2.24.2011

Hello, delicious.

I stumbled upon this little gem, whilst surfing the vast and expansive abyss we like to call the 'net. My mouth immediately began leaking slobber, blog-worthy....CHECK!


Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Borrowed from Hell Yeah, Recipes!
Brownie:
1/2 cup butter
2 oz dark chocolate, chop
1 cup sugar
2 large & in charge eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp red food coloring
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
Cheesecake:
8 oz cream cheese, soft
1/3 cup sugar
1 large & in charge egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 8 inch metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment. In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir until combined and very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Add chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Add flour and salt and stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. To prepare cheesecake mixture, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth. Distribute the cheesecake mixture in 8 dollops over batter in the pan. Swirl in with a knife or spatula. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned. Let cool completely in pan on a cooling rack before lifting out the parchment paper to remove the brownies.
Borrowed from Hell Yeah, Recipes!

2.15.2011

Just love.

        This post comes just one day after my husband's 28th birthday, and the annual love-fest we call Valentine's Day.  There isn't a day that passes that I don't realize how incredibly lucky I am - but some days I am more aware than others.  Yesterday was one of those days.
        It's one of the most cliche statements a wife says about her betrothed - "He's my best friend." Cliche or not, sometimes there isn't a better way to make such a straightforward pronouncement. After a brief discussion we had last week after seeing some cheesy commercial - I'm guessing it involved a man & a woman some sparkly piece of jewelry, and ended with an awful jingle...every kiss begins with kay, he went to jared, etc.  You get the point.  Back to the story...
        I was telling Vince how much I appreciated him NEVER feeding me blatant lies, that us ladies tend to ooh and aah over.  Vince has never said..."You are the most beautiful woman in the world." "There is nowhere I'd rather be." "You complete me." Yada yada yada... I can see how that could sound like a bad thing.  But, from where I'm standing (sitting, currently) this is the best thing for a relationship.  A relationship that is not built on repeated quotes from movies, one liners, and insurmountable levels of perfection. 
The minute you stop saying things just to please people...that's when your heart truly speaks.
        This is all just from my personal perspective, of course - nothing scientific or even factual for that matter.  Just purely my thoughts. Being the cynic I am - I don't believe 2 people are "meant" to be together... I don't really think things happen for a reason... Fate. Destiny. Whateveryouwanttocallit. I don't buy it....so with that said,  I think eliminating the "fluff" is the only way to give & receive proper love.
        I love you Vince! I love that you love me (and the animals) like you do! I love that you let me be right, but tell me when I'm wrong. I love that you don't laugh at all of my jokes because they are not always funny. I love to hear you laugh. I love that you don't expect anymore of me than I do of myself. I love that we are going through life together.

casey




2.07.2011

Sometimes it's reassuring knowing I'm not the only one pretending to be normal.

I have a new obsession.  And his name is Dexter.  I know I'm late jumping on the Dexter bandwagon, but wow.  Vince and I watched the entire 2nd season on Saturday, and are officially hooked.  There are so many things I enjoy about this show, but for starters - the witty & clever writing.  I've found that so many shows these days, lack any sort of intelligent dialogue (this, coming from the girl who loves a Real Housewives marathon)...I think too often tv shows/movies have been dumbed down and are annoyingly too obvious.  I love that the show keeps my mind wondering, guessing, and anticipating the entire 56 minutes...and when it is over, I immediately feel the need to watch the next episode.  There is really no need to elaborate any further...the show can speak for itself.  So I urge you to hit up your local blockbuster (while they are still around), queue it up on Netflix, or borrow the DVDs from a friend.

Casey