Showing posts with label brownies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brownies. Show all posts

Friday, October 12, 2012

Happy International Frustrating Scream Day

Seriously. Could this day be better named?     

As it is, my dryer decided a few days ago that it wanted to not just make socks disappear but chews up any clothes it can grab hold of. Then it plays tug-of-war with the clothes when we try to take them back.  Matthew ordered the parts while we reverted back to using the clothes line until he fixes it.

Let's move on to this morning, shall we?

I wake my kids at 6am for the bus.  I'm no dummy, though, and I always crawl back under the blankets where it's warm.  

William came into my room this morning and told me his teacher wants the paper signed that she sent home the other day. I told him I signed a bunch of papers but he insisted it was something different.  Unfortunately, he didn't know where the paper went since it wasn't in the notebook I pass back and forth with his teacher.

Then the kids were beginning to head out for their 6:35 bus pick-up when Andrew told me he was signed up to bring brownies to a party first period (at 8:13!!!).  

So much for going back to sleep after they left.  

I got to school at 7:58 and dropped the still-hot brownies off at the front desk.  Yeah!  I made it!  Now I can relax. Okay, do housework, close enough since I find that relaxing.  Working on the computer was interesting since my cordless mouse has a mind of it's own and I was blocked by FB from liking any pages for two days for "abusing the privilege" of liking by clicking "like" on too many pages. 

While I was pottying the dogs, the Pomeranian sneezed and I was lamenting - in baby talk - about her sneezing while I hooked her out. As I was talking, I looked up and saw the Fed Ex truck in the driveway with the door open and the driver looking at me.  The excitement of the dryer parts arriving ALMOST over-shadowed my embarrassment. 

I had to pick Amanda up from practice after school.  Normally she would ride the late bus but today's practice was just for the stunt cheerleaders and was to last exactly 24 minutes.  She was insistent I pick her up and that I was to be at school at 3:30.

It's a 12 mile drive so I made sure I rolled into the bus entrance to the school by 3:28. 

Sidenote:
We train our children well, don't we? Most people going into the school parking lot use an entrance marked on both sides "Do Not Enter" "Buses only".  That only counts if you know buses will be there, after all.

Back to my day:
I have always carried a book in my purse since the traffic jams at the I-10/410 interchange in San Antonio kept me in my car for hours. So, I pulled my book out (not the same book as in San Antonio) and started reading it. Every so often I would look around.  I began realizing there were only football players in the field and no cheerleaders were coming out of the building.  

To the phone: I waited until the bus would be at the house before calling home - no answer.  I called Andrew's cell.  Apparently he hadn't made it to my room (where it's kept during school), so - no answer.  I tried Matthew's cell - no answer there either. Back to trying the landline where, surprise, Matthew answered and told me Amanda was home.

Back home and Amanda was all happy because she had learned hair cutting in Cosmetology at BOCES this week. Andrew volunteered to be her first guinea pig.  I swear, he looks like Rhianna now!!!

The Wooly Bear that I found on my front deck when I released the spider had a narrow brown band and really large black ends - which means a long, cold winter.

And the Greyhound has gas...

I'd hide under my blankets if I didn't have to make chili for the football game tomorrow and see what I can do to fix Andrew's hair. 



Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Sweet and Salty Brownies {Love in a Jar}




I love gifts in a jar, so simple and easy for the recipient to just dump the contents into a bowl and make.  This isn't one of those.  These Brownies In a Jar are cooked in the jar and served ready-to-eat.  A great gift idea for Valentine's Day - or for any reason, really. I found this over at Angela's Adventures and can't wait to make them!

1 Box German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Cup Finely Chopped Pecans
1/3 Cup Evaporated Milk + 1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
1/2 Cup Butter, Melted
40 Whole Caramels, unwrapped
1 Sleeve Ritz Crackers
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
Sea Salt for sprinkling

In a medium sized bowl, stir together the cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk and melted butter.  The mixture will be very thick.
 
Wash and dry any size jars that you'd like to use.  7 medium sized jars work great.
 
Grease the jars and then drop a large spoonful of dough into each jar.
 
Use your fingers to press the dough down into the jars. 

 
Bake the jars in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes (they will not be done but they will bake longer in just a few more steps). 


While they are baking, melt 40 ('ish) caramels with 1/2 cup evaporated milk, in a glass bowl in the microwave. Crush up 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers. 

After you pull the jars out of the oven, sprinkle the Ritz crackers over the top of the brownie mixture. 


Next, drizzle the melted caramels over the top. 


 Lastly, sprinkle on 1 cup of chocolate chips. 
 
Bake for another 15 minutes and then remove from the oven to cool.  Sprinkle a touch of Sea Salt over each brownie and allow them to cool thoroughly before putting the lid on.  


Decorate your lid with a pretty ribbon and maybe attach a  sweet note. 


Give as a gift or grab a spoon and enjoy!