Happy Birthday Harry

July 31 is Harry Potter's birthday. In honor of Harry's birthday, me and Ashley watched "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

Oh the magic.

I also tried to make a new cookie recipe that sounded so amazing!  You put Oreo's in the batter instead of chocolate chips.

This is what they are supposed to look like:

Images taken from google

This is what mine looked like:

Nailed it.

You put what in your brownies?!

Do not be alarmed by the title of this post.  I am not doing anything illegal.  But I did see a weird/intriguing receipe on Lauren's blog and I really wanted to try it.

So, go to your cupboard/pantry/where ever you keep your food.  Do you have a brownie mix, chocolate chips, and a can of black beans?  Oh you do?  Ok good, that's what you need.  (Yes, you read right on the black beans.)

I know what you're probably thinking.  That the heat is getting to my head.  Or I've taken one to many phone calls at work, and I've been pushed over the edge, because who puts black beans in their brownies.  Just trust me.

So here is what you need:

1.  A box of brownie mix
2.  Chocolate chips
3.  A can of black beans
4.  1 cup of water

Here's what you do:

1. Open the can of black beans (hopefully your can opener will work better than mine did) and rinse them. 

2.  Add 1 cup of water to the beans and blend it together until it is smooth.  I used a mixer, but I think a blender would work better for it.  Do not be alarmed by the smell of the black beans and wonder how it will ever be masked even in a brownie.  It will be.

3.  Once you've gotten all the bean chunks out of it (I know, that sounds nasty.  Who wants to talk about bean chunks while making brownies?)  add the brownie mix to the beans.

4.  Blend the brownie mix and beans together.

5.  Add chocolate chips.  You techincally don't have to add the chocolate chips, but who doesn't like extra chocolate in their brownies?

6.  Pour into the pan and bake at the recommended time on the box.  I used a 6"X9" pan and baked it for 35ish minutes.

7.  Ta da! It's done.  Like all the knife marks to see if it's done :)

Believe me, I was hoping I didn't just waste a perfectly good box of brownie mix.  The verdict?  It was actually really good.  You can't taste the black beans.  At all.  For real.  And it was the moistest (most moist?) brownie I have ever had.  It didn't have quite as much flavor as a regular brownie, but it was still really good. 

I even took a picture of me eating it to prove that #1: It is edible, and #2: that this isn't just a mean joke to get you to eat something weird.  And they're a lot better for you because of the beans, so you get some fiber and less fat.

I definitely think I'll be making this again.

Gimme back that filet o fish . . . Give me that fish. Aww!

Ok, so when the McDonalds Filet O' Fish commercial came out, I might have been the annoying person who sang it all the time.  And had it as a ringtone.  And had my very own Frankie the Fish plaque that could be hung on a wall.  I don't know why, but I really liked it.  It's kinda catchy.




I hope you watched that, and I hope you are singing it for the rest of the night.

But that's not even why I'm writing this post.  I made the best fish tacos tonight.  If I do say so myself.  It was super simple too.

The ingredients are:
1.  A tomato, diced.
2. Corn tortillas
3. Cabbage (I used a bag of coleslaw mix because it's so much easier and you don't have to shred it yourself)
4. Limes
5. Fish (I just used what was on sale at the store.  I used a breaded fish, but if you want to be all healthy you can use salmon or something unbreaded.  You can use a filet or fish sticks.)

Cook the fish.  Microwave the corn tortillas so they are warm, and then put the fish in the tortilla (I used two tortillas because I saw a place do that once so I thought it was the official way to make a fish taco).  Then add the cabbage and tomatoes.  Squeeze the lime juice over it and ta da! You have a fish taco.  I added a little ranch, but when I was eating it realized that it didn't need it at all because the flavor from the lime was pretty good.  It's really pretty low calories and it's really good :)

Green Goodness

You have to try this recipe! It's so good.  I'm not sure what the real name is (it's probably Pistachio Pie, or something like that) but I call it Green Goodness.  Beacuse it's green, and it's good.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 container of coolwhip and 1 8oz package of cream cheese.

2.  2 packs of Instant Pistachio Pudding

3. 1 cup any kind of nuts (I used walnuts) and 1 cup powdered sugar

4. 1 cup flour

Not Pictured:

1 stick of butter

3 cups cold milk

STEP ONE: Mix the flour, butter, and nuts together.  Once mixed together, press into the bottom of a 9x13" pan. (I love the crust, so I usually make it thicker or use a smaller pan). Bake for 10 minutes at 350.

STEP TWO: Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1/2 of the cool whip together.

STEP THREE: Mix the milk and instant pudding together and set in fridge.

STEP FOUR:  After the crust has cooled, you will layer the white stuff and the green stuff.  You spread the creamcheese/coolwhip/powder sugar mixture on over the crust.  Then add the layer of the pistachio pudding.  Top off with the rest of the cool whip.  If you're a nutty person, you can sprinkle the top with nuts.  Let it set in the fridge.

STEP FIVE:  Now this is the most important step, so follow carefully.  Get a plate and a fork.  Scoop yourself up a piece and enjoy :)