Zucchini/Pumpkin Flower Pancakes

Taking a break from the usual and enjoying the last vestiges of summer in these latitude I thought I would share an old family recipe.

Old as in "Old Country" old.

Zucchini/Pumpkin Flower Pancakes

In general, zucchini flowers are more delicate.  We prefer the hardier pumpkin flowers but this recipe applies to both with the only adjustment being that you should use some more flowers if using zucchini flowers to make up the lack of bulk.


Rinse the flowers gently and lightly pat dry, then leave to dry a little more on a paper or cloth towel.   (Wash and Use the same day!)

In a bowl mix together:
1 egg
1 finely chopped onion
1/2-1 tsp baking powder (2 tsp if using my WF/GF flour or similar mixture. link later )
LOTS of chopped, fresh parsley
1/2-1 cp of Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or Asiago cheese.  Depends on how much batter you are making. (I prefer Asiago or a Asiago-Pecorino Romano combination for the creaminess compared to just straight Parmesan or Pecorino)

Enough flour to make a batter the consistency of pancake batter.
Some milk. (cow or rice.  do not recommend soy for this recipe.)

Lastly, add cut up flowers and mix gently.  (Kitchen scissors recommended for cutting the flowers.)

Then just cook like a pancake!
Nicest if you can cook with actual Olive Oil or an olive oil cooking spray.

* this batter can be frozen.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Hits, Misses, and in betweens

Back to something less heavy yet infinitely more caloric.

Tirol is a traditional, much beloved chocolate in Japan. Often found in the convinence stores, it's not known so much for quality, but for it's compact size, quaint designs, and variety of unimaginable flavors. (Yes, it even puts Kit Kat to shame in this respect.)

Allow me to introduce a few of the recent flavors.
We'll start with the 'hits'.


Milk one was a super-creamy milk chocolate and the one in black was an espresso flavored Tirol. Both definite redoables.

You don't need to read to know what this one is.


I must say the Japanese have done quite an excellent job of squeezing in all the deliciousness of a tiramisu into such a tiny chocolate. Of course, they do have a lot of practice in this area.

NOW, on to uncharted frontiers of in-betweens and outright misses...


Yes, that is a pancake not an illusion and they are serious about it, complete with butter and maple syrup.
And yet, it wasn't a miss, but one of the fence-sitters. Packed inside that teeny chocolate was a dime-sized dot of maple syrup(ish liquid) on top of a heavily butter-flavored cookie. (I had been seriously questioning the proposed butteriness of the "pancakes" until I bit into the Tirol.)

The one to the right is Kinako Mochi, which is good if you like kinako and mochi. The sweet, chewy rice cake (mochi) is inside a kinako flavored coating. It only made it to the in-betweens though because although I like both main ingredients, it had as much as chocolate in it as white chocolate does. (The kinako was mixed in white chocolate then used to encase the mochi filling.)

Now on to the final two. Can you guess which will be the miss and which will be a fence-sitter??




The one up top is a Matcha Soy Latte.
On the bottom....



Yes, that does say Gouda cheese.
If the smell doesn't knock you out upon unwrapping it, you could probably convince yourself to eat it, but a cup of coffee later and I still can't get rid of the taste.
It was not chocolate.
In no way, shape, or form was that chocolate.
That is what is known as congealed cheese `food` with a cracker on the inside.

Not much to say about that.
I was once again blinded, deafened and lead astray with the sweet, deceptive promises of chocolate.

Cheers! (^_-)-☆

Thanks again for stopping into my little corner of the 'net, and Happy Browsing!!

All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Happiness is....

getting a paycheck ON TIME
and in the PROPER AMOUNT.

(The way this place is I was naturally suspecting some funny business in this department too.)

Of course, nothing but NOTHING beats a warm fuzzy tunneling through the covers to sleep on your feet at night, but a paycheck is not so bad either. Particularly when you had been balancing how to spend the last 500 yen (about 5 USD) for the past 2 weeks.

In this case, I immediately went out and bought myself a rainbow of happiness.


And there were even more soy milk flavors not shown that I haven't tried yet!!
New ones included oshiruko (sweet red bean soup) and sweet potato flavor in addition to my old favs Vanilla, Chocolate, and the #1, Black Sesame Seed.

If one rainbow is good, surely two must be better.


Yes, a rainbow of sake you could never find anywhere else but in a Japanese supermarket. My old faithful companion, straight up sake by Gekkeikan is on the far right in a double size bottle this time thanks to the spiffy paycheck, but then I added some new friends to the gathering. I had been feeling it was long due time to venture into new frontiers..

On the far left is traditional sweet Umeshu made from local ume fruits (this area is either the top ume producing area in all of Japan or the second one down.), next a blend of sake known as Nigori-zake as it is nigotteiru or "muddied" by the rice, followed by a bottle of gently sweet sake as stated by the cute bunny on front. (Yeah, it was the bunny that ultimately sold me. Also, it added confidence knowning that it too is made by Gekkeikan.)

I shall report my taste findings in the future, if only for my own record.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

East meets West: Miso Pizza!

What could be better on a cold winter night than a union of two greats - Miso and Pizza!

Mix miso sauce and set aside.
[合わせみそ]
2 TB White Miso
2 TB Red Miso
1 TB Sake
1 TB Mirin (real not the imitation mirin-flavoring)
2 TSP Sugar
1 TSP Tamari


Version 1:
Spread the above miso sauce on a rice-based pizza shell.
Sprinkle with red pepper flakes!

Top with the following cheeses:
1 layer provolone, 1 layer mozzerella.

* Baking time dependent on pizza shell. For Udi's which I recommend, 7-10 minutes @ 350F.


Version 2:
Spread the above miso sauce on a rice-based pizza shell.
Sprinkle with one drained mini can of water-packed tuna (about 80g)
Use lots Habenero White cheese!

* Baking time dependent on pizza shell. For Udi's which I recommend, 7-10 minutes @ 350F.



Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Ginger Sautee for the Lazy

Yeah, after working until 10PM at night 5 nights a week I want to come home and cook! and chop!♪ and slice!♪!

As much as I personally enjoy experimenting in the kitchen...
NO.
However, given the hideous, suicide-inducing weather I thought I would introduce something to keep you a little warm er, inside and out. (Ginger is traditionally considered a warming food in several respectable ancient cultures. Indian and Japanese being just two of them.)

Shouga-yaki （生姜焼き）is traditionally done with pork and real ginger (Shouga, 生姜) and the real stuff makes all the difference but our priority here is TIME and using what's usually left around the kitchen.

1/4 tsp Tamari　
1/4 tsp Mirin (the real stuff not the fake-Mirin.)
2-3 TSP　Prepared Tube Ginger
1/2 white onion
400g Momen (Firm tofu in the US)
6 leaves, Hakusai (白菜)

1. Chop onions to whatever size you have the energy for and cook until half-translucent in a little veggie oil.

2. You'll need to chop the tofu up nice and small though. Although you can do it in advance - chop, freeze, and then use the defrosted tofu bits later. (I should probably write how to successfully do that later.)

3. Throw everything BUT the Hakusai in the frying pan and cook 5 or so minutes so the tofu absorbs the goodness.

4. While cooking, slice the Hakusai into about 3cm wide strips. (Hint: Just pile all the leaves on top each other and hack away. You're not showing on the Food Network.)

5. Toss in thicker ends of Hakusai - cook about 1 minute. Then toss in leafy ends of Hakusai - cook about 1 minute.

♪☆♪FIN♪☆♪

It seems like a lot now that I write it, but if you do it a few times, it's like MaGic.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Collards with Lentils, Tomatoes

Yummy , Quick, and very mild for an Indian dish.

veggie oil, as needed 2-3 TB
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1+1/2 teaspoon garlic (chopped, not powder)
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put all ingredients above into a deep cooking pot and cook until onions transparent, but not limp or soft.

Then add, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes for flavors to absorb.
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 cup red lentils

Add 2 cups water and as much of the collard greens as you can fit.
half of 1 bunch collard greens (thick stem tips removed. leaves sliced into 1-inch-thick ribbons.)

Cook 15 minutes covered at which point the greens will have cooked down.
Cook 15 minutes more and keep adding more greens until all are added. Stir in well.

Serve with jasmine (best) rice or basmati.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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wheat woes

Yes, thank you.
Someone qualified pointing out how harmful wheat (food) allergies are.

Gluten Sensitivity and the Impact on the Brain

What can one say?
One of the reasons I hate living in the US is the blatant disregard for people suffering from wheat/gluten allergy. And at the same time, America is a wheat and meat based food culture. In other words, everything from chocolate to coffee (flavored) is CONTAMINATED.
That is unless you want to cough up 3-4 times the $amount$ for 'safe' food with 1/3 the equivalent taste.

But worse than the price gouging is the outright mean ignorance.
Just see what happens if you suggest to the mother of a shellfish allergy child, "Oh, it's not that bad. She can eat a little."
Or even better, "Ugh, you're just making it up."
(really)

I have never met this kind of mean, arrogant ignorance in Japan or Korea (and Korea, in general, is an angry, angry country) so I can only attribute it to the culture here. Personally, I always suggest that before insulting another person, get your facts straight first before you show how much of a self-centered idiot you really are.
But that's just me. I like to be soundly armed. (^_-)-☆


Cheers!
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DOUBLE Chocolate Chip Cookies

As much as I scoff @ the whole concept of letting desserts sit for xxx minutes...blahblah before consumption, in this case you really DO need to let them sit at least 5 minutes before attempting or you are just going to get a handful of crumbs to eat. (The cookie will "settle" and hold together after the wait period though.)

OR!
You could just scoop one up really quick and toss it in the freezer for 2 minutes like I did.
nummers.

3/4 cup raw sugar
1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons milk (cow, soy, rice...)
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/8 cup starch (tapioca, potato, corn...)
-----
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 3/4 cup of flour (regular or your own wheat/gluten free concoction)
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2-3/4 cup MINI chocolate chips

. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

. Whisk together the sugars, oil, milk, vanilla and starch until smooth and dissolved.

. Mix in flour, cocoa, baking powder and chocolate chips.

. Resulting batter is extremely dry! Scoop and mold into golf ball sized balls in hands. (Your fingers will get a workout here.) Then flatten with fingers on greased cookie sheet.

. Bake for 10-14 minutes. Makes a perfect 24..


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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In search of the perfect muffin

A traditional comfort food 4 most Americans - a piping-hot muffin fresh from the oven.

This recipe is both simple and fast.
AND works perfectly in those spiffy space-efficient micro+ovens popular throughout Asia.

2 cups flour (regular or wheat/gluten free concoction)
1/2 cup raw sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
------
3/4 cup milk (soy, cow, rice...)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon ground black irigoma + 3 tablespoons of water


.Preheat oven to 200C (about 400F).

.Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl. wet ingredients in a second smaller bowl.

.Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture all at once. Stir just until combined and do not over-mix.

.Add batter into a muffin pan and fill until 2/3-3/4 the way full and cook for 15-20 min.

Thanks to vegweb 4 the inspiration.

Enjoy! (^_-)-☆

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If this were only the least of my problems

Ok, now I'm mad.
Really irked.

I'm finally about to escape this trashy shopping mecca and the local Dunkin Donuts {current haunt of choice} finally starts selling the original brew again!?

I walk in Wednesday morning and there are boxes, nay CRATES, stacked high in the entranceway mostly blocking it, all snuggly stuffed with the ambrosia of modern man.

WHAT THE HELL!?!

This whole time I was being generous thinking the coffee machine was broken or something when the reality was they were just sitting around waiting for the next shipment!?

I see them deliver fresh donuts there EVERY day. They couldn't have thrown a box or two of coffee in with them? Considering there's some kind of coffee shop every block and sometimes even several in one block, I find it unfathomable that Dunkin D's only ships its coffee once a month, but there you have it.

It goes without saying:
Even aside from the current economic conditions, you might want to fire the logistics guy if you want to compete with the Krispy Kreme and Starbucks next door because he's obviously not examing his spreadsheets very closely.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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Culinary Delights

I totally forgot about Great Japanese Food like...

1) Aloe!
You can eat it in yogurt! You can drink it with grape juice! It's even an alcoholic drink!

2) Coffee Jelly!
Yes! They do not just have the "wall of canned coffee" in every conceviable convience and grocery store in Japan, they have it in Jello form! And even better, several varieties boast- "Caffineless so your children can enjoy it without worry.". On behalf of Starbucks, I thank you Japan--Way to go, hook 'em early.
And it comes with little creamers noless.

3) Chuu-Hai
Next to the wall of happy-coffee, is the even happier "wall of chuu-hai".
Let me explain. Japan is a drinkers paradise. Although the Japanese couldn't mix a cocktail to save their lives, they have these mixed drinks in a can like Bartles and James but not as overly sweet and only costing around 1 dollar for 8ozs. You can buy them in just about any store-grocery and convience store. And there are convience stores on pretty much EVERY corner here. As an additional perk, there are a rainbow of flavors for this stuff. They have traditional flavors like grape, apple, strawberry, white peach, etc.. but they also have Aloe , Golden Mango, Blood Orange!!!, Lycee, Guava, Passion Fruit! The first three are my favorite so far.

4) Satsumaimo
The Satsuma "Imo" or potato is the only potato I could imagine eating for breakfast, much less plain. It's a type of Sweet Potato, but not at all like US sweet potatos. After I came back from Japan the first time, I tried to eat the US Sweet potato the way I would eat a Satusmaimo-boiled and plain. No good! BLAH! There's just something special about the Satsumaimo that makes it good enough to be sold on the streets of Japan the same way we have hot dog vendors in NYC. (no comparison from the nutrional standpoint though. ;) )

5) Exotic chocolate
So, I went to the local liquer store again. I often do at least once a week because they are the ONLY place in this backwater (Literally. The previous tenet of the apartment pointed out that the new, improved name of this city meant JUST that. Not really the image to attract new business. ), that has some selection of international foods like cheese from the US, coconut milk, rice pasta, and FOREIGN CHOCOLATE. The foreigners always get the good chocolate. I found and promptly ate-to the dismay of my stomach:
. "Old Jamaica" from New Zealand-chocolate with rum and raisins. It should be noted that the list of ingredients specifically said "rum" not "rum flavoring".
. Some yummy bar from Germany that consisted of light rice kripsies ontop of fluffy strawberry cream wrapped in milk chocolate. YUMMY and refreshing.

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cheerful happy rainbows make smilegood time

Apparently, most Japanese have never seen a real rainbow—there’s too much air pollution here.

On the other hand, they get to experience their own little rainbow inside the grocery throughout the year.

Take, for instance, KitKats:
In the Spring, there is Orange.
In the Summer, there is Blueberry and Lemon.
In October I found Acorn Squash for Halloween.
Again: There are no “pumpkins” in Japan. Some moron saw what is very obviously an acorn squash and decided to call it a pumpkin. As we know, acorn squash does NOT taste like a pumpkin. So imagine for the moment, if you will, an acorn squash-flavored KitKat. (Maybe you shouldn’t if you just ate.)

Now that we’re past Halloween, in preparation for Xmas, there are a flood of new flavors: White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, and Mint. Oh, and lest we forget, Sweet Red BEAN. (Not as bad as the Acorn Squash, but still, weird.)

And I assure you, come January, we will once again see the ubiquitous Strawberry. Because in January, to use a Monty Python qu0te, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting something made with strawberries.

Again: They wonder why their strawberries taste bitter, not sweet. Here’s an idea— They are a SPRING fruit. Plant them in the Spring!! Not in the dead of winter!!!

It’s been awhile since I’ve experienced a full year in Japan, so I’m sure I’ve missed some colors. Wait until Spring. They’ve GOT to do something with purple.

Maybe… Purple sweet potato flavor??
(Don’t laugh. It’s perfectly and absolutely possible.)

---

in case you're wondering, the title of this section is an example of typical JapEnglish (JapAnglish?) seen throughout the country

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Quirky Japan

Multi-tasking gone too far:
Several years ago it was predicted that websites would exist everywhere for the purpose of advertising. You see them in the newspaper, on tv, in magazines, on billboards and the little hand-out kleenex packages at train stations. It is the "age" of the obiqutious website urls.
But seriously, why did my roll of toilet paper have web addresses printed all over it?!
I ask you--to what end does this serve?
How many people do you know who not only bring their laptop computers into the bathroom, but intend to use it there??

A sad day for children and drivers everywhere:
I am here to report the end of the free-standing beer vending machines. Previously, you couldn't walk 2 blocks without coming across a free-standing, unregulated beer or cigarette vending machine. (Normally, they were right next to each other.) Now, due to the rapid increase in fatalities linked to DUI (wow. No one could have seen that coming.), the cigarette machines are left standing alone by the roadside like jilted lovers.
So...apparently, it's considered a serious problem if the children buy unregulated beer and crash their bikes into a wall, but no one cares if they start smoking pack a day as 6th graders and die of lung cancer 50 years later?


Who says american's produce the most waste?:
Although actual, true scienticists (not government-paid) in universities in the US were talking about global warming 20 years ago when I was a child, the US governemnt chose to ignore it, in favor of continuing to line their own pockets with money from oil. Other countries, like Japan, accepted the truth for what it was. The result--You can recycle everything from clothes to plastic to glassware to paper products here. And frankly, that's the least they can do becasue each and EVERY indivdual piece of candy, piece of cake, piece of chocolate is WRAPPED IN PLASTIC! Sometimes twice over!!
Not only are the desserts hygenically sealed, going to the supermarket is like going xmas shopping with everything pre-wrapped. Seriously, you HAVE to buy your veggies and fruits pre-"assembled" if you will, in plastic bags sealed with a piece of gold tape. No choices to be made about how much you can buy. It doesn't border on the ridiculous, it IS ridiculous.
Everyone complains about the price of food here. If they were actually serious about doing something about it, the first thing they would do is get rid of the pretty bags and sparkle tape!
Here's a long overdue heads-up for an entire nation--It's FOOD. You EAT IT. You're not decorating the house with it!

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Lentil Lovers!

No matter who I make this for, it always comes out a winner. Very simple, very few ingredients, but such a wonderful medly.

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 large vadalia onion, sliced
3 tablespoons of butter (ghee best)
1 teaspoon of salt (do NOT omit)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Cook the above ingredients together until the onions are slightly browned.

Add
1/2 cup green mung dal beans
2.5-3.5 cups water

Cook for 30 minutes.

Then add
1/2 cup red lentils

Cook for another 30 minutes. Add more water as necessary, but not more than 3.5 cups total.


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"Chicken" Chaat

Since I mentioned this recipe previously here and I do make it CONSTANTLY (I can't help it. It's really good and really quick to whip-up. ), I thought I would post my recipe for "Chicken" Chaat:

400 grams of firm yaki doufu (or 200 grams each of momen and yaki doufu)
200 grams of shirataki (optional, but highly recommended)
3/4 tsp of salt
3/4 tsp ground hot pepper
1 tsp of ground garlic
4 tsp of ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric

3 Tbsp real lemon juice
4 Tbsp of salt-free butter or ghee

Toss all in a semi-deep pan and cook while stirring over low for about 10 minutes.
You can eat it right away, but as with all Indian food, it tastes best if it has the chance to absorb the flavor for a few hours or over nite. :)

-Best served over Basmati or Jasmine rice-

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The Ubiqutous, Lurking Soybean

Tofu...
You can't swing a dead cat without here hitting a block of tofu. (Monty Python as a veg*n)

I like Tofu, but I have discovered that the Japanese view of how to use tofu is very, very limited to the confines of their "shokubunka"-food culture. Frankly, I've made wonderful sweet potato pies, chocolate-pumpkin-goodness pies, tofu tacos, tofu italiano with red wine and maitake mushrooms, numerous casseroles, and an infinite number of curries all with that one special ingredient, TOFU. Besides, tofu gets a chicken-like texture if you freeze it (sliced) and then defrost it. I LOVE that in my Tofu Chaat, formerly "Chicken Chaat" recipe. <3<3

I'M NOT A VEGAN! WHY SHOULD I USE IT??
Even if you aren't a veg*n of some sort, tofu is super-cheap compared to beef or chicken in Japan (on the order of half price of meat for the same weight!) and as such, worth a try. There's also the added benefit of disposal. Garbage in Japan is strictly separated and "nama", or "raw" garbage is picked up at most 2 times a week.
Where does it stay in the meantime??
In your apartment. You can NOT leave your trash outside your door, or in the hall, or somewhere else. It goes out on trash day and ONLY trash day.
Nothing like the smell of rotting meat wafting into your apartment from outside on your balcony in the spring and summer. (I was a carnivore the first 2 years here. I *know*.)
Tofu, on the other hand... Well, you get the picture. There's no "bad" pieces, or the blood-soaked towels that sit under the meat to soak up the "juices", or grease, so nothing to throw out in a bag except the plastic container it came in.

I loathe cleaning and I like cheap (when it's HEALTHY) so it's win-win for me! Anyway, give it a try. It's cheap and not pumped full of bovine growth hormone or antibiotics. ;)

A GARDEN FULL OF TOFU:
Momen:
We would call this "Firm" in the USA. Good for stirfry or slicing and baking. Will break apart with hard stirring like in a curry.

Kinu:
We would call this "Silk" in the USA. Breaks apart the minute you try to handle it. Only good for baking and hiding it in other foods as it can be easily and completely crushed into a white...paste. This is due to the higher water content of Kinu tofu.

Yakidofu:
Cooked or Lightly Fried tofu. Great for most main-dish recipes. More compressed (less water) than Momen; and due to the slight pre-cooking, more meatier in texture and taste.
WARNING: The consistency of Yakidofu is entirely dependent on the manufacturer. I've bought yakidofu that held together only as well as momen, but the good stuff is far more compressed (less water), and can take a good beating when you put it in curries.

Agedofu:
Deep fried tofu that is hollowed out for use as a "shell" for stuffing. Never used it myself because of the deep-frying.

HOW SHOULD I USE IT??
Besides, the basic pointers I gave up in the "GARDEN.." section, I would suggest this site. My favorite recipe and veg*n "support" site: vegweb.com


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Chocolate ER

Between, the oppresive heat, the typhoons, and the snow, one is often reluctant to venture outside. (Or maybe just smart enough to not want to.)

However, the chocolate-yin has no regard for the rest of the body's comfort; it is inexorable...unquenchable.

So, to that end, I have devised what I call my "ER Brownie Fix" recipe for that quick choco fix:

1 mashed banana (small)
1/4 cp sugar
1 cp flour (For those that need wheat/gluten free use 1/4 cup tapioca flour and 3/4 cp "white" sorghum flour plus 1-2tspn baking powder)
1/4 cp of oil
1/2 cp of honey
1+1/2 tspn baking powder or soda
1+1/2 tspn vanilla
4 TB powdered coco
1/2 cp mini choco chips (optional. But is it really an option???)

mix in microwaveable bowl then sprinkle with choco chips and microwave for 4-6 minutes on low than another 4 minutes on high!!! (If you don't have that option on your micro, cook while watching for 5-8 on high/regular setting.)

**if the brownies gets hard after cooling down, a simple 10-20 second reheat will do the trick. I also find it very nice if you splash some Bailey's or Chocolate liqeur on top of those puppies before you reheat them. ;>

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