Friday, December 23, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Thank you and chocolate brownies (blog)
(The 2 for 1 price will continue until Jan 1st at http://www.lauramariemusic.com and money will still go to the cause even after Christmas.)
Yay!!! Now on to the brownies:
I've been busy baking brownies. Not just any brownies, BLACK BEAN BROWNIES!!! And they are sooooo awesome.
No, they don't taste like beans. They are gluten free and delicious and, without all the flour, they are a bit better for you than "normal" ones. (half the fat, twice the protein and 2g of fiber...yeah!) I flat out dare you to try them. I tried three different recipes and combined a couple until I got just the right cakey-ness according to my taste testers.
So, if Pete and the boys like them, they have to be good.
Do it:
Black Bean Brownies (Gluten free)
Ingredients
1 (15 1/2 ounce) cans black beans ( rinsed and drained)
3 eggs
3 tablespoons oil
1/4 - 1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Semi sweet chocolate chips
--------------------------------------
Directions
1. First, puree black beens in food processor until smooth (you may need to add a few tablespoons of water)
2. Add other ingredients EXCEPT chocolate chips in processor together until blended.
3. Stir in some chocolate chips
4. Pour into a greased 8x8 cake pan.
5. Bake at 350 F for approximately 30 -35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center
6. Let cool completely before cutting.
Noms!!!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Happy Holidays: Be Love (yeah, you)
I usually only share things this new with my mailing list but, 'tis the season!
Happy Holidays!
It's the time of year again when I start thinking back on what I have and haven't done and what I want to do when the new year rolls in. It's been a great year. I have a lot to be grateful for and look forward to. There's so much I want to do in music and in the world. And, giving is on my mind.
I want to share a song with you that I just wrote about the two words that save me from being lost in my own "stuff": Be Love. That's what I want to be. It's a challenge. Sometimes it's a difficult thing to be. :
I hope you have a wonderful, hopeful and inspirational holiday season!!!
This year, I've decided to give to Living Water International again so, if you want to help the cause, keep this in mind. You'll be helping me spread the music and the proceeds will help bring clean water to families in need.
Please help me spread the word.
Much love, Laura Marie
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Mission possible
Go to Churchill High School parking lot on Blanco rd now
Pick up a box
Take it to the grocery store and fill it with items listed on the side
Return the box to the Churchill parking lot before noonish
That is all
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Closeups at the zoo
Seriously though, zoos often get criticized for all sorts of reasons and should be held to strict standards, but, I like to support their conservation efforts. The Henry Doorly, for example, has helped save many species of plants and animals from extinction and has lead education efforts to help indigenous people conserve their lands and curb deforestation in places like Madagascar.
Anyway, enjoy!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Paterno can be more than a bad example (blog)
I've been reluctant to say anything publicly about the Penn State situation. I don't live my life as a victim because of abuse I experienced as a child. And, my deepest, heartfelt prayer is that those who are victims are eventually able to make peace with what they've experienced so as not to live the rest of their lives as victims either. But, I don't believe anyone who has experienced such a violation does not feel outraged at the knowledge that an adult could witness such a crime and not do everything in their power to stop it immediately. So, yes, I am outraged. Most victims are not violated where witnesses are likely to see them and many, such as myself, are so ashamed and confused that they don't come forward for several years after the fact, if at all. Their pain is private and their abandonment becomes, sadly, somewhat self imposed. But, that's not the case here. Someone saw this and others in positions of responsibility had knowledge of it and did little to nothing to stop it.
Thanks to Jon Stewart for expressing the outrage so well. Indeed, the pissed off child in me wants to rage "SORRY it's not CONVENIENT for you to blame it on some group of people you don't care about anyway!!!!" Part of me wants to laugh in the face of those who mock churches, priests and clergy members and say "SEE, it's not just THEM it's YOU TOO!!! and not taking a good, long look at yourself and what YOU would do makes this sickening situation possible. So, thank you VERY much. What did YOU DO to stop this?"
But, what good does that do? Not just in THIS situation but in EVERY situation, blaming some "other" group does nothing but allow us to take no personal responsibility and, to stop this, we have to take responsibility. We, as individual adults, have to know what we would do. And, more than that, we have to do it.
From a very young age I came to know that an adult who would molest a child is sick. There is something terribly wrong with that person. So, when Sandusky appears on television today in an interview, I will not watch what is reported to be his denial that anything wrong happened while admitting he showered with young boys. Courts can decide his fate. It makes no difference to me except that I'm thankful such publicity will make it unlikely he could ever harm a child again. His interview is of little interest to me. They are rantings of a lunatic who should have been stopped, who should have been under some sort of care and therapy for his illness. With this understanding of him as a sick person, I can quiet my mind. I just can't when it comes to Joe Paterno. I don't understand. And, I don't understand those who are not outraged at his lack of leadership in a situation that is far more important than football. I want to understand. I really do. Because then I'll know how to deal with it.
Joe Paterno has a huge opportunity here. If he would ony share his thought process, expose the gaps in his logic and in his own understanding, show people how such a thing can happen and ways to not let it ever happen again. He doesn't have to be a bad example for the rest of his life. Take it from someone who doesn't have to be a victim for the rest of hers.
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