when youre not cooking, you should read :)

ahhhh, over the weekend i ordered like 7 books, hahaha. reading is a must for me. i just got this book today, eyewitness auschwitz. i didnt start it yet because i was too busy baking, but i will right after i type this. please, if you dont read, youre killing yourself. slowly. if what you consider "reading" is glancing at your friends' updates on facebook or myspace, then i dont know what to do for you. hahaha. thats just sad. im not saying go read a newspaper, but theres alot of interesting things out there to read about. i like to read through cookbooks, and LOADS of history books. history is great. it doesnt matter if its about the us or spain, its interesting! personally, i like to read books on islam, the middle east, the civil war, the holocaust, slavery, and WWI and WWII. take advantage of reading! some people werent allowed to...and some people never learned. remember, things are and were NEVER free. everything is a privilage in this world.

brownie cupcakes with banana cream cheese frosting.

i made these cupcakes with ghirardelli double chocolate brownie mix. yum. sorry about the quality of the photos...i take most with my camera. below is the recipe to make these :)

supplies (for the brownie mixture):
*1 box of ghirardelli double chocolate brownie mix
(follow instructions on the back of box)
* 1 egg
* vegetable oil
* water

look on the back of the box for liquid (veg.oil and water) measurements.

supplies (for frosting):
* 1 8 oz tub of cream cheese. only use 1/2 the tub by cutting it down the middle. (i used dairy-free cream cheese. my boyfriend cannot have products that have cows milk.)
* 3 cups of confectioners'/powdered sugar
* 1 1/2 tsp of banana extract
* 6 T of softened margarine (stick is prefered for easy measurement)

i made the banana cream cheese frosting first. in a large bowl, with a mixer at low speed, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until blended. after blended, add the banana extract and beat the mixture again with the mixer to make sure the extract is thoroughly dispersed in the frosting. beat until smooth and fluffy, which is about 1-2 minutes. makes about 2 1/2 cups.

fill mini cupcake cups with the brownie mixture halfway. put the oven on 350 degrees F. i would say to leave them in for about 15-20 mins. the trick with baking is that you need to check the firmness with either or toothpick, or your finger (i promise its unlikley to burn yourself). i check with my finger, and when they have risen, and are firm, but not hard to the touch, i take them out and let them cool. after they have cooled in the cupcake pan, then take them out and put them on a plate. repeat until brownie mixture is gone, and frost when they are cool, not warm/hot.

i decorated mine with strawberries, but you dont have to :)

to buffet? or to not buffet...?

well, im not too fond of buffets. hahaha. but, i think with the china buffet on market street in wilmington, north carolina, i can make an exception...ONLY for ONE reason!!! and its because of the delicious shrimp. oh gosh, i went for lunchtime with my boyfriend one day last week and guess what? they didnt have them!!!

oh, and how angry i was. furious. i told my boyfriend i just wanted to leave hahaha. and then i thought...why not ask for them?

as everyone knows, buffet food isnt guaranteed to be hot and fresh. the chicken wings have probably sat on the hot food bar for 3 hours, and the salad bar hasnt even probably been touched. oh and by the way, going to a buffet that doesnt change their bar foods regularly are subject to time and temperature abuse. so think about that when youre on the toilet later!

but anyways, these shrimp are SO good. im guessing theyre lightly deep fried...and thats it really. there were chopped scallions scattered all over them, and the heads were on :) you may think its something simple and easy to make, but its not. theres just something about the way asian people make things that make you only want it from them. if you want to try it out, go there at dinnertime, when you dont have to try and explain to the lady at the counter what it looks like :)




China Buffet
3606 Market Street
910.762.9868

chocolate covered strawberries.

these chocolate covered strawberries were pretty simple and easy to do. in order to melt chocolate properly to reduce scroching, it is helpful to have a double boiler. i dont have one, so i used a see through, medium sized glass bowl and placed it ontop of a pot halfway filled with water on medium-high. i adjusted the temperature on the stove as the chocolate started to melt. i used almost a full bag of nestle semisweet chocolate chips. when i had the bowl ontop of the boiling water, the chocolate started to melt, but it seemed like it was taking forever! so, i finished it off in the microwave. remember, it doesnt matter if you are melting youre chocolate over the stove or in the microwave, you MUST constantly stir the choclate to prevent scorching.

when the chocolate has fully melted, be sure to have a large pan lined with parchment paper ready. take the strawberry and start with its side, and coat it; turning it slowly all the way around in the chocolate. gradually do this with however many strawberries you desire. i coated about 9 strawberries and had extra chocolate left over. do not do this when you are in a rush!!! making chocolate covered strawberries takes time and patience. place pan in refrigerator and let cool for about 1 hr and 30 mins. good luck! :)

supplies:
* 1 bag of semisweet chocolate
* 1 double boiler, or 1 pot and 1 medium sized wide bowl
* rubber spatula
* 1 large pan
* parchment/wax paper