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Words to My Daughter and Other Graduates

Posted in Helping Others, inspiration, Kids, Parenting, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on June 21, 2011| 8 Comments »

June, the big month of graduations, is almost gone. As the next stage of life unfolds for my daughter and many other graduates, here are a few words of advice from this mom. Although somewhat clichéd, they are from the heart:

Life is not a checklist to be checked off, nor a race to be run.

The world needs your unique gifts and perspective, so be you.

Always speak the truth, but with good intention and at the appropriate time.

Strive to seek balance in your life.

Don’t underestimate the power of what one person can do.

Know your worth – never undervalue what you bring to the table, whether in personal or business relationships.

Appreciate the gift of every single day.

Don’t let material goods define who you are.

Nothing is more important than your health and your family.

Live a life of gratitude.

Remember, there are always two sides to a coin.

Success in life is made up of small, continuing successes – it’s not a big onetime thing and there is no limit to the amount of success in life that you can achieve.

Only the attainment of your dreams and your goals determines whether you are successful.

Let your actions define your character more than your words.

Have respect – for your body, for other people’s property, for other cultures, for the planet . . . .

Live in the present – you can’t change the past and the future isn’t here yet.

Write your story – it’s your life, no one else can write it for you.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – learning from them is sometimes the only way to grow.

Have compassion – as it’s said, “What goes around comes around.”

Spread joy!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (6/17/11)

Posted in About me, Creativity, Entertainment, Health, Helping Others, inspiration, Organization, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 17, 2011| 1 Comment »

Ever heard of wabi-sabi? No, it’s not the green horseradish paste on sushi platters. That’s wasabi. Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that considers imperfection to be perfect or, to put it another way, it’s the perfection of the imperfect. In a previous post, I wrote how this philosophy helps me deal with my tendency towards perfectionism. So bolstered with thoughts of wabi-sabi, I participated in a silversmithing workshop last Saturday. After a long day’s worth of small successes and frustrating failures, I completed my first project. Go ahead and look at it closely and you’ll find it’s a perfectly imperfect ring!

#1 – Bits of Wisdom
These twenty-two interesting photos with bits of wisdom printed on them by photographer and graphic designer Julian Bialowas are definitely worth reading through.

#2 – PocketCPR
Does the thought of performing CPR on someone in need intimidate you? Here’s a video that presents a new product that you might want to have. Turn on an FDA-cleared PocketCPR and it will coach you step-by-step through the process. It is suggested on the website that users should also have training in CPR. At $149.00 the device may seem pricey, but what’s the price of someone’s life?

#3 – Paint Calculator
If your plans to spruce up your home this summer include painting, you’ll want to check out this Paint Calculator on the Home Goes Strong site. I also learned while visiting the site that “One gallon of paint covers approximately 400 square feet.” File that bit of information in your memory bank!

#4 – Trip Wow
Make a free computer slide show with tripadvisor’s TRIPWOW! program. Start by selecting a theme and then upload your photos through Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, TravelPod, or your computer. Add names and comments and then either upload your own music or select from TRIPWOW’s music or let TRIPWOW select music for you. Making a slide show couldn’t be easier! Before you begin, though, make sure you understand the site’s privacy policy and its terms of use.

#5 – Your Story
If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page.
Mark Houlahan

Have a great weekend!!

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Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Posted in Husbands, In The Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on June 14, 2011| 3 Comments »

What could be better than a moist, spicy, carrot cake slathered with cream cheese frosting? Not much! But what if all that delicious goodness could be held in your hand in the form of a cookie? A portable carrot cake – how perfect! Since carrot cake is my husband’s favorite type of cake and since Father’s Day is this coming weekend, I whipped him up a batch of wholesome carrot cake cookies and sandwiched them together with a rich, not-too-sweet, cream cheese filling. After wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and freezing them, he can now have his “cake” (whenever he wants) and eat it too!

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
Recipe by Martha Stewart

Ingredients for Cookies:
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)
1 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.

3. Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough. Once cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread about 2 teaspoons of cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Makes about 25 sandwiches

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners’ sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

Makes about 2 cups

Linnell’s Notes:
1. To make the cookies more wholesome, I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour.
2. Because I like the smaller size of currants, I used them instead of raisins.
3. For a bit more texture and some added nutrients, I added 1 cup of chopped walnuts.
4. Although it is easier to buy a bag of grated carrots, the moisture content and fresh flavor of freshly grated carrots add much to this recipe.
5. I used a smaller ice-cream scoop for the dough and made 72 perfectly round 2 1/2-inch to 3-inch cookies.
6. These cookies spread – allow the specified 2 inches. If cookies seem to be spreading too much, chill the dough a little longer.
7. I doubled the cream cheese frosting which was the perfect amount to fill 36 cookie sandwiches.
8. These cookies absolutely have to be refrigerated! Not only because they have a cream cheese filling, but primarily because they will become too soft and will fall apart easily if left out at room temperature.
9. As mentioned in the introduction, I individually wrapped my sandwiched cookies with plastic wrap, placed them in Ziploc-type plastic bags, and froze them for future cravings.

Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (6/10/11)

Posted in About me, Creativity, Helping Others, inspiration, Organization, Photography, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 10, 2011| Leave a Comment »

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I knew I’d said something stupid. As dusk approached, I peered out my kitchen window, scouting for pesky gray squirrels. While recalling the most recent antics of the rodent circus in my backyard, I spied the movement of a bushy tail, which was attached to a critter nibbling on fallen bird seed. Leaning over the sink for a better view, I asked out loud, “Is that a black squirrel?” Immediately, I realized that the “black squirrel” I was staring at was really a skunk! “What? A BLACK squirrel?” my husband said as he looked out the window and saw the object of my attention. He laughed at me. After the skunk trotted away, I sat down at my computer and “Googled” black squirrels. To my amazement and relief, I found that such an animal does exist. Feeling somewhat vindicated, I smiled at my husband, until he laughingly pointed out, “Yeah, but black squirrels don’t have white stripes down their backs!”

#1 – Project Linus
Here’s a volunteer opportunity that can be done in the comfort of your own home. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post called “Blankets of Love.”  Upon their college graduations, I gave handmade blankets to each of my children. I wanted them to remember the warmth of my love wherever they went in life. Project Linus collects and donates “new, handmade, washable blankets to be given as gifts to seriously ill and traumatized children, ages 0-18.” In the last sixteen years Project Linus has donated over three million blankets to children in need. If you like to crochet, knit, sew, or have the time to tie knots in “no sew” fleece blankets, consider donating your time and materials to this cause and give away your own blankets of love.

#2 – Amazing Views From Airplanes
I love finding amazing photographs and sharing them. Here’s a series of aerial photos from around the world that is worthy of your attention!

#3 – Pinterest
Would you like to have a bulletin board that doesn’t take up a lot of space and can be shared with others? Pinterest is a site that “lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.” It’s a compact way to gather and display ideas. I enjoyed browsing through different pinboards, discovering interesting uses for pinboards, and seeing the creative ideas people have collected on theirs.

#4 – 29 Ways to Stay Creative
From Life on Michigan Avenue comes an interesting piece called, 29 Ways to Stay Creative.  Although it is aimed at creativity, a lot of what it says can apply to other aspects of life. Does any one particular line speak to you? Mine was number 25.

#5 – There’s Room Enough
“There’s room for everybody on the planet to be creative and conscious if you are your own person. If you’re trying to be like somebody else, then there is isn’t.”
Tori Amos

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Scampi alla Griglia

Posted in About me, In The Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 7, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Flavorful Scampi alla Griglia was one of my “go to” recipes to serve company in the early years of my marriage. Not only did it have an exotic name, but it was a gourmet triple treat – garlic, butter, and shrimp! I recently rediscovered this recipe when trying to figure out the “surf” part of a surf and turf birthday celebration for a friend. It was as good as I remembered!

Scampi alla Griglia
Adapted from a recipe in The Cooking of Italy cookbook by Time-Life

Ingredients:
2 lbs. large fresh shrimp in their shells or defrosted frozen shrimp
8 T. butter
1/2 cup olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or scallions
1 T. finely chopped garlic
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 T. finely chopped fresh parsley, preferably the flat-leaf Italian type
Lemon quarters

Directions:
1. Shell the shrimp, being careful not to remove the last segment of shell or the tail.  Devein the shrimp by slitting down the back of each shrimp with a small sharp knife and lifting out the black or white intestinal vein. Wash the shrimp quickly under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Preheat broiler to its highest temperature.

3. In a shallow flameproof baking dish or pan just large enough to hold the shrimp in one layer, melt the butter over low heat on the stove top, being careful not to let it brown. Remove from burner.

4. Stir in olive oil, lemon juice, shallots, garlic, salt, and a few twists of freshly ground pepper. Add the shrimp and turn in the butter and oil mixture until they glisten on all sides.

5. Broil them 3-4 inches from the heat for 5 minutes, then turn the shrimp over and broil them for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until they are lightly browned and firm to the touch done.*

6. Transfer the shrimp to a serving platter, pour the sauce from the pan over them, and sprinkle them with parsley.

7. Garnish with lemons and serve.

Serves 6.

Linnell’s notes:
1. I buy the U20’s (under 20 shrimp per pound) size shrimp at Costco. They still have shells on, but the shells are slit and the shrimp are deveined.

2. *Cooking times will vary depending on the size of the shrimp you are using and the amount of heat generated by your broiler. Keep an eye on the shrimp while they are broiling, because they can quickly become overcooked! I did not need to broil mine for the total time suggested in the recipe.

3. This recipe would make a fabulous hot or “cold” appetizer. If serving it cold, my only word of advice would be to not serve it right out of the refrigerator because the butter will be congealed.

4. In the photo above the Scampi is served with an herbed quinoa “pilaf” on the side. I’ll post the quinoa recipe at a later date, but if you can’t wait, email me and I’ll send you the recipe.

Enjoy!!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (6/3/11)

Posted in About me, Entertainment, Health, Helping Others, inspiration, Photography, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

KA-BOOM!! The house shook and my dog frantically darted out from the cozy spot where he’d been snoring only seconds ago! An explosion of bright light and a deafening roar of thunder, of a magnitude unlike any I’ve ever seen or heard, made me scream. Had my home been hit by lightning? After calming down my dog and checking out my house and yard, I was thankful to discover that all remained unscathed. Heading out for a walk the following morning with my neighbor from across the street, I noticed a tall redwood tree in her front lawn had some broken branches. Upon closer inspection, we spied the telltale, vertical, lightning stripe on the tree where large sections of bark had been blasted off. Splintered branches dangled from their fragile supports, while severed branches hung down dejectedly. Here was the explanation for electrical problems in surrounding homes. I hope lightning doesn’t strike twice, because that was just too close for comfort!

#1 -Lightning News
Most often lightning is viewed as a mysterious or dangerous phenomenon, but did you know that the earth actually benefits from lightning? According to an article by National Severe Storms Laboratory, these are the benefits:

The earth benefits from lightning in several ways. First, lightning helps the Earth maintain electrical balance. The Earth is recharged by thunderstorms. The Earth’s surface and the atmosphere conduct electricity easily—the Earth is charged negatively and the atmosphere, positively. There is always a steady current of electrons flowing upwards from the entire surface of the Earth. Thunderstorms help transfer the negative charges back to Earth (lightning is generally negatively charged). Without thunderstorms and lightning, the earth-atmosphere electrical balance would disappear in 5 minutes. Lightning also produces ozone, a gas that helps protect the Earth from the dangerous rays of the sun.

“When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!” With crazy weather everywhere in our country, that little rhyme from the National Weather Service could save lives. Refresh your lightning safety knowledge by reading this brief NWS article Lightning: What You Need to Know.

#2 – Workout Music
From Shape here’s something we all could use to make working out more enjoyable – Playlists: Best Tunes for Every Workout. Click on an image, like “Killer Cardio Combo” and you will be taken to that playlist with links to iTunes where you can preview and purchase individual songs on the list.

#3 – Lightning Reflexes
Try beating the computer at this Lightning card game. How fast can you process information and react? Play your cards right and you’ll have a fun time challenging your brain!

#4 – Photo a Day
A collection of Polaroid photos dating from 1979 to 1997 tell a story. But there’s more. What started out as a “Photo a Day” project, became Jamie Livingston’s photo journal of the last eighteen years of his life. Read about Jamie’s project in mental_floss and the New York Times. To view all of Jamie’s photos, click here.

#5 – Life Is Like a Flash of Lightning
Human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning.
~Samuel Butler

Enjoy your weekend and don’t forget to snap a few photos of “ordinary” days to capture the days of your life.

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Food Truck Festival

Posted in Community, Creativity, Entertainment, In The Kitchen, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on May 31, 2011| 2 Comments »

Hungry? Want to eat something out of the ordinary that will confuse your brain and challenge your taste buds? If the answer is yes, then go find yourself a food truck and sample its tasty offerings or, better yet, go to a food truck festival and indulge in new gastronomical experiences! A long weekend of celebration for my family often means consuming massive quantities of food. My recent trip to Southern California was no exception. At my son’s suggestion we attended a food truck festival at the Santa Anita Race Track. Yes, a race track!

After paying a $5.00 entrance fee, we walked through a long tunnel that carried us under the track. As we emerged from the tunnel and caught our first glimpses of the Festival, we felt like we had entered another world. Picture a racetrack. Now picture an infield, the grassy center of a track, filled with colorful umbrellas, picnic tables, a DJ playing loud music, a bounce house, pony rides, and carnival games! Ringing the infield are over 70 colorful food trucks offering almost every type of food imaginable. This is dining at it’s most unique and is not an experience for the unadventurous or for those with digestion issues!

Immediately ahead of us was easily a two-hour wait for the line of people wanting to place an order at the Grilled Cheese Truck. Although this truck serves grilled cheese sandwiches, most of them are not the type your mom or Denny’s served to you as a child. For example, if you order Mom’s Apple Pie Melt from this truck you’ll get sweet brioche bread grilled with sharp cheddar cheese, caramelized apples, and candied walnuts. Or if you prefer a sandwich with a little kick, you’ll ask for the Pepperbelly Melt which is served on cheddar jalapeno bread grilled with habanero jack cheese, homemade chili, Fritos, fire-roasted salsa, and cilantro lime sour cream tucked inside! This all coming from a chef who got his start with his famous Cheesy Mac & Rib Melt.

While walking the track and taking it all in, I was impressed, not only by the bright-colored and cleverly-named trucks (Let’s Be Frank, Great Balls on Tires, Crepen Around, Shrimp Pimp, etc.), but also by the creative fusion of food styles. Jogasaki Burrito successfully offers a fusion of Japanese and Mexican food. We, unsurprisingly, devoured delicious Sushi Burritos and Spicy Tuna Nachos. At the Calbi BBQ truck, soft corn tortillas carefully cradled Korean barbecued meat and shredded cheese. Not all the food at the Festival was fusion, though. Food trucks serving epicurean delights from Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Japan, Thailand, Greece, Vietnam, France, India were also doing brisk business.

The chefs driving these trucks (literally and figuratively) are not slouches. An article on About.com mentions the interesting pedigrees of some of the food truck chefs in the Los Angeles area – a former chef of Michael Jackson, a former Wolfgang Puck chef, and a chef from Top Chef Masters!

If you’re adventurous and live in or are visiting a major city and you want to get something good, but different to eat, track down a food truck by using your smart phone. There are several apps available which track the locations of food trucks – you can either check the location of a particular food truck or find out which food truck is nearest to you at the moment. Trux Map is an example of a popular one. A word of warning if you seek out a food truck: GO ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (5/27/11)

Posted in Entertainment, Health, Helping Others, Holidays, inspiration, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »

How observant are you? Do you see two identical rocks in this photograph? Of course not. Nature fashioned every one of these rocks to be unique and each one should be appreciated for its individual qualities. The same goes for us. No two persons are alike in this world. Each of us is one-of-a-kind and each of us brings to the world unique gifts. We should appreciate our differences and as I always remind my children, “The world would be a boring place, if we were all the same.”

#1 – Taking Care of the Earth
Tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions are happening with greater frequency. Whether you believe in global warming or not, statistics are hard to refute. Sometimes seeing is believing. The Breathing Earth accomplishes that by providing a real-time simulation that ” . . . displays the CO2 emissions of every country in the world, as well as their birth and death rates.” And after you digest the astounding statistics, go to Global Footprint Network to determine your ecological footprint and to get the answer to “How many planets does it take to support your lifestyle?”

#2 – Word Bubbles
Think you had a difficult time playing the Raindrops game that I posted a link to in a previous edition of Friday’s Fresh Five? Perhaps, math is not your forte. Try playing Word Bubbles instead. Word Bubbles “challenges your language skills and flexibility.” You’re given one minute to form as many words from the three-lettered stem provided. If you enter three words that are the same length, the bubble containing that number of letters will bubble out of the water. If at first you don’t succeed, “bubble” luck next time!

#3 – Who Called?
If you’ve observed that you frequently receive phone calls from unfamiliar phone numbers and if you want to find out just who keeps calling you, there are a few sites that can be of help. Go to 800notes, Who Called Us, or Who Calls Me and type in the phone number and click search. By doing this, I’ve often found out enough information about the caller to contact the source and request that they remove me from their call lists.

#4 – Memorial Day
Observe our country’s flags on Memorial Day. Wikipedia, provides these reasons for the different positions of our flags on that day:

On Memorial Day the flag is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.

The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.

The true meaning of Memorial Day is lost on many Americans. How easily some forget the ultimate sacrifice of others. The ads in the newspapers train us to think that it’s a weekend devoted to shopping the sales or barbecuing. No Greater Love is a “non-profit organization that for 40 years is dedicated to honoring those who died to keep us free.” In 1997 this organization initiated and Congress established the National Moment of Remembrance. No Greater Love asks that wherever you are at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, May 30th, to “Stop for a moment and observe the ‘Moment’ in your own way. It can be a simple gesture such as, placing your hand over your heart, bowing your head, or offering a prayer, and making the following promise: “I promise to make myself, my community, my country, and the world better in memory of America’s fallen.”

#5 – Shine
“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”
— Nelson Mandela

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend, but remember to take a moment to give thanks to all who have served our country!

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Chewy White Chocolate Brownies

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on May 24, 2011| 2 Comments »

What makes one brownie chewy, another one cakey and yet another one fudgy? Scanning the list of ingredients for Chewy White Chocolate Brownies and noting that it only required 1/2 cup of flour, I contemplated the different textures of brownies. Since most brownie recipes list similar basic ingredients, I figured the difference must lie in their proportions.

After some online research, I found this matter discussed in a post on Diana’s Desserts:

FUDGY BROWNIES (which purists often claim are the only real brownies) have a minimum of flour–about half a cup–and no leavening such as baking powder at all. Melting the butter rather than creaming it with sugar yields a denser, fudgier outcome.

CAKELIKE BROWNIES are really … well, little cakes! They contain less butter and more flour than fudgy brownies, as well as a bit of baking powder to make them softer and lighter. Often the softened butter is creamed with the sugar rather than melted with the chocolate. (Creaming incorporates air into the mixture, which causes the brownies to rise higher.) Many cakelike recipes also call for a bit of milk to add tenderness.

CHEWY BROWNIES usually get their texture from two factors: an extra egg (or even two) and a combination of different types of chocolate. Of all the chocolate types, unsweetened chocolate has the highest proportion of starches, which create a stiffer-textured brownie. Semisweet chocolate produces a creamier texture. Put the two together, often with a few tablespoons of cocoa powder to round out the flavor and thicken the texture, and you get a rich, satisfyingly chewy result.

BLONDIES are really butterscotch bars, made with brown sugar, butter, and eggs (and usually nuts as well), but no chocolate. Typically, blondies have a cakelike texture.

There you have it! By definition this Chewy White Chocolate recipe, with it’s 1/2 cup of flour and melted butter, should fall into the fudgy and not chewy category. But wait, because it has no chocolate (dark, semi, or milk), it’s essentially a blondie. Shouldn’t this sweet little recipe, clipped out of my local newspaper years ago, really be called Fudgy White Chocolate Blondies? Doesn’t sound right, does it?

Chewy White Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups white chocolate baking chips, divided use
6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) butter or margarine
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter brickle baking bits (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. Melt 1 cup of the white chocolate chips and the butter over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Beat together the eggs and sugar until frothy. Add the vanilla extract.

4. Slowly mix in the chocolate mixture.

5. Gradually add the flour and beat until smooth.

6. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup white chocolate chips and brickle bits, if desired.

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

8. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Makes 16 servings.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. Don’t leave out the brickle bits – it’s the combination of white chocolate and butter brickle that make this recipe delicious!
2. Don’t over bake the brownies or else they will lose their fudgy/chewy texture.
3. Don’t leave them on the kitchen counter unguarded or else you may return to discover that “someone” has eaten one whole row of edges!

Enjoy!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (5/20/11)

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Creativity, Entertainment, Gift Ideas, Helping Others, inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“Don’t lose sight of your goal.” I seem to be saying that a lot lately – whether it’s to myself or to one of my children. It appears, though, that the squirrels in my yard never lose sight of their goals!

#1- Gift of Trees
A couple of weeks ago my hairdresser and I were chatting about buying graduation gifts. She mentioned Trees For a Change to me. For a nominal fee, a tree is planted in a U.S. National Forest that has been devastated by wildfire. The recipient receives a gift card and information where his tree is planted. Give a different type of green gift to the graduates in your life. Make it one that impacts the earth in a positive way. And what a perfect gift it could be for that someone who has everything – think Father’s Day!

#2 – Shadow Art
This type of art is fascinating – these artists take the study of light and shadows to a whole new level!

#3 – Do You Have a Problem In Your Life?
Whether your answer to this question is yes or no, you’ll want to take a look at this graphic. Yes, it’s simplistic, but it does help to put worrying into perspective.

#4 – One Word
One of my daily goals is to write everyday. Sometimes writing comes easy to me and sometimes it’s like giving birth. One Word is a site I love to go to warm up my brain and start the flow of words. It’s very simple: one word appears on your computer screen and you have just one minute to write about the word. If you’d like to share it, submit it to the site. It’s entertaining to read what others have written. The best advice is offered by the site’s creators, “Don’t think. Just write.”

#5 – Never Too Old
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
C.S. Lewis

What about setting a new goal or dreaming a new dream this weekend?

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