatives or unpronounceable ingredients. I made 3 kinds, one using OJ (no, it wasn't fresh squeezed, it was Florida Natural) and 2 using different kinds of V8 Fusion. I will try it with fresh pureed fruit, when they're in season and not so exorbitant.

The last 2 gummy worms left!

And wow, they were delicious!

This is from one of my favorite sites, DIYNatural.com and the recipe I used. I did use fresh, local honey, but I admit to using the lemon juice from those little lemon-shaped squeeze bottles. The mold I used probably negated all my healthy ingredients, but I also gave it as a present to the person I made the gummy bears for.

I left in their recommended links in case anyone was interested.

DIY Naturally Sweetened Gummy Bears

You can make gummy bears in almost any flavor, using different combinations of freshly squeezed juices or pureed fruits. Below are three of my favorite recipes. Feel free to adjust ingredients and sweetness to your liking.
(Each recipe makes 16 gummy bears using 2 of the recommended molds.)

Orange Gummy Bears

• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey (use a good local honey, or find a good brand here)
• 3 tablespoons gelatin (we use this gelatin from grass fed cows)
• 2 gummy bear silicone molds (find them here)

Strawberry Gummy Bears

• ⅔ cup pureed strawberries (make sure they’re thawed to room temp if using frozen)
• ⅓ cup filtered water (find the water filtration system we use here)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey (use local honey, or find a good brand here)
• 3 tablespoons gelatin (we use this gelatin from grass fed cows)
• 2 gummy bear silicone molds (find them here)

Blueberry Gummy Bears

• ½ cup pureed blueberries (allow to thaw to room temp if using frozen)
• ½ cup filtered water (find the water filtration system we use here)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons honey (use local honey, or find a good brand here)
• 3 tablespoons gelatin (find gelatin from grass fed cows here)
• 2 gummy bear silicone molds (find them here)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except gelatin in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir with a whisk.
2. Gradually whisk gelatin into the mixture, stirring constantly. (Avoid dumping gelatin into pan all at once, which will cause big globs of gelatin to remain in finished product.)
3. Continue heating over medium-low heat until all ingredients are well combined and gelatin is completely melted. (The mixture will change from a grainy, jelly-like consistency to a more glassy, smooth consistency when gelatin is all melted.)
4. Place gummy bear molds on a cookie sheet (which makes them easier to move without spilling once filled). Pour mixture into silicone molds and place in freezer for about 20-30 minutes.
5. Pop gummy bears out of molds and store in an airtight container. They will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

Note: You can also pour mixture into a baking dish greased with coconut oil if you don’t have silicone molds. After mixture is set up, cut with a knife or use cookie cutters to make any shape you like.

Hellfire Club Erotique Box Set #Excerpt 2 from The Masque

I'm releasing my Hellfire Club series as a box set on April 7, 2014 and thought I'd  post a short excerpt from each story before then. This is from The Masque: A Hellfire Club Erotique

The comte had said he’d protect her, and Olivia believed him.

Once in her rooms, she closed the door, shutting out the sounds of pleasure and laughter echoing through the catacombs. Good Lord, she’d found Louise’s body only hours before, she shouldn’t even be thinking about men, handsome or not.

But then no man had ever affected her as Julien and de Courville did. Julien with his handsome virility and de Courville…honestly Olivia had no frame of reference with which to compare the older comte. Handsome, yes, virile, yes, but more than even that, he possessed an air of masculine sexuality that pulled her to him.

Perhaps her environment affected her mind. The openness of sexual pleasure, the secret labyrinths that hid these people from Parisian society; the very fact that Olivia felt anything towards a man, let alone two. She needed time to collect her thoughts, to discover more about this new world she found herself in. To determine what she wanted.

Someone had brought a tray with wine, cheese, breads, and meats. Olivia knew she should eat something but couldn’t bring herself to. Instead, she crossed to where the sack she’d brought with her still lay, seemingly untouched.

Look for the box set with The Escape (m/m/f), The Masque (m/m/f),  Aycliff's Vow (m/f), and Devil's Pawn (m/m) on April 7, 2014!

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#BookBlast The Unholy by Paul D. DeBlassie III

Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D., is a psychologist and writer living in Albuquerque who has treated survivors of the dark side of religion for more than 30 years. His professional consultation practice — SoulCare — is devoted to the tending of the soul. Dr. DeBlassie writes fiction with a healing emphasis. He has been deeply influenced by the mestizo myth of Aztlan, its surreal beauty and natural magic.  He is a member of the Depth Psychology Alliance, the Transpersonal Psychology Association and the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. 

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Blurb: 

A young curandera, a medicine woman, intent on uncovering the secrets of her past is forced into a life-and-death battle against an evil Archbishop. Set in the mystic land of Aztlan, The Unholy is a novel of destiny as healer and slayer. Native lore of dreams and visions, shape changing, and natural magic work to spin a neo-gothic web in which sadness and mystery lure the unsuspecting into a twilight realm of discovery and decision.

Excerpt:

“Help me? Help yourself! Face what is yours to face,” Elizabeth hissed. She yanked the door open then forced it to slam behind her.

Claire stood still for a moment, feeling as if a tornado had swept through the room. Elizabeth’s demand had left her shaken. She drew a deep breath, then went to her desk and picked up her tea, noticing her trembling hands.

Turning toward the window, Claire saw a muscular orderly accompanying Elizabeth to the locked ward at the far end of the hospital compound. A flock of crows circled high overhead, seeming to follow the two receding figures. As they arrived at the outer doors of the locked unit, the orderly reached for his keys. The crows circled while the two crossed the threshold of the unit, Elizabeth suddenly pausing, turning, and looking outside, her gaze riveted on the flock of birds.

All but two flew off, disappearing into the piñon-covered hills. The two that remained came to rest on the red brick wall adjacent to the locked unit, their black eyes boring into Elizabeth. She looked panicked then enraged and, shaking a finger at the creatures, yelled something. Her frantic gestures told Claire that she was screeching curses to ward off evil.

Claire took a step back from the window, from the impact of Elizabeth’s rage.

The orderly grabbed Elizabeth roughly by the arm and pulled her inside.

The crows waited, watched, then flew away.

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