Random thoughts on a Tuesday afternoon

So, I am finding school very frustrating this semester. I feel like I've been very, very lazy so far, and the stress is kind of getting to me. I'm also having some weird issues goin on in my noggin, so I will be getting that checked out this month when I go in for my first real appointment in ages lol! I am pretty sure though that is due to my impacted wisdom teeth (sigh). My first dentist was a jerk. AND he told me that I,like my mother, did not have roots for wisdom teeth (we think he was looking at mom's x-rays). Finally, about a year ago I was told I had them and needed to get them out. So, I now FINALLY have a consultation appointment and am FREAKING out about getting oral surgery!

Yup, this is about 1/2 of the utter, paralyzing, and crazy-irrational fear I am experiencing.

This is like the season of catching up on doctors appointments with me.... dentist check-up, "women's doctor" check-up, physical...as well as getting a vaccine, tetanus shot, blood test, and scratch test. I also am working on getting into really good shape, and eventually will be eating better food (haha). Jesse is working on putting together his grad school application for Chicago, and is working hard both at work and on the play he is in.

Speaking of the play, we going strong! Jesse got one of the lead roles, Cosmo, in "Singin' in the Rain" and I am choreographing it/ playing multiple extra roles. This is week two and already we have taught a bunch of dance, blocking is either done, or almost done, and we have our first full run through this Friday. So far, the whole thing is turning out to a be a really fun adventure. So far, I think it is my favorite musical that I have choreographed :)

We both are also involved in Attitudes Dance pieces. We are both choreographing a dance, Jesse is in his own, mine, and one other dance, and I am in his, and four other dances. Rehearsals for the musical AND dances every night equal a pretty hectic evening schedule, but it's a lot of fun so far!

In other news, it was a year ago this past weekend (Feb. 4th to be exact!) that Jesse proposed. He came home one day, sat me on the bed, handed me a heart-shaped box of chocolates, and told me to wait. A few minutes later, he appeared with a bouquet of daisies and roses and led me into the living room, also filled with flowers. He knelt down, tied a string around my finger and asked me to marry him and someday he would replace the string with the ring. After I said yes, he pulled out this gorgeous ring and said "that day is today". It was the most perfect proposal I could have asked for from the perfect man. <3

In honor of Valentine's Day coming up, here is a cute recipe I have never tried, but looks yummy!

FUDGY BROWNIE HEARTS WITH FRESH RASBERRY BUTTERCREAM

 

Yield: about 6 large (3 in. wide) or 20 small (1-1/2 in. wide) brownie heart sandwiches

Ingredients

for the brownies:
• nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, diced
• 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1-1/2 c. sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. instant espresso powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 c. flour
• powdered sugar, to sprinkle on the finished brownie hearts
for the fresh raspberry buttercream:
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 12 oz. raspberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3-1/2 c. powdered sugar
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1 to 2 T. milk, if needed to thin out the frosting

Preparation

for the brownies:

Preheat oven to 325°.

Fold a long piece of heavy foil into a 13" wide strip and fit it inside a 9" x 13" metal baking pan, leaving foil overhang on the 2 long sides. Spray the foil with nonstick spray.

Stir the butter and chocolate in a large heavy saucepan over very low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar, and then the eggs, 1 at a time. Whisk in espresso powder, vanilla, and salt. Then sift the flour over the chocolate mixture and stir to blend well. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until slightly puffed and dry-looking and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist batter attached, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack.

Now prepare the fresh raspberry buttercream:

Cook the raspberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until the raspberries are broken down into a sauce. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds, and then pour the raspberry sauce back in the pot. Simmer until the sauce reduces to a 1/4 cup. It will be a very rich red and concentrated sauce. Set aside to cool. With a mixer, cream the butter with a paddle attachment on medium high speed about 2 minutes, until lightened in color and a bit fluffy. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, the 1/4 cup of cooled raspberry sauce, lemon juice, and salt. Mix until smooth. Add another 1-1/2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth. If you want the frosting less stiff, add some milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. I did not add any milk to mine, and thought it was perfect for piping. Fit a pastry bag with a medium-large round tip (I used a Wilton #12) and fill with fresh raspberry buttercream.

Run a knife around the inside edge of the brownie pan. Use the overhanging foil as an aid and gently lift the brownies from the pan. The pan I used produces a brownie that is 1/2" thick. Be sure your cookie cutter is taller than 1/2". Press heart-shaped cookie cutters (the cookie cutters used in my photos measure 3" wide and 1-1/2" wide) firmly into the cooled brownie. Use a thin metal spatula to lift the cookie cutter filled with brownie from the foil. Gently press the brownie out of the cookie cutter. Repeat the cutting process until your brownie looks like a big piece of swiss cheese. (And I hope you're eating up some of those brownie scraps!)

With the pastry bag filled with fresh raspberry buttercream, pipe a line of frosting around the inside edge of one of the brownie hearts. Then fill in the inside of the line with frosting, too. Top with another brownie heart, very gently pressing down to make a sandwich. Repeat until all your brownie hearts are completed. To finish off, sprinkle the brownie hearts with powdered sugar. I like to fill a small hand sieve with powdered sugar and gently tap the side of the sieve to let the powdered sugar rain down.