Conversions

I'm really trying to master converting colour photos to black-and-white in Photoshop. I only have Elements, so I'm a bit limited, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I find it hard to get the right contrast without blowing the whites. And when I try to burn it back, it looks obvious since I'm not that great at it yet. ;) Here are a couple of quick recent conversions:

Fudgy Saucepan Brownies

I've been married for six years, and it took nearly that long for me to find a brownie recipe I couldn't ruin. It seems like everyone has one or two things they just can't make--for me, it's always been brownies. I like brownies to be dense and chewy. Mine always turned out dry and cakey. No thanks. I tried old recipes, new recipes, low-fat recipes, fancy recipes, six-egg recipes--nada.

Until this one.

Not only are these brownies completely and utterly divine, but they're easy and quick. So I just HAD to share this.

First of all, proof you don't need to go through those fancy cookbooks you got as wedding gifts to make these bad boys:



I bought this recipe book at Value Village and it's definitely not new. But hey--sometimes the old standbys are better than 'updated' versions.

There's the recipe. Very simple, very yummy.

And they take a whole bag of chocolate chips. You can't go wrong with an entire bag of chocolate chips.


Chuck a half-cup of butter (yes, real butter) in a saucepan.


And toss in the chocolate chips on top of it. Put it on a medium-low burner and let it all melt into a buttery, chocolatey delight.


You also need 1 2/3 cups of sugar.

And vanilla.



And three eggs. I went to make these brownies yesterday and discovered I only had one egg. I can't quite describe my disappointment.

And baking powder.


And flour. 1 1/4 cups of it.


It only takes 10-15 minutes for the butter and chocolate to melt. Look at that. I almost want to eat it off a spoon.


Put in the rest of the ingredients and beat with an electric beater until it's mixed very well.


Pour it into a greased 9x13" pan. Mmmm, brownie batter.

Smooth the top, and you're ready to go. 350 oven for 30 minutes.


Kid loves the batter. Not as much as he loves the brownies, though.


After thirty minutes (and cooling time), here's what you've got:


Seriously. Best brownies EVER. Enjoy!

Rotini with sun-dried tomato pesto.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love pasta. Any kind, any sauce, doesn't matter. I love to make pasta dishes as well, and this is one I've really liked for a long time. It's fresh, fast, and really yummy, plus it looks kind of fancy, too. So, I thought I'd share!

First, you need a cup of fresh basil. Lucky me, we have basil in our garden! Mmmm, basil. It's sweet and peppery and oh so very delicious.


You also need a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. People seem to have a love/hate relationship with these bad boys. I happen to love them--they're both sweet and tart. Delish.


A bag of rotini. Easy-peasy.



Two cloves of garlic. This makes it very garlicky, so I wouldn't advise putting more than two in.


Normally I'd use freshly grated romano or parmesan, but...I don't have any. So I cut up some fontina cheese and tossed it in the bowl.



Here's the super easy part: throw the basil, garlic, and tomatoes in a food processor with some salt and pepper, and pulse it until it's your desired consistency. Voila--the pesto is done!



Cook your rotini, toss it in the bowl with the cheese and pesto, and there you have it. Easiest pasta in the world. Doesn't it look delicious? Well, that's because it is!



Toddler verdict: NOM NOM NOM.



Hope you enjoy!