My Funny Valentine

Hello Sweets,

I have again been a bad blogger :(.  I haven't been writing at all, or baking for that matter and this makes me sad!  Then last night I realized something, baking and cooking makes me happy so I best get my butt back into the kitchen.  So that is what I did, I even went as far as to schedule a dinner for my grandparents :)  The other reason I haven't been writing as much is because I've been painting, and I am loving it!!  When I'm feeling down or grumpy, I pull out one of the paintings I'm working on and just dive in.  I never realized that I had such a passion for it until I went to Painting with a Twist, and it just stumbled into my everyday life. I honestly didn't think I had the artistic capabilities, but I guess I was being too judgmental.  I have accumulated a few supplies; I have a bunch of paints (acrylic only, for now) and a full range of brushes.  I even have a few different canvases, all in different sizes, and even a cute little paint pallet.  There are only two things I am lacking, the first is a full size easel (I have a mini one lol) and the second is a stool so I can paint near my window with natural light.  I am slowly gaining more confidence, and not being so hard on myself.  The latter is harder than it should be lol, but all in all I am enjoying every minute of it.  I am particularly proud of the current project I'm working on, once it's complete I will share with y'all too!

Since I didn't post on Valentines day I thought today would be perfect.  Unfortunately Nathan and I could not be together this year :(, but as he always says "our Valentines hasn't happened yet, not until we're together".  He did send me a lovely bouquet of flowers, well they would have been if the delivery company was competent :(  The delivery got all messed up, then I couldn't pick them up like I was supposed to.  By the time I actually had them, they were wilted and died a few days later :(  Of course Nathan felt awful (even though it wasn't his fault), but thankfully they not only fully reimbursed him but offered him a free replacement bouquet :D  He hasn't ordered them yet, but I am super excited to get some purdy flowers.  I ended up spending quality time with my grandparents, I gave my grandmother a valentine with word search book and that made her happy.  My grandfather however, was more difficult to figure out what he'd like.  So I did what I do best, I baked him a treat!  Of course I sent enough over so my grandmother could enjoy them too ;)

Ultimate Chocolate Brownies (via Hershey's)

Ingredients

(brownie)

3/4C cocoa

1/2tsp baking soda

2/3C butter, melted and divided

1/2C boiling water

2C sugar

2 eggs

1 1/3C flour

1tsp vanilla

1/4tsp salt

1C semi sweet chocolate chips

 

(frosting)

6Tbs butter, softened

2 2/3C powdered sugar

1/2C cocoa

1/3C milk

1tsp vanilla

 

Directions:

1)  Heat the oven to 350F.  Grease 13"x 9"x2" baking pan or 2 8" square baking pans.

2)  Combine cocoa and baking soda in a large bowl; stir in 1/3C butter.

 

3)  Add boiling water; stir until mixture thickens.

 

4)  Blend in sugar, eggs, and remaining 1/3C butter.

 

5)  Add flour, vanilla, and salt; blend well.

 

6)  Add chocolate chips.  

 

7)  Pour into prepared pan(s).  Bake for 35-40 minutes for the rectangular pan, and 30-35 minutes for the square pans.  Or until the brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.

 

8)  While brownies are baking, prepare the frosting.  Beat butter in medium bowl.

 

9)  Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency.  Additional milk may be needed.

 

 

10)  Stir in vanilla.  Makes about 2C.

 

 11)  Cool brownies completely in pan.  Frost with prepared butter cream.  Garnish with additional chocolate chips, if desired.  Cut into squares.

I may have taste tested it lol

 I thought I would try to be fun and cute by cutting out valentine themed brownies.  This was easier said then done lol, I don't think this particular recipe is solid enough.  However, I will share what I attempted lol :p

A penguin, because they only have one mate for life.  So frickin' adorable lol

Two hearts, lol that needs some additional shaping.

 This recipe, although may not be solid enough for cookie cutters, it is very yummy.  They're very moist, and deliciously sinful with chocolate.  I don't normally care for anything overly chocolatey, but these are so delicious that I may have ate more than one.  Okay, okay more than two :(  It's not my fault, I was sad because I was without my soul mate on a day meant to celebrate love.  Although as I'm writing this I realize that Nathan and I don't need one day, because he try to celebrate each other and our relationship all the time.  I know I'm cheesy, lol but y'all love me and therefore my cheesiness ;)

Tomorrow I've got a non dessert recipe to share with y'all, but something savory and equally delicious!  Until next time....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo 

O.M.(chocolate)Goodies!

Hello Sweets,

I'mmmmmmmmmmmm baaaaaaaack!!  Lol yes it does feel great to be back at my computer for my blog, and on a regular basis ;)  I'm also trying out some new recipes this week, I started tonight with a delicious roasted chicken and my kitchen smells so good.  Yes it would have been cheaper to just pick up a pre-made one at the grocery store, but we all know that is not the Canuckette way.  Not to mention I wouldn't know what went in the prep or how to cook a moist whole chicken, but now I do!!  However, that tender and juicy recipe will not be revealed today, today I wanted to write something sweet instead and no I'm not talking about a little love note ;)

Everyone loves brownies right?  I know what you're thinking, I've already done brownies.  These brownies, much like their name, are the best brownies ever (so far)!!  I wanted a brownie that had a frosting on top, as those were my favorite when I would buy the boxed stuff *hangs head in shame*.  But that is not the way I bake anymore, only with heart and love now and that means no more boxes!  Nathan and I went to visit some of my family in Florida a couple weeks back, we flew over in his small airplane which took 6 1/2 hours but with views like this who can complain;

 

 

 

 so pretty right?

So keeping with my new love of sharing my baked goods I wanted to bring some brownies for the family to enjoy :)  Yes I know, total dork, but that's just me and I'm okay with that ;)  Lets get to the yummy treats shall we?

The Best Brownies

Ingredients

14Tbs butter

4oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/2C sugar

2 1/4Tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

1C flour

1/3C pecans, chopped

2 1/4C powdered sugar

1/2C unsweetened cocoa powder

3-4Tbs milk

 

only the best chocolate for my man ;)

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 400F.  Grease an 8" square baking pan.  In a large heavy saucepan over low heat; melt 8Tbs of butter and the chopped chocolate, stirring constantly.

 

2)  Remove from heat and stir in sugar, 2Tsp vanilla, and eggs (one at a time).

 

 

 mmmm chocolate!

3)  Blend in flour and pecans.

 

4)  Spread batter in the prepared pan and bake until brownies just start to pull away from the sides of the pan; 18-22 minutes.

 

5)  To prepare frosting; in a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat remaining butter and vanilla until creamy.

 

6)  At low speed; gradually add powdered sugar and cocoa powder alternately with milk, beating well after each addition until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

 

7)  Frost brownies when removed from oven by gently spreading on.  Cut into 16 squares.

 

(I forgot to take a picture of the completed brownies :( )

These brownies are so moist, chocolaty, and AMAZING!!  Lol these are close to what I'm striving for in my perfect brownies, I love brownies with frosting so this is a keeper :)  Only thing left to do is to make small little changes until they're worthy of a Canuckette title ;)

As much as I would love to write a little more for y'all, I have a migraine starting and I also have some research to do.  Yes the research is food related, and of course it is a surprise ;D  Until next time...........


Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxoxo

 

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Hello Sweets,

Well we made it to the weekend, and it is already almost over :(  I hope you all had a super productive week and hopefully you are treating yourself for working so hard.  I finally got my hair cut yesterday :D, and I am even going back to Yelp (who helped me find the hairdresser) to write her a fantastic review.  My hair is now healthy, light, and manageable once again, and she even gave me some romantic soft curls which I am loving!!

I'm sorry I didn't get this post out last night but sometimes things don't always go according to plan, but I didn't want to keep this gem from you any longer (pain or not).  I have known for a long time that I'm not like most people, actually I am very unique and sometimes even weird lol Nathan can confirm all of this.  Well when I was little, one specific eating habit confirmed this every year, actually a few different times a year lol.  How many of you like chocolate?  How many of you love chocolate?  Most people do, and when you get it as a gift you're pretty excited right? lol  Well I have never been too thrilled upon opening (I know I know, it's the thought that counts).  Now my family learned very quickly that if they wanted to get me chocolate that it should be white or I wouldn't eat it, but still many times my mom would forget and I would end up with plain milk chocolate.  After years of throwing it away it dawned on me, why was I not eating this chocolate in the same sense of the chocolate bars that I buy?  So the next Christmas and Easter I received more plain chocolate, I then marched into the kitchen and grabbed the peanut butter out of cupboard and started dunking the chocolate.  Lol I know this will seem weird to some and gross to others, but for a peanut butter lover such as myself it was the perfect solution and I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out.

So it's probably fairly obvious what my favorite chocolate bar is (although it's cups not a bar), Reese's Peanut Butter cups.  I've made chocolate peanut butter squares before and they are quite delicious, but as soon as I saw this recipe (although I am not sure where I saw it :/ sorry) I had to make it because it looked to die for.  So let's not waste any more time and get a little "nutty" in the kitchen lol (see what I did there).

Brownie Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients

3/4C sugar

1/4C butter, softened

1 Tbs water

1C semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus 1/2C for garnish

1 large egg

1/2tsp vanilla

1C all-purpose flour

1/4tsp baking soda

3/4C milk chocolate chips, plus 1/3C for garnish

3/4C creamy peanut butter

only the best chocolate for my man ;)

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray or grease 12C muffin tin.  In a medium microwave safe bowl, combine the sugar, butter, and water.  Microwave on high for about 45 seconds or until the butter is melted.

2)  Stir in 3/4C of the semi-sweet chocolate chips until melted.  Stir in egg and vanilla, mix well.

3)  Add the flour and baking soda, mix well but do not over mix the batter.

4)  Allow the batter to cool to room temperature (this won't take very long, maybe a few minutes), then stir in 3/4C of the milk chocolate chips and remaining 1/4C of the semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Spoon batter evenly into the muffin cups.

5)  Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out slightly wet.  After the brownies are out of the oven wait for the centers to fall, this will happen upon calling (if not tap the center with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole for the peanut butter).

 left is from straight out of the oven, right is the brownies centers fallen

6)  Place the peanut butter in a small microwavable bowl, microwaving on high for 45 seconds then stir.  While brownies are still warm spoon about a teaspoon full of peanut butter into the center of each brownie.  Top with the remaining chocolate chips (I combined them into a single bowl and sprinkled a combination on each "cup").  Let cool completely in the pan.

There you have it, a very yummy but not too healthy lol treat that anyone will enjoy.  Nathan isn't much of a fan for the peanut butter chocolate combination, but he definitely enjoyed this little cup of goodness.  Here is some up close pictures so your eyes can convince you if the sheer description hasn't convinced you yet :)

Don't they look yummy!

So there is the sweet treat for tonight, tomorrow I'll be creating both something old (but with some new twists), and something very new (as in never tried anything like it).  One will be sweet and the other savory, so you must come back to see the surprises.  My single hint to you is; it's both the most important and best meal of the day ;)   Until next time..................................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

A successful event deserves brownies!

Hello Sweets,

I hope you all are having a spook-tacular Halloween!  I love this time of year.  The smell of the seasons changing, seeing all the little ghosts and goblins dressed up, and nothing says fall more than a fresh loaf of baked bread :)  Yup that's right, I finally succeeded with the whole wheat honey bread!!!  I either had a bad batch of yeast, or it didn't activate.  Either way, we now have two fresh loaves of bread, and the house smells absolutely divine.

Aren't they purdy :D

After last nights fail, I was feeling a little defeated, and somewhat frustrated.  So of course, I started looking at some of my favorite foodie websites, and came across a recipe for homemade brownies.  Now I don't know about you guys, but brownies always make me feel better lol, and I decided to bake them alongside the bread, just in case I had another mishap.  Now they didn't fall out of the pan easily, so they're not pretty, but they are pretty tasty lol.  Ok, on to the recipe, because that's why you came here after all!

Cocoa Brownies (via The Food Network)

Ingredients

soft butter, for greasing the pan

flour, for dusting the buttered pan

4 large eggs

1C sugar, sifted

1C brown sugar, sifted

8 ounces of butter, melted

1 1/4C powdered cocoa, sifted

2Tsp vanilla extract

1/2C flour, sifted

1/2Tsp salt

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 300F.  Butter and flour an 8" square pan.

2)  With an electric mixer, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow.

3)  Add both sugars and mix well, add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

4)  Pour batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes.  Use the tried and true toothpick method to see if the brownies are done.  Check in the middle as that is the last part to bake.

5)  When it's done, remove to a rack to cool.  Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.

yummy!!

Now believe it or not, this was my first time baking brownies from scratch.  How sad is that? lol  They are so much better this way than store bought or boxed brownies, and it is very simple and quick too!  What is your favorite sweet to bake?  My favorite recipes are the ones that are passed down through families.  With my family, it was chocolate chip cookies, lemon meringue pie, zucchini bread, and banana bread.  My grandmothers banana bread is so moist, and the crust has this nice thin layer of crunchy goodness to it.  When she finally gave me the secret recipe, the first thing I did was make some "jen-ifcations" lol, which means I added chocolate chips and eventually even peanut butter!  I always bring my baked goodies to my grandparents, and she has always liked the changes I've made :)

Now I know this is somewhat of a short post, but tomorrow will be longer as I will be making not one, not two, but three different recipes tomorrow (yikes I'll be one busy little girl).  This is in preparation of the Texas AAA 500 race.  Nathan's family has season tickets, so we will be spending the weekend down at the track!  This also means my posts might be a little spaced out more so than usual starting on Friday.  I am thinking I might do a couple of race themed posts about what we did, and what we ate.  This will sound silly to most of my American readers, but I had never been tailgating before last April when we went to my first NASCAR race EVER, and they bring all sorts of yummy food to cook out in the parking lot before and after the race (when you're waiting for all the cars to vacate the parking lot).  Needless to say, and to Nathan's surprise (but he loves it), I love tailgating and even the races too!  Just another thing the love of my life and I can do together, plus we are the cutest racing couple ever lol, just kidding, but no really we are ;) .

See, wasn't I right :p

Now have a haunting good evening, and enjoy all the little kids that come to your door tonight.  Until next time........

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo