Blondies

These blondies are best right out of the oven, but are good for about a week after they're made. Microwaving the blondies for a few seconds to melt the chocolate makes the blondies really good after the first day. They're super sweet and have a sort of caramelized taste because the butter is melted with the brown sugar.

1+3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1  cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1+1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave in a bowl. Put the brown sugar and melted butter in a large bowl (or a mixing bowl) and stir until smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beat the eggs and vanilla into the sugar/butter mixture. Gradually add the four mixture and mix until smooth. Fold in chips.
Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until blondies are light brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Muffins/Bread

This is my favorite fall recipe. You can make either muffins or bread with the recipe (I always make muffins because they're really easy to put in my lunch, and bake in half the time).

1+1/2 cups sugar
1+2/3 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup canned pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 325. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the eggs, oil, water, and pumpkin and beat until well blended.

For muffins:
Pour batter into two muffin tins (use paper liners or butter). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For bread:
Pour batter into 2 buttered and floured loaf pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate

Chocolate is really the most important part of my life. I don't know what I would do without it. But why do we love chocolate so much?
Well...endorphins are released when eating chocolate, creating a sense of happiness in the consumer (probably the reason for my addiction).Theobromine , the most commonly identified chemical in chocolate, is a stimulant similar to caffeine.The theobromine and caffeine in chocolate are physiologically addictive, prompting the chocolate craving. 
How to eat chocolate:

• Please buy some good chocolate (my favorite is this 77% kind that has cocoa nibs in it)
• Eat smaller pieces and smaller amounts (yes a Hershey's bar is way too much...it contains more sugar that a woman should be eating in an entire day)
• Savor it...it's really the only way to enjoy all of the flavors. (and if you got any fancy chocolate its expensive enough that you shouldn't be gobbling it down)

Americans have been terribly misled as far as chocolate goes. All those ads for fake, gross Hershey's chocolate...whose sweetness burns my throat and leaves me gasping for some kind of  drink to get the taste of tons of sugar out of my mouth...why do people even pay attention to them? Dark chocolate is really the only chocolate worth eating...it has even been proven that eating small amounts of dark chocolate everyday can help reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks. 

So not only is chocolate delicious but it's kinda good for you!