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Wednesday, February 9, 2011 - The Morning Star B7
Life
Going decadent for Valentine’s Day
I
received a letter from one of my readers while I was on holidays, who was frustrated with a recipe for sweet and sour apricot chicken that ran a few weeks back. The letter was unsigned with no return address so I couldn’t offer a reply. However, that particular recipe always gets good results for me and I had good feedback from others on it. A word of advice when adjusting any chicken recipe: in this case using deboned chicken breasts instead of whole chicken pieces, you would Cathi Litzenberger have to decrease the cooking time because dark/mixed bone-in chicken always takes more cooking time, as the recipe called for. As well, you would have to increase the liquid required because a whole chicken in pieces gives off more juices than deboned chicken breasts. Hopefully this will be of help. Now on to Valentine’s Day. I’ve been asked for decadent chocolate brownie recipes and have a couple here that are prize winners. Both would be perfect for dessert with perhaps a dollop of whipped cream and a strawberry on the side.
KITCHEN WIT & WISDOM
Beverly Hills Brownies 3 sticks (1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 12 oz. fine quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped 6 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1-1/4 cups flour 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa 3 cups granulated sugar 1/2 tsp. salt Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 13 x 9 x 2-inch metal baking pan, knocking out excess flour. Melt butter with chocolate in large metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from pan and whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Stir together flour and cocoa in a separate bowl and stir into butter mixture with sugar and salt. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven until top is firm and tester inserted into centre comes out with crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours, before cutting into squares. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream if desired. Chocolate Sin Raspberry Truffle Brownies 1-1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Looking to spring
T
he past year was a good one for most garden enthusiasts, and a good year in other ways, as we celebrated our 68th wedding anniversary. On Feb. 14, Okanagan Gardens and Roses will hold the first meeting of the 2011 season, meeting at the Schubert Fred Lyall Centre at 7:30 p.m. If you are new in town, you are welcome to drop in and see what we are all about. As usual, we will be taking care of the Hospice House rose garden, removing the winter cover in late March. We will be looking for helpers. This is the time of year we start
IN THE GARDEN
Sat Feb 19, 1:30 & 3:30pm
to get ready to start seedlings. If you have a good greenhouse, you can start pansies, petunias and many others. If not, you should wait until mid-March. Tomato plants have a bad habit of reaching for the light. As soon as the daytime temperature rises, put them outside in good light. Mid-March is also a good time to start those begonia tubers. Look for tubers that are firm and showing signs of budding. They will be in bloom about 60 days later. When you plant begonias, do not cover with soil: lay the tuber on the soil with the top exposed. When starting seeds or tubers, be very careful not to overwater: some moisture is needed, but never soggy wet. I am looking forward to a very active year for Communities in Bloom. This organization deserves support by the community.
The Okanagan Symphony Orchestra invites you to see Rosemary Thomson conduct the Orchestra in our inaugural Family Matinee Young Peoples’ Concerts With Platypus Theatre’s
Rotary Centre for the Arts Tickets available at Select Your Tickets (250) 717-5304 SelectYourTickets.com
Sun Feb 20, 1:30pm Vernon Performing Arts Centre Tickets are available at Ticket Seller (250) 549-7469 Ticketseller.ca
Adult $30 Senior $21 Youth $17 Family four-pack $69 EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT Purchase before Feb 9th and pay just $50 for a family of 4 Tickets may also be available at the theatres the day of the performances.
OkanaganSymphony.com
1/2 cup butter or margarine 3/4 cup golden brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp. instant coffee (optional) 3 tbsp. water 1/2 tsp. baking powder 3/4 cup al-purpose flour Topping: 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/4 tsp. instant coffee (optional) 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup icing sugar 1/3 cup seedless red raspberry jam Melt chocolate chips and butter in small saucepan; allow to cool. Beat golden brown sugar and eggs together. Add chocolate mixture and coffee mixed with water if using, mix well. Stir in baking powder and flour. Blend well. Bake in greased 8 by 8-inch pan at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool. Topping: Melt chocolate chips with instant coffee in saucepan over low heat. Set aside. Beat cream cheese until fluffy, add powdered sugar and jam. Beat until fluffy. Beat in chocolate mixture until blended. Spread over top of cooled brownies. Chill at least 1 -2 hours. Cut into 16 brownies.
Snowshoe at Silver Star Morning Star Staff
Celebrate Winter Carnival with a trip through the Silver Star forest on snowshoes. Snowshoe Safaris run Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Or for a special Valentine’s treat, try the Sweetheart’s Chocolate Dreams: a night of romance and fun. Snowshoe by starlight or snowflakes though Silver Star’s wilderness to the Wild Horseman’s Cabin for a decadent chocolate fondue. Return by horsedrawn sleigh. The tour runs Feb. 14 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Cost is $160 per couple, or $140 with own snowshoes. Cost includes snowshoes, headlamps, guided tour, chocolate fondue, non-alcoholic beverages and sleigh ride. To reserve your spot, call Valhalla Pure at 250-558-4292.
Today: Dreaming the dream. Someday: Living the dream.
Let’s figure it out.
Come in for your TD Personal Assessment before the RSP deadline, March 1, 2011. The RSP deadline is coming. So there’s no better time to come in for a complimentary TD Personal Assessment, where one of our advisors will get to know your retirement goals, understand your net worth, review your investments, and help you figure out the best retirement plan of action. Plus, you’ll see what products may best suit you – like the TD Comfort Portfolio mutual funds and Market Growth GICs – and how having your retirement savings under one roof can help you achieve your retirement dreams. This personalized planning approach is just one of the ways we can help make you feel more comfortable today about your tomorrow.
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