cho cho chocolate

I wanted some...looked through my recipes...thought I'd give it a shot...

Something chocolate this way comes...

Molten chocolate nutella pudding cakes.

Just in case you don't understand what that is, let me explain....

!@!&^%$#@*&(*%$##@&*(_(*&^%$#@!@^)!, 

or in english, REALLY GOOD GOOEY MINI CHOCOLATE CAKES.

This is a recipe from an old All You magazine.  You're supposed to use individual ramekins, as shown in the picture above, but I don't have any.  So Sarah suggested we use my giant muffin pan.  

She's a smart one she is.

It worked.  Not as pretty as an individual serving, seeing as I had to dump them all at once on a platter, but yummy just the same. 

That is warm, ooey gooey goodness called nutella peeking out from the center.  It didn't run all over the plate like some molten chocolate cakes do, but frankly my dear, I don't give a darn. 
Delightful.
Here's the recipe.

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp baking powder

4 oz semisweet chocolate chips

One stick of butter, unsalted

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt 

6tbsp nutella

1.  Preheat to 350.  Coat ramekins with cooking spray.  I used pam for baking.  Fill a roasting pan with some hot water, about an inch.

In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa and baking powder.

2.  In another bowl, melt the butter and chocolate chips in microwave until melted, about a minute.  Whisk until smooth.

3.  In yet another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs, vanilla, sugar and salt until pale yellow, about 5 minutes.  Beat in chocolate mixture, then stir in flour mixture.  Spoon half of batter into ramekins.  Drop 1 tbs of nutella into center of each.  Cover with remaining batter.

4.  Transfer ramekins to roasting pan and carefully put them in the oven.  Bake until cakes have risen and tops are cracked, about 30 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  

Mmmmm

That is so pinteresting

I     am    obsessed.

I have discovered Pinterest.
I had to create a twitter account just so I could sign up for it... and I'm not a twitter.
I have been on Pinterest everyday this week.
I am pinning everything I see online, and I'm re-pinning everything I see of Pinterest.

I am a junkie. 

Chocolate cookies, pinned
Art work, pinned
Hairstyles, pinned
dinner, pinned
party ideas, pinned
holiday decor, pinned

And the list goes on, and on and on and on and on......

Hi, my name is Kristie,
I'm 32 years old, and I'm a pinnaholic.
 

Egg shells and pancakes

I have found the greatest pancake recipe!!!  It is supposedly Cracker Barrel's recipe, and Im pretty sure I got it from a website like food.com or some such.  Whatever, I don't care.  I was low on groceries and refusing to go to the store, so I searched my recipe card box and found it.  Like a little nugget of gold. 
WHERE HAS IT BEEN ALL MY LIFE? 
Joy....rapture....bbbutter.

I really like pancakes.

2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2tsp baking soda
1 heaping tsp salt
1tbs sugar
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk (seriously, who has buttermilk hanging out in their fridge?  Just use 2 cups o milk      and 2 tbs white vinegar.  5 minutes and voila.)
Butter for the pan, which should be cast iron, and blanketed with the shiny goodness of all the butter you've put in it.
Mix but don't over mix.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

This recipe made ten pancakes for me, but I can't seem to make anything except plate size pancakes, so...if you have the gift of making sensible proportions it could make more.

About the eggs...
I can't ever seem to crack an egg on the side of a bowl and not get some of the shell inside.  Along the lines of said failure, I can't open cereal boxes or sealed plastic bags without ripping them beyond repair or spilling the contents all over the floor.  I have a hard time with buttons and zippers and lids on sodas.   I've accepted the disability, but I heard the Barefoot Contessa say the other day that she cracks her eggs on the counter so that she can avoid getting any shells in her recipe.

I tried that.

I suppose an entire half shell is better than the tiny fragments I usually end up fishing out. 

Sigh.

No matter, the pancakes made it all better.
Shell free, butter smothered pancakes.

I am a daddy's girl

We were in Mobile a couple of weeks ago, and I found a shoe box full of pictures.  Tons of pictures.  My mom, Steven and I sat around the table for more than an hour looking through them.  We laughed at a few, set a few aside for safer keeping.  I picked up one of me as a new born.  Believe me when I say you have never seen a newborn baby this fat before.  11 pounds, 14 ounces.  Ouch.  I had seen the picture several times before and I was still in shock.  I had a good laugh at myself, then for some reason turned the picture over.  This is what was on the back.

That is my daddy's writing.  Sorry the pic is sideways and probably too light to read, but I don't feel like taking the time to fix it.  It was taken while I was still in the hospital.  Im laying on the bed next to mom.
It reads, "Kristie is awake and wanting to see what the world is all about.  She is a beautiful baby girl, and above all the compliments anyone could give her, she is my daughter."

I balled my eyes out.

While everyone else was commenting on how I was the biggest thing to ever be birthed, all he could think about was that I was his, and he was proud. 

No wonder I am such a princess.  When you are loved like that, you tend to become a bit spoiled.

I sure do miss my daddy.