Food Friday: Guinness Brownies (not dairy-free)

So I mentioned below that the dairy-free brownie recipe was not the best brownie recipe ever. This is. I make them around St. Patrick's Day and they are always a huge hit. They are VERY rich and almost more like fudge than brownies. OMG they are soooooo good.

Ingredients
4 eggs

3/4 C. superfine sugar

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 oz. white chocolate, chopped

6 T. unsalted butter

3/4 C. all-purpose flour

3/4 C. cocoa

1 1/4 C. Guinness stout

Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Butter an 8-inch-square pan (I use a 9x9)
In an electric mixer, combine the eggs and sugar.
Beat until light and fluffy.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the bittersweet chocolate, white chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.
Remove from heat and beat into the egg mixture.
Sift the flour and cocoa together and beat into the chocolate mixture.
Whisk in the Guinness.
Pour into the pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
To serve, dust the cake with confectioners' sugar and cut into squares.
Source: "The New Irish Table" by Margaret M. Johnson

Food Friday: Dairy-Free Brownies

Another dairy-free recipe. This one was really exciting to find because I was really craving some baked goods. These aren't the best brownies I've ever had but they are definitely tasty. I brought them into work (to keep myself from eating the whole pan...) and my coworkers raved.

Ingredients
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda.
Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and boiling water.
Mix until well blended and thickened.
Stir in the sugar, eggs, and remaining 1/3 cup oil.
Finally, add the flour, vanilla and salt; mix just until all of the flour is absorbed.
Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

I knew this day would come

The day when I would become envious of my daycare provider. Tommy gives kisses and they are so cute! At first he would give me one if I made kissy noises at him and asked for one. Now he gives them out from time to time. He'll grab my face and attack me! I love it :) Well today I dropped him at daycare and kissed him goodbye. I handed him over to Rosa, the lead teacher, and he immediately started kissing her over and over. It took all I had not to cry right then and there.

I love our daycare and I love that he loves his teachers. I just don't want him to love them more than me. I know I sound childish and ridiculous, of course he loves me, I'm his Mommy. But there is part of me that feels guilty about working. I feel guilty that given a choice, I'd probably still work. I love my job and I love going to work. I love being a mom, but I really don't think I could stay home full-time and feel fulfilled (please know that I don't judge stay-at-home moms, I truly give them so much credit, it's easier for me to work than be home all day).

I'm rambling now. Basically, I want Tommy to love me and this morning I felt replaced...

Breastfeeding Update

Who would have thought that I'd keep breastfeeding at 7 months? I had planned on breastfeeding but had no idea how it would go. After a few weeks, I hated it. After 2 months, I had to give up dairy and went back to work. Well now, at 7 months, I've decided to night-nurse.

I gave up my mid-day pumping session and I feel so much more free at work! I nurse Tommy when he wakes up in the morning, he drinks 3 bottles at daycare, then I nurse him around 6pm and again before bed. If he wants to eat overnight I nurse then as well. So far, it's going really well. I was really sore the first few days of not pumping but my body seems to have adjusted. It means that Tommy is getting full formula bottles while at daycare and during the day at home but it doesn't seem to bother him. It's expensive since we us Enfamil Nutramigen but this is way to keep breastfeeding at least some without being tied to my pump. I was starting to get really frustrated at work. I was losing my whole planning period to pump which meant staying later at work and getting less time with Tommy in the evening.

I hope to continue with this arrangement for as long as we can!

7 Months!

Tommy was 7 months old on March 7! I can't believe how fast the last month went! I know February is a short month but since it was a leap year, it really was only 1 or 2 days shorter.

• Tommy is now wearing size 3 diapers during the day but size 4, overnight diapers at night.
• He has outgrown most of his 6 month size clothes and is wearing some 6-9 months and a bunch of 9 month clothes.
  
• He still isn't rolling from back to front and rarely rolls from belly to back. He's typically content however we lay him.
  
• He sits up unassisted but we have to put him that way.
  
• He will stand and hold on to things for about 30 seconds on his own before he loses his balance.
  
• He has 2 teeth!
  
• His belly has decided to accept oatmeal and Tommy loves it!
  
• He's still drinking his milk and eating 2 solid meals each day.
  
• He laughs and gives big sloppy kisses!
  
• When he's not sick, he rarely eats overnight though he typically wakes up at least once for his binky.
  

I love him so much!

Food Friday!

So I know I haven't posted Tommy's 7 month update yet but I swear I will soon! Until then, here's my recipe for Food Friday! Another dairy-free idea, though I've been making this for years, long before I started my dairy-free diet!

Chinese Chicken Salad

1 bag prepared coleslaw, rinsed & drained
3 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 bag sliced almonds
2 pkgs. crushed top Ramen noodles (do not use seasoning)
4 to 6 split chicken breasts, cooked & shredded (I boil the chicken)
1/2 c. vegetable oil

In 1/2 cup of oil brown almonds, sesame seeds and crushed noodles. Let mixture cool. Mix with greens and toss with dressing. Add chicken and refrigerate.

DRESSING:

1/2 c. oil (1/4 c. sesame oil & 1/4 c. vegetable oil)
3 tbsp. rice vinegar (do not substitute)
Top Ramen season packets
3 tbsp. sugar

Wisk together and pour over salad. Toss and serve chilled.

Food Friday

I'm linking up with Lauren at Our Little All-American Family for Food Friday. I've done this once before but kind of slacked off when I started my non-dairy diet. I realized I really should post some things I've found that are dairy-free!

Crockpot BBQ Beef

3lbs beef cut into 2 inch cubes
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1 med. onion chopped
1/2 cup celery
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp Worcester sauce

Brown the beef then dump everything in the crockpot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours and serve over rice (or mashed potatoes but I did rice and it was great!). That's it! Super easy and delicious!