I am a little stressed at the moment, it will pass, but we are on the move again, off to Shanghai at the end of March for a few years. I am excited, but with it comes lots of form filling and bureaucracy.
Anyway, I will expand on details, but for now I will offer you my solution to the stress!
I simply took some time out and retreated to my kitchen. An hour or so baking was just what I needed to relax. As I am trying to use up contents of fridge, freezer and cupboards I knew my choices were going to be limited to their contents.
After pulling some 70% chocolate from the back of the cupboard, I was saving it for a rainy day, and this seemed to be the very day I had been thinking about. So with a few other basics I was ready to bake up some chocolate brownies.
As soon as I could smell the chocolate melting in the bowl, I could feel my stress levels melting away with it. I was where I could chill out and shut out everything else.
With some therapeutic mixing helping the stress levels, it wasn't long before I was very happy and relaxed.
Soon the smell of the baking brownies filled the kitchen and I started to look forward to enjoying a nice cup of coffee and my first brownie of the batch.
28 minutes + cooling time = total happiness.
Once frosted I sat down to enjoy one. I had a new magazine, so all was well with the world.
RECIPE
150g unsalted butter (cubed)
225g dark chocolate
4 large eggs
300g golden caster sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
125 g plain flour
Pinch salt
Preheat oven 170c and line and grease a 20x30 cm cake tin
Melt butter and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, or alternatively in a microwave
When melted remove and stir until smooth and leave to cool
In a bowl whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla together
Add butter and chocolate and mix until combined
Pour into tin, level mixture and bake on middle shelf for 25-30 mins.
When top is cracking but it is still "squidgy" in the middle remove and cool in tin
It is now ready to eat. I decided to melt some more chocolate And drizzle it over brownie. I them mixed some icing sugar with orange juice and drizzled it too, then I swirled the two together. A nice finish but uneccesary.
Hope you can find relaxation in simply whipping up a batch of brownies.
6 comments:
Baking is definitely a great therapy when your stressed. The brownies look delish and would definitely hit the spot. Good luck with everything :)
Maria
x
How lovely, I really like your plate and mug too :)
Oh GOSH Jacqui, it feels like you only just got home again! You're an amazing woman, you seem to be taking it all in your stride. You're an expert at it I suppose. I don't know that even brownies (though boyo do they look delicious) would see me looking and sounding as calm as you:):) Will you still blog? I wish you good luck and bon voyage:):)
Coby almost 3 years we have been here! I fully intend to keep blogging perhaps including my travel and moving experiences. I will blog my intentions when I get it up and going
Gosh, 3 years? Is it really? Feels like only a few months! Time really has flown! I think blogging about both your travel and moving experiences would be great - from the likes of my own point of view, securely ensconsed in my usual surrounds - but it sounds like a push for the person actually requiring it of themselves (lol that would be you;)). Still, if you make sure you only do it when you feel the time is right for you, it would be lovely - and a great memory for you too:D Good luck with it ALL Jacqui!
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