Brownies/Blondies

Superfoods #1: Cacao Powder

Before I begin this post, this is way too long overdue, so I apologise! Do you remember a long time ago, when we were still wearing loincloths and feeding pet dinosaurs, I hosted a giveaway, and then the dinosaurs got extinct, man developed fire and you were still waiting to hear the results?

Well, wait no more thousand years longer, as officially, I would like to announce the winner:

Ladies and gentlemen, randomly chosen from our wonderful commenters waassss….. *anticipation*

ASHLEY FROM WISHES AND DISHES!

Ashley, you have full permission to do this :)

Ashley, you have full permission to do this 🙂

Yessireee this classy, upstate New Yorker will be the new, lucky owner of Ms Lorna Foreman’s one of a kind, Gluten-Free Cookbook, Wheat Watchers!! Congratulations 😀

I have emailed you a notification for your details, and then the book will be on its way!
And a big thank you to all of you for all the support you showed during the giveaway – I was overwhelmed as was Lorna!

Now… moving on to the post for today

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How lucky am I? A couple of days back, Justin from Cheap Super Foods Australia, contacted me, asking me to try some wonderful up and coming raw, organic ingredients from their huge range. As if I could turn down a huge opportunity like that! I know many bloggers, especially Vegan, focusing on all these new foods, so I knew I had plenty of inspiration to start making recipes.

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But what are superfoods? Why is using them considered ‘super’ but using caster sugar, isn’t? We are not being ingredient-ist here, but the term ‘superfoods’ means that particular ingredient has been classified as Food with high nutrient and phytochemical content that may confer health benefits. It has few negative properties if any, considering it is highly unprocessed (natural), does not contain contaminants, saturated fats, artificial ingredients or food additives.” – Wikipedia

When I say ‘phytochemicals’, I mean naturally occurring beneficial chemical compounds in plants, such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and polyphenol. I used this think anything ‘organic’ equated in some way, to marijuana and hippie food, tasting like dirt despite any ‘benefits.’ Since I started food blogging, I have learnt a heck of a lot about all of it, and am glad to learn that is not the case! 😀

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Starry, Starry Night…

Teacher: If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go? What would you do?

Student #1: I would strap myself to a comet, so when I raced through the sky like a shooting star, I could grant everyone’s wishes. I would wear a pink and white jumpsuit, with stars on the sides, and goggles with my hair flying behind me.

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Guest Post #7: Gluten-Free Double Choc Brownie Cookies

Bonjour mes cheris, get excited for me! After I finish these exams I am wading through right now, half of year 12 will be forever finished and over with! YAY!

Mais non, focus, FOCUS! It certainly is not over yet no matter how much I dream about year 12 formal. Ah, c’est la vie!

Anyhow, while I am not here to give you recipes, tips, tricks and well, my blog, I have some pretty fan-friggin-tastic fabulous chefs lined up to do so instead! A whole range of dishes for you to enjoy while I am on this undesired break  – You won’t even notice my absence I promise!

See you soon for the April holidays and wishing you all a marvelous Easter break! Promise me you will chow down on what that Easter Bunny brings you/your chocolate loot stashed in the bottom of your drawer – Yes, I am on to you all!

 pretty lighter

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Where should I begin with our next guest poster – mother of both creativity AND cooking? Yes, you may call her ‘a regular Martha Stewart! The fact that her life is right now totally upside down in a good way as you shall soon read, it is so truly appreciated that she still managed to guest post here, and her inaugural one at that!

Please welcome Miss Marzipan, she plans to make many fall in love with her cupid inspired treats today…

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Happy Australia Day 2013!

GUYS! HAPPY *belated by one day* AUSTRALIA DAY 😀

My dad actually sent me the perfect email to put into this post. It’s a “You know you are a ‘straya’ if/when you… quiz” – Let’s see how much aussie blood you all really have running in you!

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  1. You think “Woolloomooloo” is a perfectly reasonable name for a place.
    Actually yes, I do. Especially considering I recently discovered there is a town called Ozenkadnook in Victoria which means ‘very fat kangaroo’ in Aboriginal…
  2. You’re secretly proud of our killer wildlife.
    How can you not go all gooey at kangaroos and koalas and maybe not so much emus which are actually killer with their stares 😉

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Baking & Bugs

Bonjour mes amis, I have a question to ask you all… don’t you absolutely love baking at night? In my case I love it especially when everyone is out but even when everyone is asleep, you can still just wiggle down in your jammies and no one will look at you with raised eyebrows when you eat the batter 😉 (more than one spoon… shhhh no one is looking)

So that was the kind of evening I envisioned for myself yesterday night when my family was out, my brother was asleep and it was just me, my impulse and a huge bag of chocolate chips, blocks and ingredients begging to be used 😀

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Quick & Easy

Just before I begin, here is a little good news for all you US residents! Mike from The Culinary Lens is hosting an incredible giveaway based around pasta! Yum much? Go check it out to enter now 😀

Which also reminds me, last chance to enter my own Amazon giveaway, winner to be announced this coming Sunday 😀 😀

OOh right… sorry one last thing (as always :P) I will be on camp for the next 3 days so no commenting, replying or blogging of any sort mes cheris – do not miss me too much 😉 (and yes, I do know how awesome it is that in the first week of year 12 I miss out on a day already :D)

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They say that the best things in life comes to those who are patient. Those who are willing to work hard and persevere, like my school motto claims, shall reap great rewards.

Pfft. What do they know. Who in the world are ‘they’ anyway?

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Happy Birthday TT 2012

Dear TT,

Damn dude, I wished I had seen your face when you saw your birthday present this year! But hope it was just a big a surprise in your fridge when you came home considering how hard you must have worked during the day no? 😉

I thought about using Oreos yet again in your baking this year, I mean, honestly, you are the cookie monster exclusive to Oreos b]ut I also know how indulgent you are when it comes to chocolate. It is a good thing don’t worry 😉

So this year, I decided to bring the king of chocolate into your cooking. And I think this ingredient, being the king, really reflects your personality. I mean honestly, is there anything you do badly? Let me see, let us make a list:

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My… sniff… last post…

What can I say my friends… we have had a good journey. I thought perhaps I was ready to handle it all, honestly, the blogging, school, my friends, my family. I was even combining them!

A couple of weeks ago my parents and sat down. Serious faces on (wow, it is hard to joke right now), they told me carefully how they thought blogging was affecting my schooling, how there was always time for this later on. I mean, (hopefully) I have a long life ahead right? During Uni, they said, I would have more time to constantly do what I want, not tied down by algebra and calculus and five essays in one week.

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CCU Undercover: Criniti’s

Before I begin, just a big thank you to everyone who helped me with my facebook questions and who linked me to their pages – If you saw someone random named Urvashi ‘like’ you, thats me 😀 and I want to like everyone so keep on linking 🙂
I will post up my page link as soon as I get some time to make it 😉
And also I was joking when I said I had lunch with Mark Z., I promise you all I hae never even seen this guy 😀

Now on to the post – Enjoy!

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“Mamma mia!”
No-Sit Coffee Shops.
Gelatissimo.
“Why are all the towers leaning daddy?”
Al Pacino casually walking by with Marlon Brando with their godkids…

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Birthday, Brownie, Crownie

You see the link? No? You will by the end of this post or my alias is not Choc Chip Uru 😉

Today is my friend, vous elle appelez (you call her) SM’s, 17th birthday. Oh my gosh, she is the first of us ALL (when I say us I mean my group :D) to turn 17. The big ONE-SEVEN. Am I getting confused with 18? No, I am most certainly not because the way we all see it, 12-16 are the fun teen years, 17 is bordering on *shudder* adulthood and then at 18… let’s not go there 😉

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