bittersweet sheridan's brownies

time for a bake. i saw this nice brownies recipe & gave it a try. as usual i adjusted some of the ingredients. see below in brackets.

i checked after 20 mins & it was still a little too wet so i waited another 2 mins. should've gave it another 1 min only as the bottom turned more cakey than i wanted.
as usual, i cant wait till the cake thoroughly cooled before i cut it.. it was rather messy. so pls wait until really really cooled. either that or chilled it first. the top part was a little hard at first but i was not bothered as i know it would moist after a while, which it did giving it a nice sheen almost like it was ganached.
after chilling the brownies turned fudgey. not much of coffee taste but have very very subtle hints of sheridan's. koko said it's nice but can't taste the liquer. so next time i will be increasing to 2 tablespoons of sheridan's and brushed some sheridans+coffee mixture on top of the brownies while its still warm.

1/4 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder [nescafe powder]
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons butter, melted [equals to 85gm]
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg [2 smaller eggs]
1 large egg white
[ 1 tablespoons sheridan's]

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar [1 1/4 cup]
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350F/160C (conventional oven)

In a medium bowl, add the boiling water and espresso powder - stir to dissolve. Add chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate melts - let cool slightly. Mix in the butter, vanilla, egg and egg white. Stir in the Sheridan's.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Pour in the coffee mixture and stir just until combined - the batter will be quite thick. Scoop the mixture into a 9" baking pan coated with nonstick spray. Bake until a toothpick placed near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached - about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and let cool completely before cutting.

day out with a siao chabo

hah. not really kind of me to describe a friend, eh? carol is really a siao chabo. you will be laughing your lungs out when you are around her... of course you need to be sarcastic else it will not be that funny. i laughed so much that i nearly locked my jaws - really... it was a very hilariously painful experience. carol revealed to me later that she "accidentally" gassed in one of our giggling (not the correct expression cos god we were loud) escapades...

it was a great fun day @ klcc. we met to collect out free "JUMP"show ticket. yippee!! hope we able to win one of the hp or tea sets each :) luckily i booked early, cos it was full house for 03dec show... our seats are 5 rows away from the stage...

ah.. at last i stepped into the pavilion. i love the place - spacious and bright. however, it was rather warm ... ventilation not really working well. i'm a little disappointed with the toilets. its clean n all but i was expecting some extra in there... none though. and there was a clown on stilts clowning around (of course). & we were so tempted to knee him hahhahha... i hate clowns...

we had lunch @ micheangelo's .... carol was craving for MEAT ... so we scouted around for grills. i suggested micheangelo's as i read some articles on it. the price seems ok for the standard. but i was a little disappointed. the deco was simple. i like clean lines and spaces in restaurant but it was too plain and bordering cheap...we ordered a risotto and a garlic n mint (or something like tat) crusted lamb. a little disappointed in both. the risotto... hmm. i seldom ate this but i definitely had much better risottos in the greek and italian joints @ melbourne and they are casual dining places. it was too salty, tasted more like rice soaked in gravy and doesn't have the "bites" in the risotto. and the seafood in it was rather miserable as well. a few miniature clams, 2 mid sized prawns (not so fresh), 2 muscles and some sotong. i was so sure i read scallops in the menu but when i asked they said no scallops mentioned... i should have asked for the menu to check. as for the roast lamb. it was served on a bed of mashed potatoes with vege, topped with garlic n mint crusts. although the lamb was cooked just nice but the garlic was overly done. this means bitter aftertaste & the amount of garlic was too much as it overpowered the herbs... whole dish was too garlicky. we didn't order any drinks as we planned to head down to the donut joint for some coffee n deserts. luckily they serve foc iced water. i like the slices of lemons in it ... at least it can wash the garlic smell away :)
the lines @ jco donut was just crazy! ok. i love donuts & from the reviews they serve great donuts. but ask me to wait for like 30 mins for it?! forgetaboutit... hah.. they will have some competition soon as big apple donut is opening soon. anyway, i will have my bite next monday b4 the show ... & i do no need to wait in line ahhah....

top 10 most effective tummy exercise

"you look like you have second set of breasts" - mom
"don't wear those fitting tee. you reminded me of michelin" - undisclosed "friend"

i love crunches (and crunchies .... hence my size... ). no. seriously. i love doing them. sometimes i do a few sets just before bedtime to help me sleep. ok. maybe because i get so exhausted after a few repetitions that i just dozed off?
BUT.. the problem is, i crunches like once a month (that is if i remembered to do them). so i still have tummy like the andes ranges. ha ha.
i had a little bit of time on my pudgy fingers and googled for tummy exercise. here's the list :

1. Bicycle Exercise
2. Captain's Chair
3. Exercise Ball Crunch
4. Vertical Leg Crunch
5. Torso Track
6. Long Arm Crunch
7. Reverse Crunch
8. Full Vertical Crunch
9. Ab Rocker
10. Plank on Elbows and Toes

it was claimed that they are the most effective abs workout by the american exercise council. unfortunately they reminded that these workouts will neither reduce tummy fat nor create 6-pack abs. to rub it in, it informed that great abs is in the genes and low body fat. boy oh boy. my hopes dashed. you will understand if you have seen my family photos.... ha ha.
anyway, it also stated that the workouts should strengthen the abs along with the rest of the body to build muscle and raise your metabolism. huzzah! that's what i'm looking for...

time to clean the dust ladened exercise ball ... erm... hmm where did i chucked the exercise mat?