bzzz

[ailbhe]

Emer's fever on Saturday turned into coughing-up-green-lumps today, but she was much better by this evening. I've read two new-to-me Bujolds, including one with sex scenes; I don't remember her doing sex scenes before, though my memory is not brilliant at the best of times. The one about the knife reminded me strongly of Robert Jordan, though obviously it was much, much shorter, more tightly written, and less annoying. Linnea's regressing with her potty training - I think it takes too much effort when she's cold. The trike is back, though it met a little accibump on the way home so we need to superglue the front light back together, but I hope to cycle it tomorrow. Not far, for the first day, I think.

I hope Emer gets better, because I want to take them swimming - it's free for kids during half-term, which this is.

Linnea likes Bosco. Betty Crocker chocolate fudge brownie mix is pretty good, but better hot than cold. Clearly real brownies cannot be difficult to make, so I will try. Special K is really, really not a filling breakfast, and they are currently advertising a waist-reducing diet; it's basically the slimfast plan. Have 30g of Special K for breakfast, and the same for lunch, and a proper dinner. 30g gives you 6% of your daily calories, by their reckoning, so, duh, of course you'll lose waist. I know that I for one would lose family members and end up eating the cats ("Look, darling, food!"). Yikes.

I need to get the majick stuff to wash my laptop keyboard in.

Comments

Brownies recipe I got from an online friend

[gloriap.livejournal.com]

Barb Schaller's Famous Orgasmic Chocolate Brownies

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup nuts optional
1 1/3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

In microwave oven, on medium-high power, melt butter and chocolate in 2-quart microwave-safe bowl, about 3 minutes. Stir until smooth. Mix
in granulated sugar, then beat in eggs, one at a time, with wire whisk.

Mix in vanilla and almond. Stir in nuts. Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt and fold into chocolate. Spread batter in 9x13" pan
lined with baking parchment and bake in preheated oven at 350°F for about 33-35 minutes. Do not overbake; toothpick may have fudgy crumbs
on it, but not wet batter.

Notes: First Place, Plain Brownies,
1997 Minnesota State Fair. Adapted from recipe in Cook's Illustrated magazine, March/April 1994. Please note that I do use real chocolate,
unsalted butter and cake flour.

Kathryn Hepburn's Brownie recipe from online

[gloriap.livejournal.com]

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

1 stick butter
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Melt together butter unsweetened chocolate and take the saucepan
off the heat.
2. Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla, and beat the mixture well.
3. Stir in flour and salt. You may also add walnuts at this point.
4. Bake the brownies in a buttered and floured 8-inch-square pan at
325 degrees F. for about 40 minutes.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

Not that you seem to need more brownie recipes at this point, but here is one that a colleague has just given me, and here is a gluten-free one (and dairy-free, but that's easier anyway).

[merryhouse.livejournal.com]

is that a reference to the spaceship story?

(probably Asimov, because I read it a ver ver long time ago)

[ailbhe]

Neither Radz nor I are able to place the reference accurately, but yes, that's the one.

[(Anonymous)]

Damn, that's bugging me now! Am sitting here flicking through books ....

Alison
(couldn't log in with openid for some reason)

[feetnotes.livejournal.com]

*g* it's from a lovely story by one john lucas parkes beynon wyndham harris, is that:

nice, cuddly, lovable, safe, john "cozy catastrophe" wyndham...

[(Anonymous)]

ROFL! I'd been working through the shelves alphabetically - had just got through the N's and P's and couldn't see anything else sci-fi apart from John Wyndham and a couple of anthologies so I thought I'd come back here and see if anyone else knew it. Saw your comment, went straight back, took "The Seeds of Time" off the shelf, looked in the contents, turned straight to it :) And I'd remembered her bloody name was Alice too :)

Ah, at least I'll be able to sleep tonight!

Alison

[porcinea.livejournal.com]

I used to use the Joy of Cooking recipe (and quite reliable it is, too), but now I've converted to this one: http://classics-cat.livejournal.com/1033497.html