mocha whipped brownies could quite easily be nominated for my favorite new dessert of the year. did lots of baking in the winter . and i mean lots. so much, that i overdosed and havent baked a bit since february i think. and this one. this tasty treat here. left a good mark in my memory. de.lish.us. i really dont think i can even make them any more which is really unfortunate because you see, theres this little thing called self control, and if you happen to know anything about it let me know because i havent got a bit of it. specially when it comes to these heavenly little suckers. i find that i make a batch, and soon after ( like, within 48 hrs- 90% of them have vanished, and i have everything to do with it.) straight out of the one and only pioneer womans cook book, heres the recipe if you dare: ps- i suggest keeping them refrigerated. theyre amazing cold and the mocha topping holds up better when it is kept cool. also, slice small squares, for they are a bit rich :)

::PIONEER WOMANS MOCHA BROWNIES::

Brownies

4 1-oz. squares unsweetened chocolate

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

3 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Mae’s Mocha Icing

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter, softened

5 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh-brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

For brownies:

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick baking spray.

To make the brownie batter, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, being careful not to let it burn. Set it aside to cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs. With the mixer on low speed, drizzle in the melted chocolate. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add the flour to the bowl and mix just until combined; do not over mix. Pour the batter in the baking pan. Spread it to even out the surface. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the center is no longer soft. Set the brownies aside to cool completely before icing.

For icing:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla. Mix until slightly combined, then add 1/2 cup of the brewed coffee. Whip until the icing is the desired consistency. If the icing is overly thick, add 1/4 cup more coffee. It should be very light and fluffy.

Ice the cooled brownies, spreading the icing on thick. Refrigerate until the icing is firm, and then slice the brownies into squares.

feeling super inspired right now. got vacuumed suckered into amazon world of nifty books the other night and let.me.tell.you ... that site makes it waaaa.hayyyyyy to uncomplicated to point.click.and.purchase. i suddenly found myself 50 some.dollars.quickly.carried.away. . . and can gladly say today that so far, 50% satisfied with my impulsive doings. still waiting on other book to come :) first book is killer. dot. com. been loving it much. . i am psyched beyond belief that i "found" this little find because it is a fabulous one for sure. its called FOUND STYLE. you too can find it. at amazon like i did. its really a beautiful book. filled with useful, inspiring tidbits and knickknacks, and fun facts and finds to read about. the photos in it are dreamy and they make me want to go on a world wide flea market slash antique shop tour. oh how i miss the sunday flea market on fairfax and la brea. this book had me hooked from the very first line. it reads, " Life is a process of continual discovery, and our surroundings should bear witness to the search." all about "found style", peices with unique history, character, found at garage sales, antique shops, or flea markets. affordable prices, "repurposing the old , using ordinary objects in unexpected ways to inspire a sense of delight."

thats it. its perfectly, deliciously done. well said. inspirational words and photographs. love it.

pages. among pages.to gush over.

now heres something totally up my ally. could get stuck playing around with this nifty site and tool for quite some time. here. at our home. we love to paint. and when i say we, i solely mean my maja and i. (aka: mother dearest) also. when i say "our home" i mean my maja and faja. their lovely homefront. where was this going...ok. the average life span of a room color round here is...well. not so long. not so long, what so ever. because it is fun to change up a room, and give it a little make-over and what better way to start, than with a new color. the options are endless. and fun. and really get my mind fired up when thinking of which color to choose. themes. ideas. and so on and so on... growing up, maja was extremely brave and always encouraged us to "redo" our rooms. she actually would let us paint. in her home. on her walls. over her carpets. and around her wood trim ... by. our. selves. (could have something to do with the 7 different paint streaks/blobs where wall. meets. cieling.) looking back now, and thinking of handing a young tot a paint dish and roller so they can go to town on a room ,

all i can say is... are you nuts mom???

my answer, to my own question -> im glad you are. and thank you for that.

i admire the fact that she let us do this. and let us play with color. and creativity. and teaching us that the "PREP WORK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART." even tho i still.dread.prepwork. so i guess you could say, room painting was a "hobby" of mine.. however. some may say, i am mildly indecisive. and by mildly i mean very. decision making is not my strong point. whether im deciding on what color to redo a room, or which candy bar i want from the quickmart. my brain goes into flustered mode and i simply cant decide. it would be safe to say that no decision is every easy for me. ( seriously agrivating. ) even more so for those around me id assume. ((sorry friends)) well. lately ( the past 3 years) maja and i have had some troubles when it comes to choosing a paint color.we choose one. love it. get home, paint it. and shortly after realize how much we strongly. hugely. grossly. dislike the color. it has happened with our past 4-5 "projects". not cool. not cool at all. so when i heard about this new little site from better homes and garden, i was surely psyched to try it out... it . is. neat. it enables one to pick a room, house, or window treatment - and pick colors for numerous details throughout that room. you basically design your own room.house.window area to find the perfect color combinations that work for you. it really goes into depth too. for example, under room selection- if you select bedroom - you are then able to play around with the colors of the walls, ceiling, trim, chest, comforter, bedskirt & pillows, and accents. pretty groovy if ya ask me. oh. and the colors that you select, are valspar colors from lowes. not just some make believes that you have to then go "match" to what youve chosen.( which, lets face it- never entirely works out.) super groovy. once youve played interior designer, and decided on your perfect pallette- you can then save the room you designed, print it, or send it to your bff and your mother for their aproval ;) if your feeling a creative spark and want to play. go here. and play away. and then, get motivated. get ambitious. and attack the worst. ugliest. way outdated room in your house. and when your knee deep in paint and furniture is piled up in random spots. and your husband. boyfriend. or dad. is furious that you have managed to create a natural disaster in their living room. . .

take a quick glance back at your perrrty finished picture of the room you created, and try really hard to imagine for just one quick second, how divine itll be once your project is complete.

( and continuously repeat the following words to your beloved."non-believer".onlookers...

" dont worry hun, truuussst me on this one. its going to look grrrr.reat!" )

and flash em your pearly whites.

and get on with your task.

the end.

xo.kv

now. here is the promised. tomato. cream. sauce. recipe. but before you get started. i will give you this little tid.bit of (what i like to this is) helpful, useful information. Below, where it says in creamy tomato color red/pink - it is the actual link to where i found this recipe. this link can be of great help to you, to change the serving size, etc. ...sayyy...in case you were serving 35, not 5? k. I will tell you, that their idea of "5" - to me is equivalent to 2. luckily... the first time i made this, it was for just two. and i tell ya. we ate every last drip of the "serving size for 5" . get what im sayin? double double even triple it. whatever your serving size reallllly is. up the number by about ten in the little serving calculator found thru the link. it is very easy to make mass amounts of this. for giant sunday night dinners. or monday night dinners. or something.

heres the original. below it, are my reccomendations and tips.

i highly suggest using them!

:: tomato cream sauce ::

Prep time: 5 min. Cook Time: 15 min. Ready In: 20 min.

SERVING SIZE: 5

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon butter

:: Directions ::

1. In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Make sure it doesn't burn. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter. Reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes.
2. 
   

:: my little recommendations that have big impact ::

( or so i like to tell myself. )

:: i dont like my sauce real chunky. thats just me. i like everything well blended, the flavors all mixed in, and smoothe. so- while doing the first step- sautéing the onions and garlic in your saucepan with oil- i like to take the next set of ingredients, ( the tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt, and pepper) and i put it in the food processor ( or blendor would work )

and i puree it until it is just right. the perfect texture that i desire. smooth. and creamy.

THEN i continue forward with the recipe, and add this nice blended mixture

to the sauteed garlic and onions.

:: im a thru-n-thru garlic loving kinda gal so i will first recommend that you ((at least)) double the garlic. it calls for 1 clove.. i on the other hand added about 4-5. and honestly, next time. i just may add even more. . . watch out

:: after the last step in the recipe (( reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes.)) this is where i like to play around. this is where i add the secret weapons of mass deliciousness. this is where i "eye ball it" , toss a few cubes of cream cheese in, a couple light handfuls of freshly grated parmesan cheese, and maybe a small splash more of the heavy cream. can you tell i like it creamy to the maximost. mmmhmm.

:: am also a huge parsley and basil lover, so sprinkling some fresh cuts of that over the dish for the final spizzaz never hurts :p

noted:: these additional little tricks really spruce up this sauce. its a definite staple round here. picky silly kids love it too. dogs like it too.

i adore it . tossed with some penne and grilled chicken. mmm. mouth. is. watering.

enjoy friends*

xo kv

oh cabo.

you were...some kind of wonderful.

filled my soul with sunshine. my heart with laughter. my life with joy.

where have you been. hmm i dont know. i know where i havent been. blogging. sorry. i guess, after all... its just not my thing! i love it. i do, i enjoy it when i DO do it. once every 6 mnths... ha. who does that. who has a blog that they so randomly choose to blurt sweet nothings on. only me. my apologies. buttt. today. i dont know why. i want to. and so it goes..

what really "inspired" (i guess you could say) me to get on here. was getting wrapped up in all these delicious blogs the past week, where i came upon some wondrous new finds. also. after being on vacation the past (amazing.heavenly.relaxing) week, i was overwhelmed with gratitude in oh.so.many ways, along with this burning desire to get busy in the kitchen and experiment with some tasty new tricks and treats. things have been just peachy round here. and i figured this goodness is too good not to share ;) did i mention that i will soon be a FIRST TIME AUNTIE. gussssh. (laughs.cries.swoons.smiles.) ive been exploding with anticipation.excitement.and joy. since first recieving this crazy beautiful news. may 11th, just call me auntie kiki. ahhh. let the spoiling. room decorating. gift buying. onesies picking outing. baby shower planning. and everything else ....begin :) been ooohing and ahhing over the ever so adorable baby shower invites at these two spiffy sites. tinyprints & minted. ever hear of em? check out their sites and youll be thinking of any kind of excuse to order any sort of any thing from there. ive spent entirely too long browsing thier offerings. time and time again. and i secretely love letting the time pass, just looking at all the invites etc... recently obsessed with paper. fonts. typography. letterpress. notes. cards. planners. (thewholenineyards)

ok. back to basics. where to begin my friends...

hows abouts... tomorrow .tomorrow. i love you tomorrow.

i will post my most treasured. favorite. scrumptious. delectable recipes of all.

original recipe first. my sweet tweakings after.

::Creamy tOmato Sauce::

now this is one creamy tomatoe sauce youll wanna get your hands on.

the flavor is sensational, and it is just SO simple.

founded on allrecipes . made a jew adjustments. and boom. finger-lickin fantastico.

love this little wizard*

how lucky i was to be given the opportunity to do these photos. for this stunning family.

for the gorgeous mother. and her two gorgeous daughters. and her daughters two gorgeous daughters. what a sweet bunch you guys were. really genuine. kind. lovely people inside and out. all around. it was a pleasure. the entire evening with the asaro family was simply

spectacular. and barb- fabulous job coordinating outfits

without being all matchy matchy.

well done. very well done ;)

enjoy