Brownies :D

I have never been good at making brownies, they are not crispy on the top or gooey in the middle.  Last weekend I decided to have another go at trying to make the perfect brownie.  I found this recipe online (http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/6023/quick-and-easy-brownies.aspx), wanting a recipe that wouldn't take to long, and didn't require me to go out and find ingredients that I did not have at home.  I thought I would share this REALLY EASY recipe with you:

Ingredients:

400g Caster Sugar

225g Plain Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

225g Melted Butter

60g Cocoa Powder

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

4 Eggs 

(optional) 60g Walnut Halves

How to make:

Preheat oven to 180 C or Gas mark 4

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl

Pour mixture into a greased baking tin (23x33 cm)

Bake for 20-25 minutes - mine took longer because I think I used a smaller baking tin, they still turned out gooey in the middle though

Remove from oven after time/or when top is crispy and middle is set but slightly soft

Leave to cool and slice into equal portions

This is such a simple recipe, and it worked really well.  I am sorry I forgot to take pictures, and all that was left when I remembered was a plate of crumbs, oops....  This is a different kind of post so please comment and  let me know if you like it and I will do more.

Summer Reading Overview

Long time no see isn't it, well, more like long time no write.  I have just started back at school and I felt that it was a good time to update you on some of the books that I liked and disliked over the summer holidays.  I read quite a few non-fiction books over the holidays so I was prepared for school.  I will list a few below, but I don't want to bore you!

FICTION:

  I started off by reading two books from the 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' series.  I have read these all before, but I find them very uplifting and they were a nice change, especially after finishing my exams.  These were very quick reads for me as they don't have a very complicated story line and the characters are very engaging.  If any of you have seen the movie based on the first book then you should know that the book is much better.  For a start it is based in London instead of Manhattan, and the plot line is slightly different.

I then read the first three books in the 'Rivers of London' series by Ben Aaronovitch.  These are great books.  They follow PC Peter Grant, who starts one a case by interviewing a ghost!  He begins to learn that there is a special, hidden branch of the police force that deals with magical and mysterious events, and he begins to understand the techniques of magic. These are great books for anyone who loves murder mysteries or fantasy novels.  They are also very funny, so are quite an uplifting read.

I have also just started reading 'Last Stand of Dead Men' which is the 8th book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.  These are books aimed at 12 year old boys, but I have been reading them for years and need to know what happens at the end. There are going to be 9 books in the series in total, so if you want to read these then I would advise waiting until the last one has been published.  These books tell the story of a skeleton detective (Skulduggery Pleasant) and a young girl named Stephanie Edgely who becomes his assistant.  The books are mainly set in Ireland, among a hidden community of mages and sorcerers.


I also read 'Kim' by Rudyard Kipling, but this was quite a different book.  This was some background reading for my history studies.  I found it quite a difficult book to get into as I was unused to the style of writing.  It had an interesting story line and it was well written, however unless you love Rudyard Kipling or are extremely interested in the subject, then it is definitely not an light summer read. I also read 'Luther' by John Osborne.  Do not let the fact that it is a play put you off, it is very small and easily readable. It is not published anymore but is easily available on the internet quite cheaply.

NON FICTION:
As I said I read non fiction books over the holidays, which for anyone who knows me is EXTREMELY unusual.  I read two Biology books and two History of Art books.
Biology:
I read 'Cartoon Guide to Genetics' which was quite a fun introduction to the subject and it was also an easy read since it was mostly pictures.  I also read a biography of Charles Darwin which was quite interesting because it gave me an insight into his life.  I would advise reading biographies of people who you are interested in because you will have the motivation to read them, and you get to find out some things which you might not have already known.
Art History:
For History of Art I read ' Art History: A Very Short Introduction' and 'Art Theory for Beginners' which for anyone interested in the subject are useful.  The short introduction is a much easier read, and the Art Theory book gives an overview of art movements throughout history. 

I hope that this has not been a very boring post, and I hope that some of these recommendations and reviews have/will be useful.
Don't forget to comment if you have read any of these books or have questions about any of the books I have talked about.
Hope you all have a good week, bye!