Brownie Tasting & Cooking

Ducan Hines and Cheescake-brownies.

Yesterday we went to a Brownie Workshop with Annie at Taste of America. We leaned how to make 4 different types of Brownies. One of them was with the mix from "Ducan Hines". She recommended using soft olive oil for this one.

A variation from this recipe was making it into a cheesecake-like brownie.
For this we would need: 1/2 cup of sugar, 200 grams of Philadelphia, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon of flour, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. One all the ingredients are blended, one pours half of the brownie dough into the container, then the "cheese" mix, and finally the other half of the brownie mix.

Chocolate syrup brownies

 To make intense dessert syrup brownies: Mix well 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 4 eggs. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 container chocolate syrup, 1 cup and 1 tablespoon flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Cook for 20'-30' depending on the container.
For the top, mix 1/3 cup butter and 1/2 cup melted chocolate. Pour on top of the already baked brownies. Add nuts on the top for a cute touch.

Pure cacao brownies

How to make Pure cacao brownies:  1/2 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 4 eggs and blend well. Add 2 teaspons vanilla, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/2 cup cacao, blend well once more. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon "Nescafé", and 3/2 cups flour. Mix well all the ingredients and bake for 30'-35'. Don't forget to preheat the oven!

They were so so soooooo yummmy!!! Enjoy!

Valentine's Day in Pics

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Chocolate is sweet,

And so are you.

Valentine's Day is a great day to share love with family and friends (like every day). But it is always fun to do something special (like waffles!).

And then of course, a nice surprise is always nice :)

Happy Birthday A!

One my dearest and closest friends has just become 20 some days ago. We met on a Cross Country Championship as room-buddies and here we are :)

We celebrated her birthday at the XXL restaurant the we all love and adore. Here are some pictures of the celebration :)

Doesn't all just look yummy! :)

A little bit of love :)

There she was, struggling again. She was trying to not be late to catch the bus, but her cell phone rang. Without hesitation, she ran towards her bedroom to get dressed  and picked up with a relaxed voice.

- "Hey! It's you!" - she answered.
On the other side of the line, someone special asked her questions about her day.
- "You caught me kind of busy...right now. I need to get dressed, brush my teeth and get my bag ready for school in 5 minutes."

It seemed like they were going to hang up, but on a second thought she decided not to. Even though it would take her a little longer to do all she had to do, it was definetely worth it. Besides, ¿what was the speaker phone for?
About five minutes passed by and she was already  tying up her warm brown boots. Down the stairs and out she went, rattling about how relaxed her morning had been.

- "It sure is cold" she commented as soon as she got out of her building.

Cold breeze came from the mountain  at this time of the year and made it seemed colder than it really was. She crossed the street towards the bus stop.

-"Thanks for calling me" she finally said.

She really meant it, one could notice it, though it had taken her a little too long to say it. Multitasking stressed her out most of the time and always took her a few moments to sink in on what was really happening around her.

The bus came. Up she went describing the last book she had read that made her cry.
Suddenly, her phone made a wierd sound.

- "Hey, my battery is low. My phone may die " she explained hastily.

He also told her what their plans for the following weekend could be, hoping that she would be thrilled with his proposal.

Beep-beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep...

She thought her battery had died, but no... her phone was still working. Awkward.
Her hands started writing a text message..

 I don't know what happened. I thought my phone had died, but it is still breathing. LOL. Thanks for calling me, it was nice to hear your voice. I can't wait to see you. ILY.

Just as she clicked "send", an incoming text message made her cell phone vibrate.

Hey! I had no service as I drove down a tunnel. Btw, thanks for talking to me on my way home:) It is always nice to hear from you.I wish you a great class. Ti amo.

She thought it was coincidence, but as she reconsidered it, she smiled. No, she knew it was not a coincidence. They just really cared about each other.