6 Dec 2010

Much and Link Love (December 6 edition)

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Second week of December and it actually feels like it out there. Here we go:
1. O Holy Night is def my fave Christmas (sacred) song. More thoughts on it later this week.
2. Reilly Band (violin rock) and Barlow Girl were both awesome last night. Enjoyed the drive, blaring country music and Sojourn Advent, dinner with a friend, and then music and conversation.
3. Fave country songs right now: anything by Zac Brown, Put You in a Song by Keith Urban, Rain is a Good Thing, Why Wait by Rascal Flatts, Stuck on You by Sugarland.
4. Reading this week: Philippians, John, advent book by David Horner, Acts commentary by Sproul, God’s Two Kingdoms, Eat Pray Love, and Kitchen Confidential, and any missions book I can find while working on Quarter 2 and 2 resources on missions.
5. I miss the weekly communion at Sojourn.
6. I loved the snow on the ground this weekend. Beautiful driving down Duraleigh with snow topped trees that were just brilliant reds and yellows. It won’t get out of the 40s this week. Sad times this cold stuff! 🙂
7. Fun things on tap this week: Parker and Otis (cafe in Durham), Getty concert, planning day, research day, lunch with staff ladies, hanging with a friend, dinner at a pastor’s house with family, party on Thursday night and day off on Thursday (which is always good), Christmas programs, dinner out, photo shoots (definitely the busiest of the whole month!)
8. College football is almost over. Sad times. But, this was not a great football weekend, NFL or NCAA. Only Bob Stoops pulled it out for me! Florida got a good bowl game and the Carolina v UT will be a good game too!

Link Love:
1. My friend Lara wrote a great post on Hope. I love hope this season. Christ is His Name!
2. Anyone struggle with an eating disorder, or know someone who does?
3. These truffle brownies will be making an appearance at a Christmas party near you!
4. Love that this is written by one of my fave female authors and that we were talking about Ephesians yesterday in Life class and how Ephesians talks so much about what she said!
5. What a great Kevin Bacon find…do you like Bacon?
6. Kevin has always brought me good things before. Will be making these soon!
7. This candy may be making an appearance at a Christmas party near you, too!
8. I love Jane Eyre. Can’t wait to see this!
9. Check out this Charlotte designer giveaway featuring a Jess LC necklace!
10. Francis for Christmas. Good stuff.

1 Dec 2010

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream

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Buttercream can’t exist in my house too long, or none of my clothes will fit! I have found the easiest way to do cupcakes is mostly to make a box mix (I used Devil’s Food for this one) and make my own buttercream.

I used this girl’s buttercream and then added some peppermint flavoring.

Here is the recipe for the buttercream:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 T milk
1 T peppermint extract

Cream butter for about 5 minutes. Add in sugar 1 cup at a time and keep beating for about 5 total minutes. Add in milk and extract. Beat a little more till light and fluffy.

Put on the top of the cupcakes and enjoy. Oh, if you want more peppermint flavor, I added a junior mint to each cupcake. I put a spoon of the dough in the cupcake wrapper and then dropped a junior mint (my Mom’s fave) and then finished filling the cupcake.

Enjoy!

13 Nov 2010

Dorie Greenspan's Quintuple Chocolate Brownies

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A friend who had one of these brownies said they were like fudge. Not fudge brownies, just fudge. I’ll take that as a compliment. These were delicious. I made them to celebrate a friend’s birthday. She liked them with some coffee ice cream. I just used dark chocolate sauce and cool whip. Either way – just eat them. Thank you Dorie.

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter
3 oz unsweetened chocolate (I used baker’s)
3 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used hershey’s dark)
2 T coffee
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
6 oz milk chocolate chips (I used hershey’s milk)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (down from 1 cup)

Glaze:
6 oz white chocolate (I used hershey’s white)
1/3 cup heavy cream

Sift all the dry together and set aside. Melt chocolate and butter and coffee over medium heat. Add in sugar. Add in eggs one at a time, add in vanilla. Add in dry. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.
Bake at 325 in greased and foiled square pan for 35 minutes (I had to cook mine for another 9), so just check it. You don’t want to overcook.

Cool for 20 minutes. Flip out onto cooling rack. When completely cool, then glaze. Heat cream to boiling (watch carefully as not to scald), pour over white chips, then pour over brownies. Set in fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

5 Nov 2010

Chocolate Chip Nutella Cookies

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Finally bought some Nutella when my parents were here over the summer. Got around to using it tonight for these yummy cookies.
Chocolaty – with a hint of hazelnut goodness known as Nutella.

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup of white sugar
1 cup of Nutella
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of chocolate chips

Cream, then combine dry. Fold in chips. 350, greased cookie sheet, small cookie scoop, 11-12 minutes depending on cookie sheet and other variables. Mine cooked perfectly at 11:30, but check it the first time around at around 10 to see how far you have to go to get that perfect doneness.
Enjoy.

3 Nov 2010

Sara Foster's Blondies

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Here is another good blondie recipe from my Durham/CH cafe friend, Sara Foster. These make a lot so I’ll be dishing them out to folks tomorrow.

4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 sticks, unsalted butter, softened
4 cups packed brown sugar
4 eggs
1 T vanilla
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine dry. Cream sugar and butter, add in eggs then vanilla. Mix with dry. Fold in nuts and chips.

Bake in greased 17×12 shallow pan. Press the batter into the pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 325. Enjoy!

26 Jul 2010

Too Many Chocolate Chips Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Can that really be true? Can a cookie have too many chocolate chips? I don’t think so. These cookies are a good indication that I might be right.

1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 T white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
4 C (2 bags) chocolate chips. I used swirled white and milk chocolate and 1 bag dark. Perfect blend!

Cream butter and sugar, add in egg. Then vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Mix in chocolate chips.
Bake on sprayed pans at 350 for 10 minutes (give or take depending on how big you make them). I liked them bigger because they stayed together better.
This recipe came from The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook

Enjoy!

12 May 2010

Chocolate Chip Fudge Brownies

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How bad can butter, sugar, chocolate, vanilla, and chocolate chips be?  If you don’t count the calories – these guys are fabulous.  My friend Ellie made them for lunch when I went to visit the month before I left Louisville.  I loved them – enjoying one with some hazelnut coffee on a rainy afternoon.

You can enjoy these with milk, coffee, on a sunny or rainy day.  Just enjoy them.  I made these for a birthday boy and a dinner where I have to bring dessert. 

2 sticks butter

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt chocolate and butter over medium heat.  Add in sugar, stirring till dissolved.  Add vanilla.  Remove from heat and stir in eggs, one at a time.  Add flour and combine till no flour remains visible.  Pour in pan – sprinkle with chocolate chips. 

Bake in a greased 9×13 pan on 350 for 30 minutes.  Let cool and enjoy.  Thanks Ellie!

6 May 2010

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake (2010.18)

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Semi-homemade dessert/brunch/breakfast. This is good – but to me it tastes just like a normal cake – in a different shape. It should be good with the amount of eggs in it. The chocolate isn’t overwhelming (I didn’t put the glaze on it – it probably would be too sweet). Even though it didn’t come out the best, I’m still taking it to the office tomorrow because I can’t see throwing money completely down the drain. I hope some of it gets eaten at least.
It does annoy me when magazines don’t put their name on the top or bottom of pages. I don’t know where this came from, but here you go:

1 butter cake mix
1 8oz container (light) sour cream
3/4 c canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Mix all but the last two. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan – half the batter. Combine brown sugar and chips – sprinkle in (see picture). Top with remaining batter. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until done. Let cool, remove, cut.
The sugar and the chocolate helps the chocolate chips from sinking. I would maybe even put a little more – but I doubt this will make it into a rotation. Although good for a quick yummy eating because most of the stuff will be handy or cheap.
30 Apr 2010

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars (2010.17)

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Best thing I’ve cooked (new) all month. Great way to end April! We are having Joy Prom at Church tonight and these are for the hundreds of volunteers we will have:

Makes 16 – not healthy at all (but very yummy)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cup creamy pb (I used skippy, not all natural) – the whole regular jar – then used the jar for Oats in a Jar this morning for breakfast
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 roll (16.5 oz) chocolate chip cookie dough

350. square ungreased pan.
Press about 3/5 of the dough on bottom of pan. Mix sugar, pb, and vanilla. Spread on top. Crumble rest of cookie dough on top and bake for about 30 minutes.
Let chill for about an hour. Cut into bars.
Serve chilled or room temp. Get them out of the house!
9 Apr 2010

Peeps Smores

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Mark this down as something I would never think to do.
I don’t normally like Peeps – never have. I bought a pack this year for my friend Becca who mentioned she loves them. I have also bought them for my friend Michelle who also likes them – but that has been my experience with them. I even love marshmellows – especially homemade ones – I don’t know what my deal is.
About a month ago I heard about this peep party among the ladies at Providence. I greatly anticipated this little shindig during my first week here.
Ingredients:
graham crackers
dark chocolate bars
Peeps (buying them after Easter makes this very cheap)
aluminum foil
napkins

Line a pan with foil. Turn oven on broil. Place half a graham cracker down, top with chocolate, then a peep (no color specification needed). Broil for about 15-30 seconds – literally they don’t take very long at all. You want them just browned on top of their cute little heads. Take them out – smush (technically cooking term) down the other half of the graham cracker. Enjoy.