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Showing posts from December, 2014

recommended reading 2015

600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz A Summer Stoke Affair  by Caroline Kington  A Tangled Summer  by Caroline Kington  A Week in Winter  by Maeve Binchy  Ada - Vladimir Nabokov Alone, Lisa Gardner, American Pastoral - Philip Roth Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty Before I Met You: A Novel Jewell, Lisa Bozo Sapiens: Why to Err is Human by Ellen Kaplan  Catch Me, Lisa Gardner Cinder, Marissa Meyer;  Consequences,Aleatha Romig  crazy little thing Tracy brogan, Crazy Love by Francis Chan Crazy Rich Asians: Kevin Kwan Cutting for Stone Abraham Verghesse Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free by Hector Tobar. Defending Jacob by William Landay Divergent Series by Veronica Roth Emerald Green (Ruby Red) Gier, Kerstin Evening Class  by Maeve Binchy Everyman - Philip Ro

Good Versus Nice

My thought of the day;    Nice people don't talk about the nasty thoughts they have.   Good people don't have nasty thoughts. I don't like nice people.

Homemade hot chocolate from cocoa powder

INGREDIENTS: 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 cup white sugar 1 pinch salt 1/3 cup boiling water 3 1/2 cups milk 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup half-and-half cream DIRECTIONS: 1. Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

brownies from scratch using baking cocoa

Better Brownies Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes Servings: 16 INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan. 2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. 3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Christmas Break Fun

 Fort Harrison  Broad Ripple Park

Happy Christmas 2014

Steamed Treacle Sponge Pudding

If the winter weather is getting you down or you're feeling grey or sad, I'm certain a steamed treacle sponge will put you right in no time at all.  It takes moments to prepare, will steam away happily all by itself without needing attention, and is the ultimate in comfort foods.   Serves 6-8 Ingredients  1 tablespoon black treacle  3 tablespoons golden syrup  6 oz (175 g) self-raising flour  1 rounded teaspoon baking powder  6 oz (175 g) butter, softened  3 large eggs  6 oz (175 g) soft light brown sugar To serve:  3 extra tablespoons golden syrup  custard or crème fraîche Oven temperatures and Conversions Click here for information You will also need a 2 pint (1.2 litre) pudding basin, well buttered, a large mixing bowl, greaseproof paper and foil measuring 16 in by 12 in (40 cm x 30 cm), some string and scissors. This recipe is taken from Delia Smith's Winter Collection. It has also appeared in Sainsbury's Magazine (Jan