Twas the night before xmas

Well, it's about 1/2 hour to go til Christmas and so I'm posting this now, rather than tomorrow, as I doubt even I would be sad enough to post on Christmas day. Mum has chased me upstairs so she can wrap up my presents, thus ruining the idea that Santa is bringing the gifts. Then again, I am 21...

Anyhow, merry Christmas to you all, may your tipple glass of choice never be empty. Have a good time!

The girl I mentioned in a previous post passed away today. We were told she went peacefully, and she was in no pain. My thoughts are with her, her family and her friends. Rest in peace.

Gooey chocolate irish cream goodness

Ooh I honestly don't know why I've never baked Baileys Irish Cream brownies before, they're delicious and so addictive. I have the strangest feeling that I'm going to be waddling through Xmas if I eat any more of these gorgeous treats.

For anyone who wants to recreate the pleasure of eating these in their own home, I shall post the recipe. Be warned these are fudgy gooey type brownies, if you want more cake-like brownies either add more flour or only put in 4 eggs rather than 5.

Baileys Irish Cream Brownies

6 tbsp Baileys
5 large eggs
8 tbsp granulated sugar
250 g butter
150 g dark chocolate
60 g plain flour (this is a bit of an estimation, so you may need to pop a bit more/less in if you think it warrants it)
Chocolate chips (as many as you like me dears)

Icing (optional - but very tasty)

4 tbsp Baileys (or a little more if you're feeling merry)
3 tbsp butter
Icing sugar (as much as it takes to get to the consistency you want)

Method (I feel like I'm writing a scientific report here)

Melt the dark chocolate and butter together (I use a bowl over a pan of boiling water because I tend to burn the chocolate in the microwave, but if you are microwave-competant go for it), and allow to cool (sitting the bowl in a pan of cold water works great if you're impatient like me)

Break the eggs into a bowl and add the sugar, beat together, then add 3 tbsp Baileys and the cooled chocolate mixture. Mix and slowly add the flour, mixing well. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper, smear with butter and dust with flour if you like. Pour in the brownie mixture and allow to cook for about 20 mins at 200 °C. Test to see if they're done by sticking a cocktail stick into the middle. If it comes out with crumbs attached to it, it's done, if not give it another 5/10 minutes, and so on.

Once it's cooked pop it out the oven and let it cool. This bit is torture for me, as all I want to do is eat the warm brownies. But show some self-restraint and all will be well. Once cooled poke it with a fork a few times, randomly across the brownie surface, and drizzle the other 3 tbsp of baileys onto it.

Now for the fun frosting, melt the butter slightly in the microwave and mix with the 4 or more tbsp of baileys. Add icing sugar and mix until you reach the consistency you want. Then whack it on top of the brownies and voila, there you have it. All you have to do now is eat them, and trust me it wont take long.

Happy eating, I'm off to get another brownie.

Meh

I wish this drug really did exist, I need it.

Tonight I had some bad news. A girl my sister knows, who has cancer, is seriously ill in hospital. I've never personally met this girl, my sister has only met her a few times. I watched a documentary she was in, about her illness and how she was organising a fundraiser for her local hospital unit. In the documentary it was said that her cancer was terminal. At the moment she is estimated to live maybe another three weeks, it will be her last Christmas if she makes it that long.

She's 19 years old. It isn't fair is it?

My first rti...kinda

Yesterday, despite being in my last recovery phase from my tonsilitis I decided to go out on duty to a Dickensian Day. This is a little event where people dress up in Victorian Era clothes and run stalls etc. I did have fun, I loved the costumes. My particular favourite was an old fashioned PC strolling around, complete with a cape.

I was technically down as third person (observer) on the ambulance there, but did nothing really for most of the day. I'd decided it was cold and stayed in the vehicle for the first part of the day. I did wander round for a bit, and become a bit more sociable later on. Myself and a few other members got a "hog roast" sandwich, they actually had a whole pig on a spit. On the way back to the vehicle I left my lunch with my paramedic mate and dashed into a coffee place for some hot drinks. When I returned, everyone (the I had gone for food with) and the vehicle had disappeared. Apparently while I'd been queueing for coffee they'd gotten a casualty and had gone to attend to them. I was a bit gutted that my lunch appeared to have gone awol too, and that I was stuck holding two hot drinks that were rapidly getting colder. It's always typical that the casulaties surface just as you get your lunch. Luckily my lunch hadn't been in the vehicle, and my paramedic friend soon returned and pointed me in the direction of my lunch. I gave him his latte. Vile drink.

When the vehicle got back I had been standing in the rain and had since mostly dried off but was a little cold, especially my feet which I couldnt feel. So I hopped in the back, and dozed off on the stretcher. My problem is that when I recovering from being ill, I jump back into things feet first and do daft things like stand around in the cold and wet weather, and do more than I should be doing. Then the tiredness usually hits me, so I sleep for a bit. When I wake up, it's more or less the end of the duty, so we say our goodbyes etc, and head back.

While on the way back to county, we came across an rti. Being in a big white ambulance we are somewhat implied to stop and see if all is ok. I was again asleep in the back, so got woken up by my paramedic friend shouting at me to wake up, and by my other friend flipping the lights in the back on and off to rouse me. No one was hurt but the accident was on a corner and had blocked off one lane of the road, so to avoid another accident two of us directed traffic. After the paramedic had made sure everyone was ok, he took over from me directing traffic and told me to sit in the ambulance and get warm. Good job really, as I could feel my throat starting to hurt again. The police showed up fairly quickly, and the tow truck a little while later, then once all was cleared they thanked us for our help and we all trundled off back to CHQ.

I personally was so tired that I fell asleep in my computer chair a while after I got back home...