Hand knitted jumpers have been significant throughout my life. My Mum is a gifted and prolific knitter. Possibly my most treasured knitted jumper was a Blue Peter one. A scratchy polo neck. Somewhere there is a photo of me wearing it while holidaying in Mundesley. Sporting pigtails and sucking on a favoured wooden toy pipe, I wear it with pride. I was mighty proud of that jumper. I was proud of all jumpers handcrafted for me by my Mum. I remember the visits to the tiny shack-like knitting shop up in the village. I would carefully select the most fashionable and covetable pattern and wool then try to take an interest in the conversations about tension, sizing and other knitting technicalities. I never really learned to knit myself though – apart from an oversized grey mohair monstrosity I produced during my first year at university.

My university years were the absolute pinnacle of my hand knitted jumper sporting days. The early 80s, a time of punk poky hair, ra ra skirts and itchy fluffy acid toned hand knits. Jumpers would arrive in my pigeon hole in my hall of residence – soft brown paper packages. Carefully wrapped inside I would find a jumper wound protectively around an egg carton full of Cadbury Creme Eggs.
What days – scurrying back to my burrow-like study in halls at Swansea to don my jumper and scoff my eggs…

PS: Thanks to KaMan and Doob for my endless bag of Creme Eggs! My Easter fav(:

I hope you’ve all had a great week. My week has been pretty trying… to say the least.  Generally, I try to eat dinner at home every night rather than going out . Yesterday, I was so drained from work that I had to get some comfort food – a Burrito Bowl from Chipotle.

Look how delicious – a Burrito Bowl!

* Cilantro lime rice, black beans, chicken, fajita vegetables, mild salsa, corn salsa and cheese. Oh em gee. The most amazing combination ever. I ate the entire thing – and no – I am not ashamed of that.

Tomorrow, I am going to Wilmington to see Kyle (still haven’t packed), and I decided it would be nice to bring some cookies. Truth be told, I’m kind of tired of plain old chocolate chip cookies – surprisingly enough. So I looked around and realized I had a TON of Easter candy – why not just put the leftover candy into a cookie – a Trashcan Cookie (of sorts). Trashcan because you can put anything that you can think into these cookies (sweets) and they will turn out delicious.

My Trashcan Cookies are made up of one gigantic Easter bunny – thanks Dad!

One marshmallow filled bunny, one regular Cadbury Creme egg, one caramel Cadbury Creme egg and two Hershey Kisses – thanks Mom!  I also added walnuts (not pictures) because, well, I had them.

Absolutely delicious – probably not so nutritious.

Leftover Easter Candy Cookies – Trashcan Cookies

1/2 cup softened butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

4 ounces crushed walnuts

14 ounces leftover Easter chocolate

2 1/2 cups flour

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Combine first 8 ingredients. Mix well. Chop chocolate (I ground mine in the food processor) stir into wet mixture.

2. Add in flour and combine until soft dough forms.

3. Drop teaspoons of dough onto non-stick cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

4. Remove cookies from cookie sheets and cool.

Enjoy.

Mandatory oven picture.  Guess who burnt their arm taking this picture? Me!

Oh my. Look at that delicious caramel courtesy of Cadbury.

Delicious.

Probably some of my favorite cookies ever.

I immediately ate 3. I hope Kyle likes these as much as I do.

Today is the Monday after Easter, which means that Easter candy officially goes on sale! Mmmm! Just thinking about all the picked over sugary-goodness waiting to be marked down gives me a tummy-ach, but it’s totally worth it, right? As I sit here sassying one of my favorite sugar-high celebrations, or at least the money maker behind Jesus’ resurrection, I began thinking, what does my favorite Easter candy say about my personality? (Even more so, since I am a Jew and that I go that much more out of my way to obtain my favorite Cadbury Creme Eggs). I came across an article on Gawker.com, that addresses just this idea. According to the article:

Cadbury Creme Eggs

The only thing more amazing than this chocolate and sugar creme egg is the clucking bunny commercials of old.

What It Says About You: You normally have things under control but are subject to wild and uncontrollable cravings. While your life is typically together, you suffer from a serious flaw like constant tardiness, chronic attitude problems, or the lack of discipline to keep yourself in check when around seasonal chocolate treats. When you dedicate yourself to your vice, you go in whole hog. If you don’t have a drinking problem now, you probably will in a year or so. Also, you hate people who like those tiny little eggs they sell in packs of twelve. They’re like people who get wasted on New Years Eve and St. Paddy’s Day.

I couldn’t believe what I was reading! I honestly can’t deny it but your sassiness does possess the following flaws, “tardiness, chronic attitude problems, or the lack of discipline to keep yourself in check when around seasonal chocolate treats.” In my defense, I’m not calling those flaws parse, just aspects of my personality I continue to work on daily

So as I crack into my delish little afternoon egg pick-me-up, I am left with a sense of satisfaction and a better understanding of self regarding my candy choices. Oh if all life’s choices were explained as eloquently through candy metaphors.

I realize Easter was yesterday and that you all probably don’t have any festive reason to make these anymore, but in my opinion, it doesn’t have to be Easter in order to eat one of my favorite, most delicious candies ever. Also, I don’t think you can find these easily in the stores after the holidays, so next time you have a craving for pure sugar wrapped in chocolate, you can now make them!

But I warn you, these are not easy. They take time and patience. They also require the right ingredients, which I did not have and so made them even more difficult to make. Just be aware that these take several hours to make–but the end result, whether or not they look like actual Cadbury creme eggs, do taste like the real thing, and therefore are awesome.

Homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs (Adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

Makes 20-25 eggs

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 stick salted butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla (preferably clear)
• 3-4 drops yellow food coloring
• One 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tsp vegetable shortening

Directions:

1. Beat the corn syrup, butter and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time and beat until well mixed.

2. Spoon 1/3 of the mixture into a separate bowl and color with yellow food coloring. Refrigerate the white and yellow parts for 1 hour.

3. Roll the yellow mixture into 20-25 balls and place on wax paper. Place them in the freezer for 10-20 minutes, as they will get soft when you are forming the balls. If the mixture gets too soft to work with, place in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.

4. Once the yellow balls have firmed up again, take out the white mixture. To make the egg, flatten a portion of the white mixture and place the yellow ball in the middle of it. Then wrap the white dough around the yellow ball. Mold into an egg shape with your hands and place on wax paper. Again, if the mixture gets too soft to work with, place in fridge or freezer to firm up. Once you have all of your cute little eggs ready, place in the freezer again for 20-30 minutes.

5. Melt the chocolate and vegetable shortening over a double boiler until it is very smooth and thin. To coat the eggs, quickly drop them in the chocolate with a spoon (otherwise your sugar mixture will melt!) Remove and place on a wax sheet. Place the finished eggs in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight. To get the runny consistency of a real Cadbury Creme Egg, leave the eggs out at room temperature after the chocolate has initially hardened.

6. Impress friends and family with your candy-making skills.

My Two Cents: So I learned that candy-making is pretty tricky. Truffles I can do. Cadbury eggs not so much.

First of all, the sugar dough WILL start to melt on you as you’re making/molding your eggs. The sugar and butter just fall in love with the heat of your hands and turn into a gooey mess. So you will have to put the sugar dough back in the fridge/freezer 1-2 times in both the yellow ball stage and the white molding stage. So this definitely takes a lot of patience, and time. Make sure you have time. And a lot of music/hilarious TV shows to keep you going.

I used only chocolate chips for the chocolate coating, and that was a mistake. Well, I also tried to thin it out with butter, but that didn’t work. You need to use vegetable shortening to thin it out. OR, better yet, use chocolate candy melts. Whatever you do, make sure your chocolate dipping mixture is thin and runny otherwise you will be stuck rolling your sugar dough around in a clump of thick chocolate, thus leaving you with a mold that you worked so hard on–melted in a puddle of chocolate.

This is why my Cadbury Creme Eggs look more like mud puddles than eggs.

If I make these next year, I will also consider egg molds.

But hey, they taste just like the real thing!

Enjoy

Happy Easter! What better way to start off this sugar drenched day but with the Easter breakfast of champions – Ebelskivers stuffed with mini Cadbury Creme Eggs and mini Cadbury Caramel Eggs! O.k. So I’m sure everyone knows what the Cadbury candies are, but you may be wondering “what is an Ebelskiver?” If you missed my previous post on Nutella and Banana stuffed Peanut Butter Ebelskivers, they are round pancakes which originated in Denmark and are perfect for breakfast, appetizers or snacks. You will of coarse need one special piece of equipment to make these goodies – namely the Ebelskiver Pan.

Ebelskiver Pan & Turners

My husband received one for his birthday a couple of years ago. The ebelskiver turners, long, carved wooden sticks, are great to have, but you could possibly get by with chopsticks, wooden skewers or even knitting needles in a pinch. For these treats, I made a vanilla ebelskiver batter. Unwrapped all of my Cadbury Candies.

Mmmmm....Cadbury yummies!

Placed a bit of butter in each well of my pan. Once this butter started to bubble, I placed 1 tablespoon of the batter in the pan and then placed my mini Cadbury Egg in the center of the batter.

mini Cadbury Egg filling in place

Then you place 1 more tablespoon of the batter on top to cover the filling.Turning the treats takes a bit of practice, but you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly. Once it is time to turn them, place your turners on opposite sides of the pancakes and slide them down between the wall of the well and the cooked edges.Gently lift and rotate. Rather than flip mine over all at once, I quickly move around the pan rotating them 1/4 turn at a time until they are completely turned over. Once these Easter-skivers were done cooking, I dusted a bit of confectioners sugar over top and Voila!

I’m not sure whether I prefer the traditional creme filled egg ebelskivers or the caramel filled egg variety.

They were both quite decadent! As you can see, I couldn’t resist dressing one up as a bunny.

I’m afraid we ate the others too quickly before they had a chance to get into their bunny suits! If you have any mini Cadbury Eggs left over from your Easter baskets (I’m not sure how that could possibly happen…) give these a try. You’ll love ‘em!

 Cadbury Bunny-skivers

Makes batter for 20 Ebelskivers

Ingredients

1 Cup (5 oz/155g) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, separated

1 Cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) milk

2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

20 mini Cadbury Creme Eggs or mini Caramel Eggs – your choice, or a mix of both as I did

Confectioners’ Sugar for dusting

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk, 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and the vanilla extract until smooth. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and, using a wooden spoon, stir until well blended. Don’t worry-the batter will be lumpy.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the rest just until no white streaks remain.

Add butter to the wells of the ebelskiver pan. This can be done with a pastry brush, or I often just put about 1/8 tsp. in each well. Place the pan over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add 1 tablespoon of the batter to each well. Working quickly, carefully place one Cadbury mini egg into the center of each pancake. Top each with another 1 tablespoon of the batter.

Cook until the bottoms of the pancakes are lightly browned and crisp, about 3-5 minutes. Use your ebelskiver turners or whatever you have, turn all of the pancakes and cook until browned on the second side-about 3 minutes longer.

Remove the pancakes from the pan. Dust them with confectioners’ sugar.  Serve immeadiatly.

Recipe for Vanilla Ebelskiver Batter from Ebelskivers by Kevin Crafts

Speaking of food, holidays are always made better by the seasonal candy that is available.  Since the thought of eating a Peep makes me die a little inside, Cadbury Creme Eggs are all I’m interested in from February till April.  I am especially interested the day after Easter when you can buy them for dirt cheap on sale.  It is actually very difficult to time it perfectly so they are at their cheapest, but there are still some available.

Thinking about Cadbury Eggs reminds me of a video from long ago, when B.J. Novak (that’s right, B.J. Novak who plays lowly temp Ryan on The Office….I know he’s not the temp anymore, but I only care about seasons 1-3) exposed the great Cadbury size cover-up.  Watch the video to see him out the company as big fat liars on national television.  The video is really poor quality, but you can hear everything and see the egg, which is most important.

Shocking isn’t it!  I am actually okay with them getting smaller, because then I can eat more of them without feeling guilty.

I hope all of you get to eat lots of good food today, whether it is candy from the Easter Bunny or dinner with family, enjoy!

I will leave you with the Cadbury bunny because it is the cutest thing ever.  And, I totally didn’t get the funny part that bunnies don’t lay eggs until I was in  college.

Jen

P.S.  I also just discovered that there is a Cadbury car!!!

The mini ones are perfection!

Close second—Niagara Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs

What’s your favorite Easter Candy?

Easter chocolates are for you and the kids, not dogs (Photo by BL4d3RuNr/Flickr)

Most dog owners know that chocolate is a big no-no; it can be toxic to dogs.

Even so, the people working the phones at animal poison control hotlines say they still get tons of calls about dogs eating chocolate — especially at Easter, with all the chocolate bunnies and Cadbury Cream Eggs.

And the problem isn’t always people feeding chocolate to their dogs. With kids and adults running around the house, chocolate candies have a way of ending up on floors — and in the mouths of dogs.

If your dog gets into some chocolate, the experts say don’t wait for symptoms to take action. Here’s an article about what to do and which chocolates are the worst for dogs (yes, certain kinds are worse).

Greg Valentine
Check me out on Twitter
Read me on KMPS.com

sniffseattle@gmail.com
http://www.sniffseattle.com
 
 

I also hope you had a good Lenten season (the forty day period of repentance between Ash Wednesday and Easter when a Christian prepares himself or herself for the celebration of Holy Week, which incorporates the events of the Passion of the Christ, including Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and resurrection).

I’m sure it goes without saying that many of you, of all religions, had a good Mardi Gras (the famous Tuesday before Lent when many are to use up butter and meat — giving it the esteemed title of “Fat Tuesday.”)  We don’t need to go into details about this particular celebration, although I’m sure your memories will last a lifetime!

Easter itself is the commemoration of Jesus’ resurrection.  It likely has origin in the Jewish Passover season (the time commemorating the Jewish Exodus from Egyptian bondage), but Christians regard the Easter season as a time to remember Jesus’ return.

Nowadays, like so many other things in modern times, Easter is largely associated with a certain bunny, delicious candies (like Cadbury’s amazing Creme Eggs and those…interesting little Peeps), and Easter egg hunts.  These are all fine and good (some really good), but there is something else lingering behind the commercial, and even the religious, meaning of the Easter 2011 holiday.

Consider the theme of resurrection.  No matter your views on the theological points of the Easter holiday, resurrection is something worth considering.  The term connotes a revival or a rebirth of sorts.  It’s not just a theme for Christ (although he made it famous in its most spiritual and material senses), but for all of us.

Whatever your religious persuasion (or lack thereof) there is always time to reflect on life and goals — life and goals that often lay dormant or dead in the tombs of our very selves.  Is there a book idea gathering dust in your brain?  A class you’ve been putting off?  Isn’t it about time you learned the waltz?  Maybe there is a religious, spiritual, or domestic practice you want to take up or resurrect — going to church more often, confession for the first time this year, a yogic discipline, more walks with your dog, more time with your kids, more volunteer work, more Torah study, a reading of the Chuang Tzu (a book of Taoism).

Let’s spend a little less time concerned with the religious lines that divide us and a little more time taking some meaning from seasons that may, or may not be, our own.

For my (practicing) Christian readers, again, happy Easter 2011.  Enjoy your Easter celebrations and have a Cadbury Creme Egg for me.  For my readers of different persuasions, happy Easter 2011.  Consider resurrecting something wonderful in your life.

If you’re like Tom and me, it’s hard to imagine Easter without marshmallow treats, bunny-shaped sweets and cream-filled eggs. Did you know Easter is the second-biggest time of year for candy sales? (Which holiday is No. 1?)

CHOCOLATE BUNNY
Arguably the most-recognizable of all Easter treats is the ubiquitous chocolate bunny is always a huge seller.

 

PEEPS
The animal-shaped confections  have become an Easter staple since this company began making them in the 1950s.

 

JELLY BEANS
Loved by presidents and kids alike, the tiny candies are one of the biggest Easter sellers.

 

CHOCOLATE EGGS
These solid chocolate (or peanut-butter-filled) must-have treats have been around since the 19^th century.

 

CADBURY CREME EGGS
This cream-filled concoction (what’s in it?) was introduced in 1971 in the United Kingdom.

 

EASTER M & M’s
The best-selling candy in the United States rolls out its pastel version of the chocolate goodies for Easter.

 

EASTER PEZ

The peppermint candy – known for its collectible dispensers – began as a breath mint in Vienna, Austria.

 

ROBIN EGGS
The everyday malted milk ball becomes an Easter favorite with a colored candy coating and a new shape.

 

 

BTW-The number one holiday for candy sellers…HALLOWEEN! 

I would totally drive this vehicle. Photo by Suitov via Creative Commons.

I have long held the opinion that Easter, besides offering eternal salvation for Christians, is the holiday with the best candy out there.  At Halloween, after all, there’s nothing but “fun size” everything, suitable only for filling a grinning pumpkin bucket.  Christmas sees its share of peppermints and Santa-shaped chocolates.  Of course, Valentine’s Day presents some competition with heart-shaped boxes of bonbons and conversation hearts.  But those don’t hold a candle to chocolate bunnies, Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, peeps, and the crown jewel of them all, Cadbury Crème Eggs.

How could you resist something that is the actual size and weight of a chicken egg, but chocolate?  If that’s not enough, each egg is filled with a slightly mysterious but oh so richly sweet substance called “fondant” with a yellowish yolky section.  When properly warmed in anticipation of eating (for example, by sticking it in your pocket for a few minutes—but don’t forget about it!), the egg is creamy, the filling just that side of liquidy, like an actual egg spilling out its insides.  Fortunately, there is no risk of getting salmonella from this treat (let’s hope).

Growing up, Cadbury Crème Eggs were my favorite candy at Easter, even more than the rabbit-shaped hollow chocolate figures, more than marshmallow-filled eggs.  I cared nothing for jelly beans.  Perhaps I loved them because they were so unique, so different from anything I’d ever eaten.  Fondant doesn’t show up often in the daily American candy diet, which is probably just as well.  Since the eggs were such an intense experience, I tried to save them for last, going through the motions of all the rest, digging under the plastic “grass” in my Easter basket to check that no pastel delicacy was missed.  Then I could enjoy the crème egg in all its sugary glory.

One Easter a few years ago, I bought a multi-pack of Crème Eggs.  I was thrilled.  When I say “multi-pack,” I’m talking about an 18-egg variety container (shaped like an egg carton, natch) filled with the standard fare, plus the orange crème and caramel versions.  Possibly even a chocolate-filled egg.  It turns out, however, that there is a limit to the amount of crème egg that one person can enjoy in a season.  Eighteen is somewhere past that limit, alas.  More importantly, no crème egg spinoff is quite as delectable as the original.

I suppose there isn’t much of a point to this post, except to say that I am happy once again that spring is here, warm weather is on its way, and Cadbury Crème Eggs can be found for at least a few more days.  I have a few left, and I plan on savoring them.

Presenting Easter if you have an egg phobia

Aero Lamb: presumably as lambs are synonymous with spring time. Plus aero is a bubble filled chocolate.  And it’s delicious. I actually ate this.

No regrets.

Smarties Eggs: I know technically it is an egg however Smarties get points for making the eggs look like a rabbit and bumble bee. PLUS I hope you can see the strings on the eggs. They are designed to be hung from trees. I thought that was cute. Think they are full of smarties but not sure. The cousins ate them.

The Milky Bar Cow is delightful. A cow made out of white milk chocolate. The work of Genius. How is this related to Easter? Spring, too, I guess.  Who cares. That tasted nice.

Cadbury Caramel Bunnies: No idea. I bought to be a completest. I loathe caramel. Speaking of:

Cadbury Creme Egg Twister: Cadbury Creme Eggs are insanely popular here. A Cadbury Creme Egg is milk chocolate outer shell with a white and yellow fondant filling that looks like a real egg. They are disgusting, unless you like reallllllllllllllllllly sweet chocolate. Despite the fact that I loathe them, they are huge here. you can get Twisters, a real egg, Mc Flurries with them in it, Ice cream with them, muffins…. the list is sadly endless.  They are produced almost instantly after new years until Easter each year. 1 and a half million are produced a day. Bleh.

Me. I’m expecting eggs.

Thanks for weighing in on the battle of Cadbury Crème Eggs vs. Marshmallow Peeps! It looks like our fans prefer Cadbury Crème Eggs as their ultimate Easter treat. As a thank you to all our fans, we’re offering an exclusive, one-day deal on Cadbury Crème Eggs this Friday at our in-store ExtraCare Coupon Centers. Stay tuned for details!

I won’t be able to get to CVS until lunch, so I have no idea what that means. To me, it means head over to scan your card today and you’ll be able to get a free Cadbury Creme egg.

If you get there and scan your card, let us know what you got.

Update: Turns out this is a $1/2 coupon. Too bad they not 50 cents this week.

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When I was a child, I really wanted to love Cadbury Creme Eggs but I just couldn’t get into them. As a child I had a deep love for other foods – beets, pickled cauliflower, tomatoes. All I wanted in my Easter Baster was a jar of pickled vegetables. Seriously don’t ask. I was a strange one. But now as an adult (almost 26…), I can actually say now that these Cadbury Creme Eggs are making their way to my “dangerous foods list.” Foods that I can’t be trusted around and will scarf down in 5 seconds if someone doesn’t take it away from me. So in order to make the Cadbury Creme Eggs extra (I’m searching for a word…) magnificent, I figured I’d press them on top of one of the foods that is at the top of my dangerous foods list, the brownie.

Sift together 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.

Take 5 large Cadbury Creme Eggs and very carefully cut each one in half. If it breaks and looks like a toddler chopped the egg (nevermind a toddler wouldn’t be holding a knife…), it’s no big deal. You’ll need 9 halves for the brownies. Yes I realize I have more than 9 halves in this photo. I wanted to eat them…

Now moving on! In a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment (handheld mixer works too although I never use mine), mix together 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup (1 stick!) melted unsalted butter and 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract.

Throw in 2 large eggs at room temperature. One at a time! Mix it up.

Slowly and I mean very slowly, add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Remember we want brownies, no bricks.

Take a spatula and fold the ingredients together. I love my spatula.

Throw in 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips. Brownies always need more chocolate. Fold them in with your favorite spatula. This is actually my 2nd favorite. My favorite is a green spatula, like the color of an avocado….

Spread the brownie batter in a lightly greased 8×8 inch baking pan.

You’ll bake the brownies for a total of 30 minutes. Once 25 minutes is up, take the Cadbury Creme Egg halves and carefully press them on top of the brownies.

Put the brownies back in the oven for 5 minutes. Once the brownies are done, cool the brownies before cutting into pieces. Then enjoy!

Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies

4 1/2 Cadbury Creme Eggs (total of 9 halves)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Cut the Cadbury Eggs along the crease. You should have a total of 9 halves. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder and kosher salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment (a handheld mixer works too), mix together the packed light brown sugar, sugar, melted unsalted butter and vanilla extract on medium speed.
Add in the eggs one at a time.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients on low speed. Mix until just combined. Take a spatula and fold the ingredients together.
Throw in the semi sweet chocolate chips and fold them in.

Spread the brownie batter into a lightly greased 8×8 inch baking pan. The brownies will bake for a total of 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Once the brownies have baked for 25 minutes, remove them from the oven and carefully press the Cadbury Creme Eggs on top of the brownies. The center of the Cadbury Eggs should be facing up.

Put the brownies back in the oven and continue baking for 5 more minutes.

Cool the brownies and then cut into pieces. Enjoy!

Don't miss the action! Only on TLC!

Couponing, Extreme – TLC’s newest reality program Extreme Couponing, which chronicles people obsessive about using coupons to pay for groceries, premiered to a whopping 2.3 million viewers over two episodes on last Wednesday night, which cinched sociologists’ theories that if you show something on a screen, no matter what it is, people will watch it. Sometimes even 2.3 million people.

Link: “Extreme Couponing” Premiere Clips Strong Ratings (EW)

Eggs, Cadbury Creme — With Easter quickly approaching, test your knowledge of Cadbury’s holiday staple with a quiz on the confection’s history. If you answer them all right, congratulations! You may have type 2 diabetes.

Link: Cadbury Creme Egg Fun Facts (YumSugar)

Florez, Juan Diego – Famed Peruvian opera singer Juan Diego Florez stayed to help his wife Julia deliver their baby boy at the couple’s apartment just moments before rushing off to sing the tenor lead in a performance at the Metropolitan Opera. The couple wouldn’t even be in this situtation, however, had Mrs. Florez heeded her husbands musical advice to use her diaphragm.

Link: Famed Tenor Delivers High C’s – and Baby – in NYC (AP Wire)

McDonald’s — On April 19th, which fast food purveyor McDonald’s is calling “National Hiring Day,” the restaurant chain claims it will hire 50,000 employees in one day. While that sounds like great news, it should be remembered that statistically, that means at least four of those people would pee into the fry-o-lator.

Link: McDonald’s to Hire 50,000 in One Day (Slashfood)

Murals — The Rufus Porter Museum and Cultural Heritage Center in Bridgton, Maine is happy to be the recipient of “three roomfuls” of recently discovered mural art depicting life in the Northeastern state in the early 1800′s by artist Jonathan Poor. The murals depict inlets, lighthouses, sailing ships and graphic, horrific lobster attacks.

Link: Maine Museum to Get Newly Discovered 1840′s Murals (NY Times)

Shore, Jersey — Piggybacking on the success of Jersey Shore, MTV has ordered two spin-off shows: one featuring cast member “DJ” Pauly D, and one focusing upon Nicole “Snooki” Pollizzi and Jennifer “JWoww” Farley. These two outings are expected to be more warmly received than the two most prolific Jersey Shore spin-off of the past: chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Link: MTV Greenlights Spin-Offs for “Jersey Shore’s” Snooki, JWoww and Pauly D (Yahoo)