Channeling Vianne Rocher

These days, even the most casual “So, how is it going?” from friends and acquaintances sets me on a roll, informing them how tedious life is at the moment. I have probably lost a couple of chit-chatters on the way but they will come back. So why has life been ramble-inducing to me, you ask? We are moving, that’s why. DC to Down South we go with our bags, boxes and hopes of experiencing the much-spoken about Southern Hospitality.

So before I go (which is very soon so this might very well be the last post from the East Coast), I wanted to make some simple Thank You gifts for a couple of people we’ve had the pleasure of knowing here. What is better than homemade chocolate? Um, not much. I once watched Ina make chocolates in London on Food Network and I remember coming across something similar on the internet.

The recipe is simple. Melt a packet of chocolate chips (I used Nestle Dark Chocolate), add a tsp of vanilla extract. On a waxpaper (since I have already packed mine away, I had to use an empty Godiva bag), spread Tbsps full of chocolate in a small circle. I topped mine with almonds, walnuts, cashewnuts, dried apricots and currants. You can get creative and add on anything that strikes your fancy… and that includes chewing gum, cereal or even sesame seeds, if you dare.

Refrigerate the rounds for half hour or until the chocolate sets firmly and ta da! You just got ready to throw a party in your mouth. I apologize for the pictures. I was not planning to make this into a blog but since I decided on it at the last moment, I could get only fridge pictures. So bye, y’all and Alabama, here I come!

Ina Garten’s Roasted Eggplant Spread and Pita

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-eggplant-spread-recipe/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/toasted-pita-triangles-recipe/index.html

Anniversary Surprises and a Brownie

So the calendar informed me that we’ve been married for a year. I wish I could contradict that by claiming temporary amnesia   but there, the verdict has been declared. Though hurricane Irene played a havoc with the Mister’s surprise plans phase 2 and 3 (which he still hasn’t disclosed to me), we sure had an awesome lunch at Mie N Yu in the District.

As for the gifts, I got a huge bag of baking goodies: a set of 3 spring foam pans, a lush brownie pan and a set of shiny wall decals. The man, I admit, sure knows his audience and he also know how to get assured returns from his investments. Why, you ask me? Well, after bidding good-bye to Irene and reveling in a day of beautiful sunshine and breeze, I broke into my brownie pan, unable to resist the temptation.

My initial plan was to make Ina’s Outrageous Brownies, a universal favorite here in the pad. I first made it when our cousin came to spend a week with us this summer and she made washing up a mighty easy job by licking the bowl, ladle and the cups clean. Today the hubby took over the job and I finished making the brownie.

Soft chocolate, with a hint of vanilla and coffee and a crunch of half-melted chocolate-chips, Ina has done good stuff to the spirit of chocolate and caffeine lovers everywhere. I managed to click pictures before we gobbled up a couple of pieces jealously.

Since I got the recipe from foodnetwork.com/ina-garten (no, I did not copy that from the address bar, I have the link memorized), I am not going to plagiarize or even reproduce it with a courtesy tag. To make things easier, I have linked it to the post. My last Gyan would be this: if you are a wannabe baker like I am, you’ve gotta try this out.

Magic brownie pan or not, Ina’s recipe is unrivaled!