Microwave Brownies... And my Baking Debut!

 

My mother bakes the best cakes I have ever had. She is one of those rare people on the planet who can taste food and figure out the recipe all on their own. I think 99.9% of those people are master chefs!!! Okay, you guessed right...I am really proud of my mom and her culinary skills. I would also like to point out that my

culinary skills are...well...no where in sight, so far!

The closest I ever got to a baking dish is when I dig in to my mom's Dates Cake! (will get you the recipe soon) However, I decided that, having a chocolate-loving daughter, this state of affairs could not go on for very long! And, I have been craving brownies from the time I knew they existed. The local bakery sells brownies, but I came very close to asphyxiation when I tried them!!! I want to live, people!

And then, there is the fact that I have no oven...yes, I know, I sound like the pathetic soul that I am... But I do have a microwave!! Yaaay! So...

I Googled, found, learnt, revised, and etched into my memory...this recipe:

MICROWAVE BROWNIES

(Caps lock deliberate to indicate awesomeness!) This is my first attempt at baking, EVER. So, cheer me on, okay?

This is a small serving, but you can double it and it works out just fine, as I found out yesterday. I first made these 2 weeks ago, and the pictures are from that attempt.

Things you need: (Basic, non-fancy-schmancy stuff will do for this brownie! And that's good, because, duh, I live in Nagercoil...)

1/2 cup flour (maida)

1/2 cup cocoa powder (Note for folks in Nagercoil :P - I used the Cadbury cocoa powder that is available in a purple tin in local shops)

1 cup sugar (best to use powdered sugar, because the granules take a heck of a long time to dissolve in the butter - not good. If you don't have powdered sugar, just powder the sugar you have, in your grinder/food processor!)

1 & 1/2 stick of butter (I used the Amul salted butter)

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla essence

Chocolate chips (So not optional, but I could not find this wonderful blessing anywhere in this town, and I had to do without it...*sniff*)

Chopped Nuts - any kind. I used cashews and almonds

Method:

In a bowl, mix the cocoa and flour well so that both have blended in.

Soften butter and mix the sugar in with it, until soft and creamy.

Add the 2 eggs and whisk till soft and blended in well. You can add the vanilla essence too.

Now, add the dry ingredients very gradually into the liquid mixture (one tbsp at a time) and keep stirring till your arms fall out! Or, if you are lucky like me to have a sweet, patient sister, get her to stir while you casually stand by and add the dry ingredients!! :P Better, yet, use a hand-held or table-top mixer.

When the entire batter has been stirred well, pick the bowl up and sniff the awesome aroma of the entire thing. "People" have been known to eat a finger-full of batter right off the bowl...but that's just "people"! You don't have to do that...or you could, if you want to...*hint, hint*

Now, grease a round (or rectangular) glass baking dish* with butter, and sprinkle it with powdered sugar. I did not have powdered sugar, so I just powdered up some butter cookies that I had and lined the baking dish with it, over the butter! And it rocked!!!

*Use only glass dishes that are meant for microwaves. NEVER use metal, unless you plan to blow up your microwave oven!!

Now, just pour the batter into the baking dish. You might have to spread the batter equally to all parts of the baking dish, because sometimes the batter can be on the thicker side.

Now, stick it into your microwave and set it on high, and set the timer for 10 minutes.

I would strongly suggest that you take a peek at the 7th or 8th minute to check on things. Take a toothpick and insert it into the center of the brownie. If it comes out clean, it's done. If there is almost-cakey batter stuck on it, you need it to go on for the remaining time.

There's no hard-and-fast rule here. If after 10 minutes it still looks suspicious, give it another minute of baking.

At the end, let it sit in the oven for a few minutes. Then take it out and cool it completely, because warm brownies refuse to let go of the baking dish. They still want their mommy!

When cooled, eat the whole thing up without sharing...Oh, sorry...bad advice!!

When cooled, cut out a piece, place it on a small plate, top with vanilla ice cream and a cherry (optional)....eat and go to heaven!

Then come back and tell me how it was. Okay?? This part is NOT optional! Come one, I want to know how yours turned out!

This is the chewy, moist variety of brownie that I love! I am so not into the dry-cake kind of stuff...

Not the best picture possible, but it was after 10pm and I was not at my most patient self....

...as is obvious from this picture!

Wasn't me!

Anyway, she loved it... that's what's important.

Top 10 Magnificent Literature that Made Me!

I don't know how many of you know this about me, but I'm an English Literature graduate. When I say this, people (including my parents when I told them I have decided to study English Literature), give me the 'woe-unto-you' look!! This look is closely followed by the knowing nod of the head to mean, "Oooohhhh, you didn't score well in your high school final exams, did you? Tsk, Tsk!!....Woe unto you...."

I've learnt to deal with the nay-sayers, though...mostly because I can use words like 'nay-sayers' and actually not feel foolish...HA! (I have no idea how that is even related...) Anyway, I took this decision knowing fully well what I was getting into, and I was actually excited to be doing something I wanted to do, rather than something I have to do...And, really, the best part of my studying literature, is that it gave me the passion for writing that has helped me express myself better, sharpen my creativity, and given me a darn good job!! So, what's not to like, I ask??

Being a student of English Literature meant that I was introduced to some of the best writers in the world! And I devoured these works of literature like I would devour a Chocolate Brownie now (by the way, I have a special announcement regarding Chocolate brownies!! I will tell all in a few days, in my other blog...!)[update 30 August: post is up now] And these works of literature have shaped my personality in a significant way. Sometimes, I realize that a particular book or poem taught me to think or react in a particular way, and sometimes, I don't even know I have imbibed a certain way of thinking from a book....Still, these books I bring to you have inspired me, consoled me, and guided me through the best part of my youth... 

I have provided links to these works that lead to the entire text of the book, poem, play etc. found on ReadPrint.com. I found this website a few months ago, and I can't believe my luck!! I mean, to be able to read some of the best books for free...that has got to be some kind of miracle!! Anyway, read on and enjoy... 

1. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - I read this book when I was in my first year of Undergrad, and I had tears in my eyes, thinking about the protagonist and her troubles. The important lesson I learnt from this book was 'Never judge people before you know the whole story....And believe me, everybody has a story'.

2. The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost - not to be confused with "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening". "The Road Not Taken" talks about the difficulty of making a decision, and standing by it, about going against the current, and taking a risk. When we can do that, and not care what the world talks about us, I think we stand a chance in this life...

3. A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen - Apart from the ultra-cool name this author has (I first thought he was Henry Kibzen!), I can't believe that a man from that age could actually empathize with women, and be a kind of ambassador for them. If it took phenomenal courage for the women of the age to stand up for their rights, then, I think it took equal courage for a man to stand up and tell the world to leave these women the heck alone! If you are hooked on this guy, read Hedda Gabbler...you will never recover!

4. A Hanging by George Orwell - A man known for his insight and foresight, this story stopped my heart at the horror that was the human mind! If we can hang a man, and do it with the nonchalance of doing our daily chores, then we are all that is wrong with the world!

5. Silas Marner by George Eliot - Well, first of all, this book made me appreciate the fact that I was born in an age where a woman can be creative, and get full credit for it without having to make people believe she is a man! I fell in love with this book because of a totally different reason. It was like this - we had a teacher called Mr.Elango in our second year of post graduation. He was the bees knees as far as teachers go!! We could listen to him for hours and not know the time fly by!! When he discussed a play or a fiction novel, he didn't just talk, he performed! He became the characters he spoke about, and we hung on his every word. When he discussed Silas Marner with us in the class, well, my admiration for my teacher somewhere flowed into my fascination for the story, and the lines are quite blurred now!! Mr.Elango is the person I try to emulate as a teacher and trainer, and the person I want to be when I grow up... There! now you know everything about me...not quite, but almost....:P

6. I'm Nobody! Who are You? by Emily Dickinson - This woman has guts, I tell you...and not in the mindless, maudlin, suicidal sort of way like Sylvia Plath (who, by the way, I totally detest...but I guess you already picked that up!). Just read this poem, and you will know what I am talking about. With these few lines, I think she just insulted every politician that ever lived, lives, and will ever live!!! Her sense of humor....well...I just wish I could have half that humor when I look at myself objectively. She is also fearless. I'm not talking about guts, I'm talking about fearlessness. Read up on her and you'll understand. Emily Dickinson is a true hero.

7. Othello by William Shakespeare - Okay, if there's one thing I sometimes wish for from the very depths of my heart...it is that I was born in Elizabethan England, and went to see Shakespeare's plays. Probably meet the Bard himself, and get an autographed poster of one of his plays...How cool would that be!!! Anyway, that's not happening...so I read Shakespeare's works, and stuff about him, like my life depends on it!! I loved, loved the movie Shakespeare In Love, and I cannot imagine how anyone can ignore/dislike this guy. I loved the play Othello more than any thing else Shakespeare wrote, because I felt in it he created the truest testimonies of human nature than any one has created in literature. Everyone who writes psychological thrillers, I think, in a way, borrows from Shakespeare.

Because I just have to have a picture of Shakespeare in this post!!

8. Mending Wall by Robert Frost - Robert Frost is a genius! His words are really simple, and yet poignant in the most profound ways. His poems are one of the most quoted in the world, and everyone knows at least one line of Frost, no matter what their standard of education!! I recited this poem for an inter-college poetry recitation competition in my undergrad years, and I was trained by Ms.Betty D'Couto. Cool name, cool personality, she was the epitome of Cool! Every girl in that Girls-only college wished she would one day look even half as good in a cotton sari as Ms.Betty D'Couto (she of the super cool name). She had bangs that came down to her eyebrows, and she made English classes fun...no scratch that...she made them heavenly. The teacher that had a session following Ms.Betty's, was always, ALWAYS, met with glazed eyes mournful looks - as if to say, "God, woman...why do you even try?!" I love all my teachers from Undergrad, but Ms.Betty made us speechless!! Oh, by the way? I won that poetry recitation contest!! Howza?!!

....Ahem...moving on...

9. David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - David Copperfield (not the magician, please, Gawd No!) made me cry, and The Pickwick Papers made me laugh...there were copious amounts of tears involved in both instances.... What the Dickens?!?!?!?

10. If by Rudyard Kipling - How many works of Rudyard Kipling you know, shows your level of familiarity with literature. If all you can think of is The Jungle Book, then your literary pursuits probably stop at Disney Animations!! On the other hand, if you have read the The Second Jungle Book (heh!) you're getting closer.

Okay, that makes my list of top 10, but you're crazy if you thought I could stop with that...Some works of literature that touched me, top 10 or no....

The Last Leaf by O Henry

A Prayer for My Daughter by W.B. Yeats

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Paradise Lost by John Milton

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas - this is not available on ReadPrint.com, but I the text is available on the Wiki entry on the poem.



Note: This post was entered in the Top Ten Tuesday Linky party over at OhAmanda.com. Enter your post and play!

"From Draft to Post" Series - Rant #2

This is the second installment of the "From Draft to Post" Series. Enjoy...or not...whichever is fine....

Post Title: Top 10 Sitcoms so ROFL!
"I love watching television, used to watch it a lot. I view it as an educational experience, and YES, I have learned a lot through television! Don't laugh, and Don't call me 'Loser'! I guess I took to television when I stopped having enough time to read a whole book.
So, I used to watch a lot of movies, mainly Hollywood movies. And then, I found out that I do not have time to sit through an entire movie. The obvious solution (for me, that is...) is to watch sitcoms, and TV shows! Of course, any other normal person would have just stuck to doing the chores with some music on. But not Me! :D
Anyway, now I watch shows, and I love them...only 30 minutes to an hour long. I won't have a mild seizure if I don't watch the ending (and there are MANY ways how that could happen), and I can totally stand in the kitchen and tune in and out whenever I want. You can't do that with movies, as everyone always talks so softly. In shows, at least you know you missed a joke when you hear everyone laughing!!
Aaaaanyway, my top 10 favorite shows (some are reruns of shows that people have probably forgotten, or miss)...
1. F.R.I.E.N.D.S - I love, love, love this show!!! I've watched it so many times, I can say the lines before the characters do! But I still laugh at all the jokes... Joey trying to learn French for an audition was ROFL!!

these people are just ADORABLE!!!!!

2. How I Met Your Mother - I missed the first 2 seasons, but my good friend Nameeta gave me the DVDs, and I watched all of it. I love Robin, because just like her, I don't get some of the 'American-isms' in the show!... My favorite moment, Barney getting slapped - all 3 times!

The cast...

...and how they'd look if they all dressed like Barney AALLLL THE TIME!!!

3. Everybody Loves Raymond - (apparently from here on, I had nothing to say...only show and tell henceforth!!!)

a.k.a epitome of dysfunctional family!!

4. 30 Rock

heheh! weirdness thou art 30 Rock!!

5. The King of Queens

This is the look of a man who is not amused, but is threatened into amusement!!

6. Seinfeld

No, seriously, what is the deal with these people?!?!?!

7. 2 and a Half Men

I shudder to think what would happen when ALL these men actually grow up!!

8. Boston Legal - dunno if this qualifies as a sitcom per se, but I laugh loud and long enough to make up for the studio laughter that is missing in this show....!!!!

The cast...

...and the GODS!!!

9. Carpoolers

A little meh sometime, but funny nevertheless!

10. Pushing Daisies

This is how much of show-offs these people are, actually. And I love them!!

And one for the road....

11. That 70s Show...

ASHTON KUTCHER...That is all!

"From Draft to Post" Series - Rant #1

I have this terrible secret that I have been holding within myself for the past 4 years, that I was ashamed someone would find out.... which is that I have 'drafts'!!!! Yes, at any given time, my posts page on my dashboard is filled with at least 10 drafts in that weird orange color. I look at them and wonder what the heck happened right in between my 'creative process' that forced me to completely and irrefutably forget that I was actually spilling my soul on some important topic?!?!?!? (Like just now...you know...major spilling of soul...:P)

Anyway, I do not have the heart to delete these posts, since I obviously spent a lot of thought and effort on them. But then again, I can't really finish them and publish them as proper posts, because quite frankly, I CAN'T...like, I don't know what in the world I was talking about, and where I was actually headed with all this ranting...

Let me warn you (I realize that this here blog is filled with too many warnings...probably your cue to run for your life...No? Okay, whatever, suit yourself....)...Where was I? Oh yeah, so let me warn you that this is going to make no sense...but you know, I need to do this...like a burp that's stuck in my throat, and I know that it is probably not very polite to burp, but then, HECK, I neeeeeed to let it outta my chest throat...So, here goes...

Post Title: The Dark Knight - Christopher Nolan (apparently supposed to be very thrilling...)
"Here is a story that has been coming to you year after year, trying to convince you that a certain masked hero is for real, and that he is going to save the world. There was Spiderman...he came, acted in 1 great and 2 not so great films, and he went on his way. His friends, family, girlfriend, and villains all had this plastic-like glow around them as if to say, "Okay, we seem real...but we're really not that real." And he went away...
There was Daredevil, Hulk, IronMan, XMen, the Fantastic Four, Superman etcetera. All of them acted out their parts without taking themselves too seriously. Except for Mr. Batman here. Why is there a Batman Begins after the world has seen dozens of films about the masked crusader or whatever he is. How many times are we supposed to tolerate the same characters played by different actors, each in a more hideous costume than the previous one? And why do they have to rope in Morgan Freeman? Is it because they're afraid they won't be taken seriously otherwise? And Christian Bale? Why...Why? On a totally unrelated note, does Christian Bale always act in movies where he is not required to smile, because he is not capable of smiling...just thinking out loud...never mind...

Now, the Joker...and Heath Ledger in character....now you're talking!"

(at this point the narrator's voice peters out, and said narrator stares at empty space, totally clueless of what she was talking about!)

And then this picture, no less....

The Observer

The wind...
is everywhere.
The mountains in the distance...
What color is that? Grey? Blue?
Nothing more beautiful than that undecided hue...

Grey parsons...
The hovering patriarchs....
Clouds of snow and ash...
Bring blessing of sorts, to the heated brow.
Oh, to stand 'neath the shower and grow...

...Like the trees...
They dance, a dance
Of passion, hair blowing in time...
To the beat of the wind and rain,
And they kiss the setting sun's mane.

The earth...
Unfurls a sigh...
Her breath fresh
From the nectar of new showers
And I stand, captive of her powers...

Behind cold glass panes...
Of a routine that dictates,
Chains that shackle my song,
That broke my wild joys, now tame
And locked them behind a window frame.