Cookies and Cream Brownies

I can't get this photo bigger without losing quality. So Annoying GMA!

Two years ago I happened to watch Good Morning America one morning. Let me just say that it is a RARE occasion when I get time in the morning to watch it. Normally, if we do have time we watch The Today Show but for some reason GMA was on. And, oh boy, am I glad! They featured the Cookies and Cream Brownie. Oh my goodness. This is one of the best brownie desserts I've ever made.

I've made this for school functions and the kids AND adults love it. In fact, at our preschool's bake sale one of the dads kept going back and buying more of them. He loved them! It was a hoot to watch him try to decide to buy something else -- but he always went back for the "Oreo" brownie.

Of course this recipe does present a dilemma for me, though, as I really don't like brownie mixes. For school functions I use the mix, but for any other function I make my own brownies from scratch (see Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate brownie recipe on the back of  the tin can -- it is soooo amazing!). Also, I don't use Oreos. Sorry!! But the ingredients scare me! I always use either Trader Joe's Jo-Jo's or the Paul Newman Newman's O's.  I really don't like trans fats or partially hydrogenated ANYTHING. So no Oreo's for us. If they'd stop making them with crap I'd buy them. Who wants to eat crap?? (Don't answer that). Anyway, that is how I dealt with my dilemma. Back to the recipe.

I found the recipe still online, thank goodness. Here it is below:

Ingredients

For the brownies:

Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pan
1 package brownie mix (about 20 ounces)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
2 large eggs
4 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)

For the Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
8 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped (1 cup)

Cooking Directions

Makes: 16 brownies
Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 40 to 42 minutes
Cool: 20 minutes

1. Make the brownies: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly mist the bottom of an 8-inch square metal baking pan with vegetable oil spray and set the pan aside.

2. Place the brownie mix, melted butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until moistened, about 40 strokes. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and press the 1/2 cup of chopped Oreos onto the top of the batter. Place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the brownies until the edges have set and the center is still a little soft (press it lightly with a finger), 40 to 42 minutes. Transfer the baking pan to a wire rack and let the brownies cool for 20 minutes before frosting.

4. Make the frosting: Place the cream cheese and room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until soft, 30 seconds. Turn off the machine and add the confectioners' sugar. Beat on low speed until the confectioners' sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds longer. Fold in the 1 cup of chopped Oreos.

5. Spoon the frosting on top of the cooled brownies in the pan. Using a small metal spatula, spread the frosting evenly over the top of the brownies. Place the brownies in the refrigerator for 10 minutes until the frosting sets before cutting them into 2-inch square bars and serving.

Keep It Fresh! Store the brownies, covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, in the refrigerator for up to five days. Freeze the brownies in the pan, covered with aluminum foil, for up to three months. Let the brownies thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Speed It Up!  Don't have 20 minutes for the brownies to cool? Place the pan in the refrigerator and they'll be cool in half the time.

Doesn't that sound divine? It is! Now you know for sure.
Hope you enjoy!

Strawberry and Basil Goat Cheese Cake by Tyler Florence

Pic from House Beautiful

While perusing one of my favorite sites, House Beautiful, I came upon this little lovey. Ummm...I love strawberries AND basil AND goat cheese AND I love, love, love cheese cake. So I think this pretty much has my name written all over it! But can I just say I would have NEVER thought this up myself?? Strawberries and basil on a cheese cake? Who knew?! Apparently chef Tyler Florence did. I love Tyler Florence as a chef -- I think his recipes are mostly spot on. So when I discovered this lovely recipe a few moments ago I knew I must try this asap!

First of all, I love House Beautiful. It's a fun magazine to peruse for design but they also have great articles to go along with making your home a beautiful home. This recipe is one of them.

Mr. Florence says this about the cheesecake:

 "This is a really special recipe of mine that I've been carrying around for years, and it's without a doubt the best cheesecake I have ever tasted.

The texture is light and refreshing, almost like a crème brûlée. It's fantastic with any fruit, but because strawberries are approaching the peak of their season, we're going to give them their just due. With the sprinkling of basil and goat cheese on top, the combination of flavors is mind-blowing."

Yep. It's a must-try for this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime here is the recipe and the link: 

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

10 ounces graham crackers
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
1 pint sour cream, at room temperature
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (I use Meyer lemons)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Topping
6 ounces fresh strawberries, stems removed and cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup sugar Juice of 2 lemons
2 ounces Grand Marnier
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese, frozen

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a large pan or kettle, heat 6 cups of water just to boiling and set aside.

3. In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, cinnamon, and melted butter and process until the graham crackers are finely ground and the mixture holds together slightly and is evenly moistened. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of the pan to a 1/4-inch thickness. Smooth the crust, using the base of a juice glass. Chill uncovered until ready to use.

4. In a food processor, mix the cream cheese, goat cheese, sour cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice, scraping down the sides as needed until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

5. Place the pan in the center of a large roasting pan. Place the roasting pan on the center rack of the oven. Carefully pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to a depth of 1½ inches around the cheesecake.

6. Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should be firm on the edges but still jiggle in the center. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 45 minutes at room temperature. Then chill uncovered until ready to serve.

7. In a large saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and Grand Marnier and cook over a medium heat for five to seven minutes, or until the sugar has melted and the mixture has thickened slightly. Remove the strawberries and continue to cook for another three to five minutes, or until the syrup has reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.

8. Spoon the strawberries and syrup liberally over the cheesecake. Serve garnished with the basil leaves and crumbled goat cheese.

If you're interested in House Beautiful -- you can get a great discount on magazines through amazon.com. I've searched online and they have some (if not the only) best deals on magazine subscriptions. Just an added FYI.

If you make the cheese cake -- let me know how it turned out for you. I'll do my best to make it this weekend as well.

Hope you enjoy!

Sigh... I love the Sundance Catalog

I love the Sundance Catalog!!

It just arrived and has so many cute (non-maternity) clothes that I could just cry. I want them all!! So, since I can't order anything given my *huge* state of affairs I thought I'd post all the wonderful things from the catalog that I would buy if I had all the money in the world.

First catagory up is DRESSES. Love these for Spring / Summer (if we ever get warm weather, that is. But that's a whole other conversation. For now let's pretend summer is on the way).

Prairie Ruffle Dress - $138.00

Modern Vintage Dress: $138

American Beauty Dress: $148

Chandra Paisley Dress: $138

Next up are some of my Favorite Tops:

Dahlia Tee: $64

Santa Cruz Top Solid (comes in yellow as well): $58

Serenata Tunic: $118

Route 61 T-shirt: $58 (love this with a cute pair of jeans)

Favorite Pants / Shorts:

A G Decade Flap Bootcut Jeans: $185

Sanctuary Peace Skinny: $98

Roll-With-It Capris: $68

Spring Weight Beachcomber Short: $68

Accessories (just two!):

Wild Rosette Scarf: $42

Crochet Cowboy Hat: $88

Fave Shoes:

Shimmer Espadrilles: $48

Delphine Sandals: $188

UGG Goddess Gladiator Sandals: $140

T B C Melinda T-Strap Sandals: $170

There are so many more things I'd love to post... but it's getting late and this is getting long! So I suggest you either log online or order the catalog to peruse at home and check out the rest of their things. They have great jewelry and fabulous things for the home as well.

Hope you enjoy!

Rat-A-Tat-Tat

I loved the movie Ratatouille. I love good food and thought this was a very clever film. My kids aren't too into it, though. I think it's a little too grown up for them at times. My son hates the part when the old lady shoots at the rats. It upsets him. I always have to skip that part of the movie so he can watch the rest of it.

But right now I want that old lady to come live at my house. I have rats living under my home. At first we were told it was a juvenile rat -- just one -- since there was not a lot of poop in my kitchen drawer (yes, he was hanging out with my kitchen towels). I was also told that he was not under the house but that he had come inside from an open door. To say that I was freaked out was an understatement. I-HAVE-A-RAT-LIVING-IN-MY-HOME?? The horror!! I do not like rodents and rats, while cute in cages, are not my thing.

The exterminators, however, had no clue what they were talking about. Not only do we have more than one rat they are living under the house. So while THEY could not find an opening for the rat(s) to come and go -- they assumed it was still in the house. They did not do anything to help. I had them put traps under the house just in case. Well, they caught one under the house. I had hoped that was it. But no... we can hear him/them(?) eating and messing around under the floors of our den. It's quite unnerving, actually.

And while I want my unwanted house guests to leave --- I still picture cute Remy the rat making food and being so cute in Ratatouille. I wish they would just leave on their own so that I wouldn't have to turn into the old lady and start shooting at them with my 12-gauge shotgun (not that I have one anyway!).

Anyone have some great advice on how to get rid of unwanted house guests?

One of My Favorite Poems

After reading the quote from Elizabeth Barrett Browning (see my last post just moments ago) it reminded me for some reason of my favorite poem in college.

I was a sophomore at the University of Utah and had just declared my major -- English. I was in my first required class to move forward with the degree. Dr. Phil Sullivan was my professor and I LOVED my class. It was fabulous. He had us reading so many different things... discussing so many different ideas. I wish sometimes that I could go back - especially now that I know more and would get so much more out of the discussions. I don't know if Dr. Sullivan is still there. I would be surprised if he was, but would love it if he was still teaching. He was one of the best professors -- so good in fact that I never forgot his name (I can't say that about most of the others -- oops!). He had us study a lot of works from The Norton Introduction to Literature, fourth edition. It was in this book that I found my favorite poem. It's fitting that my favorite professor introduced me to my favorite poem, don't you think?

A little about the author. Marge Piercy was born in 1936 and from what I can tell is still alive and publishing. (Love it!) She wrote a poem called, "September Afternoon at Four O'clock." I'd like to share it with you (is this allowed? I'm not sure but I hope so. I love this and want to share it!). I printed this out after our class discussion and hung it up in my room. Printed copies were so horrible back then -- it was not a very dark print, but I loved it. I had it forever until it finally faded away. I think I need to print a new one for my desk. I love reading this over and over again. Such a lovely way to describe life.

September Afternoon at Four O'clock

Full in the hand, heavy

with ripeness, perfume spreading

its fan: moments now resemble

sweet russet pears glowing

on the bough, peaches warm

from the afternoon sun, amber

and juicy, flesh that can

make you drunk.

There is a turn in things

that makes the heart catch.

We are ripening, all the hard

green grasping, the stony will

swelling into sweetness, the acid

and sugar in balance, the sun

stored as energy that is pleasure

and pleasure that is energy.

Whatever happens, whatever,

we say, and hold hard and let

go and go on. In the perfect

moment the future coils,

a tree inside a pit. Take,

eat, we are each other's

perfection, the wine of our

mouths is sweet and heavy.

Soon enough comes the vinegar.

The fruit is ripe for the taking

and we take. There is

no other wisdom.

Isn't that beautiful? I hope you enjoy it too.
Enjoy!

"Asking Ourselves a Key Question" by Dr. Wally Goddard

I just read this article online and thought I'd share it. It was too good to keep to myself. Here is the link:

Meridian Magazine - Asking Ourselves a Key Question

I loved this article by Dr. Wally Goddard. (He helped redo my favorite parenting book, "Between Parent and Child" by Dr. Haim Ginott, fyi.). I think this article brings up great points about how we view our relationship with God AND how we parent our own children. It definitely has given me something to think about tonight. I loved this part of the article the most:

Often, when [church] members expressed guilt that their scripture study was not deeper and more regular and that their prayers were not more lengthy and rich, I challenged them. Can you talk to Heavenly Father as you drive to work? Can you talk to Him about your hopes, worries, and dreams? Will you hum a favorite hymn of praise as you run errands during the day? Will you look for His face in the ordinary faces of friends and family members?

We must not reduce the spiritual practices that reveal God’s face into perfunctory and obligatory rituals of worthiness. Rather, we can sustain a conversation with Him even as we watch for His gracious hand and loving Face in our lives. Elizabeth Barrett Browning said it beautifully as she described the burning bushes in our lives:

Earth's crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God;

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

(Aurora Leigh, book 7, lines 820-23) p.254

How beautiful is that poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning? I love it.


Hope you enjoy it too!

Easter Egg Decor

I just got an email from Parents.com and they had some really great ideas for decorating Easter eggs. Thought I'd share. I'll post the pic and then a link to the page for directions.

Bleeding Art Tissue Paper eggs. These eggs use tissue paper for their designs.

 Shimmer and Shine! Use craft glue to adorn your eggs with beautiful sequins.

Sugarcoated! Use sugar or corn syrup as the glue for your edible sprinkles.

There are a ton more ideas online. But I'm having problems uploading the photos. So I'm going to call it a day and move on to my other projects for the day. Anyway, hope this gives you some ideas for decorating.

Hope you enjoy!

Oooooh La La! Chocolat Chaud... Mmmmmmm

Pic by Cambria Cove

Sometimes I get the Cambria Cove catalog in the mail. It's a lot of fun to peruse. They have some really great things in there. This Hot Chocolate Maker by Bialetti  has often caught my fancy.

Okay! I'll admit it. I am not a huge fan of hot chocolate. So this doesn't make any sense to me either. But when I went to Paris a few years ago my good friend, Alison, who had lived in Paris a few years herself told me that I "must go to Cafe Angelina for their Chocolat  L'Africain." I put it down on my list of things to do and ended up not only liking it - but LOVING it! Cafe Angelina is close to the Louvre and right across the street from the Tuileries Garden. It was also the perfect place to go while it rained outside. It was so crowded, though, that I thought it would take us forever to get in. Luckily, it was not. My friend Rachel and I were seated fairly soon and we ordered the African hot chocolate.

Pic from thekitchn.com

Pic from cakespy.com

Pic from whatscookingamerica.net

First of all, the hot chocolate doesn't come to the table like it does here in the States. You get a full pitcher full of rich, thick, melted chocolate, a little cup of whip cream heaven and then your large saucer in which to drink it in. The hot chocolate is thicker than any hot chocolate I've had - even in other Paris cafe's and Switzerland (aka Chocolate heaven). You get to mix in the whip cream to your liking. Some like it thicker and richer chocolate, others prefer a little more milk added to it. They don't guess at Cafe Angelina's -- they let you decide and perfect your own cup.

The only unfortunate part was that I had horrible morning sickness (it was a rough pregnancy from start to finish) and couldn't drink the entire thing. I keep telling my DH that I need a Paris redux but without morning sickness! The first place I'd go would be Cafe Angelina and get the hot chocolate and their macaroons. Mmmmmmm...

But since I know I won't be going to Paris any time soon (boo hoo) this little $100 hot chocolate maker might make it okay until then.

Here is a recipe I found online at Savoy TV for the hot chocolate recipe at Cafe Angelinas. I haven't made it - yet - so I'm not sure if it's even close. But it's worth a try.

Bon Appetit!

Café Angelina’s Chocolat L’Africain (deliciously decadent hot chocolate)

This recipe serves 2 small cups, or one large cup. 2 serious chocolate lovers should double it!

1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp of confectioners’ sugar (aka powdered sugar)
4 oz of chopped 72% Omanhene brand bittersweet chocolate (you may use another brand here, but ensure that it is close to 70% cocoa. We chopped up half of a Lindt 70% bar, found in the baking section of our regular grocery store.)
Heat the milk, cream, and sugar over medium high heat until bubbles are created around the pot.
Remove the pot from heat.   Add the bittersweet chocolate.
Stir until melted adjusting heat as needed.  Serve topped with whipped cream.

{Tasting Notes: Our review after making this -  it’s similar to drinking a chocolate bar, and perfect for those evenings when you are craving sweets after dinner.  And put your guilt on the back burner, dark chocolate is antioxidant packed.}

Let me know if you want to go back there with me. I'm ready and willing whenever!

Hope you enjoy!

Adele - 21

I am loving this new album from Adele. It's amazing. Her voice is just incredible. It's definitely not an album that is upbeat (it's about her breakup) but it's definitely fun to sing along with and listen to all day in the car. It makes me want to take a road trip.... definitely a great CD for a road trip.

Speaking of road trips -- I think my road trips are on hold for awhile. Has anyone done a long road trip with a nursing baby? I'm sure some of you have, but I have not. The thought of having to pull over to nurse, burp and change the diaper every 2-3 hours seems a bit much for me. But if you have any advice on this -- please share!! We love our road trips.

Just this past November I drove myself and the 2 kiddos to San Francisco for a long weekend. My DH goes to SF at least once a month and after explaining that daddy will be gone again to SF, my oldest says -- "That is not fair! We have never been to San Fansisco!"

So I called up my BFF from college, Andrea, and asked her what she was doing for Veteran's Day. Luckily - nothing! So we got in the minivan a few days later and trekked on up there. It was my first time driving alone with just the kids a long distance. It went really well, I must say. We had an absolute blast! My friend was the perfect hostess as were her children and DH. We went to the Okland Zoo, to Dim Sum in the city, Coit Tower, drove across the Bay Bridge a couple of times, toured around downtown, went to their "beach", saw the Golden Gate bridge.... my kids loved it. I loved it. I used to drive to San Fran at least every couple of months when I was single. Now it's so much harder to do. I didn't know I was pregnant at the time and was thinking that we'd do that more often. But now... well... we'll have to see about that.

I also got to stop by another BFF's house, Heather, and go to her son's birthday party. She had a petting zoo there and lots of delicious food and cake. It was great seeing her and her family (mom and sister included). Pre-kiddos when I'd go to SF to see her - we'd always take a nice long nap soon after I arrived. We'd wake up, go have a late dinner and then go out until all hours of the night. And we'd laugh for hours upon hours telling stories, reliving stories and just having fun being together. I think it was one of my first visits to see her when we did not take a nap together! LOL. It's too bad too. I loved those naps and then going out late. Those were good times.

See... this is what happens when you listen to Adele. You think back on some great memories all because you want to listen to her in the car on a long road trip to San Francisco.

Enjoy!

I can't decide which to share so I'm sharing both!

Okay, so I was on FB this morning (me? wasting time while paying bills? never!) and saw two different posts that I loved. But I couldn't decide if I should share them both now or do two different posts. They're not really related other than I love them. But I thought I'd just share them both now and call it a day.

The first was from Joy The Baker. A new food blog I discovered. You really feel like she's talking to you as she types her thoughts down. It's pretty funny. But what I loved most was this recipe:

Burnt Banana Chocolate Malted Milk. HELLO.

I am excited to try this.  I just bought Malted Milk powder last week to make some cookies with it (they didn't turn out so well... I couldn't taste ANY malt and they were flatter than pancakes) but I still have the powder and want to use it. This shake looks amazing. I would probably use greek yogurt if I were to make this for a breakfast drink though. Ha ha... yes, I'm trying to figure out how to make this for breakfast. I'll let you know what I come up with. I think, at first, I'll just try it how she posted though. It looks too good to mess with right now.

***

The next post I found was from Pink and Green Mama. She guest blogged elsewhere and posted this on Babble.com. If you don't know Pink and Green Mama's blog -- you are missing out on some fun crafts for young kids. P&GMama is a former art elementary school teacher turned SAHM and she has AMAZING things to offer us non-crafty people (and crafty people as well). Highly recommend her blog.

In the meantime she posted this lovely piece: Printmaking for Kids: Kitchen Sponge Cherry Blossoms

She had her kiddos draw trunks of trees (if you can draw a Y you can draw a tree, she says) on some lovely light blue paper. She then took clean kitchen sponges, trimmed them small, used clothespins to hold them and dipped the sponges in paint to make the leaves and grass. It's a really great painting idea. LOVE it.

Let me know what you think. Have any of you tried painting like this with kids before?

I'll let you know what I think of the shake later. We made chocolate banana shakes this morning for breakfast. If you freeze the bananas it makes it nice and thick like ice cream. mmmmmm!

April Fools' Day

Pic from Family Fun

Who doesn't love a great cake? Especially a delicious sponge cake? Well, this year for April Fools' Day we made sponge cakes for our friends and family. It was the PERFECT joke for everyone involved!

First of all - this is not a sponge cake as you and I know it. These are real kitchen sponges that I bought at Albertsons. We then iced them and put sprinkles on top to really make them look like a cake. So funny.

Family Fun magazine gave me this great idea. I changed it just a bit, though. I bought new kitchen sponges, 2 tubs of vanilla frosting and some sprinkles. I gave each child two sponges and a paper plate. Then they iced away. FF said to cut them into a circle and then ice them. I kept them as rectangles (no cutting involved) and it was SUPER easy. We had a friend over as well when we embarked upon this project. He loved it too. His mom is from Sweden and when she came to pick him up she was a little confused but laughed when she figured out what we were doing.

I don't know which was best -- making the "cakes" and decorating them OR trying to give them away. The entire process was enjoyed by all. My son tried giving his "cake" to his grandpa who came to visit. When my dad saw it he said, "Oh, that looks good. Do you want to share some with me?" My son answered "Ummm... no thanks!" That alone made my dad think twice about eating it. What 7 year old doesn't want a piece of cake? He laughed and laughed when he figured out it was a real sponge for the cake. My kids were so proud of their joke.

Family Fun does recommend making a real cake as well -- just in case you need to lessen the blow of some younger ones who might be really upset to find out it wasn't a real cake. My good friend told me that her nephew made a "cake" for her kids one year. They burst into tears when they realized it was a cardboard box covered in icing and sprinkles. So I think the option to have a real cake as back up is a great idea, especially if you're giving it away to anyone younger than 8. I loved this joke and wanted to share. If you have any great April Fools' Jokes -- please share.

Hope you enjoy!

Pic by Family Fun -- The inside of the sponge cake!

Interesting Entrances

I was on Apartment Therapy and saw some fun pics of interesting entryways. Thought I'd share some of my fave's with you. All pics are from Apartment Therapy.

Love the drawing to hang the coats. Quite creative!

A built in shelf created a place to put things by the entrance.

I finally know what to do with my antler's now!

A colorful rug, slim bookshelves and artwork transform this narrow hallway. 

Love the rug!

The wallpaper transforms this small space into something wonderful.

Hope you enjoy!

Home Offices

I've been out of commission this week. We've had a round of food poisoning (so fun! not!) and I have been extra tired with this pregnancy. I'm too old to be doing this again! But alas -there is no turning back. So I take every day as it comes... very slowly. : )

So as I sit at my desk and look around I've noticed that I really do not like my office space. I mean, it's fine. It's workable and doable. But as far as looking pretty and stylish -- that it is not. So here are some pics of some pretty great home offices.

West Hollywood Home - love the metal baskets. Pic from House Beautiful.

I like how the curtains can be pulled to hide all the office supplies. Pic from House Beautiful.

Okay, love this! Pic from Elle Decor

Pic from Architectural Digest. I love the natural light and white  furniture. Maybe when I have no little ones?!

This is more craft room - but I love it anyway. It's from House of Turquoise. I love this blog!

I love perusing these sites. It really does give me inspiration for my own home. If you happen to see any great home office photos online please share. I'd love to see more.

Hope you enjoy!