Starbucks Peppermint Brownies

I just had a wonderful brownie with my usual dopio machiatio expresso at Starbucks.  Its a peppermint brownie.  For a chocolate lover's delight.  The peppermint buttercream frosting is out of this world.  Using the internet I found the copycat recipe for the same thing:  Enjoy and take to work! : ) Pat

About This Recipe

"A mint chocolate brownie with a mint buttercream icing topped with chocolate! And it all starts with a box of brownie mix!"

Ingredients

Brownies

• 1 (19 1/2 ounce) boxes fudge brownie mix
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting

• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 (12 ounce) bags semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Then prepare a 9x9 inch baking dish by spraying lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper to the width of the bottom of your pan but long enough to extend over the edge of the right and left sides of the pan.

Page 2 of 2Copycat Starbucks Peppermint Brownie (cont.)

Directions (cont.)

2. Sift brownie mix to eliminate any clumps. Then add melted butter, water eggs and 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract. Mix by hand just until dry ingredients are incorporated.
3. Pour into prepared pan. Bake according to package directions. Let cool.
4. Beat together cup powdered sugar and 1/2 cup softened butter. Mix in another 1/2 cup powdered sugar, then add 1 tablespoon milk and peppermint and vanilla extracts. Spread frosting evenly over the top. Place brownies in fridge to firm up frosting.
5. Bring 1/3 cup milk and 1/4 cup butter almost to a boil over medium heat. Pour chocolate chips into a heat-safe bowl. Pour milk mixture over the top and let sit for 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and whisk until smooth. Use an electric mixer to beat in 1 cup powdered sugar until frosting is smooth. This will make more than you need, so remove 1/4-1/3 cup frosting and reserve for another use.
6. Spread chocolate frosting over the white frosting on the brownies.
7. Place back in fridge for about an hour to firm up frosting. Remove brownies from pan and slice into 9 pieces.

The Free Design, Judy Collins, and Rita Coolidge

In interesting group I came across in my e-music subscription is "The Free Design."  Its easy flow music reminiscent of Sergio Mendez and the Brazil 66.  There are some baroque harmonies in it as well. The group is recorded many "covers" of other famous musicians which is nice since you know the melody already. Two albums landed on my desktop, The Best of The Free Design and You could be Born Again. I think that they are best known in the day for the soft so very soft song "Kites are Fun." Enjoy the adventure of some new songs.


Judy Collins has an album out called 24 classic songs that is right up there too.  Its full of covers and classic folk themes.  I like the South Pacific song, Younger than Spring time. Mom and Dad bought me some singing lessons from the Junior High vocal teacher when I was in 8th grade.  This was one of the songs she taught me vocal techniques.  This album also has  a song from Pal Joey, "Bewitched." "Both Sides Now," is on this album. There are also some classic Dylan songs here too. 

I am also impressed by the shear vocal power of Judy Collins in the Album "An American Girl." The first track, "The Wedding Song  for Louis" has some fabulous orchestration and sound effects.  The tag line is "Love can do anything, Love can change the World." There it goes. Pat Brown the romantic once more!

I am also liking the "Out of the Blues" Album by Rita Coolidge. This has the folk legend into a really cool blues salty chanteuse. One of my favorites is "Black Coffee."The whole album is pretty solid torch singer blues.  There is some style that is often missing in contemporary music.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Love Pat

Nigel, the Main Coon Cat

For the last three days Nigel the 14 pound Main Coon Cat has been not acting right.
He sat in one position for at least 12 hours. This is very spooky for  a cat that is pretty active.
He came to use via Sean and Linzi.  They picked him up for the downtown Cold Stone ice cream spot.  A car drove and and a small child got out of the car and literally tossed this poor bewildered kitten at the threshold of Cold Stone creamery.  The kids scooped him up and took him to Sacramento  He is a lovely black long haired animal with a super fluffy tail and little tuffs between his feet.  He has the sweetest personality. He is always from our perspective a non violent soul.  Even today with the little neighborhood cats all around, he is respectful and tries really had to get along.


He did have an issue with the timy old lady cat the Sean and Heather had in Sacramento.  She is 15 years old and really set in her ways. Sean had completed the people personalization of this animal and he is tops in our book,  He did have an issue with getting him to the vet.  He put on such a fuss that the cat vet in Sacramento had to use gloves to protect the workers handling him. 

In recent months he has met with a scrape along the side of his head from the cat wars that has required some animal vet work.  The noticed he had some issues with some loose teeth and they were taken care of two.  It was with a little bit of trepidation that I came to the realization that he needed more vet work yesterday.  An in and out cat that does want in or out but is comfortable just staying in one place is not a good sign.  I loaded him up.. not a problem in the cat carrier and took him off to the vet.  At the vet he easily got out of the carrier to get weighed.  As we waited for the vet, he moved himself back into the carrier.  When the vet arrived.  She asked about him.  I  provided her with the run down and my suspensions.  I was afraid that he was having urinary issues as many male cats have in this age bracket.  She looked in and said we need need to get him out.  I used the day's experience to think that I could drag him out to get examined... no He gave me a little nip and then sunk his teeth full force into my hand.  Puncture wounds on both sides of my left hand.


The vet concluded that he needed to be seen under sedation.  After a half hour in the waiting room she came out and said that no he had no urinary tract infection put she thought that it would be important to check through the blood work.  He had a high fever and was dehydrated.  She administered a shot with a long term antibiotic dose (should last almost 2 weeks). This is pretty good since he is not a good medicine taker.

This morning he was perky and wanted out. The vet said that ideally he should be quarantined for 10 days.. although she said that she knew that was not reasonable for a cat like this. 

So things are looking better for Mr. Nigel. I wish I could say the same for my hand.  Its starting to get red and siff.  I will keep an eye on it and get some antibiotics if needed.

The other vet came out and offered my some Iodine for the hand wash and suggested I wash the dishes with dawn hot water and soap.

Rain is in the forecast for this afternoon. Nigel will be less likely to want to get out and waterdog it.

Mantis Operation

The mantis mini tiller got put together today.  I only had to rebuild it twice due to using the wrong screws in the right places.

I got some 2 cycle oil to mix with the new gas in the gas can and we were off and running.  Well, not quite.  I had to re-read the manual to make sure that the switch was turned on. It also highlighted the use of the choke.. it pulls out to start. 

I fired it up.. by pulling the cord the requisit times and away it went.

Some observations. 
Dad said that he wished he had bought a smaller rototiller for his garden because it would fit up closer to where he wanted to go. Mantis makes the smallest rototiller around although not the cheapest.  Its pretty much the same price everywhere.. 350.  That seems a lot for a 20 pound tool.  Professional gardeners swear by them.  After working it.. and it working me for the afternoon I could tell why.

On my clay soil without a pre dig, the Mantis bumped up and down as its tines tried to dig in.  If I pre- dug with a shovel just a little and turned the soi over once, the Mantis would pulverize the soil to the point that is often described in pie crust making as "small peas." So you can imagine having your planting beds made from nasty tough clay bound soil converted to 10 inch deep soil with the texture of pie crust waiting for the water.  You can plant anything in that.  So its worthwhile.

The price it extracts from the operator for this wonderful soil is two fold.  All my soil must be pre-dug and turned over before using this tool.  That is a job.  Secondly, when using the Mantis, there is a little kickback as it digs the dirt deeper.  If the first step doesn't wear you out the second one will.  But gardening is good exercise and who doesn't need that?   

:) Pat

Iris Prep and Mantis acquistion

Its a beautiful clear and somewhat warm November day.

My poor iris collection has had it pretty rough in the front yard the last couple of years. They started out in bright summer sunlight of the Central Valley summers. Iris love sun. Now they sip ice tea under the branches of these miniature peach and nectarine trees all summer and they aren't looking very rigorous.

Their glory days occur in March and into April. During this season, the leaves have not formed such a deep blanket above them to prevent their blossoms from display.  Its fairly obvious that at the end of the summer, these direct sun lovers are having a hard time coming up for the extreme sunlight they need. They really need to be divided and restarted somewhere else.

A nice barrier of empty planing area exists on the crescent shaped hill in the front that have the big trees.  Dad always has a chuckle at my trees.  They get a "toupee cut." Sheared off in fall and the winter to a height no greater than ten feet, they are the perfect "pickers trees." No ladder is required to thin the fruit, or pick the peaches and pluots when they are ripe.  On the ground in front of the crescent is a perfect spot for the iris.  They are headed there this fall.

Each iris plant had gone through a rejuvenation of its own and abandoned its old root tubers.  Last week they were cut off and discarded.  The new plants form as shoots off the side of the last blossoming tuber.  These were cut leaving some root and their cuts from the old tuber allowed to air dry.  The air dry is now complete and they are ready to read to their new location.

First the ground needs to be prepared.  I weeded the area.  I started turning over the soil.  We have tough clay based soil.  I lasted a half an hour with the digging.  Sue has agreed to let me buy a mantis mini rototiller.  I am hoping that the new tool with really help.

Today we were off to get one. But first we needed to do the fabric store for some zippers for the turquoise pillows she is making Linzi and Sean's new Berkley apartment.  The material arrived via ebay yesterday and it is pretty cool.  Linzi wanted some turquoise velvet for the pillows.  We also needed to shop at Ross for some curtain rods.. We found out through text messaging and phone calls that they were not needed.  On to the dollar store Sue headed. She did not find a little notebook that she was looking for but still some other 99 cent treasures found their way to the basket.

Luckily Orchard Supply Hardware is a short couple of blocks away.

At OSH I knew they had the mantis brand mini rototiller that I was looking for.  The manager was summoned and he found one in the box in the back. He brought it to us with already in a cart.  I added a sack of soil amendment and we were off.

When I got home, I needed a gas tank.. its a 2 cycle engine and needs the oil mixed into the gas.  My other yard equipment is 4 cycle and they take gas straight.  Also it required two 7/16 box wrenches to tighten up the bolts.  I got these at Lowes.  Now its too dark to put it together. But it will be waiting for me tomorrow!   

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World Series Giants!

Reading USA today gave me an insight of where the two teams in the World Series were made. Baseball has almost always enjoyed a unique position in sports. Early on it was deemed by the courts not to be subject to the antitrust laws that effect businesses and other sports. This means that teams can get together and exchange players and contracts without fear of being charged with conspiring to effect trade. Other sports are not allowed to do this.

Baseball has no cap on collective cost of teams. The New York Yankees can and do spend more than any other team in baseball. It does not always result in capturing a World Series or for that matter even being in one. Sometimes the best players do not yield the best results. Ask the Giants about the history of pitcher Zito. He is one of the highest paid pitchers in the major league baseball and he did not even make the playoff roster.

Each baseball season is a long one. The endless travel and athletes have to work hard to maintain physical abilities to keep them in the premier baseball league throughout the season. Its come down to this. They World Series. Can one team from the National League (the San Francisco Giants) beat one team from the American League (Texas Rangers.)

The Texas Rangers have never been to the World Series. Why? Because Texas as a whole is more focused on football. If you catch the Disney Dennis Quaid movie "The Rookie" the poor kids in small town Texas could not even buy basball socks mid 60s. They certainly have had a beautiful new park since the 90's. Still they were not fielding a competent team for World Series play until now. It takes an owner with clever vision to bring that about. They are here this year after clubbing the Yankees over the head.

So how did the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers get into the World Series. In both cases they traded and acquired a number of players at the trading deadlines and a parlayed them into a winning team. The San Francisco Giants are dependent upon their pitchers and have a park that is very pitcher friendly. the Rangers have invested in offense and scoring many runs with big batters. Their park is a pitchers nightmare but a hitter's delight.

In both cases, both teams traded to increase their strengths and build against their weaknesses.

Here is the rundown on how these teams were made.

Texas San Francisco

Drafted 7 9
Acquired in Trade 13 4
Signed as Free Agents 3 10
Selected in Rule 5 draft 1 0
Signed as amateur free agent 0 1
Claimed on waivers 1 1

Source USA today research


Despite this, the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers take great pride in the number of significant players they have developed through their farm organizations. As USA today notes,"both teams would not be their without wheeling and dealing that continued as long as the rules allowed."

The Rangers acquired high profile pitcher Cliff Lee in early July. The Giants fine tuned their bullpen at the July 31 trade deadline to waiver claims and deals all the way through August. Onlookers to the scene claimed that both clubs were headed to overkill in particular areas.

The major players in this shift and gamble were the Giants Brian Sabean and the Ranger's Jon Daniels.

The Giants manager Bruce Bochy said "I compare them to the Dirty Dozen. That's the way they they play, they've coalesced into a team that goes out there to win. Its nice to have a group of unselfish players who have one agenda and that is to get to postseason. There is no complaining. They have accepted their roles, which they probably were real happy (about).

The San Fransico Giants have won two games in their home park. The question remains can they do it in Texas? Or as my mother-in-law would say can they "mess with Texas."

: ) Pat

Making Photo Books

How do you share your photos?

In the 60's we pulled out the Kodak carousel projector when we had people over for dinner and we needed some after dinner entertainment. Slides were loaded in and photos were shared. Pet peeves were blank spots in the carousel when the screen went blank. Some people got tired and feel asleep and snored loudly after the dinner meal. The slide show became a poor way to share your treasured memories.

Affordable hand held photography followed. The audience could look in a more intimate setting the photos to be shared. The media was still 35 mm or newly invented "disks" and hand held photo albums. The photographer could share photos in any light with a friend or two without getting out the projector and waiting until dark to share the memories.

Slide shows made a come back when web pages were designed.When I was making them, I even figured out a code to put multiple photos timed through the webto make a slide show. The audience needed to be sitting at a computer however to see the photos that were displayed along with the text. The computer got personal photography back to the setting of commentary with the photos as slide show and photo albums had done before. The computer screen took the place of the projector. The computer screen usually made this photography more intimate and user interactive. Now people use facebook or twitter to share their stories and photos instantaneously. The sagas are short and the photos are quick and often poorly formed.

Dad has been real good about framing my favorite travel photos. My Epson stylus photo 1800 does a great job of cranking out photos that are 13 by 19 inches. We have been rotating framed photos of our trip and it is really great to have these beauties on the wall. Not everyone has a lot of wall space or a good framer. Wall space and big framed photos is another mode to share your memories.

Along the continuum back around the horn, personal photo books are starting to bring back the element that the photo album had. Their advantage is that the photo books are usually edited and contain a printed story in parts that many photo albums were missing. Again we are morphing into the stand alone from the personal annotated works of the 80's and 90's. They can be fingered with photos not being ruined by their display. They are more expensive but multiple copies may be made and shared.

I have just completed two personal photo books. Both of the books were printed by Apple directly from Apple's professional photography program Aperature 3. The product is shipped off electronically to Central Point Oregon and the books arrive in beautiful printed form in about a week.

There are other players in the photo book world besides Apple. Snapfish is a favorite vendor for my friend Tom who makes photo books of his light house quests. I see that Costco is also getting into the personal photobook business too.

Some books are hard bound and very large. My first one is of that nature. It is 23 pages of Glacier National Park in July. Some photos stretch across both pages. In this book because it is a photo/picture book without a significant amount of writing has no more than one photo per page. The second book that I made is a book that celebrates the various stops and attractions along the way. It is a much smaller book and it has some pages were two or more photos and considerably more text is used. I am going to make sure that all of those participants on the cruise will get a copy. It is softbound, smaller overall, and reflects more of the journey than the single subject Glacier Bay book affords.

I can hardly wait until the second book arrives. The Glacier Bay book I feel is a real success. After all our homes have only so much room for framed photos. Glacier Bay is truly a special place. Its magnificence can barely be shown in a book. I am hoping that the trip overall will be nicely annotated by the photo book.

Consider making a photo book with your latest trip photos.

: ) Pat