the cream cheese

§ December 23rd, 2011 § Filed under food § Tagged , , , , § 2 Comments

peanut butter cream cheese brownies

When cream cheese goes on sale, I start dreaming about these peanut butter brownies. Philadelphia brand cream cheese is close to $1 this week at Shaw’s, so I’ve done more than a little holiday baking. I’ve had a few people ask for this recipe recently, so here you go!

Marbled Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Brownies (adapted from this Allrecipes recipe)

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9×13 inch baking pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1 egg, and milk until smooth. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, 2 cups white sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the remaining 3 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; mix into the batter. Stir in chocolate chips.
  4. Remove 1 cup of the chocolate batter. Spread the remaining batter into the prepared pan. Spread the peanut butter filling over the top. Drop the reserved chocolate batter by teaspoonful over the filling. Using a knife, gently swirl through the top layers for a marbled effect.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out almost clean. Cool completely, then cut into bars.

the dvd

§ December 16th, 2011 § Filed under entertainment § Tagged , , , , , , , § 3 Comments

The Tree of Life (2011)

After about a month of neglecting a few key household duties, I finally found time again this week for things like laundry, cleaning, cooking, organizing, taking down Thanksgiving decor, etc. So the name of the game this Friday night was relaxation — Redbox style. I surprised Tim by bringing home The Tree of Life — he’s been wanting to see it but thought I wouldn’t be interested. Though it was a tad slow-paced throughout the two+ hours, it was overall a truly beautiful piece of art. The film — which, by the way, has almost no dialogue — is all about the battle between grace and nature, and I love the idea of Hollywood giving us something religious every now and again. The New York Times reviewer said its purpose is “to shine the light of the sacred on secular reality,” and I think that’s a perfect description. There are (overly) lengthy scenes illustrating the creation and development of the universe, but the music throughout is very moving. This movie surely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it does make you think. Oh, and my favorite element was the “afterlife,” which is just how I’ve always pictured it — a beautiful, peaceful beach.

the dark chocolate peanut butter cups

§ December 15th, 2011 § Filed under food § Tagged , , , , § 3 Comments

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups for $0.99

I don’t think there is any food combination in this world better than chocolate and peanut butter. And it helps when the chocolate is dark. Reese’s peanut butter cups were once my favorite candy, but I have to admit I’ve become disenchanted with them over the years. That peanut butter filling is just too sweet, and the chocolate to peanut butter ratio isn’t quite right for me. So when I read about Trader Joe’s $0.99 holiday package of dark chocolate peanut butter cups, I knew I had found my Reese’s replacement. And while I’d never fool myself into thinking these things are in any way good for me, I do appreciate that the TJ’s version boasts natural ingredients, without any artificial flavors or colors or preservatives.

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

These things are absolutely irresistible. I could barely stop myself from polishing off the whole bag. The 3.5-ounce package is only around for the holiday season, and then you’ll be forced to buy the one-pound tub if you want a taste. Not that that’s a bad thing…

the cookie

§ December 14th, 2011 § Filed under food, travel § Tagged , , , § No Comments

Dekalb Market in Brooklyn

Alright, this is our last New York post, and then it’s back to Boston! Before we left town we went to Dekalb Market in downtown Brooklyn. Now, I love any sort of outdoor market, but this one is especially neat because it is housed in a collection of salvaged shipping containers. The vendors are a smattering of artists, chefs, farmers, and makers of pretty things, and they’re doing it all inside the walls of repurposed shipping containers!

Etsy artist assembly at Dekalb Market in Brooklyn

The market is open every day, and there are lots of tasty food options to fuel the shoppers. We bought a chocolate chip cookie for a dollar, which was sort of a ripoff for its size. But I had to spend that dollar.

shipping container shops at Dekalb Market in Brooklyn

All in all, a very fun place to look around. If you go, be sure to stop by the 24Karas shop. I’m not much for jewelry, but they had some of the loveliest pieces I’ve ever seen.

free day: the skin care products

§ December 13th, 2011 § Filed under beauty, travel § Tagged , , , , § 1 Comment

Flight 001 in Brooklyn

And now, part two of our Small Business Saturday extravaganza. Since Tim and I have separate Amex cards, we each got a free $25 to spend. I was in the market for some new skin care products, so we went to Flight 001 in Brooklyn. What a fun store! Tons of neat little (and not so little) travel-related gadgets — great luggage, pretty passport covers, interesting books (Tim started getting crazy ideas while reading a book about adventure tourism). But the real purpose for going there was the Mario Badescu products. I ended up with the perfect moisturizer, which would have been $22, but it was free for me! And since I had to go over $25 to get the SBS credit, I also picked up a new cleanser. What a great day.

Mario Badescu skin care products at Flight 001 in Brooklyn

free day: the brunch

§ December 12th, 2011 § Filed under food, travel § Tagged , , , , , , , § 2 Comments

OK, I’m back for real this time. No more week-long breaks. I apologize for my neglect, but I have a good excuse! You see, today I completed my master’s program. So the last week has been over-the-top crazy for me (especially when you add on that full-time job thing I have, plus my freelance writing, plus piano practice for a church Christmas program, etc.). So I’m feeling pretty good about being done with school. And I would now like to sprawl out on my couch and not move for several days.

But I will get back to blogging. I haven’t been diligent about my daily dollar finds, but I do still have a few New York deals to share. So, let’s go back in time…

One of my most favorite days of the year is Small Business Saturday, which is a magical annual event that falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I’ve never been a fan of Black Friday (there are no deals I’d wait in long lines for or fight crowds for), but I sure love SBS. The whole thing was started two years ago by American Express, and the purpose is, obviously, to support small businesses. All you do is register your Amex on the SBS website, and then spend at least $25 at a small business on that Saturday. And then American Express credits your card with $25! So basically, you get $25 of free anything. What could be better?

Buttermilk Channel brunch menu

To kick the morning off right, Tim and I brunched at Buttermilk Channel in Brooklyn. I eat Eggs Benedict on about an every-other-month basis (I just can’t help ordering it every place we go) and Buttermilk’s is the best I know. Technically, theirs is called Eggs Huntington, but you get the idea. The eggs are perfectly poached every time, and the buttermilk biscuits beneath the eggs are just wonderful. I also appreciate that they use a super thin prosciutto-like ham. And how can you ever go wrong with hollandaise sauce? I’d drink the stuff by the glass if I didn’t think it would give me a heart attack on the spot.

Eggs Huntington at Brooklyn's Buttermilk Channel

Tim tried the fried pork chop with cheddar waffles and maple syrup, and liked it quite a lot. Other favorites there are the pecan pie french toast, the fluffiest ever buttermilk pancakes, and the apple/bacon/cheddar grilled cheese. But best of all is getting $25 worth of delicious food for free. I love Small Business Saturday.

the bubbles

§ December 6th, 2011 § Filed under travel § Tagged , , § 2 Comments

Central Park bubble man

Another dollar recipient in Central Park was this bubble man. Look at the excitement on those children’s faces! These were definitely the hugest bubbles I’ve ever seen. The kids didn’t even seem to mind getting slimed when the bubbles would pop right above them.

bubbles in Central Park

the jokes

§ December 5th, 2011 § Filed under entertainment, travel § Tagged , , , , , , § 2 Comments

Jason Schneider's $1 jokes in New York's Central Park

While walking through Central Park the day after Thanksgiving, we stumbled upon joke teller Jason Schneider, who I heard about a few months ago on NPR (listen here). Though I only paid him $1, he favored us with a dozen jokes. We had two three-year-olds with us, so all his jokes were aimed at the kiddies, but he still got a few laughs out of me.

the canned pumpkin

§ December 1st, 2011 § Filed under food, holiday § Tagged , , , , § 7 Comments

pumpkin pie toffee cheesecake

Call me un-American, but I do not love pumpkin pie. I mean, it’s fine — I would eat it if it was the only dessert option available (because I would never go without dessert). But I can think of about 10 other pies I’d choose before taking a slice of plain pumpkin. So this Thanksgiving, I used a trusty $1 can of Libby’s pure pumpkin to whip up a layered pumpkin pie toffee cheesecake. (Thanks goes to Our Best Bites for the recipe.) Do yourself a favor and put this on your Thanksgiving list for next year. You won’t regret it.

the shackburger

§ November 30th, 2011 § Filed under food, travel § Tagged , , , , § 1 Comment

Shake Shack in Madison Square Park

We clearly had no trouble spending our dollars in New York. Get ready for at least a week’s worth of posts from our visit there. We hit Shake Shack in Madison Square Park for lunch one day, since Tim always wants burgers and I just always want food. While eyeing the menu, I noticed the Shackburger costs exactly one dollar more than a regular hamburger, so it was a no brainer. Unfortunately, my battery died before our food came out, so the picture below is borrowed from the always-generous Flickr.

Shake Shack ShackBurger(thanks to roboppy for this photo)

Our burgers and fries were wonderfully fresh and delicious. And did you know Shake Shack buys 100% of its electricity through sustainable wind power? And they recycle their grease into biodiesel? Just a green sidenote, in case you were curious.

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