Brownies

So..husband's gone away on business...kids are in bed..feelin kinda bored..feelin kinda hungry.. feelin kinda like BROWNIES!!!  Except I don't make them often so I don't have an old standby AMAZING recipe.  I have a can of cocoa and a box of Bakers unsweetened chocolate squares...looked up a few recipes on the net..not really impressed.  So I pulled out the box of Baker's chocolate and ALAS there is a recipe for brownies right on the box...JACKPOT! 

BAKER'S ONE BOWL BROWNIES

4 squares Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup butter

2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans (optional)

1. LIGHTLY grease a 13x9 inch baking pan.

2. MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in a large microwaveable bowl on MEDIUM 2 minutes or until melted.

3. STIR sugar into chocolate until well blended; mix in eggs and vanilla.
4. STIR in flour and nuts; spread in pan.
5. BAKE in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 30-35 minutes or until done.  DO NOT OVERBAKE.  Cool completely.  Makes 24 brownies.

(source: Box of Baker's unsweetened chocolate)

NOTE: because I am such a chocolate/peanut butter fanatic, I happened to have some chopped peanuts on hand so used those in place of the pecans  AND I iced with a peanut butter icing.

PEANUT BUTTER ICING

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

2 tbsp soft butter

1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup icing sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1.  Cream together the peanut butter, butter and vanilla.  Blend in icing sugar.  Stir in cream until you get a nice spreading consistency, using more if necessary.

(source: Rebar modern food cookbook)

TASTE TEST:  Yum...crispy on outside, moist and chewy on inside.  Peanut butter frosting was good too, except I spread it on while brownies were still warm..hence the melted icing look in the picture:)  Oh well...I never said I was a professional.

My Beautiful Boys

Reeses Chocolate Peanut Butter Birthday Cake!

(picture courtesy of http://www.amazingmoms.com/)



I am a Chocolate Peanut Butter fanatic and I just found this divine looking Chocolate Peanut Butter Birthday cake recipe on the Amazing Moms website. Check it out!
 
Reeses Chocolate Peanut Butter Birthday Cake

Springtime in My Garden

Now that spring is officially here, I am SO glad that I planted those 30 Tulip Bulbs on that balmy fall day! Sometimes I find it hard to get back out there once Summer has come to a close and all my gardening tools have been put away.  They have not quite opened but are all the way up and loaded with buds...I can't wait!!  My Woodland Garden bed is coming along nicely, with Bleeding hearts, Lilies and Irises making their appearance first.  My 10+ rose bushes are in bud as well as my Clematis and Honeysuckle vines. 

As I drive through the city I am noticing a beautiful Spring shrub currently in full bloom...Forsythia.  It is the very first Spring shrub to bloom and is currently holding centre stage with its profuse yellow blossoms.  I am going to add this shrub to my "must-haves" this year and keep an eye out for it once shrubs go on sale, usually at the end of July in my city. 

Read up on this Springtime Beauty on the Canadian Gardening website!

Forsythias: One of the first signs of spring

Potager plots - Fruit & Vegetable Gardening - Gardens - Canadian Gardening

What I'm going to try to create in my backyard this spring/summer. Very excited! I love the idea of having a vegetable garden but LOVE flowers and shrubs and didn't want to dedicate so much space to just veggies. This seems like the PERFECT solution!

Potager plots - Fruit & Vegetable Gardening - Gardens - Canadian Gardening