martes, 14 de febrero de 2012

Brownie Recipe and Play info.


Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
·         1 cup cake flour (harina para repostería)
·         ½   teaspoon baking powder (This is just a small part of an envelope of Royal baking powder.)
·         ½ teaspoon salt (or less)
·         1 cup sugar ( You can use brown if you are more health conscious but then use slightly more.)
·         ½ shortening (softened butter or margarine, preferably but could also be less strong olive oil.)
·         2 eggs
·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract
·         2½ squares of melted dark chocolate ( This means BIG squares( 2 ounces each, like “Fondant” or “Valor” , not little squares; also, the higher the percentage of pure chocolate, the better ( over 70%).
  OR
·         6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder (best bought in natural health food store!) and 2 extra tablespoons of melted butter.
·         1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
Grease pan with slight bit of butter or oil , then flour (small amount of flour)
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder if used
In another bowl, mix the soft butter or margarine and the sugar together until it’s “fluffy.”
Then add the vanilla and the melted chocolate cooled a bit if this is what you’ve used.
Mix all these ingredients together until it’s VERY smooth.
Add the dry ingredients.
Add the nuts.
Preheat oven for 10 minutes to 180º to 200ª (depending on strength of oven)  ( continued on p.2)
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. The baking time depends on size of baking pan. If you use a bigger pyrex pan (35 cms. Or more on inside) the baking time will be less. If you use a smaller but slightly higher baking pan ( 27 or28 cms.), it will be more. (I personally prefer the latter.) If your oven is not so strong, add 2 or 3 minutes.)

You will know the brownies are done if you stick a toothpick into them and it comes PRACTICALLY dry.  Then turn off oven, leave brownies for no more than 5 minutes and then remove from oven.
If you follow this recipe exactly, you will have perfect brownies. J







Gerund or Infinitive explanation sheet


THE USE OF THE INFINITIVE AND THE GERUND
I.       The Infinitive
A.      Use the infinitive after impersonal expressions:
          It's + adjective or adjective/noun
(Ex.) It's important to recycle trash.
         It's a good idea to see movies in English.
B.      Use the infinitive after too + adj.
(Ex.) This water is too cold to swim in.
They are too young to ride their bikes to school.
If there is a personal indirect object, express it after the preposition "for" before the infinitive.
(Ex.)  This lake is too wide for me to swim across.
This problem was too difficult for us to solve.
C.   Use the infinitive after the following verbs, which in
    general express some kind of intention or purpose
    afford                             forget                                 prefer
    agree                              hope                                   pretend
    ask                                 intend                                 promise
    attempt                           learn                                   refuse
    beg                                 manage                               remember
    can't wait                        mean                                  threaten
    claim                              need                                   try
    decide                            offer                                   want
    expect                            plan                                    would like
    fail

II.        THE USE OF THE GERUND
A.      Use the gerund as the subject of a sentence.
(Ex.)  Recycling trash is important.
Living in a big city can be stressful.
B.      Use the gerund as a predicate nominative (a complement of
the verb "be" or verbs with a similar meaning, like “mean”)  
(Ex.) Happiness is knowing you have good friends.
            Love means never having to say "I'm sorry."
C.  Use the gerund after all prepositions and all adjective/preposition and verb/preposition combinations.
(Ex.) before eating, without talking,(to be) tired of            studying, good at drawing, excited about going, to think about going, to insist en staying, to talk about traveling, etc.
D.  Use the gerund after the following verbs, which are divided into four basic categories:

1.       Verbs of liking and disliking
appreciate                      dislike                                              like*
avoid                             enjoy                                               love*
can't stand                     feel like                                           (don't) mind
detest                             hate*                                                prefer*


* These verbs can be followed by either the gerund or the infinitive.
 2.  Verbs of stopping, starting and continuing                                                                                           
                        begin*                                         keep (on)                       quit
                        continue*                                    practice                          start*
                        finish                                           postpone                        stop
                        give up                                        put off

*These verbs can also be followed by either the gerund or the infinitive.
3. Verbs of recommending
consider     recommend     risk      suggest
              try    (when it means "probar" but not when it means "intentar")
    (Ex.)You should consider taking this course.
   I recommend reading this book.
         He suggested buying a new car.
         Try washing your clothes with this detergent!

4.  Verbs that express an action which is subsequent in time
    (happens after) the action of the verb that follows.
(Ex.)  He admitted/confessed (to)/ denied  killing his wife.
(First he killed his wife.  Then admitted, confessed  or  denied doing it.)
    I miss seeing your face. (I saw your face in the past.  Now I miss it.)
 I regret not studying more when I was in high school. (I didn’t study enough in the past. Now I regret it.)
  
* The verb remember can be followed by either the gerund or the infinitive.  It depends on whether or          not the action of the following verb occurs before or after the act of remembering.
Examples: He remembers hearing someone enter.
First, he heard someone enter.  Later, he remembers it.
But: "Children remember to brush your teeth after meals.
(They must remember first in order to do it.)
I remembered to turn off the gas before I left.
(First I remembered and after that, I turned off the gas.)

D Use the gerund after the following expressions:
can't help   have trouble    it's no use   it's (not) worth

Examples: I can't help falling in love with you.
               I had trouble understanding this.
It's no use complaining.
It's not worth worrying about.