Mexican Chocolate Streusel Brownies

Just in time for Valentine's Day: Mexican Chocolate Streusel Brownies
I got the idea for these from the new Sunset cookbook, but I didn't make their recipe exactly. (Their recipe looks wonderful, but I wanted to adapt it. This is the charm of sewing or cooking your own things - you can change things to suit yourself.)

First I made the streusel topping. This involved sending Mr. Hunting Creek to his favorite ethnic grocery to get the Ibarra Mexican chocolate. (He also bought some shrimp ceviche and tomatoes and tortilla chips, but those aren't required for the brownies.)
Take one circle of the chocolate, and break it and then chop it into smaller pieces. I used a large knife to help this along, taking care to NOT chop my fingers. The chocolate is hard, so warming it slightly helped in the chopping - only slightly - don't melt it. Add that to the Cuisinart or mixing bowl. Chop until small - like chopped nuts.
In the food processor or bowl,add to the chopped chocolate, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar(it makes no difference whether it is light or dark) and 5 tablespoons butter.
Mix some more, until it looks crumbly. About 30 seconds or several pulses. Set aside - this goes on top of your brownies.

Then I made my brownies.

I adapted this recipe to my interpretation:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups Cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x 13" pan.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add the sugar and make sure it is all dissolved and melted. Turn off the heat. In a bowl mix the eggs, cocoa, salt, cinnamon baking powder, almond extract and vanilla. Blend that with the melted butter and sugar. Blend in the flour. I mix all of this right in the saucepan. Scrape into the prepared 9x13" pan. Sprinkle the Streusel evenly on top. I baked mine for 30 minutes. Your oven may be hotter or cooler - check after 28 minutes. They will be cooked and not goopy. Every one likes their brownies a certain way.
These received high marks from Mr. Hunting Creek, our 20 year old son and a visiting friend. They were great served with ice cream. They were also good with my coffee this morning, renamed into Mexican Chocolate Streusel Brownie Coffee Cake. Hey, it's Valentine's Day.

Fantasyland

When Mr. Hunting Creek brings in the mail, there is a giant pile of catalogs. Every day, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, J. Crew and others try to tempt me to buy their stuff. Mr. Hunting Creek says, "Hey, here's the perfect desk for your sewing room!" I look. It says: Inspired by streamlined World War II fighter planes, our desk is a shining swoop of metal, its shape mimicking the bent wing of a plane. Poised as if for take-off, it features a polished aluminum patchwork exterior accented with steel screws, built around a solid hardwood frame. Three canvas-lined shelves offer ample storage.
"It's not a real airplane wing", I tell Mr, Hunting Creek. "It's just inspired by one." Intrigued against my will, I read the rest of the catalog. As a furniture catalog it's not that exciting, but as a work of fiction it is pretty compelling. It's like a romance novel, but for furniture! Everything is inspired by French Church clock towers, or aviator jackets from WWII, or sun swept beaches at Normandy...any minute I expected Diane Lane and Richard Gere to show up and give each other meaningful glances.
Question: does this stuff sell furniture? If yes, can we expect to see this technique in other areas of retail? When I go to Safeway to get groceries, is my hot chocolate going to remind me of the heroine of Like Water For Chocolate? Will the jam have signs saying, "Inspired by English Teatime"?
We'll know the world is in the End Times when they start marketing patterns like this. Inspired by Mr Darcy's riding jacket the pattern will say. It will sell millions. You read it here first.

Inspirations

I need a new purse like I need a hole in my head, but these are sure cute and totally doable.
Looking at RTW is also fun, because I see where someone could replicate and dare I say, improve some current offerings.
For example this dress from Nordstrom:


Is pretty close to this McCall's pattern:

It would be fun to see how close you could get. Just a few minor tweaks, and you can brag to your sweetie that you "saved" $118.00.
It wouldn't take too much work to make an homage to this one for summer:


With this Vogue pattern:

I think I'd use this silk from Gorgeous Fabrics for my Tory Burch homage.
Or maybe this one. Mine would be nowhere near $350, so I'd have money "saved" for some cute sandals. "Saved?", I hear you saying. "Mrs. Hunting Creek, just because you didn't buy a Tory Burch dress, but made one instead, doesn't mean you saved money."
Foolish person. You seem to be unaware of the Law of Compensatory Cashflow. as explained by Calvin Trillin in his books.
Essentially, it works like this: I briefly consider buying a Tory Burch dress. It costs $350.00. I decide to make one instead. I have therefore "saved" $350.00, and I can use money to buy the pattern, fabric and shoes, and maybe get a mani-pedi with some cash left over. See how that works? Try it yourself. It's fun! It also works for cars and vacations. I admit Mr. Hunting Creek was slow to appreciate the law of Compensatory Cashflow at first, but now he's "saving" money everywhere himself with the same rationale. You can play too! Just look at the dresses online, make one instead, and we'll all be rich with "saved" money.

If the Suit Fits...

It was with great interest that I read the interview with Abby Joseph Cohen. I am always interested in women of achievement, and she sounded like an interesting person. But I was distracted from her achievements when I noticed (immediately!) that her suit didn't fit her, and that her pants were all wrinkled. If I were a partner at Goldman Sachs, I would take myself to a nice NY Designer and have some elegant understated suits made. Suits that didn't look like they were men's suits, but smaller.
I used to work in Washington, in several law firms and for lobbyists. The women in the law firms who were partners wore very conservative suits, but the women lobbyists wore dresses and jackets and suits that fit. They had a much better developed style sense. Maybe because they wanted to be noticed and listened to? Something to think about. When we wear clothes that don't fit us, it distacts those very people who we are trying to impress. It dilutes our influence, it distracts from our message. When we wear clothes that 'suit' us, that fit our bodies and project the image that we want, we feel more confident and in control
When you watch the State of the Union, it's easy to pick out some of the women members of Congress who wear bright colors and well fitting suits.
The lesson I took away was to stop dressing like a mouse if you want your voice heard. Wear a color! Stand out! And make sure your jacket fits.

Spring Projects (I hate Winter)

Let's be clear about Winter. I am through with it. I am working on Spring Projects and not going outside until everything thaws. That's my goal.
I am working on the following projects:
A brooch for my jackets and hat brim, using the zipper trim packet
just for fun. I am also completing a pair of blue linen capris and planning some blue tops to go with them, because I like to make coordinates. But almost everything I have goes with everything else anyway, because I stick with the same colors.
It makes life easier.
I am thinking of buying the following pattern for spring:



Hey McCalls, Vogue, Butterick, and Simplicity, I have a question. Why aren't all of your patterns available in ABCD and DD cup sizes? Why don't you make all of the patterns available in all of the sizes? Why are some only available up to size 18, and others up to 26? As Cindy-Lou Who said, Why? If you can make size 16, you can make 18 and 20 and 22. If you can make size 8, you can do 6. I can alter my patterns to make them larger or smaller, but I am over 50 and have been sewing since I was a child. Don't you want to make sewing easier and more fun to attract younger sewists?
I think you do. So take my advice. Make every pattern available with all of the cup sizes and make every pattern available in all of the sizes.
I am only buying patterns that have them from now on, as a protest.
Sincerely, Mrs. Hunting Creek

Black Tie, Optional - BANNED

Black Tie, Optional

Attention: Wedding Planners
RE: Black Tie, Optional

Dear Sir or Madam,

The category “Black Tie, Optional” is not a valid dress code for weddings, engagement parties and anniversaries. It has been BANNED by the FIT, Nobel Committee and the Cotillion Society of America.

For all events, the following Dress Codes should be used:

Formal: White Tie
White tie or evening dress, is the Big Deal Dress Code. You are going to an Inauguration, or have won the Nobel Prize. (Your Mother is So Proud) According to Wikipedia (and who would argue with Wikipedia?)"The chief components for men are the dress coat, white bow tie and waistcoat, and starched shirt, while women wear a suitable dress for the occasion, such as a ball gown."

Semi-Formal: Black Tie
The Semi-Formal code has two components: Day or evening. For day wear, men should wear a black tail-less coat with formal trousers (Think JFK at his inauguration - and he also wore a Top Hat, because it was outside) After 6pm, the men wear black tie (commonly called a Tuxedo).Ladies would wear a short dress or cocktail dress.
A long dress is evening wear, and formal (White Tie, see above).

And then there is Casual. There are all kinds of casual, which is where a great many people get in trouble. My daughter called yesterday asking for advice. "What do you wear to a wedding that says the dress code is Black Tie, Optional?"
"There's No Such Thing," I told her, firmly. "It's either Black Tie, Semi-Formal, or it is Not!"
"I think they really mean Casual, but they also want to imply, no jeans."
"If they say Black Tie, optional, their guests could wear anything" I countered. Because there is no such thing." We decided that people who put that on invitations should be given difficult in-laws as their punishment. No wait, two sets of difficult in-laws.

Casual is situational. It can be kind of dressy but not, like Business Casual, or Playboy Mansion Casual, nighties and jammies encouraged, or couples Caribbean Resort Med Casual, which is clothing optional - the most casual of all. This is why we have Dress Codes. Imagine your horror if you go to an event in your nightie (because you thought it was Pajama Optional Dress Code)and everyone else is in Evening Gowns. Remember Bridget Jones in her Playboy Bunny costume at the party and you'll get the idea. Be kind to your guests. Say Formal, Semi-Formal, or Casual. They will thank you. Really.

Roma non fu fatta in un giorno

Looking at the Do It All Mom Calendar, I make the snarky comment to Mr. Hunting Creek that I can’t find the Do It All Dad Calendar. “There won’t be gender equality until there are “Do It All Dad” Calendars.” He says. “The problem with women is, you let men get away with too much.”
I protest, “But then nothing would get done!”
He smiled an enigmatic smile.

He’s right. I hate when that happens. I decide immediately that I am starting a movement.
I will call it the Do Less Parenting Movement. (I originally titled it, Do Less Mom Movement, and was corrected by both son and husband that that was sexist. Duly noted. They’re right again. I hate when that happens.)

Hey, how are you doing on your resolutions, Day 6? I thought I’d update you on a resolution I made a couple years ago, to stop buying fabric. As mentioned, I went cold turkey when accused by my otherwise charming children of exhibiting addictive behaviors regarding fabric and pattern purchasing, meaning, don’t get in between me and any Italian Silk when there is a sale. (Seriously, you might get hurt. Just sayin’)
Well, I did go cold turkey, and as of this March it will be three years since I have purchased fabric for myself. THREE YEARS. But I know that they say that it only takes one drink. I mean, Yard, to fall back into bad habits, so Mr. Hunting Creek and Ms. Hunting Creek remain ever vigilant that no new fabric enters the house until all old fabric is sorted and organized.

The forces of disorder, being the dog, son and Mr. Hunting Creek’s coffee mugs, are making it difficult to keep the outer order in the living room. Also my desk and sewing room are looking pretty rough. But I remind myself that Roma non fu fatta in un giorno, and start picking up clutter when ever I see it.

I realize that looking cute every day is a manifestation of the first mantra: Outer order contributes to inner calm! It’s all the same thing. Now to go vacuum up the dog hair.