Favorite Brownie Recipe

When I was younger, I didn't know that you could make brownies from scratch.  My mom always made them from a box because it is faster and easier.  When Rob first introduced me to brownies from scratch, I wasn't too excited about the long process; boxes were just easier.  I really hate melting chocolate because even with a double-boiler, I can get impatient and burn it.

My life was forever changed with my good friend Mary introduced me to her brownies.  They have a wonderful crust on top, are very chocolatey, and gooey.  The best part is they do not involve melting chocolate!  I made them last week for my boss' birthday.  He loves peanut butter and chocolate, so I added a layer of Reese's.  Here was the finished product:

Hello, lover...

Mary Winter Brownies:

What you need:

3/4 cup room temperature butter (I use unsalted)

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa (I use Hershey's unsweetened)

1/2 bag chocolate chips (dark chocolate is best)

How you make them:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, mix the salt, baking powder, flour and cocoa together.

3. In a different, bigger bowl, cream the butter and sugar together.

4. To this, add the vanilla and eggs, mix well.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients .  I usually do this in 3 parts so I don't make a huge mess.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Pour batter into a greased 9x9 pan.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Double batch bakes for 45-50 minutes)

Variations:  These brownies are really yummy with Heath bar, either on top or mixed in.  In the picture above, I made a double batch without the chocolate chips, put in half the batter, placed 25ish Reese's on top, then poured the rest of the batter on top.  A double batch bakes for 45-50 minutes.  Mine got a little too done on the bottom (in a Pyrex) because I didn't want them to be too gooey, but next time I will take them out a little sooner.

Enjoy :)

Weekend Craft: Magnetic Memo Boards

I hate white walls.  I feel like I'm in a hospital when I'm surrounded by sterile white.  Some people might think the amount of things on my walls is overkill, but I just like to cover them.  It's easier than painting since I will probably move when my lease is up, plus, I hate painting.  I'm messy and I tend to bump into the wall.  Butt prints aren't a good texture.  I digress...

Are any of you avid Instagram users?  I love Instagram.  It makes me feel like I'm a real photographer because of all the cool filters.  The one thing I didn't like about it was that it crops all your photos to a square, which made them hard to print-until now.  There is an app called PostalPix (for iPhone) that prints adorable 4x4's of my beloved Instagram photos.  When I discovered this awesome app, I printed about 30 of my favorites to see how they looked.  I got the prints a couple weeks ago and they are awesome!  Ever since, I have been itching to do something with them, which brings me to the weekend project.


I knew I didn't want a cork board and white boards were expensive and kind of boring, so I decided on something else magnetic.  After I found out the cute ones on Etsy were around $100, I decided to make something myself.  I found my inspiration from Better Homes and Garden (see it here).  I went to Walmart (yes, I hate that place, but I knew they would have a cheap option) and found this:

That's right, my magnetic memo board only cost $0.97!  I liked the suggestion of covering the middle in scrapbook paper, so I went to Michael's and found a simple design.  I used the sticky stuff that was already on the cookie sheet (from the above paper) to adhere the scrapbook paper.  You could use tape, too, but I just went with what was in front of me.  Since there wasn't a hole in the pan to hang it from, I used the 3M Command strips with the velcro.  Lastly, I arranged the photos and used some small magnets I picked up at the craft store.  The finished product:

I didn't intend on making one colorful and the other more B&W, but that is what happened. I'm excited to keep updating  the boards as I take and print more photos.  The best part is how inexpensive and simple they were!


Enjoy!

25 was a great year!

I'm pretty sure the only people that read this are people who actually know me, so I feel safe assuming that y'all know my birthday was this past week.  I was thinking back on what a crazy/wonderful year 25 was...here are some of the highlights:


1. I graduated with my Masters.  Like, I officially graduated.  I walked across the stage, got my fake diploma, finished my last 2 papers, and got a letter that says I will be getting my diploma sometime around March.

2.  I decided to kick the carb crutch, started Atkins, and lost 40 pounds.

Michelle and I last January (2011)

Michelle and I this January (2012)

2.  Our posse (yep, I said posse) expanded by a pod this year.  We spent many a Monday during the last year at Morts, enjoying half-priced martinis, Wednesdays at Trivia night, and had 1 or 2 ridiculous weekend shindigs.  I miss my friends daily and I can't wait for my next trip to the Sunflower state to see them.

The Tropic of Cancer team for Crawl for Cancer (aka Pod)

3.  I traveled the world.  Literally.  I visited Alyssa in Seattle in February, Di in Madrid in March, Carrie in Chicago in May, Evan in DC in July, the Iowa State Fair in August, Elise in LA in September, not to mention all the random trips to KC.  In November, Carrie and her family were sweet enough to have me over for Thanksgiving since I couldn't go home.  

Alyssa and I were excited for the Harry Potter exhibit.  Obvi.

Di and I in Toledo, Spain

The kids at the White House.

Elise, Minnie, and I, ya know, chillin' at Disney Land.

Iowa State Fair!

4. In October, I accepted a new position and moved to Indianapolis.  I have already been on a couple work-related trips and made friends!  I am loving my new city and can't wait to keep exploring.

Allison and I cheering on the Celtics at the Pacers game.  

This past year was beyond amazing.  I don't know that there is an adjective strong enough to describe how fantastic it was...I can't wait to see what 26 has waiting for me! 


P.S: If anyone wants to visit me, I have an extra bedroom...