Getting Organised!

Well I don't quite know what's happened but after months of being somewhat crafty-lazy this week I've exploded into a papercraft machine! It never rains but it pours, eh?! More evidence of this to follow but first thing's first....

I can't remember where I first got the idea for this, but I saw on some clever lady's blog that she'd used a photo frame as a 'white board' style meal planner... so I shamelessly went with the idea and created a weekly planner with a 'Don't Forget' list... which is much needed when you've got a 3 second memory like mine!

This was such an easy peasy project. An A4 frame from a cheapy shop, some messing around in Word and a white board marker... et voila, a personalised planner just for us!



Brownies with a twist... or a swirl!

Wow I've been terrible at updating! Not had much to update though, I've been fairly uncrafty recently sadly. My darling Husband bought me a printer for my birthday in May so now I have no excuse to not print out photos and journalling so I can crack on with my wedding scrapbook, I have bought a load of papers and embellishments, I have an album to put everything in yet... nothing! Ah well, inspiration will hit soon I'm sure!

So whilst I procrastinate on the scrap front I've been focussing on baking, tastes good but may explain my expanding waistline!

A lovely lady (CinnyLoves :-) ) pointed me in the direction of the Carnation website yesterday and my eye immediately picked out the words 'Caramel Swirl Chocolate Brownies' and I proclaimed that 'I am making those tonight!' And I did. And they were gooooood!

I was very proud of the step I took when deciding to make these as the last time I made brownies a few years ago it went terribly wrong and I've been wary ever since. How was I to that the big unmarked tub of white granules was salt rather than sugar?! My word they tasted gross, I couldn't even look at a brownie for a long time after that!

Ingredients:



150g (5½oz) butter
200g (7oz) dark chocolate
2 eggs, beaten
175g (6oz) soft light brown sugar
55g (2oz) plain flour
1tsp baking powder
55g (2oz) walnut pieces (I didn't put these in as Hubby is a bit anti-nuts, the weirdo!)
4-6tbsp Carnation Caramel (Just stick the whole tin in!)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and line a 20cm (8in) square baking tin.
2. Melt the butter with 55g (2oz) of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water.
3. Beat the eggs with the sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, then sift in the flour, and baking powder. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture, and beat together until well blended.
4. Chop the remaining chocolate into rough chunks and stir into the brownie mixture, with the walnuts. Spoon into the tin and spread evenly.
5. Beat the caramel in a small bowl and swirl into the mix. Bake for about 30 minutes, the cake should begin to shrink slightly from the sides of the tin.
6. When cool cut the brownie cake into squares.

These are all kinds of awesome, chewy and gooey and soft and fattening... all you need in a brownie!

Oh, and by the way, I've never encountered the joy of Carnation caramel in a tin before! I could have happily sat and just eaten the whole tin rather than use it as a boring ingredient... but I didn't! Must be growing up...