Brownie Time!

I went from having absolutely nothing to blog about, to absolutely everything to blog about. What a delightful state to be in!  And my blogs are going to be in a weird order, just by token of how I get images to load. 

In my "Winter morning..." post, I mentioned my friend Shelly, who thought our sheltered life was interesting, bless her heart!  I've been wanting to write more about her for months, but didn't want to embarrass her by going on and on.....

Well, now I'm ready to embarrass her, and I'm going to go on and on. (That's really the only way I write, anyway, as you well know.) Incidently, Shelly was the one who sent me the tiara that I wear when I load the dishwasher. 

Shelly and her husband Don came to visit us in October, when they brought Twilla B. from Missouri.  We loved them immediately, and made them stay a couple extra nights....and to ensure that they wouldn't leave in the middle of the night, Maggie stayed in their camper with them.  Don and Wayland went bird hunting and hiking, and Shelly gracefully endured the kids and I, and our overwhelming urge to bond with any person who lights on our doorstep.  We had a lot to talk about, because Don and Shelly were expecting their first baby in February (no, hasn't been born yet) and I had a lot of cautionary tales. 

I'm certainly not going to do Shelly justice in trying to describe her here, but I'll try to give you an idea of what a beautiful person she is, inside and out.  She's very genuine, gracious and tender, and funny, but it's the dry, smart funny that tickles me so.  Shelly loves homey, warm touches because she is that way herself.  I love her quiet appreciation of beauty, and her inquisitive mind that looks beyond the surface.  She thinks of others continuously, and thinks the best of them which is a trait I wish I had more of.  And she's gloriously creative and artistic. (Here's where she's goiing to start getting embarrassed....but because she's in Missouri and 9 months pregnant, I feel pretty secure that she's not going to be able to do anything about it....)

Shelly is an artist by trade. (Is that the right way to say it?)

Among many, many other projects, she has illustrated four (soon to be five) really wonderful cookbooks.  She and her friend Roxie put them together and they are stunning in their usefulness, beauty and charm. I sit and look at them like picture books, but the recipes are practical and fun, as you will see later in this post.

She's also in a bluegrass band, Lonesome Road, and sent us one of their albums for Valentine's day, along with the "Just a Matter of Thyme" cookbook, and bags of treasures for the kids. (Maggie and Angus were over the moon with suckers, GUM that is generally prohibited but allowed occasionally and other treasures. I hid some of the gum and suckers, because their little eyes were glazing over. But that's another post.)

We set out, yesterday, to try out the cookbook. Angus and Maggie decided on Jan's Brownies, and we put Roll With the Changes on to cook by.  (We've nearly worn it out already.  I'm endorsing this not because Shelly is a friend, but because we really, really, really love it. Really.  Go to www.lrband.com/listen.htm   and see for yourself!)

Here's an example from one of the cookbooks. Isn't it LOVELY? The whole cookbook is illustrated in that manner!

You can see how I just sit and drool over it, and not just because of the recipes....

So Angus and I mixed up the brownies from Just a Matter of Thyme.  I hope she doesn't mind me listing the recipe here....it's JUST LIKE a box mix in consistency, only tastes better because it's homemade.

Jan's Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9 x 13 pan.

Mix together: 1 cup melted butter and 2 cups of sugar until light.

Add: 4 eggs and 2 tsp vanilla and mix well.

Add and mix well: 2/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon each baking powder and salt.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake 25-ish minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

*Angus wasn't wearing clothes, but he had been sanitized prior to helping.  I encourage anyone else who makes the recipe to at least wear an apron.

Maggie was drawing, very busily, and consented to licking off the spatula.  But first, she had to put the details on the picture.

Angus only helps bake, because he gets to help with the clean-up.

He's really enthusiastic about this responsibility...

Maggie finally realized what all the slurping and groans of happiness were about!

I don't want to hear any lectures about salmonella and other ucky dread diseases...

We lived through it, as kids, and I'm pretty sure my kids are just as tough.

Tougher, truth be told....

Besides, the majority of the raw dough ends up on the skin, not in the tummy.

(I always get chocolate on my nose, too!)

THANKS SHELLY!!!

I'd take a picture of the brownies, but they have been worked over pretty good and are no longer as picturesque as they were when they first came out of the oven. 

(They are exceptionally good with coffee, in the dark of the early morning, when you're trying to read your Bible quietly.)

If you want a copy of the cookbooks, you can find them on most booksellers websites.  Look for Shelly Reeves Smith and Roxie Kelly. 

* We're anxiously awaiting the word this week and next on the Smith baby's arrival! Stay tuned for updates.

** The kids will be dressed in the next post. I promise.