Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Double Chocolate Pistachio Brownies


I found this recipe on a baking blog and tried it out this weekend. I would never think to put pistachios in a brownie. Genius.


1/2 cup butter

9-ounces dark chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk chocolate chunks

1/2 cup toasted pistachios


Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.In a medium glass bowl, combine butter and dark chocolate. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring regularly, until the two are melted together. Stir in brown sugar.In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, flour, vanilla and salt. Pour in chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Stir in milk chocolate chunks (or chips) and pistachios. Pour into prepared pan.Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only wet crumbs, not batter, attached.Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then carefully lift foil and brownies out of pan and place on a wire rack to cool.Cool completely before slicing into 25 small pieces with a sharp knife.
Makes 25 brownies. - Yeah right! More like 9-12 :)


(Not my picture, but from the website where I found the recipe)


Another Pic


Maryanne just sent this - I like it. :)


Sunday, April 27, 2008

Back to the Beach

Rob and I went back to Aptos not this weekend but last weekend. Jen and Brad weren't able to make it but Maryanne and Brian were able to come and we had a great time of walking on the beach, eating good (actually, we ate like college boys in a fraternity, i.e. white castle burgers), played games and got our drink on. Dorothy and Keith graced us with their presence on Sunday morning for breakfast. Below are some pics of our weekend.

Buddy with his Godmom, Dorothy

"Beach Love" -Dorothy



I'm too sexy for this breeze



Buddy telling me I'm crazy in "Dog"



Buddy looking at Daddy


Friday, April 25, 2008

Return of the Poo Bag

For all of you that want to know: Yes, the townhouse is still for sale.

I was at work yesterday and received a call at 11:15 from a realtor asking to see our house from 11:30-12:00 and to return her call if this is a problem. I received the message at 11:39 and called her back right away. I told her the place isn't ready and could they perhaps see it later this afternoon? (this is typical - a realtor calls, our house isn't ready,I drive home frome work, tidy up, take Buddy out while they are there, come back in and work from home the rest of the day). Well, this realtor would not have it. She insisted on seeing it and was actually already in our neighborhood. I swear I heard her heels clicking on pavement, probably right outside our door. She said he REALLY wants to see it and he is here from out of town, needs to get back to the office, blah blah blah. I warned her again its not ready and we have a dog. She said to not worry at all. Fine! So I told her to go ahead and cringing inside not remembering what was left on the bedroom floor. Did I leave my underwear on the floor? Did I pick up my ice cream wrapper from last night? I told our realtor not to bother following up with them because I am too embarassed to hear their feedback. You would think the house would look good because just one day prior another realtor brought their clients by. Well my friend, its amazing how much of a mess I can make in such little time.

So after work, I went home to inspect the damage:
1.) tax return on chair in living room
2.) coffee table pushed against wall, not centered (duh, so Buddy has room to run)
3.) blanket crumpled up on floor (for Buddy to sleep on)
4.) about 4 dog toys thrown around randomly
5.) jacket crumpled on stool in kitchen
6.) mail spread out on island
7.) receipts on desk
8.) pee pad upstairs (unpeed on though - so thats a plus right?)
9.) random clothes on dresser
10.) bed half made (made but decoration pillows by bed on floor)
11.) towel on floor in bathroom (for when we get out of the shower)
12.) mismatched towels
13.) dress laid out on guest bed for my friend Jen's shower on Saturday
14.) blow dryer and make up bag on bathroom counter
15.) shoes on guest bed (don't ask)
16.) and finally.....a doggie poo bag on the steps down to the garage

I'm totally expecting an offer coming through any day now...

Monday, April 14, 2008

Chocolate Peanut Buttery Goodness

I made peanut butter and chocolate chip muffins last night and they were y-u-m-m-y. Rob and I brought them to work and they were a hit if I do say so myself. Below is the recipe - enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (or smooth)
2 large eggs
1 cup milk (low fat or skim is fine)
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar.In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, peanut butter, eggs and milk until smooth. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.Divide batter into your paper-lined muffin tin. Each cup should be filled to the top, not just half way up, to ensure you get a nice dome on the muffin.Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

This Just In...

We lowered the price of our townhome from $730,000 to $709,888 today. We already got a call from a realtor to see it tomorrow so thats a good sign. Think happy thoughts!

Friday, April 4, 2008

Shout Out

I want to give a shout out to my awesome husband who found out he got the Sales Engineer position at his company! Good job Rob!!!

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Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Friends with Benefits

Yup that's right, I have a friend with benefits and its soooooooooo nice. His name is Mike and he works for HP. For every sharks game, HP gives away tickets to their employees via a random raffle. Mike and Sarah have brought Rob and I to sharks games with them three times in the last couple months. I don't know the rules of hockey, nor do I pretend to. I get the basics: team A trys to get their puck in a goal and team B tries to block them. I also know that "four in the net, pizza you get." Even though I don't know the rules but I really like watching hockey games more than any other team sport but only if its live. Sports on TV bore me. So anyway, we went to a game last night (sharks won 5-2, boo ya!) and it was fan appreciation night. Hells ya! You know what that means. Well if you don't it means everyone gets a free sharks blanket upon entering the stadium which I was stoked about and they handed out prizes all night long during the game like home depot cards, cash, concert tickets, jerseys etc. I didn't win anything which I thought was lame but it was fun anyways. So anyway, I want to give a shout out to Mike and Sarah: thanks again guys for a fun night!