Monthly Archives

June 2011

Brownies stuffed with York Peppermint Patties

Thursday, 30 June, 2011

Earlier in the week I had done a run through of these brownies…and they were such a terrible moment in my baking life. I was embarrassed. Horribly embarrassed. Thought I should give up baking forever kind of embarrassed.

After the initial let down and humiliation, I stepped away and let my head clear. Let my pride take the beating it so badly needed. Then I did what I always do when I fail at something – picked myself up, dusted myself off and then soldiered on.

My tenacity paid off. While not on the scale I would prefer because they do not look perfect, I accepted that this is still one recipe I have to keep working on. I accept that challenge.

But for now…It came out decently enough for me. I even took a picture for posterity. You know what comes out of this? Why, my brownie recipe at the end of the post!

Colin said that these brownies won over the QA department. I did half with the peppermint patties and half without. Deep down, I’m still a girl who loves her food simple despite the fact I am always trying to step up my baking game. I always keep trying to challenge myself and move out of my comfort zone.

I did the cookies yesterday and that felt fun. Different. Not an original thought for me, though. I got inspired from a cookie in Carson City, NV. From a buffet, nonetheless! It’s ok. I had a challenge in that I had to figure out how to get that brownie in the cookie. Believe me when I say it was a challenge. I won’t even touch on the thoughts that ran through my head on that one. Ok, maybe one vision that ran through my head: me viciously stabbing a cooked chocolate chip cookie and then shoving brownie batter in it. Yea, that’s not right, is it? I was a bit perturbed at that thought, to be honest.

I hope you enjoyed the picture of the brownie with peppermint patty and I hope I inspire you to bake this week or next!

Dark Chocolate Brownies

Rescue Beauty Lounge – Pink Shimmer

Thursday, 30 June, 2011

I purchased this color when it was about to be discontinued and there was a special sale for select colors to encourage purchasing. Of course I fell for it. I’m easily swayed by 50% off nail polish or 10 for $30. I fully admit it.

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Thank you, Elliot!

Wednesday, 29 June, 2011
Heart Shaped Brownies

Elliot works with Mr Carinae. Elliot made me happy. To show my appreciation, I decided to bake. My baking is better than my cooking.

I ate a cookie when I was in Carson City, Nevada, 2 weekends ago. I thought it was a plain old chocolate chip. Au contraire, mon frère! This cookie startled me – it was stuffed with a freakin’ brownie! Or was it a chocolate cookie? At any rate, I was bound and determined to replicate it.

I used my Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, but this time I used mini chocolate chips instead of regular sized ones.

I made brownies, let them cool and then used a cute little 1 inch diameter heart shaped cookie cutter. Pretty little heart shaped brownies!

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Chanel – Peridot, Graphite and Quartz

Wednesday, 29 June, 2011
Chanel Peridot

I was all excited when UPS delivered my package. For some reason, last week went by a lot faster than I had realized…and suddently, here it was, Monday and there was a pretty little package waiting for me. From Chanel.

Look at the pretty label shots I did. That’s a HINT of the colors to come.

Chanel Peridot

Chanel Graphite

Chanel Quartz

The rest of the awesome swatched colors are behind the jump! WARNING: The images are big and heavy. Please click the images to blow them up to their original sizes…and see my awful cuticles.

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comparison revlon

Revlon’s Sunshine Sparkle vs Chanel’s Mimosa

Wednesday, 8 June, 2011

Ah…the joys of owning nail polish. I can do fun comparisons. It never entered my head to keep up the comparisons when I started doing them last year, but as my collection grew I noticed there were some that really were so close to others that I had to put them side by side and let them duke it out!

I am featuring Revlon’s Sunshine Sparkle in this post because I’ve already written about Chanel’s Mimosa.

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