A few weeks ago I took the plunge and posted my first video on YouTube. It's taken me a long time to "get" YouTube and in many ways I still don't. Especially the viral video thing. Here at OTX, we show people how to use Movie Maker to make slideshows and for digital story telling. I have yet to do my digital story because I honestly hate talking about myself but I'm working on something as we speak.
This slideshow is suppose to be about the beginning of this journey I've taken. Leaving my home in the South where all my family and friends are, to come to California. The music is from Season 1 of Mary Tyler Moore show. I recorded it with Audacity while the dvd was playing on my computer. Enjoy!
28.9.09
23.9.09
Irish Creme Brownies
I've been craving brownies for about a week now so last nite I finally decided to whip up a batch. At first I was wanting something dark that would go well with raspberries. Which lead me on a search for something with Chambord (a french liquer made from raspberries, vanilla and other wonderful things) I found Tiger and Strawberries' recipe for Chambord Souffle Brownies and the irish creme version. A recipe good enough to induce marriage proposals? ^-^ had to give it a go.
As usual even with a first time recipe I already change a few things. Also I don't have an electric mixer yet, so even with my tired arms it didn't get as fluffy as it could've. They still taste so good! My room-mate, my co-workers, and my crush and I love em. I personally enjoy these with coffee milk, I know that isn't very Dixie of me but coffee milk is good stuff.
Iri
sh Creme Souffle Brownies from Tigers & Strawberries
Filling Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons Bailey's
Brownie Ingredients:
12 ounces good semi sweet chocolate, chopped finely
4 tablespoons butter
4 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons Bailey's
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
Method:
Set rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 9 inch glass baking pan by lining completely with foil, allowing about three inches overhang on all sides. (Use one sheet of foil going in one direction, and then another sheet going the other way.) Carefully press the foil so it follows the shape of the pan as well as possible. Leave the overhangs standing upright. Spray the pan well with Baker’s Joy.
Beat together filling ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
Melt chocolate together with butter over a hot water bath, or in microwave. (If you use the microwave, start on thirty seconds, and take out the chocolate and stir. If it still needs more time, go in five second increments–do not burn the chocolate!) Cool to just about body temperature.
Beat together eggs, vanilla, Chambord and sugar, until pale yellow and quite frothy. Add chocolate and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated. Put onto high speed and beat for one minute, or until stiffened slightly, and lightened in color.
Stir flour, baking powder and espresso powder together to combine well. Sprinkle over chocolate mixture and stir in slowly, scraping down side of bowl as needed. Beat on medium speed to incorporate air–beat until mixture lightens considerably and is quite stiff and fluffy–about one and a half to two minutes.
Spread half the brownie batter into the bottom of the pan in as even a layer as possible. It will be difficult to spread so pat it down as much as possible without compressing it overmuch. Spread the cream cheese mixture over it. Dot the raspberry preserves over the cream cheese, then draw a spatula or knife through, marbling it as shown in photograph above.
Take the remaining brownie batter, and divide into fourths. Dollup each forth into a quadrant of the pan on top of the cream cheese batter, then dabbing and pressing, coax the chocolate layer to cover the cream cheese layer as much as possible.This is tricky–the chocolate is stiff and hard to work with, but it eventually will work out if you keep at it.
Bake at 350 degrees for forty-five to fifty minutes. As described above, the brownie will puff up and seem quite liquid in the middle when it is done. That is fine–that is the way it is supposed to be. Take it out, set it on a wire rack on top of the stove,. turn off the oven and let it cool completely before lifting the brownies out of the pan by using the foil as handles.
Cut into tiny pieces, keeping or discarding the thin crisp layer at the top as desired.
As usual even with a first time recipe I already change a few things. Also I don't have an electric mixer yet, so even with my tired arms it didn't get as fluffy as it could've. They still taste so good! My room-mate, my co-workers, and my crush and I love em. I personally enjoy these with coffee milk, I know that isn't very Dixie of me but coffee milk is good stuff.
Iri
Filling Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons Bailey's
Brownie Ingredients:
12 ounces good semi sweet chocolate, chopped finely
4 tablespoons butter
4 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons Bailey's
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
Method:
Set rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 9 inch glass baking pan by lining completely with foil, allowing about three inches overhang on all sides. (Use one sheet of foil going in one direction, and then another sheet going the other way.) Carefully press the foil so it follows the shape of the pan as well as possible. Leave the overhangs standing upright. Spray the pan well with Baker’s Joy.
Beat together filling ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
Melt chocolate together with butter over a hot water bath, or in microwave. (If you use the microwave, start on thirty seconds, and take out the chocolate and stir. If it still needs more time, go in five second increments–do not burn the chocolate!) Cool to just about body temperature.
Beat together eggs, vanilla, Chambord and sugar, until pale yellow and quite frothy. Add chocolate and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated. Put onto high speed and beat for one minute, or until stiffened slightly, and lightened in color.
Stir flour, baking powder and espresso powder together to combine well. Sprinkle over chocolate mixture and stir in slowly, scraping down side of bowl as needed. Beat on medium speed to incorporate air–beat until mixture lightens considerably and is quite stiff and fluffy–about one and a half to two minutes.
Spread half the brownie batter into the bottom of the pan in as even a layer as possible. It will be difficult to spread so pat it down as much as possible without compressing it overmuch. Spread the cream cheese mixture over it. Dot the raspberry preserves over the cream cheese, then draw a spatula or knife through, marbling it as shown in photograph above.
Take the remaining brownie batter, and divide into fourths. Dollup each forth into a quadrant of the pan on top of the cream cheese batter, then dabbing and pressing, coax the chocolate layer to cover the cream cheese layer as much as possible.This is tricky–the chocolate is stiff and hard to work with, but it eventually will work out if you keep at it.
Bake at 350 degrees for forty-five to fifty minutes. As described above, the brownie will puff up and seem quite liquid in the middle when it is done. That is fine–that is the way it is supposed to be. Take it out, set it on a wire rack on top of the stove,. turn off the oven and let it cool completely before lifting the brownies out of the pan by using the foil as handles.
Cut into tiny pieces, keeping or discarding the thin crisp layer at the top as desired.
8.9.09
31
I don’t really have a southern accent.
I use southern phraseology “Fixing to do such and such”
“Reckon I will leave now”. For fun I say things like ‘Look at that crick ret there’ but
I will admit that I’ve played it up since I’ve been in California especially when talking about the south. But now that I’m settling into myself it’s fading again. In fact my regular voice sounds incredibly yankee. But that’s okay.
See more progress on: list 100 random things about myself
3.9.09
On the backburner
This will have to go to the back burner for awhile until I take the JLPT in December and my favourite list on smart.fm needs to get fixed.
See more progress on: improve my German