Tuesday, February 14, 2012

For Valentine's Day and Beyond

Today, Valentine's Day, I received a few articles and links about love, so I thought I'd spread the love and post them here for you to peruse. Don't forget to read through to the bottom of this post, so that you can try out my hubby's wonderfully decadent Two-Tone Guinness Brownies!

The Harp Connection's Romantic Harp Music Albums for Valentine's Day and Beyond! View all of their recommendations, including my Haste to the Wedding CD, filled with traditional Celtic love songs.*

It's never too late to send an e-card to your sweetheart. You could send a silly card from RubberChickenCards.com loaded with fine dating advice (get a free six month subscription right here). Or some Hunny Bunny e-cards or the little-bit-naughty Bunny Burlesque e-cards from the folks at BanjoBunny.com. Or head on over to my other blog for special ways to say "I Love You".

Acupressure Point CV17, for Healing Your Heart Emotionally. Stressed out because you are head-over heals for a certain someone? Or are you getting over a relationship? Check out this link.

Does Dark Chocolate on Valentine's Day Help Your Heart? You bet it does, according to RealAge.com. But did you know that not all chocolate is healthy for you? For it to contain the maximum amount of antioxidants, the chocolate needs to be cold-processed--Healthy Chocolate! Join and make income while enjoying the benefits of high antioxidant chocolate.






Speaking of chocolate, here's that special recipé from my hubby, "Mr. Bakerman", for Two-Tone Guinness Brownies:

Ingredients for Bottom Toffee Layer: 
Cooking spray
6 Tbs. softened unsalted butter
1 1/2 C. packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking power
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. chopped pecans or walnuts

Ingredients for Chocolaty Top Layer:
3 oz. finely chopped unsweetened chocolate (or you could use 3 Healthy Chocolate Power Squares if you cut back a bit on the granulated sugar)
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 C. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. Guinness stout
1 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 13 x 9" baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Prepare the bottom layer by combining butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour, baking powder, salt and nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 20 minutes and remove from oven.
3. Prepare the top layer by placing chocolate and butter in a double boiler. heat gently and stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar, then add eggs, vanilla and Guinness, stirring until well-combined. Whisk in flour and salt until all ingredients are combined. Slowly pour over partially baked bottom layer.
4. Bake 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan, placed on a wire rack, before slicing.
Serves 24 (or more, if you slice them into smaller squares). Serve within 2 days.


Sending loving thoughts,
Anne :-)

* Purchase my Haste to the Wedding Album all over the Internet, including at my website, where you can request an autographed copy. Or download it from CDBaby.com, amazon.com, and iTunes.