Tag Archives: cooking

How To :: Rocky Road Brownies

By Chris | Published September 29, 2011

Diliberto Photo And Design Houston Rocky Road Brownies Recipe

I’m more excited for the holidays this year than I have ever been. I’m pretty sure the excitement started in July, yes, July. I’ve been doing a bit of Christmas shopping here and there. I’ve been planning holiday craft projects and gathering materials. I’ve also been testing out new cookie and brownie recipes (much to the delight of Bill’s coworkers). I’m way ahead of the game this year.

Sometimes I get an idea for a recipe stuck in my head. It festers there until I make it. Rocky road brownies were the latest.

I’m weird in the way I bake. I never fully follow a recipe, I use it as a guide, and every time I make something I change it up. That is until I’ve got it perfect (my chocolate chip cookie recipe is just about there). These Rocky Road Brownies are way in the beginning stages, I mean I used a boxed brownie mix.

Diliberto Photo And Design Houston Rocky Road Brownies Recipe

Step 1: Follow the directions on the brownie mix (I used the one to make gooey brownies), spray a cupcake tin with non-stick spray, spoon the brownie mix into the pan (just like you’d do for cupcakes, minus the cupcake papers). Bake them for 5 minutes less than what is recommended.

Step 2: CHOP. I had a container of mixed nuts so I took a handful out and chopped em. I imagine a true rocky road would have more than a few kinds of rocks and definitely lots of different sizes, so I just applied that theory to the nuts.

Step 3: Marshmallows. I didn’t have mini ones so I chopped up some regular sized ones. I kind of liked the look of this in the end, more rough, more rocky road-esque.

Diliberto Photo And Design Houston Rocky Road Brownies Recipe

Step 4: Chocolate chips. I’m very particular on my chocolate chips. I always use semi-sweet and I much prefer the ghirardelli brand because they are insane. Insanely delicious.

Diliberto Photo And Design Houston Rocky Road Brownies Recipe

Step 5: Melt your caramel in the microwave (or if you’re super hard core on the stove).

NOTICE: Do not get distracted by chopping, your husband, or your dog. Stay by the microwave. Watch the carmel with a stern eye. If you don’t, this will happen.

Step 6: Pull those brownies out 5 minutes before they’re done. Sprinkle on the toppings (a little from each pile). And drizzle (whats left) of your caramel on top. Pop them back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

Diliberto Photo And Design Houston Rocky Road Brownies Recipe

I’m still working on this timing of this I’ve got a lot of variables.

1. My oven does not heat to the temp I set it at, it heats about 50 degrees below the setting.
2. My oven does not cook evenly (it’s from 1985, I don’t blame it entirely).
3. Different brownies cook at different temps.

The goal is you want the chocolate and caramel to melt and merge everything together. You also want the marshmallows to get a tad brown, not light on fire, just lightly brown.

Diliberto Photo And Design Houston Rocky Road Brownies Recipe

So there are several things I’d change the next time I make these.

Less brownie mix and more toppings per cup.
Do not explode caramel all over the microwave.
Perfection of that oven heating business.

Posted in Cooking & Food, House & Home | Also tagged , , , , Leave a comment

Buffalo, NY In A Flash

By Chris | Published December 30, 2010

I left at 8:35 on a Sunday morning, spent an hour or so in Atlanta… jumped on another plane and arrived in Buffalo at 3:30pm and went straight to the wake. Day two was the funeral. Day three I flew back home. A flash, I feel, is a very good description of this experience.

There are few things I enjoy and appreciate more than spending time in Buffalo with my family over the holidays. I love them, enough said. And even though I complain and shiver because of the cold and snow, it really does make it feel more like Christmas. Sorry Houston, your 65 degree weather in December just doesn’t do it for me. Though the occasion for our togetherness was a sad one, we took advantage of being together and did some traditional holiday/Buffalo things.

Kellie and I baked sugar cookies, and it was way awesome.

Boots, Santas, reindeer, christmas trees…we baked them all!

And then we decorated…so the colored icing didn’t turn out quite right, and we had a random assortment of jimmies, sprinkles, M&Ms, and chocolate chips, but we made good use of everything.

And there was my favorite pizza of all time…

And a cat on the manger.

And that my friends is Buffalo, NY in a flash.

Posted in Life, Travel | Also tagged , , , , , Leave a comment

Holiday Cookies Pizzelle

By Chris | Published December 30, 2010

Pizzelle remind me of family and of the holidays. Over two years ago my dad found a Pizzelle iron at an estate sale and gifted it to me with the mandate that I make pizzelle every christmas until the end of time (I kid, I kid). This was the first Christmas since he gave it to me that I was actually able to get it out of storage and create delicious cookies.

Its said that most pizzelle makers were handed down through the generations and branded the pizzella with the family crest. Ours isn’t quite that awesome, but it made some really great pizzelle.

You can eat them on their own, they are usually on the crunchier side, and they are flavored with anise, vanilla, or lemon zest. I’ve also seen recipes for chocolate and mint chocolate ones…which I will most certainly have to try. The batter is very easy to make, its base is created with flour, eggs, sugar, and vegetable oil. I found a basic recipe and added my own flare: anise, vanilla, and honey. I’m pretty sure once you get the basic batter done you could add whatever you like. They’re similar to making waffle cones, somewhat pliable when they first come off the iron. I rolled them over the handle of my pizza cutter and made cannoli shells (which we ate on Christmas eve).

They are also quite delicious served with chocolate gelato, strawberry reduction sauce, and fresh blackberries. YUM!

Posted in Cooking & Food, Life | Also tagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

A Costume Birthday

By Chris | Published October 24, 2010

I love parties. They’re a ton of work and afterwards I’m always insanely exhausted, but I love them. My awesome husband turned 27 yesterday and that was a good reason for a party. We decided back in August…maybe July…that it should most definitely be a costume party.

I’m a huge fan of The Tom Kat Studio’s blog and she did this amazing black, green, and purple themed party design which became my inspiration for the evening. Bill and I debated for a few months about what to be for the party. We decided that he would be Zeus and I would be Zeus’s wife Hera which meant Togas, which is awesome. The menu was Taco soup with an array of toppings, queso, tex-mex salsa, mini caramel apples, and our good friend Stacy made Bill’s favorite german chocolate cake.

Mom came over to help with the food. My day started at 5am and I cleaned, went shopping, picked up the cake, made food, cleaned more, decorated, wrapped my husband in a toga, wrapped myself in a toga and then partied.

I made the wall flowers based on a tutorial over at the Made blog. She’s a new blogger who I’m following, awesome tutorials and she sews which has inspired me to break out my sewing machine (mom and I made pillows!).

I had the idea for mini caramel apples without knowing if mini apples even exist. They do, in fact! The table cloth was just some material I picked up from Hobby Lobby for a few bucks a yard.

Good Eats, Sweet Treats; there was a mix on the table. Taco soup was the main food, it consists of ground turkey, a whole lot of beans and a few other things. Its insanely easy to make and very inexpensive. I should post that recipe…maybe. :) You can doctor it up with all kinds of toppings. I like fritos, cheese, green onions and a dollop of sour cream. There were jalepenos, and corn and bean salsa, tortilla chips, and chile con queso as well.

Here’s Bill’s cake made by the AWESOME Stacy! I designed it and she brought my design to life in cake. She’s so talented. The spider was to go with the costume/halloween theme. It says Happy Birthday in his web, all Charolette’s Web style. His birthday hat matches the colors, and on his back…

…is the Philadelphia Phillies logo. :) Everyone’s costumes were SO awesome.

Bella and Edward Cullen showed up. (Bella…aka…Kristen is actually pregnant, and their last name is really Cullen, very appropriate!)

Brian and his wife Cherb came as his parents, which is way more funny than any of my readers will be able to appreciate.

Antoine Dodson showed up as well. If you don’t get this reference you need to check out this guy here, then someone remade the video into a song here. He’s now been in People Magazine and I’ve heard he’s gotten some TV/Movie offers or something.

My Step-Dad (on the left) and Mom (on the right) came as hippies, but gender’s reversed. Mad props to my Step-Dad for wearing a skirt and a bra stuffed with socks. Very impressive. :)

Here’s me and the birthday boy! I made his head wreath thing with a head band and glittery holly leaves from a Christmas floral pick from hobby lobby. I’d say we looked pretty awesome! Many more people came in costumes but I didn’t get pictures of everyone. We had a blast!

I wasn’t sure where to put the candles (the top layer was a “plate” of white chocolate), so this is what we did.

Happy Birthday to the best husband ever! I love you!!

Posted in Design, Life, Party Styling | Also tagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

Bits O’ Weekend ~ Five

By Chris | Published June 14, 2010

I haven’t done one of these in a while, and these were not actually from last weekend (im lame I know) but it was a sweet weekend so i thought I’d share. =)

I made home made meat balls. SO FREAKIN’ GOOD.

And Eggplant Lasagna. Its something I sort of made up. I took my Lasagna recipe and subbed the noodles for very thin slices of eggplant breaded like traditional eggplant parm. Its pretty good.

I L-O-V-E trying new things, especially food. Chris…meet Dim Sum. I did like it. AWESOME.

This is my lovely friend Ann who married one of my childhood friends. I’m really glad she did because she’s so great. She introduced me to Dim Sum. I am in like with Dim Sum. (I took pictures of her family here.)

These are some sort of soft bun roll things. The texture reminded me of the dumplings in my mom’s beef stew. I guess cause they are steamed. They have some sort of semi-sweet meat in them. Very good.

These are lotus leaf wrapped rice/meat/deliciousness pouches.

And my little brother turned 21.

The card I bought him had a kitten on it and said, “For A Special Girl Like You”. HA

He’s a chef and I love talking food with him. The discussion of the evening was if you could would you try human meat. Think about it.

Later this happened. Meet Josh. He usually isn’t this scary.

The end. =)

Posted in Life | Also tagged , , , , 2 Comments

Bits of my weekend

By Chris | Published March 29, 2010

Thank you Six in the City I love this concept.

Trip to Ethan Allen on Post Oak and Westhimer:
-Wondering if I should carry the green in my dining/kitchen into the living room.
-Gray chair is not done justice by this photo.
-Bill tests the Everything Couch.

Trip to The Container Store on Post Oak and Westhimer (not pictured):
-Won a $25 gift card (WOO HOO).
-Planned out my dream closet and new laundry area.

Trip to La Madeline:
-Trying to figure out everything in their pasta salad so I can make it at home.
-Bill was a La Madeline virgin, he loved his Chicken Parisian.

Trip to Nundini, Italian Imports and Market:
-Take this NYC Little Italy, you got nothing on Nundini in Houston.
-Amaretti cookies will always remind me of my great grandmother.
-BEST prices on cheeses, meats, olives, and sun dried tomatoes EVER.
-LOVE the pic of Bill with the :-O face above him…heh heh heh.

Posted in Life | Also tagged , , , , Leave a comment

Pollen & Philly Cheese Steaks

By Chris | Published March 19, 2010

This is the time of year where my sinuses start going crazy, at least they have for the last two years. I blame the massive amounts of pollen seen in the pic to the right. Yup, all that yellow, thats pollen. And all that yellow powder is making me feel like I’m walking around with a cinder block on my face. Below the lovely pollen is my dog Sam. I have a really hard time taking pictures of her, I think its mostly because she’s shiny and black, lighting her is a pain. This one is ok. Then, happy St. Patty’s Day, a little late, because I fail at updating daily. I promise I’ll do better from now on.

Tonight Bill made dinner. Bill is an amazing husband and does a lot of great things for me. Rarely does he cook dinner. Its more the thing I do. He makes a mean hot dog, and some fantastic tater tots, and I hear he can make scrambled eggs though I have yet to see it happen. But tonight I was really impressed. He made Philly Cheese Steaks from scratch. When he threw that meat down on that hot griddle he morphed into this super Philly Cheese Steak Chef. He melted the cheese right on the meat, then he did this crazy flip the meat, onions, and cheese all in one move right into the bun. I tried to catch it in action. It was quite a show, but…they were also DELICIOUS! I think he approved, see his face after the first bite.

Posted in Life, Photography | Also tagged , , Leave a comment