Triple Cookie Brownies

OK, I made up that name for these dessert treats because the more common name is slutty brownies. But, since I was making them with the help of a 4 year-old, I thought it would be smarter to make the G-rated adjustment.  Basically, imagine a layer of chocolate chip cookies, then Oreo cookies, then brownies and that is the makeup of a slutty brownie.  You could easily do this the super simple way by purchasing pre-made cookie dough, a package of Oreos, and some boxed Brownie mix.  I opted for the slightly more work of making the cookie dough (from my favorite recipe and, in my mind, incontestable best chocolate chip cookie recipe: Toll House Cookies on the back of the bag of chocolate chips!).  The Oreos were still from a package.  And while the inspiration recipe from What's Gaby Cooking had you making the brownie batter from scratch, I was lazy and just used the box mix.

So my version, again, was:

• Homemade Toll House cookie dough
• Package of Oreos (not doublestuff, but something for you to potentially consider)
• Boxed brownie mix of choice (which tends to be Betty Crocker for me)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare a 9x13 pan by lining it with foil and lightly spraying it with cooking spray (original recipe had it in a 9x9, but I felt like I had more than enough dough to make a bigger pan, though you may want to consider two boxes of brownie mix).
3. Layer starting with the cookie dough, then fitting as many Oreos as you can without overlapping for the second layer, and pouring the brownie batter on top.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, testing with a knife or toothpick (see if it comes out clean) to make sure the cookie and brownie layers are done.
5. Cool in the pan for a bit, then lift out and cool completely.
6. Cut and serve!

It's so simple, I'm not even going to walk through ingredients or more detailed instructions.  When shopping for supplies, just pick up the bag of chocolate chips and the box of brownie mix - voila, instant shopping lists!

To me, there is no excuse why you can't make this dessert.  People will love it and you get the pleasure of watching their eyes get bigger and bigger when you walk them through each of the layers!

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Going Back to Colonial America in Williamsburg, Virginia

If you know me, you know that one of the reasons why I like living in the Washington D.C. region is because I'm a history nerd.  I love that I can go for a 10 minute walk and be in the same spot where George Washington liked to grab a beer with friends.  So, when some of my family finally made it out to D.C. on a vacation last summer (yes, this post is more than a little delayed), I was excited to show them some of my favorite historical attractions, including Colonial Williamsburg.  It had actually been a long time since I had been there myself, and I was glad to finally have the excuse to go.

Williamsburg is only approximately 150 miles from the D.C. metro region, and going there can easily be a day trip, but I would recommend spending a night or two if you can.  The Colonial Williamsburg attraction, itself, begins in the Visitor's Center.  From there, you can take a shuttle to the main part of town, or follow the wooded path to the Palace Green where you can begin your day by seeing an interpretive display of Williamsburg reenactors "storming the palace" in protest of British rule.  Visitors are encouraged to join the "colonists" in the act of rebellion. Visit other exhibits while in the Palace Green area, or make your way to the shops on Duke of Gloucester Street next.

One of the things I appreciate about the Colonial Williamsburg setup is the number of opportunities to learn more about and directly experience the colonial way of life - through demonstrations and through talks with colonial interpreters.  You can observe farmers tending their fields and army soldiers firing muskets.

You can "enlist" in the army and participate in a drill session or learn more about the demand for wigs in colonial fashion and how they were made to be custom fitted to your head.

The Colonial Williamsburg attraction is also very kid friendly.  You should make sure to sign up in the Visitor's Center for the childrens' scavenger hunt (RevQuest) that requires kids to engage with the colonial interpreters in order to gather information and collect stamps in their books.  In addition, make sure to head to the Powell House where kids can do crafts and learn about colonial toys, games, and chores.

My sister and I have a picture of us in these stocks during a family vacation back in the day, when we were a young teen and preteen, respectively.  So of course we had to recreate that photo decades later!

While in the Williamsburg area, I would highly suggest that you balance out the "learning" part of your family vacation by heading to the roller coasters and water slides of Busch Gardens for a fun break. Or, if you're like us and need to make your way back to D.C. because of time restraints, there's always the option to stop at Kings Dominion on the way home to get your thrill ride fix!

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Shamrock Pizza

One last St. Patrick's Day themed goodie, and it's a simple one too.  Have you ever thought of bringing the "luck o' the Irish" to a pizza?  I saw this post from Skinny Mom, and knew immediately I wanted my own shamrock pizza.  Hey, I'm part Irish and part Italian, so this basically a food version of me!  Like the Skinny Mom website promotes, I attempted to create a healthier version of pizza for St. Paddy (though the only thing healthier about this pizza is the whole wheat dough, and my taste buds were seriously disappointed by that choice, preferring regular pizza dough).

Shamrock Pizza

Ingredients

• Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
• Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce
• Trader Joe's Quattro Formaggi cheese blend in a bag
• Baby spinach

1. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
3. On a well floured surface, roll out the pizza dough into a 12" diameter circle
4. Lightly oil a cookie sheet with cooking spray or use a pizza stone to place the dough circle for cooking
5. Spread pizza sauce on the dough, cover with cheese, and make little shamrocks out of spinach leaves on top of the cheese
6. Bake 6-8 minutes until the cheese is bubbling
7. Cut and serve

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Grasshopper Sandwich Cookies

I'm the first person to say that chocolate and mint together do not make a good combination for my taste buds, but I recognize I'm in the minority.  And it's almost St. Paddy's Day, so green is the theme for baking!  Fortunately, I have a willing group of taste testers who are looking forward to biting into these chocolatey, minty, squishy sandwich cookies - more commonly known as Grasshopper Cookies. Today's recipe is courtesy of Peanut Butter & Julie - a blog title I wish I had, by the way!

Grasshopper Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp espresso powder (I considered this optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk

For the mint buttercream: 

• 2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp creme de menthe liqueur (non-alcohol substitute: 1/2 to 1 tsp peppermint extract)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

For the ganache

• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• Creme de menthe or peppermint extract (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375F, placing racks in upper and lower thirds positions, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat sheets
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, yolk and vanilla, beating until well blended.
4. On low speed, add the flour mixture to the bowl in three additions, alternating with the milk, beating until blended after each addition.
5. Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, drop batter by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing apart. Bake until cookies are puffed and set but still soft, rotating positions of baking sheets halfway through the baking process, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool cookies completely on baking sheets.
6. For the mint buttercream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the confectioner's sugar, butter and salt until well combined. Add the creme de menthe, and beat until blended.
7. Add the cream to the bowl and beat the mixture on medium speed until the buttercream is very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes more.
8. For the ganache: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add the chocolate, reduce the heat to low and whisk constantly until the mixture is smooth. Add an additional splash of creme de menthe or a 1/2 tsp (2 mL) peppermint extract if you want your cookies to have an extra minty flavor! Allow the ganache to cool and thicken for about 15 minutes.
9. Spread a thin layer of ganache onto the flat side of half of the cookies and set the cookies on a wire rack, flat-sides up
10. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the mint buttercream. Pipe a layer of mint buttercream onto the flat sides of the remaining cookies in a round swirl.
11. Sandwich together the mint buttercream and ganache cookie halves, pressing to adhere. Serve room temperature or chilled.

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Lemon Rosemary Shortbread

I bought a cute shamrock cookie cutter the other week and was looking for a new cookie recipe to complement it when I stumbled upon My Baking Addiction's write up of a shortbread that incorporated rosemary.  Intriguing!  And the cookie would definitely be stable enough to maintain a cut shape.  Not knowing what to expect when I took a bite of a finished cookie, I was pleasantly surprised by combination of the butteriness of the cookie with the subtle taste of rosemary and even more distant hint of lemon.  I may also have added more rosemary than called for in the recipe in order to ensure I would get a taste with every bite. These cookies were a big hit with my friends that ate them later in the day!  Here's my modified recipe:

Lemon Rosemary Shortbread

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt

Sanding sugar to sprinkle on the top

1. With a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.

2. Add lemon zest, vanilla, and egg and beat until fully incorporated.

3. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl (flour, rosemary, salt).  Add a third of the dry mixture to the stand mixer bowl and incorporate on low speed.  Repeat two more times until all dry ingredients are mixed in the dough.

4. Using a large sheet of parchment paper, transfer the dough to the paper and cover with another sheet of parchment paper.  Roll the dough out to 1/4" thick, place on a cookie sheet, and refrigerate for 30 minutes so that the dough is firm enough to cut shapes.

5. Prepare a plastic container (i.e. tupperware) by lining the bottom with wax paper (this will be to freeze your cut cookie shapes).

6. With your cookie cutter of choice, cut out shapes and place in the plastic container until one layer is complete.  Use the sanding sugar to sprinkle the tops of the cut dough and gently press the sugar to the dough.  Layer another sheet of wax paper over the cut shapes and repeat the process until all of the dough has been cut.

7. Place the lid on the plastic container and freeze the dough for at least 1 hour.  

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

9. Take the cut dough out of the freezer and place cookies on a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet.  Any dough that does not fit on the cookie sheet should be placed back in the freezer until the next baking batch.

10. Bake the cookies until they are golden on the edges, approximately 12-14 minutes.  Start checking at 12 minutes.  (note: the original recipe had the temperature higher and baking time longer, but I ended up with some dark cookies, so I reduced both for better results.)

11. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer to a wire rack with a spatula to cool.

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POPSUGAR Must Haves Monthly Subscription Box (March 2014)

Is it just me or has the number of available monthly subscription boxes gotten out of control?  I see ads pop up for them on my Facebook newsfeed all the time, primarily Birchbox and Barkbox.  I subscribed to Birchbox for a few months awhile ago and found myself only really using maybe 20% of the various samples within the box.  It's a great concept with an attractive price point, but just not for me so I unsubscribed.  For some reason, though, I was recently looking at another blog that reviews a variety of these boxes every month, and I was particularly intrigued by the POPSUGAR Must Have box because it looked like you consistently get a great selection of items that were actually useful, something you would want to wear, or something you could easily gift to a friend and not feel like you were being tacky.  In addition, the total suggested retail price was often more than double the cost of the subscription (which is$39.95, but use REFER5 to get $5 off your first order.  Additional savings from longer termed subscriptions as well).  Sure, one can argue that the items in the box are not necessarily something you need or would have purchased on your own, but there's something nice about getting what is essentially a surprise present every month that is fun and provides a combined value that makes the higher subscription cost worth it.

So I decided to jump back on the box bandwagon, and selected POPSUGAR as one of my choices. The other two subscriptions I selected were a travel box and a crafting box, which I should receive later this month.  I got my first POPSUGAR box yesterday, a day earlier than expected, and just opened it up today.  Here's what I got:

Dogeared Lucky Horseshoe Make a Wish Necklace (suggested retail: $30) - this is a really nice, simple necklace that will make a great gift.

Baublebar Elephant Ring Tree (suggested retail: $12) - I've actually seen this style of ring holder before and thought about getting one because it is both a cute and practical bathroom counter accessory.

Brokedown Blue Ikat Scarf (suggested retail: $72) - I started wearing this right away because a nice scarf is a great way to jazz up a t-shirt!  It is very soft and the blue color is gorgeous! Apparently this brand is a popular one with celebrities as well...

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum (suggested retail: $27) - any girl knows how expensive face serums and lotions can be, so this was a pleasant surprise!

Harvest Snaps Snapea Crisps (suggested retail: $2) - healthy snacks!

Nature's Bakery All Natural Strawberry Fig Bars (suggested retail: $0.62) - portable snack!

Activeforever Fusion Exercise Ball (suggested retail: $10) - a mini exercise ball, not sure how I'm going to use it, but the POPSUGAR Must Have blog has some suggestions...

• Lower Abs with Inner Thigh Squeeze (ball between lower thighs)
• Upper Ab Crunch (ball at mid-back)
• Chest Stretch (ball at mid-back)
• Bridge with Thigh Squeeze (ball between lower thighs)
• Bridge on Ball (feet placed on ball)
• Inner Thigh Squeeze (ball between ankles, body on side)

Adding up all of the goodies in the box, it looks like I got $154 worth of items for my $40 subscription (well, $35 after the coupon in the first month).  Even if I only use what I think I will use, that's still a value of $111 to me.  Not too shabby!

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Salted Caramel Peanut Nougat Chews

Do you like Reese's or Payday candy?  Do you like that uncontrollable "mmm" after you take a bite of something ridiculously delicious?  This is so bad, but I could not stop munching on these treats, and I'm high-fiving myself because I was genius enough to cut them into bite sized pieces lest my stomach expand even more than it already has! Thank you so much to Cookies and Cups for posting this recipe!!  It has actually inspired me to use the peanut butter fluff in another recipe...stay tuned.

Salted Caramel Peanut Nougat Chews 
(option: dip bottom in chocolate)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2/3 cup crushed pretzels
• 7 oz Marshmallow Creme or Fluff
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts
• 14 oz unwrapped caramels
• 3 Tbsp milk
• Sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a 9x13 pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
3. In mixing bowl cream butter and brown sugar together until combined. Add in egg yolks and vanilla and continue beating until incorporated. Scraping sides as needed.
4. Add in baking soda, flour and pretzels and combine on low speed then gradually increase the speed to medium-high.
5. Press the dough into prepared pan and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden.
6. While the crust is baking, combine marshmallow creme and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat on full power for 45 seconds, stirring to combine. If needed continue heating in 15 second increments until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar.
7. When crust is done, spread marshmallow mixture carefully on top. Then sprinkle evenly with peanuts. Set aside.
8. Combine caramels and milk in a medium saucepan over medium low heat and heat until caramels are melted, stirring frequently.
9. Pour melted caramel over the top of the peanuts.
10. Cool completely before cutting into squares. 
11. Easily lift foil out of pan and cut. 
12. Optional: Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips slowly in the microwave and dip the bottom of the squares in the chocolate.  Place on wax paper to cool/dry.

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National Geographic Museum in Washington D.C.

I'm going to be honest, I'm not really a person that enjoys long visits to museums.  I do, however, really like the photography produced by National Geographic and have been curious about the museum here in Washington D.C.  LivingSocial recently had a discount that gave me all the incentive I needed to finally set aside some time last weekend to check it out.

The museum is housed in the bottom floor of an office building and is designed so that you walk in a clockwise circle first through the temporary exhibit on one side, then through the permanent exhibit and gift shop on the other side.  I think that the museum did the best they could with the artifacts they had, but it ended up being a little sparse in my opinion, and I am glad I did not have to pay full price.  If you're in D.C. and are looking for something to do, I would opt for the free Smithsonians first unless the temporary exhibit is particularly intriguing.  I know this is a pretty boring write up, but perhaps it is accurately reflecting my experience?

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Reducing the Reading Pile

This year seems like it's the year for movie adaptations of books.  I saw a list on Buzzfeed in January that inspired me to check out a couple of them.  Fortunately, I had already read six of the books on the list.  I've added links to those reviews by the book and movie screen capture below. Unfortunately, the two new books from the list I decided to read didn't turn out to be that great.

Must Read

Two words - amazing and kleenex (review)

Love Jonathan Tropper!  Don't stop at this book...try Book of Joe next!  And this movie cast is going to be hilarious.

What Louis Zamperini survived is absolutely unbelievable.  And he's still riding a skateboard in his nineties today.  Ridiculous! (review)

The first in the trilogy that is sure to follow in the movie footprints of Twilight and Hunger Games. (review)

Lazy Weekend

I just finished this one last month!  Love Reese Whitherspoon, so I'm sure I will end up seeing this in the theaters. (review)

Skip This

I am definitely in the minority, but I wanted to throw this book against the wall most of the time I was reading it.  Sadly, I find it hard to start a book and not finish it because many times I've been proven wrong halfway through.  This was not that kind of book. (review)

New Book #1: I chose Winter's Tale because the movie preview looked really lovely.  The book was nothing of the sort.  It was very confusing, had no real direction or clear purpose, and often felt like the author was rambling.  And instead of a romance, it was more of a fantasy - a fantasy of a crazy person.  I had to put the book down and stop reading because it was actually making me mad. Did I say I read the book?  I actually had to skim it a lot.  And shall I also mention it's almost 800 pages!  I read a few other reviews that agree with my point of view.  I think had I continued reading there would have been a total of three separate stories set in different time periods that maintained similar themes, but since I could barely get through the first story, I guess I will never know. From the movie previews, I think that it only focuses on the first story.  

New Book #2: I don't know what led me to choose A Long Way Down from the list.  And it wasn't necessarily a bad book, it just wasn't a good one - not even good enough for a quick weekend read.  It's the story of four strangers that meet on the top of a building in London on New Year's Eve because it's the most famous spot for people looking to commit suicide by jumping.  Yep, not exactly an uplifting start to the story - all the characters looking to end their lives.  Of course, they don't do it in the end that night, and they agree to delay their decisions to see what comes of their lives over a specified period of time, see if it's not as bad as they think, then meet up again.  Overall, an average read not worth recommending in my opinion.  Also, with each chapter being narrated by one of the four characters, it made the flow of the story a bit too choppy for my taste.

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24 Hours in Jane Austen's Bath, England

Visiting Bath is a very easy day trip from London should you be short on time.  From Paddington Station, it's just an hour and a half train ride and trains run frequently.  If you have some extra time, though, I would recommend staying in the Bath region for a night or two in order to thoroughly explore the area with trips to, perhaps, Glastonbury or Stonehenge.

During my latest long weekend in London, I had to opt for the shorter trip, so I hopped on an early morning train and was at the Bath Spa station by 10:30am, giving me plenty of time for a leisurely walk to Bath Abbey - the starting point for the 11:00am weekend only Jane Austen Walking Tour. If Jane Austen is not one of your favorite authors, there are still many reasons to visit Bath. The historic Georgian architecture for one!  And there is a free guided walking tour that meets in front of the Pump Room by the Abbey daily at 10:30am (also 2:00pm Sunday-Friday).  It was my preference, for this trip, to get exposed to the era during which Jane Austen was a resident of the town and was inspired to write some of her novels, most particularly Persuasion and Northanger Abbey.

After an introduction from the guide and a brief discussion about the Abbey Courtyard - including mention of the Abbey's angel ladder with the angels symbolically going both up and down - the tour's first destination is a walk through the famous Pump Room, where regency period residents of Bath would gather for gaming and socializing. While at the Pump Room, one could also drink some water from the hot springs, with minerals that were thought to help restore your health.  When you consider that the water was pumped up from the baths below, and then consider the sanitary nature of those baths, the sick people coming to use them, and the hygiene practices of the time, the logic of the healing power of the water is diminished in my opinion.

The King's and Queen's Baths were just two of many bathhouses at the time that benefited from the local geothermal hot springs.  The West Gate area mentioned in Austen's novels contained most of them. This area in Persuasion was described as a bad area with many prostitutes.  A few decades earlier in the 18th century, that would not have been the case because the aristocracy were frequently visiting Bath prior to the shift to Brighton when King George IV declared his preference for the sea. Bath was still very fashionable when Jane Austen lived there, just not to the extent where it was the main destination for the upper crust.  The West Gate neighborhood also was the location for the White Heart Inn, a major travel hub for coaches mentioned in Persuasion, and Cheap Street, a busy coach thoroughfare to the main road to London.

Jane moved to Bath with her parents and sister in 1801 when her dad retired and his health started to decline.  She was in her twenties at the time, and like her sister, was unmarried; therefore, Bath provided the women with exciting social opportunities while their father sought the waters at the baths.  The Austens leased a property at 4 Sydney Place that was across the river yet still within convenient walking distance, over the Putney Bridge, to the shopping district and the venues for socialization, such as the Parade Gardens and Lower Assembly Rooms - both mentioned in Northanger Abbey.

 River Avon and Putney Bridge

Great Pulteney Street with 4 Sydney Place around the corner on the left 

Parade Gardens and Lower Assembly Rooms

Guildhall near the shopping area of New Bond and Milsom Streets 

After her father's death in 1805, the Austen women lived in progressively smaller accommodations based on what they could afford until being forced to leave Bath six months later, then finally receiving a permanent place to stay with her brother, Edward, on his estate in Chawton in 1809.  It was in this estate cottage that she wrote her most famous novels during the 8 years prior to her early death in 1817.

The last part of the walking tour takes you back across the bridge and up the hill to the Georgian architectural majesties of the Royal Crescent and The Circus. On the way to the tour's final destination, the Jane Austen Center, you will pass the Assembly Rooms where Jane attended countless balls and social gatherings.

I know it may be more appealing to take the free Bath tour, but I would highly recommend paying the extra money for the Jane Austen tour if you have any interest in one of Bath's most famous residents.  As a bonus, it appears that the Austen tour tends to be a smaller group, so you can be assured to get all of your questions answered. There are many more stories that our guide told, but I failed to mention here primarily because I was one of the people peppering him with questions!

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