Coffee Cream Brownies

I can't take any credit for this recipe. It originally came from Taste of Home but was posted on another blog that I didn't think to save the link from.
Here it is. I can't be held responsible for whatever may result from eating these.

1/2 cup butter
3 oz chopped chocolate
2 eggs
1 cup sugar (feel free to use less. they are fairly sweet)
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
Filling:
1 Tbsp whipping cream (I only had half and half and it was fine)
1 tsp instant coffee grounds
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
Glaze:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream

1. In microwave, melt butter and chocolate. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly. In small bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate mixture. Combine flour and baking soda, gradually add to choco mixture.
2. Spread into greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.
3. Filling: combine cream and coffee and stir until dissolved. In small bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in coffee mix, spread oiver brownies.
4. In small saucepan, combine chips and cream. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is thickened. Cool slightly. Carefully spread oveer filling. Let stand 30 min until glaze is set. Store in fridge.

My notes: I found they tasted better the next day and that I liked them better at room temp.
Also, I think that you could substitute a different flavour instead of the coffee and you'd still have a delicious brownie. Like mint, vanilla, or anything else you could imagine!

Because you just can't have too much chocolate

I little recipe I discovered. On Pinterest. Coffee Cream brownies.
Yum. Although if you do make them, do it well ahead of time. They taste better as they age.

Go ahead, have a lick.

Pin.terest

I am now officially on Pint.erest. And it is very fun. I came across this little nugget (and pinned it of course) and thought with all the people I know giving up FB for lent or any other reason, this might be encouraging and pretty much sums up the whole reason I left it years ago.
I know there are many people who thoroughly enjoy it and don't use it to gossip, slander or stir up trouble. It's just not for me.

Yesterday

A dear friend of mine who has boys the same ages as mine lives in the next town 1/2 hour away. Once in a while our schools have pro-D days that are the same and when that happens we try our best to get our kids together and to have a visit. Last year she discovered a military museum just down the road from her place and the best parts are that it's free and the kids can actually touch and climb on some of the vehicles! Hello, heaven for little boys.
Here are a few of the pictures I took.



Mildly disturbing, some of them. Nothing like seeing small boys behind real, live giant guns and things to make you hope that our world will stay peaceful always. I do love that they all had to don their camo in honour of where we were going.
Then it was off to McDonald's for lunch. A very good day for little boys indeed.

I forgot

Oops. I was going to post this on V-day but forgot.
Cupcakes for my Valentines

And the obligatory ribbon shots.
Not nearly as good as the Christmas ones but they'll do.
Oh why are we doing this again.

Fine, but you only get the bow.

Why me.

Love is in the Air

In preparation for tomorrow, I did a little baking.
Ethan's class needed cupcakes so this is what their getting:
Red velvet and vanilla.

I wanted to do something for Owen's class too so I got this idea off this blog and Owen and I set to work making them yesterday afternoon. I think they turned out really cute! And they were simple and easy for Owen to do as well.


Each of the kids will get one along with their Valentine card.

Here's to a Happy Valentine's for everyone.

More Improvement

We are on a roll this week!
Our fantabulous BIL, aka Master Painter, had a couple days off this week and willingly gave up his free days to come paint at our place. Also, we (meaning B)cleaned our carpets last Saturday and the carpet cleaner took a wee tumble down the stairs taking and couple nice chunks out of the wall which helped speed up the process just a tad. :)
We did the Wedgewood Grey and Willow 2 summers ago and couldn't quite decide on a colour to go with it. I wanted something neutral but not ordinary. And not remotely caramel coloured.
As with the other 2 colours the inspiration came from friends and so did this one - thanks Kori!
This is how it went down:
before

after

original

In between. Bad colour combo. Thank you hideous light bulbs.


Ahhh...so pretty! Love how the banister pops with the dark colour.


play room:



Now I am at peace.

Improvement?

One of the things I love most about this house is all the huge windows (except when they need cleaning :)). I love natural light and find during the days I rarely need to turn on lights. That being said it can sometimes feel like a bit of a fishbowl. I don't like having the blinds closed except for evening and night time but when someone stands at the front door with the blinds open you can see right back to our dinning room. So I thought this might be a good solution. The light still comes in but we aren't the neighbourhood entertainment when we're sitting down to dinner. It's just a peel and stick thingy but it's pretty real looking and I thought it was pretty. And that counts the most in my books.
Sorry for the dark picture but you get the idea.

A little closer.

A lot cheaper than getting a new frosted piece of glass!

When Dinners Go Bad

Wouldn't that make a great reality series? It's a reality all right.
So here's my soup of the week.
Clam chowder.

What the picture does not show you is the too thin broth and the sandy baby clams (which looked horribly creepy *shiver*)
I can't tell you for sure whether I actually love clam chowder or not as I have not had it in years and it's not something I'd order in a restaurant. But what I can tell you is that when I think of clam chowder I think 'thick, rich, creamy, succulent soup'. And another thing I can tell you was that this certainly was not any of the above.
So why did I make it, you ask? Because B is a lover of all things seafood and you do things like that for the people you love. Unfortunately if he was basing my love on this soup then he would think I hate him. Thankfully our marriage is based on more than my occasional sucky cooking.
I have tried making clam chowder once before and it was also a flop. Once bitten, twice shy? Twice bitten, forever shy? That's it, I'm out. Clam chowder, you are dead to me.