Dead in My Tracks Thursday

I would like to begin by stating Jillian Michaels just sent me a tweet on the good ol' twitter.  Holy mother of pearl.  This  means I can never slack off in the workout department ever again.  What if she's watching?? C'mon Buddy! Don't phone it in!

 If the mere thought of that doesn't stop you dead in your tracks trust me these will.

Dear Calypso St. Barth:  are you sure you're sold out in size 36?

I've been staring at them for a whole week.

Stunners

Chef's Birthday Recap

Warning:  Do not read if you are on a diet, contemplating a diet, coming off of a diet, or just plain hungry.

I have to say it's pretty cool how many of you are interested in the Chef's birthday recap.  It's nice of you to want to share in the deets and I mean that sincerely.  Meanwhile I'm over here thinking, "shiz they're gonna think we're a couple jammers with eating disorders."  Last week he told his mom he wanted Domino's pizza for his birthday.  He wasn't kidding.  She was mortified.  He told me he wanted wings and beer.  Her face looked just a lit-tle pale. hehe

Apparently I was going to have to take matters into my own hands and bring birthday dreams to life.  The guy likes food - any kind of food - he appreciates all of it.  So on Friday night we had homestyle roasted chicken with brussel sprouts, carrots, and potatoes followed by the brownies (almost all of them).  I spent Saturday marinating ribs while he decided that BJ's pizza was his target:  think potato skins, stuffed mushrooms, calamari, and some sort of a million kinds of meat pizza that scared the hell out of me.  Hey, it wasn't my birthday weekend.  Followed by Black Swan, I was all kinds of crazy by the time I got home that night.

Cut to Sunday and it was Mexican food time once again.  Oh yeah, we kicked this mother off on Thursday night with various margaritas, carnitas and shrimp tacos into the wee hours after having worked up an appetite at a James Perse shin dig.  Sunday afternoon was a rinse and repeat of Thursday, followed by an evening extravaganza of Thai Ribs and Sesame Cilantro Rice (recipes to come) with double layer vanilla birthday cake complete with chocolate cream cheese frosting and sprinkles for dessert.  Yes we're 5 years old.  Are you still with me or have you exploded into a million pieces just thinking about it?  I'm feeling woozy as I type.

By the time his actual birthday arrived on Monday I thought he might have abandoned the wings and beer. No dice. He was raring to go by noon.  Examine the evidence.

~That sliver of face in the corner bears the look of satisfaction.~

Frenzied birthday hand dips hot as h wing into blue cheese.
I'm calling this the beginning of the end.  For me anyway.

Cut to scene and you'll find me guzzling soft drinks.
Wing Etiquette 101:  Remove all jewelry prior to consumption.
Keep beverages close at hand.  And a pile of tissue. Always wear your leopard belt?

Pause to take a breather.  Note leopard print frame on wall.

Birthday Request 2011:  Fulfilled

Oh no it didn't end there.  Shortly thereafter we found ourselves in LA drinking yummy cocktails into the late afternoon/evening while consuming fried goat cheese salad and crab in blood orange butter.  And now I say to you fine people:  I am on a fast.

Just in:  It's official - the Chef's restaurant is just around The Corner.  Pun completely intended.  I'll keep you updated.  Woo hoo!!

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts (Gluten-Free Version)

Girls (and guys) - I have so many posts I want to do right now - how many posts can a person do in one day? First things first we saw Biutiful last night.  Sigh.  Pause.  Sigh again.

It is, no pun intended, a beautiful film.  I sat glued to the screen completely engrossed in Javier Bardem's incredible portrayal of a father contemplating his final months of life while ultimately coming to grips with his own mortality.  There is so much more I could say, but I think you should see the movie for yourselves.  It left me very still and I spent this morning quietly going about my day letting last night's story sink deep into my bones - like tea steeping just the right amount in order to reach it's fullest flavor.  My cup runneth over.

The Chef (according to him - whew) had a great birthday weekend.  We capped off yesterday and I'll do a post later on or tomorrow, but in the meantime let's go back to Friday's kick off when I made those divine brownies.  Some kind soul gave me a subscription to Bon Appetit and I love it so much that I'm still lingering in February's pages where I found this recipe and modified it to gluten-free.  It's painless and delicious - everything is mixed in the pan the browned butter is melted in, so that yummy flavor permeates the brownies throughout.  Prepare for greatness.

Finished Product 

~consumed within one day - it's okay to admit that, right?~

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts
Recipe by Alice Medrich

Ingredients
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour - I used my favorite gluten-free flour blend found in this recipe and they worked out perfectly.
1 cup walnut pieces

Preparation
Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325 degrees F.  Line 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang.  Coat foil with nonstick spray.  Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt.  Stir to blend.  Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot).  Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition.  When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended.  Beat vigorously 60 strokes (I didn't keep track just eyeballed it).  Stir in nuts.  Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes.  Cool in pan on rack.  Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan.  Cut into 4 strips.  Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.  DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead.  Store in airtight container at room temperature.

They lift out and cut easily. 

No sticking because of the light coat of spray.

And they're soft and chewy with just the right amount of crumb.

If you get a chance, give them a try.  There's only 16 so enough to taste and enjoy without doing too much damage. Ha ha!  And if you haven't read Bon Appetit - pick up a copy at the store next time you're out.  There are so many great recipes to try.  I have to go back to fending for myself now that the restaurant is close to open.  There is no justice in this wicked, wicked world.