Random Schmandom

I would like to do better than a stream of consciousness post - but I don't think I have it in me.

Lent
For starters - a picture of our Fat (Shrove) Tuesday Supper.  Yer gonna think we eat pancakes a lot.  Maybe we do and maybe we DO!

This was Nate's plate - cause why not make a happy face?

This is my first year in recent memory where I am actually observing Lent .  My "sacrifice" is to go without internet from 8 am - 8 pm every day.  I love, love, love, getting messages and communicating through email, my blog, and facebook, so needless to say, I have had many opportunities to remember and be thankful for Christ's sacrifice throughout today.

And Now For Something Completely Different

My dear friend Katherine (who I think, also has conversations with food) gave this recipe to me a year or so ago, and I think I have made it at least a dozen times since.  I don't know what her official title for the recipe is - I gave it the incredibly original name of  "Last Minute Brownies" -cause they can be in the oven before your unexpected company has their jackets hung on your banister.

They are good.  And by good, I mean evil.  There isn't an ounce of goodness in them, except they are so very, very good.  They are fudgy, and sweet and not one bit healthy.  They take less than 10 minutes to put together (I did in in seven yesterday) take about 20 ish minutes to bake and then you will hate yourself for the rest of the day as you go back over and over again until the pan is empty...Interested?  I thought so.


Last Minute Brownies

Oven Temp:  350 ° F
Pan:  9 x 13
Yield:  never enough, or about 15 dessert sized portions (or 8, if you are serving me)
Prep time:  > 10 min.
Bake Time:  15 – 20 minutes
3 square unsweetened chocolate OR  1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips OR ½ cup plus 2 tsp. Cocoa powder plus 3 Tbsp unsalted butter	¾ cup unsalted butter   (if you only have salted butter, go ahead and use it, but omit the salt below)
1 ½ c white sugar	3 eggs
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Flour	3/8 tsp. Baking powder
3/8 tsp. salt	¾ cup additional chocolate chips

·         Melt butter and chocolate (or chips or cocoa plus extra butter) over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. 

·         Remove from heat and set aside.

·         In a separate bowl, combine sugar, salt, baking powder and flour. 

·         Add to chocolate mixture and stir until well combined.

·         Add the eggs – one at a time – until blended.

·         Pour into pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray

·         Sprinkle with ¾ cup chocolate chips

·         Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.  Basically I bake them until the outside couple of inches look well set and the top is starting to crack.  Please, please do not over bake these.  In fact, risk salmonella and under-bake them if you have to.  It’s just better that way.

·         Let them cool for at least 15 minutes if you can stand to wait that long.  You really want to do this to let the centre set.

·         Slice and serve, baby.  With ice cream, or chocolate sauce, both or just  as they are.  Yummm-o.

Blink and You'll Miss it.

We had a bit of this - I believe it's called sunshine -for at least, oh,  10 minutes the other day.  Thing 4 and Thing 5 took full advantage of the glorious sun.  Can't wait for spring!

And, I think it's worth mentioning that yesterday was the bi-annual - ALL the housework and laundry got done and put away all on the same day, DAY.  Mind you, I didn't do it alone. (Thanks Rachel!) but it felt SO good when it was done. Even if it only lasted for 20 minutes before someone's milk spilt and there were dirty clothes and muddy bootprints from a wet and rainy playtime outside.  It was totally worth it.

Does This Make Me Look Fat?
So what do you think of the larger pics?  Too big?  Perferino?  Fantastico? Anything else?

Make the most of this week - the grand and glorious is just waiting to happen!