Love in the form of a brownie

Today has been one heck of a day. Of course, this time of year, everything is hectic…even the good stuff. In fact, this whole week has been one giant roller coaster, and there’s been much that’s bad, but so much that has been great.  I have several things to talk about, but not enough time or room to put them down here coherently, so I’ll just blather a bit about what’s happening right this moment.

It just so happens that I have a pan of freshly frosted brownies sitting on my stove. These aren’t just any brownies either…this is my Grandma’s recipe. Grandma knew all about how to feed people, and she delighted in it. The more you ate, the better she felt. It seems that cooking was her favorite way to show her love for us, and she did it well and often. Every time I went to visit, she always had a batch of these brownies waiting for me. She passed on in 1996, and now I have her recipe box and her cook books, including the one the brownie recipe came from. I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but I have not made this recipe in years. Today I made it because I have been invited over to my best friend’s house for an early Christmas celebration. Apparently “C” is a lover of brownies, and I instantly thought of this recipe.

The smell of these baking brought back a lot of memories, and I realized that I baked this particular recipe not only because it is just an excellent and easy recipe, but because I really do love these people and I wouldn’t take the time to make this favorite of mine for them if I didn’t.

As it turns out, the recipe book this comes from is so old, and the page is so beat up from use, that it’s falling apart. So, I’ll put the recipe down here for posterity, and to guard against losing it altogether. Because this brownie recipe is like a whole bunch of love packed into each little square, I encourage you all to make this for your loved ones who love chocolate too.

Grandma’s Famous Brownies

Beat together:
1/4 lb softened margarine

1 cup sugar

4 eggs (add two at a time and beat well)

1 tsp vanilla

1 lb can of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. (That’s right…get out your can opener and pour that whole sucker right in)

Once all is beaten together add:

1 cup, plus 1 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix and pour into a 10×15 pan. Bake  for 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. While still hot, make the frosting:

Melt and stir together 6 Tbsp milk, 6 Tbsp margarine and 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Bring to a rolling boil and cook rapidly for 20 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Beat together until chips are melted and it’s ready to pour over brownies. If you still have lumps of chocolate, you can pour it through a sieve right onto the brownies. Spread it quickly as this frosting sets up fast.

Enjoy!

 

Of beer and home improvement projects

Something that I really enjoy is pizza. The best thing to have with pizza is a cold beer. Just one, and it has to be really cold.

I’m very blessed that my younger son has discovered the joy of cooking, and sometimes he makes supper.  Tonight he made calzones. They were just plain pepperoni and cheese, but they were really good. There’s extra yummy goodness in all things home-made. No lie.

So, what beer did I drink with my fabulous home-made calzone? Now, I am a huge Guinness fan. I like a beer with some backbone, and am not prone to drink light beer. I thought about getting some Guinness tonight, but chose to try something new today. I like to try new things all the time, and very often I will choose an adult beverage by the creativity of the label if I just can’t make a decision, but the name of this beer caught my eye. Tonight’s choice is Heavy Horse Scotch Ale, which is made by Big Sky Brewing Company in Missoula, MT. This is the amazing company who are the creators of Moose Drool, another good beer.

I can’t say enough good things about this beer. Not only is it not overly carbonated or hoppy, but it has a lovely smooth taste without being a light beer. Oh, it is a fabulously smooth beer. Hm!! Heavy Horse is a limited run beer, so I think I will go out and get another couple of six packs next pay-day.  Something I’d like to have in my new pantry is not only a wine cellar, but a beer cellar too.

Speaking of my new pantry. It appears that it won’t be built just yet. I still have a few boxes upstairs (left over from bringing everything up from the flood in June)  that need to be gone through and the contents to be kept will have to go in totes and returned to the basement. I have Christmas decorations still stored in my room, and they will have to go downstairs too. So, still having things that need storing in the basement, I’ll need to get those things pared down and squared away so I can get my upstairs finally squared away. Once the upstairs is back in shape, I can pay better attention to the basement. I have some before and after pictures of the organizational project I have going on down there, but I’m saving that for another post.

So, having gone on and on about the stuff I have to get done, I guess I’d better go get something done!

 

Quiet moments, and some blather

Yes…yes, I’m still alive. It’s been awhile since I posted, but I have to say I was a running fool. Seems like the whole summer has flown by. While I feel like I have nothing to show for it, I’ve actually been pretty busy. That’s ok…It’s better than sitting around, I guess.  And then, when I have time to take a breath, all the fabulous things I had found to blog about evaporate like flood water on a hot July day.  Amazingly, I was sitting in the living room alone with no sounds other than my Wood Wick candle burning, the traffic outside and the noise of Younger Son taking a shower. It was a lovely quiet moment, albeit brief. Apparently that was just enough to break my writer’s block. Strange, the things my brain will respond to.

The flood situation in Minot is no longer all about being wet, but now about recovery. Most everyone who was displaced has been allowed back into their homes, and the gutting and cleaning has commenced.  We have heard that there is a plan being proposed that will straighten out the river, and provide protection from the river for up to 30,000 cfs (cubic feet/second).   We dealt with upwards of 22,000 cfs this go around. Whatever plan they come up with, it will take a long time to put into place, but Minot will be better off for it. More on that as things progress.

Right now we are sitting in the living room watching a movie called Escanaba in da Moonlight. It’s an old family favorite that we got through Netflix. It’s one of those shows we all agree on, and can have a good laugh over.  There’s nothing like sitting around with your kids having a good laugh.

Speaking of kids, I had the last three days off so I could get them registered and set up for school, which is starting very late for us this year. The flood took several schools in town so the State has forgiven five school days, plus there will be three more tacked on to that will be made up throughout the school year. As a result, instead of starting school August 24th, school won’t start until September 6th. Older Son is a Senior this year, and so come all things associated with that: Senior pictures, applying to colleges and graduation…amongst other things.  Older Son isn’t too hip on the whole graduation tradition, and would rather skip all of the pictures and ceremony. Well, he’s just going to have to tough it out. Some traditions just need to be observed. I think he’s feeling a little overwhelmed with the end of school coming and having to make choices. I don’t envy him…it’s no easy thing to know what you want to do for the rest of your life. I still am not sure what I want to do when I grow up either, and I’m 42.

Younger Son cooked supper tonight. It was a <a href=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/t1IiUAtoNBk“>grilled,  bacon wrapped, vegetable stuffed meatloaf. OMG. That kid is going to make me fatter than I already am. He’s also going to make some nice girl a fine husband one day. He’s got that cooking thing down for someone who’s only 16 years old. This is the third time in the last month I’ve come home to find supper grilled and ready to eat. I’m truly spoiled.

My lovely kitty, Harley, got declawed this week. As lovely as he is, he’s got a taste for scratching everything but the scratching post, including box springs, the dish washer, the heat vent in the bathroom, the living room furniture, and anything Older Son owns. It’s not something I had planned on, or liked, having to do, but it was either that or he’d have to go. The good news is that he is making a remarkable recovery and is up to the usual mischief…except without so many scratch marks.

Now it’s quiet again, and all I hear is my tapping on the key board and the wooden wick of my candle crackling away. Pretty soon I’ll have to get up and put my laundry in the dryer, and hit the rack, bringing  my rare quiet moment to an end, but I’m enjoying it while it lasts.

Meet Harley, and a good hot supper for a cold day

We had quite an eventful weekend at our little house on The High Plains. My eleven faithful readers will recall that I have been looking for a gently used feline to join our family. Well, we found one…meet Harley:

Harley got his name from the rumble that comes out of his throat when he purrs, which you can hear all the way into another room if he’s feeling particularly enthusiastic. He’s still a kitten at nine months old, but has some good habits and training established. He’s got lots of personality and fit in well from the very moment we brought him home. It feels good to have a cat in the house again.

So what does Harley have to do with a good hot supper on a cold day? Absolutely nothing. I just happen to be cooking a nice hot supper and am going to post the recipe here so I don’t lose it again. I’m making a family favorite, Chili Spaghetti. I wanted to make it last night, but I lost the recipe and had to go digging through my email to find where I’d sent it to someone else.  Posting it here will allow me to find it a little easier next time it gets lost. I have a hard time holding on to recipe cards for some reason.

What we call Chili Spaghetti is more well-known as Cincinnati Style Chili. It’s not your average chili flavor given the use of cinnamon and allspice. Some recipes even call for a little bit of cocoa. It’s served poured over spaghetti noodles, and we like it served with shredded cheese. It’s a good aromatic, savory dish for a cold crappy day like , when it’s -20 and everyone has a cold. It’s fabulous left over, and I like to make large batches of it and freeze some for later use. Here’s a little bit more on the history of it from Wikipedia, and the recipe I use is posted below.  I found a recipe on-line and tweaked it a bunch until it was just right.  I’d like to thank my friend Susan for exposing me to this dish, and for keeping us stocked with the spice packets for a long time until I found my own recipe…it’s become a family favorite that we can’t do without. Enjoy!

Sparrow’s High Plains Chili Spaghetti
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 large onions, chopped (I only use one)
1 qt water
2 lbs ground beef
1 14-16 oz can tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs ground cumin
1 large bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp salt (opt)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Cooked Spaghetti, enough for six servings

Optional, chili beans (cooked in chili) and raw onion to serve with.

In a large skillet, saute the garlic and onions in hot oil or butter. Add water and heat until simmering. Add the beef raw, smashing into very fine pieces with a fork and wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and spices. Simmer for three hours, stirring periodically.

Serve with shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. Beans or raw onions are optional.

Younger Son: “I make baking manly!”

Periodically, Younger Son will bake something. Being a teen age boy he’s perpetually starving, so his interest in baking serves him well.  Today he baked chocolate chip cookies, and did so without much in the way of coaching from me. He’s getting better at it as time goes on, which I’m grateful for. Not only will he be able to bake for himself when he gets out on his own, but I get to reap the benefits of his interest in baking now.

There’s nothing like chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven…especially when someone else bakes them!

The interesting part of this story (well, to me anyway) is that as Younger Son stood around proudly eating one of his fresh cookies, he announced to me: “I make baking manly”. I just nearly fell out of my chair trying desperately not to laugh out loud. I did manage to say, “Yes, honey…you certainly do”  between bites of a hot cookie.

He watches a lot of cooking shows, most of which are hosted by men, and I’m kind of glad for that. I want both of my boys to be able to cook for themselves when they get out on their own.  Older Son is taking a class at school all about food, and loves it. I wish I could get him to cook more at home. I’m going to have to corral him in the kitchen and teach him his favorite recipes whether he likes it or not.

What I really need to do is write down all of the boys’ favorite recipes. Many of them I have stashed in the computer, or on various smudged recipe cards…or they are just recipes that are stored in my head. I really need to get those written down. Both Older and Younger made me promise to compile all of my recipes for them for when they go out on their own. The last time we talked about it was a couple of years ago, and pretty soon Older Son will be off to college. I need to get the lead out and get this project rolling.

But, for now…I think there’s a warm cookie calling my name!

Coffee, how I do love thee…

I never used to like coffee. When I was little my mom used to fix me a cup of tea with lots of milk and sugar in it. Once, I came upon a cup full of what I thought was my tea, but it was

Good morning!

someone else’s coffee with a lot of cream and sugar in it, and it was awful. I never touched the stuff again from that moment, until my middle-late twenties.  My (then) husband, myself and our two babies traveled to Michigan to visit his family, and his younger brother introduced me to the joys of flavored coffee. Since then, I’ve been irretrievably hooked. It’s all Jeff’s fault…yeah, that’s what I keep telling myself.

Anyway, fast forward to now. I love to buy my favorite fluffy coffees at Starbucks. We have local coffee shops who also sell delightful coffee concoctions. My kids have recently developed a taste for it as well. Often on Sunday mornings,  one of the boys will go with me to Starbucks and we get us all coffees, pastries and a newspaper. What a fabulous way to start a nice Sunday morning!

Fluffy coffees are expensive, though, and it’s not something we can have all the time. Since buying coffee every day is just too cost-prohibitive, we have a coffee pot. Mom had an extra one, and sent it home with me one day when I mentioned the kids liked coffee. So, it’s been interesting buying different flavors and doctoring our coffee up with flavored creamers and sugar.

Drinking coffee isn’t just about the taste, or the caffeine. There’s something about the smell that calms me down during a hectic morning. It’s also a great smell to wake up to. I love the smell of coffee right away when I get up. It’s almost aromatherapy! In the Winter, drinking coffee can be all about getting warmed up again after being outside. Sometimes drinking coffee at work is a means of grounding and centering myself if I’m having a rotten day. Most days, I only drink one cup of coffee, and am lucky to finish it.  I know it’s a bad day at work when I’m hitting my second cup of coffee before noon. Gods help the person who messes with my coffee. Reach for my coffee cup, and you may only get back a bloody stump where your conniving, thieving hand used to be, especially if it’s early in the morning.

I have a cup of coffee sitting next to me right now. I’m just waiting for it to cool before I start sipping, so I’ll just inhale the lovely aroma and get a good start on my day. (Sniiiiiff….ahhhh!)

The joys of your kids cooking supper!

I called the boys from work and asked them what they wanted to eat for the rest of the week, as I would be going grocery shopping after work. Younger Son is a grilled food junkie, and has been dying to try out some new spices we got for hamburgers, so I bought hamburger and he grilled us some good burgers tonight.

What a treat to not have to cook for a change. All I had to do was sit here, give advice about kitchen stuff when asked, and then eat it when it was done. On top of that, the burgers were pretty good for a first try. This kid’s going to make some young lady a nice husband some day.

What a beautiful day in the park…

Rental for a picnic shelter at the park for a day: $30

Chips, dips and beverages: $20

Availability of sunshine and nice breezes: Spot on!

Cost of good times with old friends, and new, on a lovely Sunday afternoon: PRICELESS!

Today, I met my friends at Oak Park, and some great new people joined in. It was a fabulous afternoon with lots of sunshine, bubble blowing, foot ball throwing, joke telling, and food eating. It’s been so long since I’ve had a nice day like that, I’d forgotten what it’s like to just get away for a while and forget about everything else. I feel so relaxed right now, I could just noodle out and go to sleep. In fact, I was so relaxed, I left completely forgetting to take my stuff with me! (thanks for grabbing my stuff for me Brea!)

Ah, but it’s back to reality time. I managed to get a little housework done before I left today, so now it’s time to get some more laundry rolling and get the rest of the housework done. Before I know it, Monday will have dawned and it’s back to the grind again. Oh, but it was a lovely time while it lasted!

Confessions of a Snack Smuggler

Today Mom and I took all of the boys to see Despicable Me.

Everyone of us liked it, and we ranged in age from 8 to 64. There’s a little something in it for everyone. I think my favorite part of the movie had to be The Minions...I’ve got to find myself a mini minion for my new desk!  You can get the gist of the story from the trailer, so I won’t go into it here, but I will say that it’s worth going to see in the theater.

Speaking of seeing movies in the theater, what the heck is up with the high-priced tickets!? It’s now $9 for an evening adult ticket, and $6.50 for a matinée ticket, all ages. When we moved here in 1998, it was only $5 a ticket and $3.50 for a matinée. Yeah, I know that was a long time ago, but gee whiz.

Not only are the tickets to get in outrageous, but the snacks and drinks are so cost prohibitive that I’ve had to take up smuggling in order to support my moving-going habit. That’s right, I said it. I’m a snack smuggler.

Last night the boys and I went shopping at Wally World in preparation for our big movie day. They have a whole section in the Candy Isle labeled “Movie Candy”. No joking, I picked up enough movie candy to feed three people at three movies for just $12. That wouldn’t completely buy snacks and drinks at the theater for three people going to one movie.  Today, before we left, I emptied out my big shoulder bag, and stuffed it full of enough snacks and drinks for the six of us. I have to admit, my bag looked like carry on luggage by the time I got it stuffed full and zipped up, but it did the job.

Should I feel guilty for not having purchased the exorbitantly priced snacks and beverages at the theater? No, I don’t think so. It’s not illegal. Until they enforce any “no outside food or drinks” rules, I’ll be packing my own. That will probably happen right after they enforce the “no on under 17 allowed without a parent or guardian” rule. Yeah, like that’s going to happen any time soon.

The garden is in, and an early Fathers Day

The weather was gorgeous today, and so we went out right away this morning to finally put the garden in. Now, most of you are probably thinking to yourself, “shouldn’t the garden have been planted a loooong time ago?” Yes, it should have, but events conspired so that it just wasn’t possible to get the garden in before now.  No biggie. It’s better than no garden at all.

Older son helped me plant, starting with the onions. Younger planted the pumpkins, watermelons and cucumbers earlier, and they made it through the recent prairie hurricane that blew through (thanks for that, Brea. It’s an apt term given all the wind and water that came our way!) . We’re not quite done, though…the herbs and flowers, and two packs of peppers still need to be planted.

Here’s a quick list of what we have so far:

• onions (Walla Walla)
• garlic (left over from some a friend gave me from their garden last year. Hopefully they will take root!)
• six kinds of  hot peppers (Jalapeno, Hungarian Yellow Wax, Anaheim, and I can’t remember exactly the other three at the moment)
• three kids of tomatoes (Amish Paste, Sweet Cherry and Manitoba)
• cucumbers
• watermelon
• pumpkins

I have more space to dig up, and I want to plant zucchini and spaghetti squash. I know it’s late in the season, but I’m hopeful that we’ll get at least a few squash by the middle of September.

Well,  we are off in a few minutes to go celebrate father’s day early with my Dad, since the kids are going with their father tomorrow. Oh…I forgot about what I got my Dad for Father’s Day…and I got some for myself too! When I was picking up the other vegetables, I ran across some Yellow Husk Ground Cherries. I have heard that they are very delicious and easy to grow.  I’m hoping that the seeds can be saved to make some more next year too! Here click HERE to read more about these interesting plants.

I’d post a picture of the garden, but the yard’s a big mess, and we’re not quite done yet. I’ll post one after we get it all done and cleaned up.

Oh well…off I go to order the pizza and get dressed for the day. It’s going to be a nice day at Mom and Dad’s with the boys.