Brownies From Scratch For My Friend's Birthday

Brownies are a friend's favorite treat. Since I'm not a brownie fan, I've never made them until I wanted to surprise her with a thoughtful gesture on her birthday. I've always disliked brownies because they're usually too gooey and sweet. However, if I do say so myself, my brownies came out perfect, so, of course, I'm going to share the recipe here with you, my awesome readers, and if I ever make brownies again they'd be as delicious:

Dark Chocolate Brownies From Scratch

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 1/4 cup of regular white sugar

3 eggs (work best at room temperature)

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon of instant coffee

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (or almost any vegetable oil you have)

3/4 cup of cacao powder (or substitute Hersey's dark cocoa powder)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I buy unbleached.)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt [If you use salted butter leave the salt out.]

1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips (I used Trader Joe's brand.)

Directions:

1) With an electric mixer combine the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time mixing them in. With this recipe be careful not to overbeat, just mix enough to combine the ingredients.

2) I added the ingredients in the order listed, so next toss in the vanilla and instant coffee. Instant coffee enhances the chocolate flavor of the brownies.

3) Mix the rest of the ingredients into the batter, except for the chocolate chips. Those fold in with a spatula.

4) I lined a 9" by 9" pan with aluminum foil and sprayed the foil with cooking spray. If you only have an 8" by 8" pan, it works too, but a bigger pan than 9" you'd need to double the recipe and possibly increase the baking time.

5) Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan. Tap the pan on a table and use your specula to even out the batter.

6) Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes and then turn off the oven. You don't want to overbake the brownies.

7) While the oven was still hot I put a few squares from a huge Trader Joe's Belgium dark chocolate bar on top of the batch of brownies and let it melt, then spread it evenly over the top.

8) Let cool completely before you cut the brownies into squares. I didn't cut my brownies so I could pick up the aluminum foil and pack it into a box to surprise my friend. When we cut it to eat, the squares cut clean.

The brownies were just the right amount of sweet, reminding me of European confections. A lot of flavor, not overly sweet.

The brownies came out exactly as I had hoped, moist with a nice crumb, yet not gooey and very flavorful. My friend loved them. She used the word gourmet to describe them, and I like them also. Bullseye, a mission accomplished!🎯🤎

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Great Gifts From Macy's Black Friday Sales

I judge every gift by whether I would love it if I received it myself. Here are 5 Macy's Early Access Black Friday Specials where my answer to loving the gift as a giver or receiver is an enthusiastic yes!:

1) Macy's 25 Days Of Beauty Advent Calendar (above👆) - In years past I've featured some of the most coveted advent calendars on the market including from the London merchant Liberty, but priced at several hundred dollars, perhaps they aren't really worth the money. Macy's puts out a winning advent calendar every year containing a lovely curated assortment of top-notch makeup, skincare, and haircare goodies to pamper every recipient! The advent calendar is specially created for Macy's so you get a lot of products for your money. If I were to buy a beauty calendar for myself, I'd select it and use my savings for something more important.

2) Nike Women's Tanjun Move To Zero Casual Sneakers - Nike is the original brand that innovated support and comfort to advance the technology of making sneakers. Other retailers followed. If you need a new pair of athletic shoes you can't do better than Nike. Usually more expensive, how great to find them as an Early Black Friday Special!

3) 2 Piece Set White and Pink Cultured Freshwater Pearls (8 mm) Drop Earrings in Sterling Silver - I bought these ultra cute and classic earrings this morning as a gift for a friend, and the anticipation of surprising her ... I can't wait! I'm counting on her not reading this blog, but if she does, she won't know she's the friend getting jewelry. Ha! I love the 8mm size baroque-shaped pearls and set in sterling silver, a precious metal. Pink pearls are a color and drop earrings are a style I'm often tempted to buy for myself so I think she'll love them. The sales associate I placed my telephone order with said she now intends to buy a pair too, so today I bought a pair and sold a pair! Macy's, you're welcome!😆

Update - November 17th: My friend was totally surprised, she said overwhelmed and loves her beautiful new earrings!

4) Family Pajamas - Frankly, it's a new holiday tradition my family doesn't follow, but if you need new pajamas, why not buy them now that you can get good substantial cotton and attractive designs at a great price. Also if you don't know what in the world to buy someone, almost every person needs a warm pair of pajamas. There are also matching PJs for the family dog! These are the substantial types of night clothes I like to wear to spend the night at someone else's house so I can leave the guest bedroom or sit at the breakfast table without having to jump into my clothes too early in the morning.

5) Accessories: Scarfs, gloves, belts - Wow, a terrific selection of textiles, styles, colors, degrees of warmth, and price points. It's why I love Macy's, you always find quality to fill a need at the price you can afford. I don't think I've ever had a fashion, beauty, or home good need, traveled to Macy's, and retired home empty-handed. The Herald Square store has  9 floors and such a wide selection!

There's plenty of quality and value to be had right now during Macy's Early Access Black Friday Sale! How thrilling to give fantastic gifts without emptying a bank account.

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Part II: At Nordstrom🌹

While consumers can great an assortment of pleasing merchandise at Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, IMHO, Macy's has a better selection of quality goods at every price point so you can find a wide selection of fabulous merchandise for less there. You'll spend more at Nordstrom and much more at Saks Fifth Avenue for desirable stuff, plus the promotions aren't as deep as the sales at Macy's due to each department store's respective business models.

That said, posted on today's blog are some lovely Valentine's Day-themed articles suitable as gifts or a splurge for yourself.

I selected only jewelry that is sterling silver or 14k gold, so no fashion jewelry pieces. To find them search for "hearts earrings" or "14k gold hoop earrings" on the retailer's website.

Diptyque (1) fragrance or (2) a candle in a rose sent.🌹

The last fun piece from Cult Gaia is an over-priced acrylic box clutch purse typical of some of the articles Nordstrom carries (also it was characteristic of the now-defunct uptown Barnes). The Venus et Fleur rose in a box (look up 👆) is another enchanting overpriced item. Appreciate them for inspiration, then go out and find something similar to get the same effect for less if you wish! Here is the Eos by Cult Gaia bag at Saks Off Fifth Avenue discounted but still a lot of moola. Keep looking until the price is right.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 

For him:

(1) Faherty cotton and cashmere cardigan, (2) Jo Malone London cologne, or (3) Ugg slippers  

You'll find everything featured on Nordstrom's website here.♥

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Apple AirTag

An Apple AirTag is a genius invention! Ever misplace your purse, wallet, backpack, or keys? Attaching an airtag is an "easy way to keep track of your stuff." You can then use the Find My app on your phone to lead you to your lost possession.

Loosing your wallet is no longer a time waster. Find it by going to the "My app" and say, "Siri, find my wallet." If hiding in the next room or in plain sight, you would follow a ping sound that leads you to your wallet.

If your item is further away the AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth signal through an anonymous and encrypted process to locate and send its location to the iCloud. On your phone, you'll see its location on a map.

You could also attach an Apple Airtag on your dog's or cat's collar to put them on your radar if they are in the habit of getting loose and lost outdoors.

In a once upon a time safe-family neighborhood, a thief stole my mother's front pouch chairs and later her folded-up grocery cart that she used to balance and steady her walk. The chairs had sat untouched on her front pouch for 60 years, and the grocery cart was rusting, so some people will take anything! Wouldn't we like to show up with a police officer at the thief's house to surprise them!

Friends of mine tend to lose their cars in a supermarket parking lot. Now they can pin it to find it!

This basenji cutie is a hound breed of dog. A crack in a door or fence and he's long gone.

On Amazon, Apple Air tags are about $4 cheaper than a purchase at Apple. The devices are not super expensive, yet pricey enough to make attaching them to all your worldly goods impractical. So you'd likely put them on the things you lose the most.

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5 Festive Advent Calendars

The coveted Liberty of London Avent Calendar sells out in October, so you're out of luck if you didn't buy one, but all is not lost. Here are several other festive Advent Calendars available that are spectacular without breaking the bank like Liberty's beauty calendar does. The 5 more affordable advent calendars below are also delightful to give or get especially when paired with Black Friday to Christmas Eve promotions always offered by department stores during the season. The final sterling silver jewelry advent calendar (#5 below👇) is the most expensive choice, however, an upcoming sale day will lower its retail price, and then you'll get a lovely variety of elegantly designed sterling silver earrings including a mix of hoops, studs, cuffs, and crawlers. So keep an eye out for option #5 to get cheaper!

1) The Rituals of Advent 3-D Advent Calendar: See above👆, it's a 3D Christmas tree  with 24 items - What's inside:

• Wonder Mask, 0.35 oz. 
• Amsterdam Collection Body Mist, 0.67 oz.
• The Ritual of Karma Body Shimmer Oil, 1 oz.
• Fortune Balms - Repair for giftset 0.17 oz.
• The Ritual of Sakura Shampoo, 1.6 oz.
• The Ritual of Sakura Conditioner, 1.6 oz.
• The Ritual of Sakura Body Cream, 3.3 oz.
• The Ritual of Namaste Anti-Ageing Day Cream, 0.33 oz.
  
• The Ritual of Ayurveda Scrub Glove
• The Ritual of Ayurveda Coconut Milk Bath Sachet, 3.5 oz.
• The Ritual of Ayurveda Rich Body Oil, 1 oz. 
• Travel - Soleil d'Or, 0.5 oz.
• Elixir Collection Miracle Keratin Recovery Hair Mask, 0.67 oz.
• The Ritual of Karma Mild Body Scrub Clay, 2.3 oz.
• Rituals Homme shower foam, 1.6 oz.
• Sticks for Mini Fragrance Sticks for Advent, 2.3 oz. 
• The Ritual of Jing Hand Lotion, 2.3 oz. 
• The Ritual of Jing Sleep Foaming Shower Gel, 1.6 oz.
• Sport Cooling Shower Gel, 2.3 oz. 
• Advent Mini Candle Private Collection - Savage Garden, 0.88 oz.
• Advent Mini Candle Private Collection - Sweet Jasmine, 0.88 oz.
• Advent Mini Candle Private Collection - Precious Amber, 0.88 oz.
• Advent Mini Candle Private Collection - Suede Vanilla, 0.88 oz.
• The Ritual of Ayurveda USA Mini Fragrance Sticks for Advent, 2.3 oz. 
• Spoon 2022

2) Barbor More to Give Advent Calendar - 24 items - What's inside:

• 
  24 Ampoules (2 ml each): 1 DOC Power Amp Hyaluronic Acid, 1 Hydra Plus, 2
  Algae Vitalizer, 2 Perfect Glow, 3 DOC Power Amp Beta Glucan, 3 Active Night, 3 DOC Power Amp Vitamin C, 3 Multi-Vitamin, 3 3D Firming, 3 Lift Express

Skincare that 

• Lifts, firms, tightens, hydrates, retexturizes, brightens, and minimizes lines and wrinkles for a smoother, glowing more youthful appearance.

3) Macy's 25 Days Of Beauty Advent Calendar - 25 items - What's inside:

• Ahava Ahava 24K Gold Mask, 15 mL / 0.51 fl. oz. 
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Mini Mini Lash Brag, 2.5 mL / 0.08 fl. oz. 
• Bareminerals Mineral Veil Setting Powder, 0.75 g / 0.026 oz.
• Buttah Skin Enterprises Sample Charcoal Detox Mask, 5 mL / 0.016 oz. 
• Cacharel Yes I Am, 5 mL / 0.17 oz.
• Carolina Herrera Good Girl Eau De Parfum, 7 mL / 0.24 oz. 
• Chella Mini Manifest Bronze Eyeshadow Palette, 4 g / 0.14 oz.
• Clinique Moisture Surge™ 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator, 15 mL / 0.50 oz. 
• Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm Deluxe Sample, 10 mL / 0.33 oz. 
• First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, 29.5 mL / 1 oz. 
• Kiehl's Since 1851 Ultra Facial Cream, 7 mL / 0.23 oz. 
• Lancome Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum, 8 mL / 0.27 fl. oz. 
• Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex, 7 mL / 0.23 oz. 
• MAC Cosmetics Mac Fix+ Stayover, 13 mL / 0.43 oz.
• Origins Mega-Mushroom Treatment Lotion, 7 mL / 0.24 fl. oz. 
• Perricone MD High Potency Classics Face Finishing & Firming Moisturizer, 7.5 mL / 0.25 oz. 
• Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench® Hyaluronic Cloud Hydrating Eye Gel, 3 mL / 0.10 oz. 
• Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser, 30 mL / 1 oz.
• Reza Be Obsessed Love My Leave In, 30 mL / 1 fl. oz. 
• Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate, 10 mL / 0.33 oz. 
• Sunday Riley Modern Skincare C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum, 5 mL / 0.16 oz. 
• The Beauty Crop Juice Pot Lip and Cheek Tint - Lychee, 4 mL / 0.14 oz. 
• Tonymoly USA LLC. Plump-Kin Retinol Eye Cream, 10 mL / 0.33 oz. 
• Urban Decay Vice Hydrating Lipstick in Backtalk, 1 g / 0.03 oz. 
• Verb Products Ghost Oil, 17 mL / 0.57 fl. oz.
• Bonus: $10 off your next $40 Macy's Beauty Purchase. Exclusions apply*

4) MAC Bursting With Surprises Advent Calendar - 24 items - What's inside:

• Brow Set Clear
• Dazzleshadow
• 2 Eyeshadows
• Fix+
• Glow Play Lip Balm
• 
  3 Lipsticks
• Liquidlast Liner
• Love Me Liquid Lipcolour
• 2 Mini MAC Lipglasses
• Mini MAC Lipglass Clear
• 2 Mini MAC Lipsticks
• Mini MAC Strobe Cream, 15 ml
• Mini MACStack Mascara
• Paint Pot
• Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour
• Powder Kiss Soft Matte Eye Shadow
• Prep + Prime Essential Oils Grapefruit & Chamomile
• Prep + Prime Lip
• Technakohl Liner

5) Sterling Forever 24 Days of Jewelry Advent Calendar Earrings - The beauty companies may have jumped on the advent calendar bandwagon, but traditionally, advent calendars have other goods inside from chocolates and cookies to heartfelt notes with promises of kindnesses. Here's a calendar for jewelry lovers containing dainty sterling silver (a real precious metal) earrings, and they are gifts to keep.

What's inside: 24 pairs of sterling silver and gold-plated sterling silver earrings - a few with freshwater pearls, as well as, one with an artificial pearl, and some with cubic zirconia.

• 15-sterling silver and 9-14K gold plated sterling silver earrings
• Approximate diameter of hoop earrings - 0.87", 0.6", 0.25", 1.4", 0.75", imitation pearl - 2mm
• 
  Approximate diameter of stud earrings - 0.2", 0.3", 0.24", 0.25", 0.28", 0.26", 0.35"
• Approximate diameter of drop earrings - 1.25", 1", pearl - 9mm
• Approximate diameter of ear crawlers - 0.6"
• Approximate diameter of ear cuffs - 0.35", 0.31"
• 1 French hook post closure, 1 friction latch closure, 1 threader post closure, 2 open cuff closures, pinch for the perfect fit, 19 posts back closure
• Heart shape imitation pearl 2.15 mm, drop shape freshwater pearl 8.8 mm, baroque pearls 8.8 mm
• 12 cubic zirconia earrings, 1 created faux imitation opal earring
• Lifetime warranty

The holidays are when we tend to splurge a bit on gifts to make friends and family happy, whether it's an advent calendar of makeup, skincare, candies, or jewelry, the packaging ... i.e., the presentation is as thrilling as the gifts inside. A drawer to open ... a gift to look forward to each day of advent.  

Scrambling for exclusive material things brings little-to-no joy! With these 5 festive and desirable advent calendars, nobody will miss those super expensive, limited-edition, calendars that sell out in October!

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Flirty Girl Wants To Make You Smile

The photo is from Google Maps

One of the most beloved brands in New Orleans, Flirty Girl, was launched in 2009 by single mother and New Orleans native, Lauren LeBlanc Haydel, initially as an online business. Today she has 8 retail stores and 60 employees. The brand was voted Best of New Orleans by Gambit magazine for 11 years in a row.

Flirty Girl's aim is to make you smile while celebrating the city of New Orleans with shirts, skorts, scarves, jackets, shoes, kitchen and bar glasses, hair accessories, food and spices, soap, together with holiday-and-novelty gifts.

The retailer has become a must-stop for tourists but if you can't make it to New Orleans you can still send some "local love + fun finds" by ordering online, the place where it all began. Perhaps someone on your holiday list could use a smile or has fond memories of the Big Easy.

King Cake Bolt Balm

Ahhh, the only cute alligator is a toy alligator (🐊 see far above👆), but LOOK he's crawling away and headed for the flamingo🦩who should not stand tall and be eaten. Run!! ... run away!!!⚜️

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