Tuesday, March 10, 2009

In honor of St Patrick's Day...

I've had some requests for the Guinness Brownies I make, so I thought I'd go ahead and post the recipe on my blog for all to see.


Guinness Brownies

(recipe is originally from The Grand Rapids Press)



Ingredients:

4 eggs
3/4 cup ultrafine sugar (I've used regular granulated sugar and noticed no difference)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (I've used salted butter and didn't notice a difference)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/4 cups Guinness stout
Confectioners' sugar for dusting


Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8-by-8-inch square pan and set aside.
In an electric mixer, combine the eggs and ultrafine sugar.
Beat until light and fluffy. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the bittersweet chocolate, white chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat into the egg mixture.
Whisk in Guinness. *If I remember correctly, the batter will be thin, so don't worry if it is since the liquid will bake out in the oven*
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out almost clean. *I've found it usually takes longer than given time* Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. To serve dust the cake with confectioners' sugar and cut into squares. *Dusting is optional*

Makes 8-10 large servings.

These brownies are very fudgy and rich. The Guinness taste isn't too overpowering. I can't say these are my favorite brownies, but they're good for St. Patrick's Day. :)

**Editing in** When whisking in the Guinness, keep whisking until it stops being foamy and turns a dark chocolate color, that's when you know the beer has been incorporated well into the batter. For my oven, they took approximately 30-35 minutes to bake.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #21

I'm a little late this week with my Twilight Tuesday challenge project. This week's challenge was brought to us Margie and is based on Bella’s mom - Renee Dwyer. It is also a dedication to the mothers in our lives.
Comment Portion: What do you care most about the “Mommy(s)” in your life (Moms, Sisters, Daughters, etc.) and/or do you have a similar relationship to someone like Bella and her Mom’s relationship?

Craft Portion: Create a Twilight project dedicate to “The Mom” in your life!

I really had to brainstorm on my idea for this one. Though I did learn that my supplies are a bit limited and I need to do some shopping. LOL Last night I finally came up with a project I'm happy with.

First off, my mom and I have become closer over the years. I feel that we have become more like friends but are able to maintain the parent/child relationship. Once I headed off to college, my parents and I began the family tradition (I do believe my mom and my grandmother did this also) of calling each other on Sunday. Now, 10+ years later, we still talk on Sundays and it is very rare if we miss calling each other. I think that's why I've been able to be so close to my parents despite living many miles apart.

My relationship with my mom and I is nothing like Bella and Renee. But I can relate to the distance (in miles) that separates them, which is where I think my inspiration for my project came from. The card I created is very simple, but it expresses that I miss my mom, which could be a similar sentiment between Bella and Renee.

Here's my project:
From Semper Papercrafting

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Two Sketch Challenges

After a week in sunny Florida, I find myself playing catch up with a few card projects. I'm getting close to the "mother-load" of birthdays for our families, which are the months of March and April plus my usual St. Patrick's Day and Easter cards.

I participated in my 2nd Mojo Monday challenge, but haven't gained enough confidence to post my submission on their blog site yet. The card I created is just so-so.

Here's the sketch:
From Semper Papercrafting


Here is my card:
From Semper Papercrafting



On Wednesdays Split Coast Stampers hosts a card sketch. I have had a card idea in mind for awhile, but didn't know exactly how I wanted to execute it. I am happy with what I created.

Sketch idea from SCS:
From Semper Papercrafting


My card:
From Semper Papercrafting

Okay... now back to a few more projects. I have my Twilight Tuesday challenge to work on (now that I *think* I know what I'm going to do) and several birthday cards I hope to finish this weekend.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Check out the Unity Stamp giveaway

My fellow Coastie Chick, who happens to be an awesome stamper is giving away some Unity stamps. You can check her out at: http://islandhoppingfoustcrafts.blogspot.com/2009/03/unity-giveaway-i-hit-my-100th-post.html

I hope I can win me some awesome blog candy. ;)

Give Winston a little love!

Just a quick break from my craft posts...



Click on the picture to vote for my kitty, Winston, to help him win his week in Bissell's Most Valuable Pet photo contest.