My BEST Brownies

Brownies. True comfort food for me.  Over the past month, my daytimes have been  filled with meetings, even during lunchbreaks!  I get to check and respond to emails, make presentations and all that stuff, only in the evenings.

Feeling stressed,  and guilty as well (the kids just started summer holiday and I've been working mostly),  I decided to bake brownies. It could lighten my guilty conscience. 

Maybe the feelings of love and good intentions that were poured into it helped make those brownies truly terrific – moist, fudgy  and super chocolatey. Not far from the brownies I buy in Voelker or L'uisine (and friendlier to my wallet!).

My kids tell me they're "awesome" and "yummy".  Their actions speak louder than words - they've been devouring it.

What I used and did :
Berry Crocker’s Ready Mix Brownies - Dark Chocolate

-  mixed per pack directions (with ½ cup melted butter, ¼ cup water and 2 eggs)

Plus 3 tbsp of Van Houten unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 egg (for more fudgy, cake-like brownies)

I made 3 trays 

      1st tray - plain

      2nd tray - I added chopped Lindt dark-chocolate-mint

      3rd tray - I topped with chopped toasted cashew nuts

I baked the brownies at 170 degrees Centigrade. After 20 minutes, I turned off the oven.  (I actually forgot to take them out as I was checking emails. Felt so relieved the brownies still turned out great.)

The kids and I have been playing a game (similar to taboo) this morning,  munching on them continuously,  especially the younger boys.  Guilty conscience now officially relieved.

Korean Barbecue

Lunch was Korean barbecue. Thin slices of brisket, marinaded and barbecued on a hibachi. Fairly easy to do. And wrapped on lettuce leaves or young cabbage, fairly healthy as well.

Backtracking a bit : we went to District 7, and had lunch in a Korean resto; a few times we've been in the area, I noticed the place was always packed with Koreans. I figured food must be good and authentic. 

The barbecue was lovely.  And it looked quite easy to prepare, can be done at home I thought. I'd like to do it using a Korean-type grill, a dome-shaped metal affair on stove-top.

I was happy to find that type of grill in Lotte Mart in D7.  I bought packed brisket slices as well.  (The prepacked brisket turned out quite fatty, they packed it in such a way that the fat was hidden. Maybe better to buy brisket from Metro and slice it thinly ourselves.)  After googling a simple recipe for bulgogi marinade, I'm all set for our Korean barbecue.  

The marinade was a mixture of light soy sauce, liquid seasoning, sesame oil, rice wine, brown sugar, and some salt & pepper. 30 minutes in the marinade was just enough for the meat to absorb the flavours. Grilling using the hibachi was quite easy; the meat browned fast and the first few slices were almost burnt :)

Stove-top grill - see the small hole on
the side where the fat drains out

The kids really loved it!  M and I loved to eat it dipped in Korean red chili paste.  This dish is definitely a keeper.