i am still here

just not have been inspired to really bake or cook anything. here is a random picture for your viewing pleasure. i do have something in mind for a post later, stay tuned.

not sun burn, but red rustoleum paint, so much for standing up wind of the spray....

getting ready

for the show, the chicken show....


all i need now is some popcorn....sad, ain't it?

double tree hotel chocolate chip cookies

i have never heard of, much less eaten, a double tree hotel chain's chocolate chip cookie, but i guess they are suppose to be good. i found this recipe when looking for a "something different". i am not a big chocolate chip cookie fan, but my kids love them and i have a huge bag, i mean sam's club sized, bag of chips to use. i thought these sounded yummy and there is oatmeal in them, so faux healthy. they were good, cake-y not chewy and the kids loved them. i just don't see them becoming a favorite. oh, i did skip the lemon juice(??), added only two cups of chips and omitted the walnuts all together. enjoy.

chocolate on the brain giveaway-winner #5

random.org picked the number five!! congrats "tealady"!

aren't these note cards too cute? "chocolate on the brain", that is me to a "t". i love the stuff. i am a chocolate, dark chocolate, junkie. i am diabetic, but still indulge in some bittersweet pleasure every so often, okay, pretty much every freaking day. i can not lie. i am always on the search for the best super dark, 80% or higher, i can find. lately, i have been nibbling on a huge bag(sam's club size) of dark bittersweet ghirardelli chips. i just let them slowly melt in my mouth, a real treat with a cup of hot coffee. anyway, when i saw these little note cards at tj maxx today i just


knew i needed to buy them, so i could them give away. there are 12 different designs with a chocolate recipe on the back of each. i love stationary. i am always in need of little cards like this to send to my daughter's school, etc...



aren't they sweet? or at least semi-sweet? want them? leave me a comment as to what kind of chocolate you prefer or don't. milk, dark or maybe that faux white chocolate, which makes no sense to me, but that is a whole another post. also, please leave me a way to contact you. i will let the ol'random wizard pick a number and i will send you these note cards plus a few other surprises 'cause that is how i roll. let's play the game till friday midnight and u.s. folks only. international shipping is killer, so sad. have fun. enjoy.

the chicken run/coop, pretty much done

which is a good thing, because the girls should be pretty feathered out in another week and ready to be outside full time....here jamie is building their outdoor roost....

we worked on beautifying it with a flower/veggie bed....kinda sparse right now....maybe a few hanging pots, too....


jamie made the gang plank, so now it looks like a real coop ready for some hens....


speaking of hens....they are hanging out under their new roost, but not quite sure they can fly that high, yet....


this is abby, still quite the fuzz butt....


this is my girl daisy who is so sweet and had feathered out nicely....okay, more pics later.

dark chocolate raspberry brownies

boy howdy are these some dark chocolate brownies. the recipe, dark chocolate cherry brownies, i found in the cooking light annual of 2008, as well as online. i knew i wanted to make them immediately, but i didn't have cherry, oh well, improvise. i also didn't have natural processed cocoa, only dutch, oh well, deal with it. also, only big jumbo ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips, oh well, not a bad thing. i made them. these brownies are good, a tad sweet, but very good. they are moist, chewy and full of flavor, super dark chocolate flavor. so dark, that the brownies scared my family at first, but once they got rolling they couldn't and haven't stop eating them. one more thing, make sure you used seedless jam, my one real, oh well, boo-boo. enjoy.

$14 steaks

if you have not seen food inc., see it. you will then understand why i paid $14 for two grass fed beef steaks. we both felt the need to pay the difference to taste the difference and they were definitely different. i only salt and peppered the meat which was very lean with a stronger, gamey-er taste, much like deer. i will buy more. we liked it. anybody want to cowpool?