easy peasy cheesey-cake brownies

long weekend style cream cheese brownie recipe

preheat oven to 350 degrees F, (175 degrees C)

part one, the cream cheese mixture:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 package of 8oz soft cream cheese, softened or room temp
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg


part two, the creamy dreamy oh-so-chocolatey brownie part:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup flour

for part one: melt butter in saucepan over low heat or in mircowave. pour into bowl and add softened, room temperature cream cream, and sugar then stir together until smooth. add chocolate chips and set aside.

then, move on to part two:

fill pan halfway with water and bring to a boil on stovetop. turn off burner and remove pan from heat. place smaller size glass bowl in pan of just boiled water. add chocolate chips and stir as chips will start to melt from the heat of the boiled water. stir until all chocolate chips are melted and mixture is smooth. add stick of butter and let melt, mixing together with melted chocolate chips. remove from pan of boiled water. add sugar, egg, flour and baking powder - stirring everything together until creamy and smooth.

butter up or spray coat a 9"x 13" glass baking dish. pour in half of the chocolate mixture from part two and spread evenly to coat bottom of dish. pour the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate one, using a spoon to flatten the cream cheese mixture. add the remaining chocolate mixure on top then using a butter knife, draw it through all layers in a zigzag or S formation to create that marbelized look that will mix all 3 layers together.

bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. cool. cut into pieces. place brownie morsel in mouth, chew, and let the chocolate haze take over. eyes will roll to back of head at the sheer creamy chocolate goodness that is the cream cheese brownie. be amazed at your baking goddess prowess. repeat. often and with friends.

i need you to be addicted to me . . .

everyone's in the office today and we are all chillaxin to the max to this mellow groove from japanese music wunderkind dj krush, final home featuring the vocally ethereal esthero. a blast from the past, this originally was released in 1999 as 2 separate versions: one without vocals and one with.

the track, melodic and dreamy, as esthero's vocals seamlessly weave their way right into dj krush's mix, you feel as if you are snaking your through thick, heavy fog on a moonlit night. a dream within a dream.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7B9TFvCsbA&feature=related

"i could give you

the most delicious kisses on your face

you see

i need you to be

addicted to me

i am calm now . . .

i am safe now . . . in my final home"

from the kakusei CD, dj krush, final home

know thy enemy

in this particular case, it'd be zombies.

from the pen of max brooks, who wrote "the zombie survival guide: complete protection from the living dead", comes the (thankfully) fictional "world war z" .

"world war z" is a theoretical oral history of our world, which has been hit by a worldwide zombie epidemic at some undisclosed but recent time.

"world war z" is a series of interviews with individuals who have faced down zombies in one way or another - world leaders, a mother of 2, a scientist, a child, military forces, doctors, even canines -through their owners, of course - tell their tales of the ever growing zombie horror in their own (often frightening. at least to those of us who aren't especially fond of zombies) words.

writer max brooks cleverly weaves real past and present world events with a completely fictional apocalypse, a la war of the worlds, "world war z" is a compelling read from cover to cover - exposing the mistakes made by governments trying to deal with an invader that never tires, does not need food, water or rest, the weaknesses of zombies, and the strength of all the survivors who come together to battle the hundreds of millions of undead on land and sea.

this one will keep you up nights but at least when the dreaded zombie plague scorches the entire earth, you'll be prepared.

dry shampoo update

LWS happened upon yet another brand of dry shampoo called batiste recently and a few staffers have tried it and reported back their findings.

before moving onto the reviews - just a little back info on batiste: it's a pressurized aerosol dry shampoo in a can (much like hairspray) manufactured in the UK. the batiste packaging looks vaguely south pacific-ish with it's shades of teal, yellow and green - very tropical as perhaps it invokes a carefree vibe even though hair is wearing a washing from days gone by. shake can vigorously, spray evenly over day old hair, let set for a minute then brush thoroughly, preferably with a boar bristle brush and enjoy you some fresher hair.

on the upside, LWS operatives reported the following:

"batiste has a nice fresh scent - not cloying or perfume-y"

"really really easy to use. does not smell toxic or surround you in a toxic cloud despite warnings on the side of the can that the product is extremely flammable - just stay away from matches and fires when spraying i guess"

"ok, it sprays on white, so uh-oh, i feared the george washington powdered wig look but a few quick swipes with a brush (boar bristle of course) took care of that problem and voila! my days old bedhead looks AND feels like washed hair"

so there you have it folks, another dry shampoo to add to your hair arsenal.

batiste, available online through various websites, like www.drugstore.com as well as local drug stores in your immediate area, ranging in price from $5.99 to $7.99 for a 5.05 fluid ounce aerosol can.

in your back pocket

or your eensy pocketbook to be exact.

stila cosmetics has created these supa dupa cute mini make-up collections called "travel palettes". each palette consists of 4 lovely coordinated powdered eye shadows and a pan of their very-liked, oh-so-spectacular and much-ado-about-something convertible color that can be used on both lips AND cheeks - all housed in a cute cartooned hardcover "wallet" or palette. all this for, drumroll please . . . . only $10.

so far, only 2 collections have hit - road to radiance (mauves and pinks) and pretty in paris (pinks paired with brown) with 3 more palettes rolling out before year's end. palettes come armed with a mirror and will fit in the teeny tiniest of bags.

and with a $10 price tag, who says you just can't get all 5 collections and rotate?

the price is right indeed.

available online through stila's site - http://www.stilacosmetics.com/category.asp?category_id=162 plus do check out their current warehouse sale encompassing all sorts of goodies at never-before-seen-prices!

take the L train . . .

hello again!

long weekend style has crafted yet another music mix on our favorite online free streaming music site, www.8tracks.com - this time capturing the essence, spirit and big dreams that is new york city right down to the rain, steamy streets and 24/7 energy.

be inspired.

we hope you like it.

find it here: http://8tracks.com/longweekendstyle/longweekendstyle-take-the-train-to-new-york

hayden hartnett

hey there longweekendstylers - check this supa dupa cute zip top leather carryall from designers hayden harnett.

known affectionately as HH, their studio located in new york turns out some of the best made leather items, from handbags, to travel totes, clutches and wrist cuffs.

if it's one item that continues to get used over and over again, it will be your hayden harnett carryall. depending on the season, this cute little leather carryall is offered in colors that reflect the season's trends. lined in their signature HH acetate lining, the carryall approximately 8"L x 2 1/2" H x 3 1/4" D, it's a great size for purse, gym bag, office drawer and retails for $78 but LWS has noticed that the carryall price undergoes a severe slashing right after major holidays and as new seasons and thus newer colors, emerge throughout the year, you might be able to score one of these little beauties on the cheap. and in these fiscally frustrating times, everyone needs a little something cute and cheap.

the hayden harnett carryall is so absolutely adorable and perfect for holding all your makeup essentials then doubling as an evening clutch. or a very stylish pencil case. you must get one. today. if at all possible.

check out their site for more delicious leather goodies: http://www.haydenharnett.com - plus there also seems to always be something yummy on sale!

the glass castle

ok, so just about everybody thinks their parents are unhip or just downright weird. jeannette walls, on the other hand had parents waaaaaaaaaaay beyond the unconventional; jeannette, along with her 2 sisters, brother and her parents were often on the lam, escaping the evil clutches of the FBI and CIA. or at least that's what jeannette's father rex walls believed. never staying in any one place longer than a few weeks, the walls family often vanished into thin air in the middle of the night, leaving unpaid bills, pets and various belongings in their wake. setting up house in little ramshackle desert mining towns with names like superstition mountain, needles, bouse or goffs
scattered throughout the valleys of california,
arizona and nevada.

jeannette artfully, in amazing detail, reconstructs her unusual family treks across the country in "the glass castle". she deftly recalls the emptiness, hunger and hardships she and her siblings endured throughout their collective childhoods along with absolute jaw dropping stories about everyday family life. her story is absolutely enthralling and unbelieveable - especially when her parents, going through empty nest syndrome, decide to live on the streets of new york as jeannette tries to piece together a normal, everyday existence.

"the glass castle" by jeannette walls is available online at www.amazon.com.

neutrogena pink grapefruit

so summer got the memo and is finally in full swing after a month of gray may and june gloom.

and with this summer liberation comes the eventful shedding of those traditional winter layers. which means that you're probably going to be slinking around in halter tops, boy beater tanks and sarongs. this, of course, only after you have dutifully exfoliated to the max and obliterated all signs of the dreaded bacne (acne + your back = bacne).

bacne + summer skin, is not good. that is unless you are armed with one of those awesome japanese body scrub loofah towels long weekend style blooged about in april AND a bottle of neutrogena oil free acne wash and body clear body wash, now available in delicious pink grapefruit - just in time for sum-sum-summertime.

available in strengths for both the body and face, neutrogena oil free acne wash and body clear body wash both contain salicylic acid, mortal enemy to the acne bacteria. both products banish bacteria to siberia without so much as a blink. which means smooth, spot-free skin, ready to be kissed by the sun.

here comes the sun indeed.