Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Brrr-ownies (TWD)

I'm back!!! The hubs and I had an amazing two weeks traveling through Italy. Along with the breathtaking sights, we indulged ourselves with food, wine, and gelato.

Just before we left for vacation, a friend gave me this advice: "Eat, drink and enjoy yourselves silly while in Italy. I promise that you will not gain a pound." Yeah, right! After returning, the hubs and I each hopped on the scale to assess the damage. We were dumbfounded - I didn't gain a single pound, and my hubs actually lost 7 lbs. WTF?!!! My friend was inifinitely wiser that I thought! Forget dieting, we need to travel to Italy more often.

Vacationing was wonderful, but there is something to be said about being back home. I missed baking and cooking, so I couldn't wait to get busy in the kitchen. This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe for Brrr-ownies was a nice warm up to get back into the swing of things.

The recipe (which you can find at Karen's blog, Welcome to our Crazy Blessed Life) is essentially a brownie with chopped peppermint patties folded in (in my case, I used Trader Joe's mint creams). When it comes to brownies I'm a purist - no messin' with nuts or mixins. I kept an open mind to see how this would turn out.

Maybe it was the jetlag that affected my baking mojo, but my brownies turned out a bit dry. Instead of tossing the batch, I made a super quick and easy Philadelphia-style vanilla ice cream, and folded bits of the brownie to make a mint chocolate brownie ice cream.

Mint chip is my all time favorite ice cream flavor, so I was definitely curious to see how this would turn out. The verdict --- not too shabby. The mint flavor is subtle, and I loved the how the formerly dry brownie bits turned chewy when incorporated into the ice cream.
No, your eyes are not deceiving you --- this is a mini ice cream cone. Cute, isn't it?

I found these cute little guys a while back, and if you're interested in these mini-cones, you can check them out here. The interior of these cones are lined with chocolate, and make perfect "shot glasses" for Baileys, White Russians, etc. Needless to say, these innocent looking cones are dangerous at our summer BBQs.
Anyways, I'm glad to be getting my blogging back on. I'm curious to hear how the other Tuesdays With Dorie bakers felt about this recipe - check out the TWD Blogroll to hear what everyone had to say.

11 comments:

Eliana said...

WOW - I wish I could go on vacation and not gain weight or better yet, lose weight!

Kayte said...

What a lot of fun stuff over here today...Italy...little bitty ice cream cone cups...the only way to diet...and delectable looking brownies. Welcome back...you were missed!

Jess @ Sugar High said...

Good to hear you had a good time. I'd love to go to Italy. I would definitely eat myself silly.
I love those tiny cones. How adorable!

Rachel said...

1. your trip sounds amazing! i think the key to gorging while abroad but not gaining weight lies in all of the walking.

2. HOW CUTE is that mini ice cream cone?? love it. and i wish i wouldn't have given away all of these brownies before i tried mixing them into ice cream...

The Food Librarian said...

That trip sounds amazing! Please post some photos so we can all be jealous. How did Sienna handle you being gone? Your ice cream and cones are too cute! Love it!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Hi, Linda!
I agree with Eliana! I'm going on vacay next week but some how I don't think I'm gonna come back lighter. :)

Those little cones are CUTE. Thanks for the link.

Welcome back!
~ingrid

Natalie said...

lucky duck. i definitely gained a few pounds on my italian holiday. maybe it was the pregnancy?

genius idea with ice cream! :)

Nickki said...

Fabulous!!!

Liz said...

Um, I have a few pounds to lose, so I guess it's time for me to go to Italy too?! Holla! Your brownie ice cream sounds deeelicious.

Lynn said...

I made your Blueberry Scones yesterday after picking fresh blueberries the other night. All I can say is OMG were they great..Thanks so much for sharing!!! I am posting the link to the recipe on my blog today...
luarytole.blogspot.com

Jessica said...

Smart friend. Did you and your husband happen to walk most everywhere you went?

The ice creams are so cute! Perfect size for those of us watching our weight!

jessyburke88@gmail.com

Blog Widget by LinkWithin