Thoughts: Humans of New York

Seeing as I'd like this blog to be a general insight into my life I thought it might be nice if every so often I share one thing I'm particularly enjoying, or simply just interested in, in the hopes that perhaps somebody who happens to read my little corner of the internet might not know about it and also enjoys it.

Today I want to tell you about the blog, and now best-selling book, 'Humans of New York'. The premise is simple; a photographer, Brandon Stanton, roams the streets of New York and takes photos of people, then posts them along with a snippet of conversation he's had with each person. I think the simplicity of this project is where the beauty of it lies; everyone can be guilty of forgetting that the people we walk past in the street or the person sat opposite us on the train actually has their own life with their own personal story. Humans of New York breaks down the barriers and reminds you of that. It has made me laugh, smile, even shed a tear at times and I would consider it to be one of my favourite things on the internet (apart from maybe this video of a piglet going down some stairs..I'm a complex person). The blog has inspired various 'spin-offs' in other cities all over the world; if I had a decent enough camera I'd be tempted to give it a try around my university, but for now at least it has made me wonder what could be going on in the person I happen to hold a door open for's life.

I hope if you've never seen Humans of New York that you take a look and enjoy it as much as I do!

Raspberry & white chocolate cheesecake brownies

I love baking; something about it just relaxes me and I love making things for other people to enjoy. I got the recipe for these brownies from a Sainsburys Magazine last summer. They taste amazing and are actually pretty easy to make, so I thought I'd share the recipe here.

Ingredients:  The brownie mixture

·         100g dark chocolate

·         100g soft butter

·         200g light muscovado sugar

·         2 large eggs, lightly beaten

·         100g plain flour

·         100g white chocolate, roughly chopped

·         150g raspberries

                       The cheesecake mixture

·         1 large egg

·         200g cream cheese (use full fat)

·         50g granulated sugar

·         1 tbsp plain flour

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c/gas mark 4. Grease an 18 cm square cake tin and then line it with baking paper; if you don’t have one this size don’t worry, just a similar one.

2. Put the dark chocolate in a bowl over simmering water to gently melt it.

3. Beat the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs a little at a time, continuing mixing. Add the flour, the melted dark chocolate and a little pinch of salt, then mix to combine.

4. Fold in the chopped white chocolate and most of the raspberries; leave a few to sprinkle on top.

5. In another bowl, whisk together all the cheesecake ingredients.

6. Pour half the brownie mixture into the prepared tin and spread it out evenly. Then add half the cheesecake mixture on top in blobs; gently swirl the two together using a wooden skewer. Pour the remaining brownie mixture on top, then swirl the rest of the cheesecake mixture on top so it looks all pretty.

7. Bake the brownies for 50 minutes. I’d recommend turning them round half way through. When they come out a skewer in the middle should still be a bit gooey but not too much.

8. Leave to cool in the tin. Sprinkle the other raspberries on top then cut into squares.

Enjoy! Just try not to eat them all in 24 hours like I might have done...