Best Brownie Recipe

29 March

My son came home the other day and begged for brownies.  Apparently one of his classmates had a birthday and the treat they brought in was a brownie which created a craving for him.  I completely get this as I have this reaction frequently when eating something yummy so I quickly did a search on the computer for a quick, easy brownie recipe.

The search landed me on AllRecipes.com to a recipe called, “Best Brownies” which had 4.5 stars out of 4,962 reviews.  Now, I always look at reviews but I have never seen a recipe ranked so high with that many reviews.  I knew I found my recipe.  I also love that everything is on hand and you don’t have to use a mixer which is always a plus as far as I am concerned.

I made the brownies, they were fantastic and one of the things I liked best about them was the frosting you put on top of them while they are still warm.  The warmth from the brownies allows the frosting to ooze into this decadent treat.  Try them, if you don’t believe me trust the 4,962 reviews.

Best Brownie Recipe 
(adapted from AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients
Brownie:
1/2 cup butter
 1 cup white sugar
 2 eggs
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
 2/3 cup chocolate chips (this is my own addition)
Frosting: 
 3 tablespoons butter, softened
 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
 1 tablespoon honey
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.

In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, chocolate chips and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners’ sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

Makes 16 brownies

The Perfect Winged Eyeliner

29 March

Celebrities have been wearing the winged eyeliner look for some time now.  It amazes me how a line of black ink can transform a look so much.  Ah, the beauty (no pun intended) of makeup.   Below are four of my favorites eyeliners to achieve a perfect winged eyeliner look:










Items one and three are excellent dupes for their more expensive counterparts.  Truth be told I have only purchased a couple of Lancome Artliner’s, to the countless Lineur Intense Brush Tip Eyeliners and I have found them to work exactly the same.   Not surprising since L’Oreal owns Lancome.   I have to say that when it comes to liners 1 and 2, I actually prefer the more expensive MAC cosmetic version.   The wand for the MAC eyeliner is much shorter and I find it easier to control.  However, the MAC version is so tiny that it tends to run out much faster than the L’Oreal version.  The brush tip on eyeliners 1 and 2 are also so fine it works best when creating a modest winged eyeliner look.  I find this to be especially perfect for the weekends when I am looking for a more natural look. 
So…for a more dramatic look I recommend liners 3 & 4, and for a softer look, I would recommend liner 1 or 2.   All are excellent, have amazing staying power and will provide you with the exotic cat eye look. 
Celebrities from Angelina Jolie, Rihanna & Taylor Swift have rocked this timeless look.  Checkout Glaamspot.com for more awesome makeup looks.