Skyrim Stamina Bars

I love prepackaged brownie mixes. No measuring, weighing, or dirtying dishes. Also, the only other ingredients required are vegetable oil and eggs. I find a lot of these brownie mixes lack some of the depth that comes from making brownies from scratch. I've put everything in brownies mixes: nuts, liquor and extracts. My personal favorite is adding instant espresso. I love Medaglia D'oro brand for this flavor, plus the little extra caffeine. Speaking of which, chocolate is also a source of caffeine. These are the perfect way to utilitize your "Skyrim" loading screens and eat something with enough sugar and caffeine to keep you going past the 100 hour mark.

Skyrim Stamina Brownie Bars
1 package premixed brownie mix (I like Ghirardelli)
1 1/2 TBSP Instant Espresso Powder
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
1/2 c Heath Chunks

The following measurements are from my brownie mix, yours may be different.
1/3 c Vegetable Oil
1/3 c Water
1 egg

Follow the directions on your brownie mix; however, fairly generic instructions are:
1) Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
2) Whisk together oil, extract, espresso, water and egg.
3) Add brownie mix and mix together. Add Heath Chunks and mix.
4) Pour into a pregreased pan and spread evenly.
5) Bake for 30 minutes and check. Unless your package says to cook less time for your pan size, ALWAYS check at 30 minutes. I find most packages tell you too much time, and you end up with burnt brownies.
      I stab my brownies with a fork to see if they're done. If the fork comes out clean, you're good!
6) Cool for 20 minutes, cut, grab a glass of milk (or mead) and enjoy!

Pictures to come!

Third Try's the Charm

I find myself with more free time once again in my journey to becoming an engineer. Blogging seems like a productive way to spend my time; however, choosing a subject matter is difficult. My first attempt was too all inclusive, my second too complicated. For my third, I figured I'd do what I really know: Video Games and Food.

I love Video Games. I am currently employed at Gamestop, and am the proud owner of an Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, 3DS and PSP. This blog gives me the opportunity to present one of my favorite mediums which is significantly ignored. Video Games are as much of an art form as current literature and  other creative arts. Games like Bioshock, Portal, and Mass Effect (to name a small few) are pushing the envelope on story telling, graphics and what video games really mean in our culture. I play a game like an English major. I look at the various plot points, irony and allusion which saturate the modern video game and marvel at the skill of game studios like Irrational, Valve, and Bioware. I talk about a game not in terms of whether I enjoy it, but rather where it is strong and where it is weak, and I would have my Arnold Schwarzenegger "signed" Berkeley degree taken away from me if I did not use evidence. This narrow view I feel is lacking in a number of video game conversations I hear and read, so I see no harm in getting this conversation started.

On to food. I love food. I mean, everyone loves food, but food for me is such a defining point of who I am. I started cooking at 11. I have live all over the U.S. in the last six years, and everywhere I go teaches me more and more about my passion. I have been employed by the food industry in one way or another for just about as long. I enjoy Mexican, Vegan, Cajun-Creole, French, Southern and Japanese cooking, to name just a few. I'm also not rich and like most Americans, I also cook because I have to in order to save money.

The tagline I decided on is "Video Games for Food People, Food for Video Game People". Basically, I cook a dish that relates to whatever video game I'm playing at the moment, and I give you the recipe, as well as my feelings on the game. Easy.

OK, so all that long fluff aside, here is my blog mission statement, in list form (I find video game and food people alike all love lists):

-Simple Recipes. Nothing with accent marks or fake accents. If you can't say it, you won't cook it.

-Simple ingredients. Things I know even you can find.

-Use of minimal kitchen equipment. Stuff that comes in your typical apartment, and things I know even the most prehistoric of my guy friends have.

-Storage options. I freeze everything, which is perfect for a late night "Skyrim" fest. I will plan my recipes around leftovers.

- Puns. Cause I like puns. For example, a future recipe will be called "Mac Effect 3".

-Sarcasm. I watched a lot of "Daria" and it stuck.

So, I will make this easy for you: I am a girl, I wear dresses, I cook, I play video games, and I'm not alone. There are a lot of us out there, and I dedicate this blog to them.