Brownies!

Need Chocolate? Want something quick and easy. Here are 22 ways to dress up a brownie mix. I gleaned these ideas from the Sonlighter's Club forum several years ago and put all the ideas and comments into one document. Easy to find if you have a chocolate emergency.


How to Dress Up a boxed Brownie Mix
To one brownie mix--add:

1 Peppermint Prepare as usual - but put half in pan, line it all with unwrapped peppermint patties, then cover with remaining mix - bake as usual. (May bake batter the regular way, then cover with Andes mints when you take it out and when melted spread them for frosting)

2 Extra Peppermint Make brownies, but add 1 tsp peppermint extract. Then as soon as you take them out of the oven, put Andes mints on top - cover the whole thing if possible - let them melt, then spread out with a knife. They are awesome!

3 Brownie Sundae I love to serve make your own brownie sundaes for company desert. Brownie, ice cream, choc sauce, whipped cream, nuts, etc. It is always a big hit.

4 Toffee Prepare mix as usual - but put half in pan, line it all with Hershey Symphony bars, then cover with remaining mix - bake as usual.

5 Peanut Butter Cream Cheese… You make a brownie mix but on a pizza stone (my consultant used parchment paper for quick clean up). Bake & cool. Mix 1/4 C peanut butter w/ 8 oz cream cheese and 1/2 C brown sugar. Top the brownie with it. Chop up a few Reese's PB cups (or some such thing) and sprinkle over the brownie. Add sliced banana, cool whip and chocolate syrup.

6 M&M Recently, we have started sprinkling M&Ms on top of brownies before baking.

7 Chippers- Add chocolate chips, mint chips, toffee bits, etc.

8 Butterscotch If it's 'regular' cheap brownie mix, add one box fudge pudding mix, stir in butterscotch chips. We make triple batches and use a full bag of butterscotch chips.

9 Maple Instead of water, use 1/2 water, 1/2 maple syrup. Ohh-- those are scrumptious! I still use nuts in this one.

10 Peanut Butter and marshmallow Make the mix, half in the bottom of pan, sprinkle peanut butter chips across, then sprinkle mini marshmallows across and carefully put the rest of the brownie mix on top. OH what a nice gooey surprise!

11 Mississippi Mud Pie Mississippi Mud Pie. Brownie for the bottom, good coffee ice cream (I like Breyers), drizzle with chocolate sauce or hot fudge topping (I prefer the latter), sprinkle some chopped nuts and a few dabs of whipped cream (I like real whipping cream, whipped with a drop of vanilla).

12 Peanut Butter Mix your brownies as normal and pour in pan. Melt a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter in the microwave and pour over the brownies. Use a butter knife to marble the peanut butter through the mix. Bake as usual. Enjoy~ mmmmmm

13 Cheesecake Mix 8 oz. softened cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/3 c. sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla until smooth. Add some mini chocolate chips if desired. Now make your brownie mix, spread half in the pan, dollop on the cream cheese (spread as best you can) then dollop on the remaining brownie batter. Swirl through with a knife, then bake--like 10 or 15 minutes longer than usual.

14 Cookie Dough Add a cookie dough layer on top. 1 cup flour, 1/2 c butter, 1/2 brown sugar, and a 1 tsp vanilla and 1 cup chocolate chips. I think you could use this like a frosting after brownies are cooled or put it on before baking.

15 S'Mores A box of brownie mix, then put a package of chocolate chips, some marshmallows and crumbled graham crackers on top and bake a bit longer. It really DOES taste like S'mores, especially if you let the marshmallows brown a bit.

16 Turtle Sunday, I made some vanilla ice cream and topped the warmed brownies with that, Smucker's caramel sauce, and chopped pecans.

17 Cinnamon Once, in middle school, we dumped in a little box of red hot candies. Cinnamon! Yum

18 Dense If you like dense brownies (which I really do) mix the batter with a big spoon, just until mixed (try to get the least amount of air in there). And bake it for the minimum amount of time, so it is a little soft still.

19 Oatmeal Brownies Quick Cooking had a recipe for Oatmeal Brownies that I make quite often.
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 c butter, melted
1 c M&Ms minis or chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped walnuts, optional
Combine, set aside 1 cup for topping, and put remaining in greased 15x10 pan. Spread prepared brownie mix on crust, sprinkle with reserved topping, and bake 350, 25-30 minutes. The crust doesn't always cover the bottom of the pan, maybe a 9X13 would work better. We love this recipe. Enjoy!

20 Dessert w/ Pudding Bake the large 9x13 box...I use a round baker. scoop out center and chop into pieces, combine 1/2 c cold milk, 3 tbsp instant coffee, 3.4 oz pkg of instant vanilla pudding and 12 oz cool whip. Fold in brownie pieces and spoon back into crust.

21 Almond Add some almond extract

22 Mocha Substitute coffee for the water.

I hope you enjoy this list. If you would like me to send you a PDF chart with these in a easy to use chart format, just send me an email. bluegrassjill@gmail.com

Take care,
Jill

Chicken Soup--It's good for you...

Sometimes I feel like the classic overbearing mother: "Eat your chicken soup, it will make you feel better!"

Well, this chicken soup is full of garlic, cayenne and other virus fighting ingredients. Here is the recipe. It makes a lot, so be sure you have big pot! I got this recipe off of the Sonlighter Club Forums. Thanks Chloe!

In a large pot:

1 whole chicken
20-30 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Tbs salt
3-4 thyme sprigs
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper
3-4 fresh Rosemary sprigs
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Place chicken and other ingredients in a soup pot and cover with water or chicken broth . I used water and then added a some vegetable bouillon and some concentrate chicken stock to it. Cook (covered) on stove top until chicken starts to fall apart. Remove from heat. Strain out chicken and stuff and set aside until cool enough to chop. When cool chop chicken and toss the herb leaves and chicken bones. Reserve broth for next step.

Heat in large pan: [I used my electric skillet]
2 tbs olive oil

Add and saute till the onion is transparent:

1 large onion (coarsely chopped or sliced)
1 fennel bulb (sliced thin)
1 leek (sliced thin)
4-6 stalks of celery (coarse chopped)
1 bell pepper (coarse chopped
1/2 lb. carrots (coarse chopped)

Add and simmer for 3-4 minutes then add to strained chicken stock:
1/2 C white wine {I used Chardonnay}
salt and pepper

Then add:

8-12 oz frozen green beans
8-2 oz frozen peas
1/2 C chopped parsley
1-2 cans chopped tomatoes with juice [I just chopped one tomato]
chopped chicken

Cook till tender. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder or maybe more chicken stock to taste.

You may want to add chopped zucchini, cabbage or any other vegetables you have. I added 1/2 Cup pearled barley as well. If you want you can add noodles to make chicken noodle soup. Put them in the boiling soup about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Raw unpasteurized almonds anyone?

My good friend has a healthy living business she runs out of her house. She homeschools her 6 kids and also does nutritional counseling.

At any rate, she has been able to get in on a large bulk purchase of raw, unpasteurized almonds. These are also organic--no pesticides have been sprayed on this farm for at least 15 years--though they are not certified organic. Raw almonds are extremely healthy for you since they still contain living enzymes which benefit your health. Almonds available in stores have been pasteurized [heated] which destroys the enzymes and the health benefits.

She is buying these almonds by the hundreds of pounds, but is making them available to others in 20# increments. The cost is only $5 per pound [$100 for 20 pounds]. If you want to split an order with a friend or two, that is fine, but she will only take orders in increments of 20#

Deadline to place your order is Oct 15th. Payment is due in advance. Anybody can order. She can ship in the US for $15 for each 20# lot that is ordered.

If you have questions, email Erica at ericajohns@hotmail.com

You can go to Supermom's Health to see what else she carries.

http://supermomshealthandwellness.com/catalog.php?item=107&ret=index.php

Let's Talk Compost-Black Gold for the garden...

Let's talk composing. I started a compost pile nearly two years ago and I wonder why I didn't start it years earlier. I think it is because we have a VERY small backyard and I thought it would smell and attract raccoons and possums and possibly mice or rats.

Composting does not smell or attract critters and it takes up very little room.

I often have great ideas when I dream and then, because of my drafting experience, I am able to put my ideas onto paper fairly easily when I wake up. This is kind of bad for my husband Bob because my dreams usually mean projects for him. It is funny, but I feel like I am magic sometimes--because me dreams become reality.

So, I dreamed this basic compost bin for our small yard. It is 4 ft by 4 ft and has three sides. The fourth side is open and faces the back of our property, so I can easily walk around to turn the compost or shovel it out, but from the front it looks OK. The design allows for air circulation. We did not sink the posts, there is really no reason to. Because of the weight of the treated boards and the 4x4 treated posts, the mere weight of the bin keeps in firmly in place. However, if we wanted to move it, we could easily relocate it.

To make compost it is best to start with leaves, grass clippings, hay and/or straw and then add household waste. I don't put in any meat scraps. You could, but it might smell or attract animals. The general rule of thumb is only vegetable matter, no pet waste unless the pet is a vegetarian like a rabbit or goat.

We compost paper packing material, cardboard egg cartons, egg shells, vegetable peelings, cores and such, left over rice and noodles, coffee grounds and tea leaves [including filter]old bread or crackers, etc. You can even compost drywall, but I have not done that. I try to stick with yard waste and kitchen vegetable waste. There are a lot of websites that tell what you can compost, but found this one particularly helpful.

A little tip for composting cardboard things like egg cartons, is to rip them up and then toss in a large bucket and add some water [if practical]. Soaking cardboard for even 5 minutes helps it to decompose faster. Then I just pour the soaked cardboard and water on top of the pile. I also crunch up the egg shells before I toss them in. I don't put in banana peels because they seem to take forever to decompose, but pumpkin shells and watermelon rinds seem to decompose pretty fast, especially if you break or cut them up a bit first.

Another plus for composting is that garbage cans don't smell even in the summer because there is no kitchen waste them.

I have a nice turning fork to turn my compost, but you could use a shovel. It is important to turn your compost pile often. I usually turn it a couple of times a week and always after I add something like rice or noodles--I don't want to attract critters--so I always cover anything I think might look like a buffet!

I only have one bin, so when the compost turns into a nice rich dirt I need to put it to one side of the bin so I don't keep putting new kitchen waste on top [You really don't want to have huge chunks of egg shells and watermelon rinds in the compost when you put it in a flower box or spread around your landscaping]. I put finished compost on one side then put new material on the other side. Ideally, two-three compost bins or a bigger one with two-three compartments would be better.

If you have more than one bin, when you think it is close to being done, then start another with new scraps and bits--keep turning the first pile till there are no big chunks and it is a nice dark, rich material, then scatter around flower or vegetable gardens, put in flower boxes and so on. I put a couple of inches of compost in this flower bin--no other fertilizer--see how great they look?

You can see my compost is full of worms--which is what you want. I don't turn my compost as often in the winter because it freezes, but I do keep adding material.

I love my compost pile. I tell my little nephew it is a "worm farm." Lots of fun for kids and adults, and it lessens our impact on our land fill and gives me rich dirt for free. Amazing stuff! Like turning your garbage into gold.

Extra...

I always thought of extra as something you don't need. like extra cream in your coffee, or extra whipped cream on a sundae. But in the movie world, extras are really important. At least that is what the Disney folks said to us, the extras who showed up for the filming of Secretariat, who was the Triple Crown winner in 1973. When he won, it had been 25 years since the last winner and it was historically significant because he won by 31 lengths!

The movie being made by Disney was filming in Lexington at Keenland this week and they needed extras. I wasn't busy, so I made myself a 70s style top, dug out my 70's jewelry, did my best Farrah Fawcett hairdo and off I went.

They were very disorganized, so it took some time to figure out where I had to go. Finally I found the cold upper deck section of the grandstands reserved for the extras who are essential to the production. I mean, what good is it to have a champion race horse winning the Triple Crown if no-one cheers him home. And believe, me we cheered ourselves silly.

First, we were not really at Keenland according to the movie-makers; it had been changed to Belmont in New York. So, the race we were watching was supposed to be the race where Secretariat won the Triple Crown, the climax of the whole movie, and we were there to cheer him on. And cheer we did.

We cheered from the rail, we cheered from the box seats, we cheered from the upper deck area [every section], we cheered from the benches, we cheered when the horses were re-enacting the win, and we cheered when there were no horses at all [which felt totally ridiculous, but we were acting, right?], and we cheered silently when we were told to do so.

I actually scored a sign along the way [not many signs to go around] and mine had a line drawing of a horse head with the words "Triple Crown." So, if you see the movie, look for a crazy middle age woman with a blue batik top with huge sleeves and big hair carrying a Triple Crown sign. That will be me! I held that sign way above my head right at the finish line while I cheered my heart out, so maybe that will be a freeze frame or something and you can pick out my sign.

When they filmed a paddock scene another lady and I lead a cheer, "GO BIG RED" till we were about hoarse [pun intended]. Luckily I am a very experienced talker with lots of stamina, so when others were losing their voices, I kept cheering. I was also a back ground person in another paddock scene. I had the important job of chatting with three other ladies in an informal way. Not much acting there, except we couldn't actually make any noise [very difficult!].

A couple of funny things that made me laugh:

• There was an older man with very non-70's facial hair. He was told he could be an extra if he didn't mind losing the beard. He didn't mind, so a Disney guy whipped out a cordless razor and shaved him right there.
• There were a lot of cops--well really extras pretending to be cops and security. The funny thing was a lot of the extras thought they were real cops so it was hilarious listening to people asking them cop-related questions. Some said, "Hey, I work in an office, I never wore a uniform till today," while others played along and gave semi-cop answers.
• One black gentleman had about the best costume there in my opinion. He was tall and thin, about my age, and had a powder blue polyester leisure suit, a striped polyester shirt with a wife-beater underneath, a striped blue fedora, a HUGE Polaroid camera around his neck, and ponytail. His name was Earl. I was next to him in one shot and said I loved his hat. I asked if it was his or Disney's. He said it was all his, the whole outfit. Another man asked why he still had a leisure suit [the guy who asked was in a Disney suit, brown leisure and he said he hoped no one smoked, he was afraid the suit would melt on him]. Earl said he also had a purple and green one at home. He said he puts on his outfit, and a Fender Guitar and goes to parties to liven them up. We thought he meant he played the guitar in a band, but no, he uses the guitar as a prop, it was his dad's and he can't play a note. We all laughed when he then removed his hat and the ponytail was attached to it-he was really very clean cut.
  
• Since there were only a few hundred of us but we needed to look like thousands in the stands, we had to keep changing locations to cheer. Then they will splice it together and make it look like there was a huge crowd. Someone at Disney got the great idea that the extras who had played the horse owners in the earlier paddock scene should not be sitting in the grandstands with the rest of us, in case they were spotted. It would look weird to have them sitting with the crowd, so a Disney guy yelled to all of us, "Are there any horse owners here?" Well, this is Kentucky, and it is a movie about horses, so about 1/3 of the people started to stand up. The Disney guy's jaw dropped, he shook his head, smiled and dropped his head--then he looked up and said, "I mean, is there anyone in the stands who PLAYED a horse owner in the paddock scene we shot today." Oh! About everyone sat down and one guy yelled from the back, "I own a beagle, does that count?"
  
• Another guy from Disney asked, "Does anyone have hair pieces?" I mean, everyone looked at everyone else. If anyone did they were not going to admit it. So we all played dumb, then the guy said what he really meant [he said this very slowly, syllable by syllable], "Are there any men with mustaches or long sideburns?" Ahh, say what you mean. They pulled these guys and put them up front because they looked more 70's.
• The camera crew actually dug a hole at the finish line to put one camera in so that it will [presumably] shoot the hooves when they cross the line.
  

All in all I was out there 12 hours, and you are not going to believe this, but:

• There must have been 30-40 kids and not one kid was bad or obnoxious or whiny all day
• Nobody smoked all day, but I didn't see any no-smoking signs. Not sure if Keenland is non-smoking or what, but it was weird to have hundreds of people and no smoking
• Not one cell phone rung all day. Not one! Some folks called out on the phones in the lulls [most of the day was a lull] but not one phone rang.

All in all a fun and educational day. They did feed us, one large hot dog, one bag of chips [I got the Bar-B-Que], one large drink. The paid extras [I was unpaid, the basic difference was the money and the paid ones wore Disney clothes, we wore our own] were paid minimum wage [we asked a "cop"].

It was very disorganized and I felt I could have saved them quite a bit of money if I was in charge, but alas nobody asked me. I talked to all sorts of interesting people from little kids to octogenarians--really a diverse group--and learned a bit about each of them.

And Extras--they couldn't make a film without us, we should be called Essentials.

Take care,
Jill

PS No pictures in this post because it wasn't allowed, but you can see the Promo bulletin here.

13 Gun Salute...

As I was wrapping bars and bars of soap this morning, I thought I should share an incredible, nearly spiritual experience we had yesterday.

Our long time neighbor, Johnny Lamb died earlier this week. He was in his 70's and had been ill for quite a while. Bob was asked to officiate at the funeral, along with grocery store owner, Leonard, yesterday. Chad and Scotty were asked to be Pall Bearers.

Since Johnny had been in the military, we think in the Korean War, he was to be buried with full military honors. We have a military cemetery about 15 minutes south of town which is his final resting place.

It was a foggy morning, and while we waited at the pavillion for the hearse, we saw, coming through the mist, a horse pulling a flat wagon with the flag draped coffin atop. It was led by a veteran in a Civil war uniform [Camp Nelson trained northern soldiers, predominently black soldiers during the Civil War]. Following came a horseless rider, led by another wool clad soldier. The slow clop, clop of horse's hooves were all we could hear as the caisson approached.

Once the casket was in the pavillion, four military men shot three rounds, for a total of 12 shots. Then one of the Civil War soldiers fired off a cannon, to make a 13 gun salute. The cannon smoke swirled around the mourners and on into the haze. Then the sound of taps could be heard floating through the pungent black powder mist, carrying through the haze the mournful notes of a soldier's farewell- a final tribute to a man who lived well and was loved much.

We all felt like Johnny would have love it!

Jill

*This picture is kind of like it, only there was one Civil War dressed soldier leading the horse pulling the caisson, and one leading the horseless rider.