Divine Decadence

I'd like you to take a moment to imagine a blondie. 
Not just any old blondie, but a luxurious, homemade, dessert. 

Picture your kitchen. 
Your oven is heated, the glow of its light illuminating a pan of golden goodness within. 
Breathe in the scents of vanilla and butterscotch, allowing them to flow through your nose, and past your salivary glands, teasing your tongue. You softly lick the corners of your mouth in search of the nectarious flavour, but there is nothing that can satisfy the desire welling up within you.

You wait patiently...enduringly, for the oven timer to sound like church bells sending off newlyweds, but the minutes drag. Until the melodic echoes of the timer ring, you are forced to stand close by, anticipating the warm, ooey, gooey, blondies.
You fantasize the taste, a graceful sweetness, gently offset by swirls of melted, dark chocolate. 
If only the time would fly. 

Stomach grumbles and drool puddles cast aside, you know that the wait will be worth the divine decadence that lies within your oven. 


If you could not tell, for months, I have a had devilish desire for blondies. 
Tonight, I finally caved.
After one hour of measuring and mixing, I now sit with my laptop, indulging in a beautiful treat, and sipping on a coffee to balance the sweet notes. 

I found a basic, toffee blondie recipe on Pinterest a couple of days ago and since then, my craving has exponentially increased. I am very pleased to say that the recipe was successful. I made some modifications because I didn't want my blondies to be defiled by copious amounts of sugar, and instead of adding Skor bits for toffee, I topped them with chocolate chips to create another flavour dimension. 
These decisions were worth it, although I think next time I will add even less sugar. 
Nevertheless, these blondies are still beautiful. 

Just in case this post has caused you to develop a desire that has left you lusting...and drooling, here is the modified recipe I used. 


Ingredients: 
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups flour

The dough will be sticky, (which scared me a little, because I was unexpecting) and you will have to wet your fingers with cold water before you press it into a greased, 9x13 pan. 
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until you can smell the deliciousness and the top is firm. 
The centre will still be a little jiggly, but it will cool and become amazing. 
Grab a fork and indulge.  

Life, Exams and Pillsbury Crescents...A Quick Summary

     It's been a while...
In all honesty, it feels like forever since I last blogged. I have been having an amazing month and new year so far and the more I think about it, things couldn't be going any better. 

     I plan to post more now that I'm starting to sort the new year out, but as of now I'm taking the few minutes I have to give you a quick sum up of my life's events. After Christmas I bought a Macbook Pro which is serving me very well in school and out. Over the weekend of January 12th, I attended The Pulse on Tour in Toronto with some old friends and was taught how to dance by some of the choreographers from So You Think You Can Dance. It was my second year going and honestly one of the best experiences ever! As of right now, Rihanna's "Diamonds" is playing on our speakers and making want to dance one of the routines. 

A rule that my brother taught me how to ignore...

     On the topic of dance, we also recently switched danced schools to a much closer studio so that we are no longer dancing in Oakville. Although it's different, I can say that it's a good, healthy change and it it would also be good to point out that I'm in love with Lyrical! ;) 

     Today, a friend and I performed an original song in Music class to complete the second of my four exams. It went really well and already I can feel a load of stress lifted off of my chest. Tomorrow the calendar is labelled with "Science Exam" and then Wednesday with "English Exam" as well as Braces! As of January 30th I'll have upper and lower braces...While this seems like a damper, it's a good sign because it means I'm halfway through the torture of Metal Mouth! 

     Right now, a quick school break has resulted in baking some Pillsbury Crescents for a snack...then it's straight to Science studying! Nothing like snacks, music, dancing and studying on a foggy Monday afternoon!

Thanksgiving Dinner

 Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner, 

It's the dinner that's the winner,

Before the meal you're thinner, 

And after, you feel fat. 

When the turkey's stuffed,

And the pastries puffed, You never eat enough, 

But after, you feel fat.

Veggies pass you by,

Mashed potatoes to the sky, 

Why once a year, just why? 

Later, you'll feel fat.

There's some gravy on your shirt, 

And your stomach starts to hurt,

Oh look here comes dessert, 

Now...you're fat.

~Laurel Farrell

2012

Adventures in Food

Warning: The following article contains mature subject matter, If you have a sensitive stomach, reader discretion is advised.    
     If you think you're brave when it comes to trying all kinds of different foods, take a trip to an Asian grocery store and think again. The variety of food doesn't just range from sushi to duck, there's a whole other side of sweet, delicious desserts such as red bean buns, dumplings, even purple ice cream! Lychee juice, bubble tea, sugared guava, chocolate cream cookies and mouse cake. However, like everything else in life, there's always another side to the story. Run a couple aisles down and you'll find more than just fish heads. Where we would buy our roast ham and chicken breasts, the shelves are stocked with beef tongue, chicken feet and frog legs and if you can't stomach squid or crab meat then forget about the cow brains and pig snout; enough to make anyone hurl. On our last trip, being the adventurous family that we are, we bought a case of 'Seasoned Baby Crab Snacks.' With high hopes that they would taste like regular crab. After a lunch of fried squid and Hot and Sour Soup, we made our way home where we opened our crusteaceous little snacks. "They shouldn't be bad," I said eagerly. But when the time for consumption came I found myself making sour faces, trying to get passed the eyeballs. With the camera ready and our count at three I quickly popped it in my mouth chewing rapidly. The result was a satisfied self followed by a giant glass of water to get rid of the extremely sweet, fishy taste. Now they remain on our counter by the recycle pile, their fate waiting to be decided. It's true what they say about trying new foods, but when the worst comes, everyone should know their limit.