If you need to take a little sweet something to a Labor Day gathering this weekend, look no further than my Best -ever Brownies! They’re rich, dense, decadent and SO easy to make!
Whenever you bake a bar-type cookie, line the baking pan with foil, leaving enough of an over-lap to be able to lift the entire baked good out of the pan before cutting. For the most uniform cuts, break down the brownies by cutting the entire pan in half, then each half in half, then in half again – and keep going until you get the size brownie you want.
I make extra pans of brownies and freeze them, well wrapped in foil, uncut and unfrosted. I like to frost them still frozen. Flip the brownie over and frost the smooth bottom side with an offset spatula. Cut them semi-frozen, too. It creates a nice clean cut. (Wipe your knife blade on a damp paper towel in between cuts to keep things tidy)
I like to cut them into rectangles and then flatten mini cupcake papers and put a brownie in each one for a pretty, bakery-style look.
I’m sharing all kinds of safety tips and recipe ideas on radio stations aross the country today. Try this recipe for Glazed Beef Kabobs from Certified Angus Beef and visit UsePropane.com for lots of ideas to bring the family together for meal prep. Need a new grill? Now through December is the time to get the best deals on gas grills!
Wow! I can’t wait to enjoy this incredible meal in an incredible location, Lunch on the Land 2010 at Turner Farm in Indian Hill. Above is a picture from last year’s event. Hope to see you there this year, too! For more information, or to buy tickets, click here.
Appetizer: Three way composed tomato appetizer
Soup: Sweet Potato & Apple Soup (vegetarian)
Salad: Indian Spiced Bean and Vegetable Salad
Entree: Buffalo Shortribs with Indian Summer Cous Cous [Read more →]
Dinner tonight was a simple Cashew Chicken Stir Fry paired with Black Swan Chardonnay. We really liked the peach, citrus and melon flavors of the wine with the slightly spicy chicken and vegetables. It also paired well with our crab rangoon. At about $8 a bottle, Black Swan 2009 South Eastern Australia Chardonnay is our “house” chardonnay of the moment!
I had the kids assembling crab rangoon for dinner tonight (and extra to pop in the freezer for another night). After making a couple dozen, my son said “so this is what it feels like to work in a sweat shop”. (I reminded him that in sweat shops no one says “good job baby, your mama is so proud”) Loved the method (we baked them) but we need to perfect our filling (too crabby- not enough rangoon-y !)
Deanna Davis, PhD, is a popular speaker, entertainer and workshop leader and the author of The Law of Attraction in Action and Living With Intention. Davis’s annual retreat, Womanhood Weekend, and her evening comedy events, Womanhood: The Divine Comedy, have inspired change in the lives of women all over the country. She lives in Spokane, Washington with her husband and their two young children. Visit her website at www.deannadavis.net.
Deanna latest book is “Laugh, Cry, Eat Some Pie”. It has a simple yet profound message: Happiness isn’t determined by what you have, where you are, or what happens to you. Instead, it comes from practicing happiness daily, regardless of what’s going on around you.
I keep thinking about Deanna’s message that life, just like pie, is made of of ingredients, some of which are unpalatable unless they’re thoughtfully combined with other ingredients and a little bit of heat. How true! I would never eat a spoonful of raw flour, but I would really miss it as part of the pie crust! (Try to remember that little gem the next time some “unpalatable” element of life rolls around, because we all know it will) That’s the power of the positive psychology Deanna discusses in her book.
Deanna and I talked about living a momentous life -literally living your life a moment at a time. She pointed out that “momentous” doesn’t always have to mean “the big times” but instead we can focus on the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life. [Read more →]
Are you curious about plastic surgery? If you’re like me you wonder, “how would I look with a little nip here, a tuck there- a bit of botox here?” The world of plastic surgery is changing and the options available to us are amazing- many of which are non-invasive and actually affordable. Dr Jon Mendelsohn, a double board certified facial plastic surgeon specializing in both surgical and non-surgical procedures, joined me today to talk about the basics of these procedures.
Dr. Mendelsohn specializes in advanced surgical rejuvenation and sculpting techniques for the face, neck, eyes, nose, lips, ears, chin, and [Read more →]
Inexpensive, convenient and nutritious, oats are everywhere! You can find them in many forms:
Old-fashioned oats: they’ve been steamed and rolled
Quick-cooking oats: like old-fashioned oats, but finely cut before rolling
Steel-cut oats: these oats are run through steel blades that slice them
Instant oatmeal: these oats are partially cooked and then thinly rolled- be aware that sugar and salt are often added
Oat bran: the outer layer of the grain
Oat flour: used in baking
Oat groats: un-flattened kernels
What can oats do for you and your family? Eating just 3 grams of soluble oat fiber each day (the amount found in a bowl of oatmeal) will:
1. Lower cholesterol levels
2. Reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke
3. Reduce the risk of diabetes by stabilizing blood sugar
4. Reduce the risk of certain cancers
Need inspiration for your morning oatmeal? Here some simple serving ideas:
1. Add fruit, nuts and spices to a bowl of hot oatmeal [Read more →]
Gabrielle Gayagoy joined me today to share tips from VIVMag about how to make the most of your spa visit. Take a peek at the July/August issue and test your spa savvy!
SPA TIPS FROM VIVMAG
1. Plan ahead. What’s your intention for your spa visit? Is it to relax? Is it to bond with girlfriends? Think about what you want going in so you have a better idea of what to ask before your visit. For example, if you’re planning a bridal toast for your friend, you’ll want to make sure the spa allows alcohol on premises.
2. Know where to look for deals. These days, many spas advertise last-minute discounts on their Facebook and [Read more →]
