Saturday, February 12, 2011

Top 10 Valentine’s Day Desserts for Chocolate Lovers

What's a romantic holiday without some gooey rich chocolate? These 10 decadent dishes will satisfy any sweet tooth.

Plus: Cook one of these delicious dinners for your honey, or send a virtual love message with our new App!
1. Chocolate Peanut Cheesecake

Ready in a mere 22 minutes, this pressure-cooked cheesecake is a decadent treat made rich with peanut butter, bittersweet chocolate, and cream. Making this smooth-as-silk cheesecake topped with toasted peanuts and crunchy crumbled chocolate wafer cookies is easier than pie.Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Cheesecake





2. Cocoa-Gingerbread Brownies







With a few standard baking ingredients — flour, salt, semisweet chocolate morsels, baking soda, butter, and sugar — these luscious Cocoa-Gingerbread Brownies are whipped up and ready for dessert in no time. The fresh and powdered ginger add spicy but soothing warmth, while the rich chocolate satisfies the sweet tooth.



Recipe: Cocoa-Gingerbread Brownies





 3. Chocolate-Caramel Bread Pudding



Melted caramel coats this chocolate-chip challah-bread pudding, served warm.





Recipe: Chocolate-Caramel Bread Pudding










  
 4. "Hot" Chocolate Cake




This decadent cake pairs rich cocoa and bittersweet chocolate with a hint of spicy cayenne pepper — a warming choice for a winter snack.
 





Recipe: "Hot" Chocolate Cake
More Chocolate Cake Ideas
5. Chocolate Caramel Cream Pie






The cookie crust for this luscious cake only takes 10 minutes in the oven and the filling is no-bake. Use store-bought caramel sauce to save even more time.

 







Recipe: Chocolate Caramel Cream Pie

Comic


Friday, February 11, 2011

Photoshop













Drama In Nature

Bay Bridge, San Francisco

Los Angeles Wildfires

Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro

Autumn Landscape

Terraced Rice Field, China

Coastline, The Snares

Emperor Penguin Chicks, Antarctica

Best Bold Makeup and Fragrance

Lone Star
Y’all Come Back Ya Hear? is the standout sunset-orange shade from OPI’s new Texas-inspired collection.
Green Envy
Nars Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Celebrate, a sour-apple green, lights up lids with a hint of neon.
Primary Colors
Lancôme Color Design Eye Shadows are ideal for high-pigment color-blocking. Pair electric blues All Made Up (above left) and Little Blue Dress (above right) with saffron Center Stage (below).
Firewater
Beyoncé’s Heat Rush Eau de Toilette ignites notes of Brazilian cherry, mango, and orchid.
Diamond Cut
Treasure the modern floral-pomegranate Versace Bright Crystal eau de toilette, now in a limited edition royal blue and pink ombré bottle.

Top Shops

 Kerut
ELLE’s Top Shop: Kerut, La Jolla, CA, 858-456-0800
What’s there: Timo Weiland draped lamé tanks, Earnest Sewn high-rise skinny jeans, and Circa Sixty Three bubble Bakelite cocktail rings
Projected wait-list items: Kara Ross’s spiderweb necklace, Rag & Bone’s cotton dinner jacket, Kimberly Ovitz’s diagonally buttoned Jennings shirt, and Geisha de Guadalupe’s yacht bag made of shellacked wood and buttery leather
Vibe: Complete with an ocean view and fully stocked bar, this beachy-cool refuge in the heart of La Jolla mixes distressed-wood floors and reclaimed “driftwood” shelves with midcentury Palm Springs influences.
Playlist: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jamie Johnston, Barrington Levy, and the Dirty Heads
The Violet Hour
ELLE’s Top Shop: The Violet Hour, San Antonio, 210-829-0388
What’s there: Black Halo cocktail dresses, Rachel Pally skirts, Loeffler Randall tops, Missoni scarves, and jewelry from Thea Grant and Erin Wasson’s LowLuv
Projected wait-list items: Nuj Novakhett’s emerald green miniskirt, Rebecca Minkoff’s lace boyfriend blazer, and Iosselliani’s Navajo-inspired necklaces
Vibe: Deep-purple walls, antique furniture, and a grand chandelier all contribute to this shop’s vintage elegance
Playlist: 1940s French cabaret, Steely Dan, Nina Simone, Neko Case, and My Morning Jacket
Loren
ELLE’s Top Shop: Loren, Brooklyn, NY; 347-529-5771
What’s there: Denim, denim, denim! Lips Jeans retro-inspired trousers; footwear collaborations with Keller and Heutchy; vintage button-downs handpicked by owner Loren Cronk on monthly Los Angeles buying trips
Projected wait-list items: House label Soldier and Brave’s high-waisted cropped jeans in supersoft stretch denim, BLKSMTH’s selvedge denim, vintage Guess pegged styles, and handmade unisex skinny belts
Vibe: Clean and crisp with an industrial feel (Cronk, a vet of Levi’s and Ralph Lauren, works on the house line in an open studio in the middle of the store)
Playlist: Santigold, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Bat for Lashes, Arcade Fire, AC/DC, and the Rolling Stones


Broken English
ELLE’s Top Shop: Broken English, Santa Monica, CA,
310-458-2724
What’s there: Anita Ko pyramid stud earrings, Andrea Lieberman tribal bangles, Erin Wasson LowLuv cuffs, and Pamela Froman headlight hoop earrings
Projected wait-list items: Nomade Exquis vintage jewelry, C. Greene double ball cuff, Mimi Jakobson signet ring, Nina Runsdorf slice earrings
Vibe: Seasonal installations within the shop’s display cases allow for the minimally decorated space to change every few months—from a terrarium covered in moss and butterflies to a neon landscape inspired by a John Baldessari exhibition in L.A.
Playlist: Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Serge Gainsbourg, Marianne Faithfull, Karen O., A. A. Bondy, and John Coltrane.

Black Eyes Peas..THE TIME DIRTY BIT