Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Apr13
Apr12
White And Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Chocolate Cake Bars
Rich chocolate cake with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and filled with cream cheese. These bars are always a hit and are fast, easy and foolproof! They taste like chocolate cake, not brownies, and are an extremely moist and rich cake at that.
Serves: 9×13-inch pan, 18 to 24 bars
Cook Time: 24 to 27 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, for cooling
Prep Time: 10 mintues
INGREDIENTS
1 box devil’s food cake chocolate cake mix (or your favorite boxed chocolate cake mix)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (bourbon vanilla is especially nice)
1 to 2 tablespoons cold brewed coffee or water, optional if necessary
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 can (14-ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened (I use whipped cream cheese)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (clear imitation vanilla extract will keep this layer whiter)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 9-by-13 inch pan by lining it with aluminum foil and then spraying it with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, egg, vanilla and mix either with a mixer, with a spoon, or with your hands, kneading it together. The batter will be extremely thick and will be difficult to combine, but keep stirring or use your fingers and knead it together, adding the coffee (will deepen the flavor and does not make them taste like coffee) or water if necessary. Press the dough it into the prepared pan. It will be tacky, sticky, and a bit tricky to work with, but keep pressing, spreading, and finessing it. Sprinkle the white and dark chocolate chips evenly over the top.
In a mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese, stir until well combined, and pour mixture evenly over dough, using a spatula to gently spread and even it if necessary.
Bake for 24 to 27 minutes, or until edges of bars begin to barely brown and pull away slightly from the sides of the pan, or until the middle has barely set, taking care not to overbake. Note that the middle will not seem very well set and will be jiggly upon removing from oven and that is okay, you want to keep these gooey. They will continue to set up more after they have cooled. Allow bars to cool well before slicing and serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to three months.
Apr12
Nina Simone Kind of Saturday Morning
Music always helps a day of necessary indoor chores go much easier. And with the absolute right tracks, I pretend I’m on a date with a really deserving guy who planned the whole thing. Now that’s sexy!
So, happy Saturday! It makes sense that I combine two of my loves whenever possible. Nina Simone and Paris, France… #musicfriendsofTenaciousM enjoy!
“I Can’t See Nobody” performed by Nina Simone; Recording session: Live, Paris 1968.
“The Other Woman” by Nina Simone; Recording session: Live, Paris 1968.
Apr11
From One Queen To Many Others
Happy Friday! I hope that you are all having an amazing day and that your worth has not gone unnoticed to you!
-Always, TenaciousM
Apr11
Standing On Their Shoulders – Percy Lavon Julian
Today would be Julian Percy’s 115th birthday. I celebrate his legacy and the accomplishments he made during a time when African Americans seldom received credit for their work.
Percy Lavon Julian (April 11, 1899 – April 19, 1975) was a U.S. research chemist and a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants.[1] He was the first to synthesize the natural product physostigmine, and a pioneer in the industrial large-scale chemical synthesis of the human hormones progesterone and testosterone from plant sterols such as stigmasterol and sitosterol. His work laid the foundation for the steroid drug industry’s production of cortisone, other corticosteroids, and birth control pills.
He later started his own company to synthesize steroid intermediates from the Mexican wild yam. His work helped greatly reduce the cost of steroid intermediates to large multinational pharmaceutical companies, helping to significantly expand the use of several important drugs.
Julian received more than 130 chemical patents. He was one of the first African-Americans to receive a doctorate in chemistry. He was the first African-American chemist inducted into the National Academy of Sciences, and the second African-American scientist inducted from any field. Credit: Wikipedia
Apr10
Over The Hump Old School Soundcheck- Brick
Happy Thursday #musicfriendsofTenaciousM! The week is almost over so let there be music old school music!
“Dusic” is a song by Brick, issued as the lead single from the band’s eponymous second album. The song was the band’s final hit single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #18 in 1977. Credit: Wikipedia
Apr10
Blurred Lines
Apr9
The Haiti Artist Collective
TOMS has collaborated with The Haiti Artist Collective to create limited edition, hand painted shoes that benefit the cause of creating sustainable jobs there. Such a great concept. I love the tropical green ones in the middle!
ABOUT THE INITIATIVE
In a country with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world*, we’re creating sustainable jobs with creative solutions.
TOMS has committed to create jobs through shoe production in Haiti and to help establish and support a responsible shoe industry in the country. As a locally staffed and operated facility, we can economically empower individuals while giving big businesses a footprint to work in Haiti in the future.
Haiti Artist Collective Shoes | TOMS.com
The Haiti Artist Collective commissions local artists to create limited edition, hand-painted TOMS Shoes, providing sustainable jobs in a country with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.
WWW.TOMS.COM
Credit: Afrobella via TOMS
Apr9
Tropical Turtle Brownies with Grilled Fruit
Pineapple, banana and mango transform your usual brownie into a tropical dessert! Grilled fruit and caramel topping make this a distinctive treat – ready in 40 minutes!
Prep Time 25 min Total Time 40 min Servings 12
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 medium pineapple (3 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (3 cups)
3 medium mangoes, cut lengthwise in half, pitted and cut into 1-inch chunks (3 cups)
4 medium firm bananas, cut into 1-inch slices (3 cups)
12 brownies (3-inch square), cut diagonally in half
1 cup caramel topping
Directions
1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Mix butter, orange juice and brown sugar in small bowl.
2. Thread pineapple, mango and banana pieces alternately on each of twenty-four 10-inch skewers, leaving space between each piece. Brush fruit with butter mixture. Grill fruit uncovered 4 to 5 inches from medium-low heat 10 to 15 minutes, turning frequently and brushing with butter mixture, until fruit is lightly browned.
3. To serve, arrange 2 brownie triangles on each plate. Remove fruit from skewers and arrange around and over brownies. Drizzle with caramel topping.
Tips
* If using bamboo skewers, soak in water at least 30 minutes before using to prevent burning.
* Make the butter mixture, and transport it in a small container. Bring the cut-up mango and pineapple in a separate container. So the bananas don’t turn brown, wait to cut them until you’re ready to thread the fruit on the skewers and grill.
* If you’re going to serve this at home, try substituting sorbet, frozen yogurt or ice cream for the brownies.
* Buy “green tip” bananas, which are ripe but still firm enough to withstand grilling. The grilling brings out the natural sweetness.
Apr8
Why failing is (kind of) a good thing
I am such a fan of Christian Mihai and this post will help you understand why I feel this way. People are often so afraid of failure that they are forced to accept a life of mediocrity. We need to embrace our missteps to learn and to fortify our self esteem. We fortify our self esteem through personal success and realizing goals which, believe me, take a fair amount of failures. Courage…
Egos & Buffaloes 