Fudgy Saucepan Brownies

I've been married for six years, and it took nearly that long for me to find a brownie recipe I couldn't ruin. It seems like everyone has one or two things they just can't make--for me, it's always been brownies. I like brownies to be dense and chewy. Mine always turned out dry and cakey. No thanks. I tried old recipes, new recipes, low-fat recipes, fancy recipes, six-egg recipes--nada.

Until this one.

Not only are these brownies completely and utterly divine, but they're easy and quick. So I just HAD to share this.

First of all, proof you don't need to go through those fancy cookbooks you got as wedding gifts to make these bad boys:



I bought this recipe book at Value Village and it's definitely not new. But hey--sometimes the old standbys are better than 'updated' versions.

There's the recipe. Very simple, very yummy.

And they take a whole bag of chocolate chips. You can't go wrong with an entire bag of chocolate chips.


Chuck a half-cup of butter (yes, real butter) in a saucepan.


And toss in the chocolate chips on top of it. Put it on a medium-low burner and let it all melt into a buttery, chocolatey delight.


You also need 1 2/3 cups of sugar.

And vanilla.



And three eggs. I went to make these brownies yesterday and discovered I only had one egg. I can't quite describe my disappointment.

And baking powder.


And flour. 1 1/4 cups of it.


It only takes 10-15 minutes for the butter and chocolate to melt. Look at that. I almost want to eat it off a spoon.


Put in the rest of the ingredients and beat with an electric beater until it's mixed very well.


Pour it into a greased 9x13" pan. Mmmm, brownie batter.

Smooth the top, and you're ready to go. 350 oven for 30 minutes.


Kid loves the batter. Not as much as he loves the brownies, though.


After thirty minutes (and cooling time), here's what you've got:


Seriously. Best brownies EVER. Enjoy!

Rotini with sun-dried tomato pesto.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love pasta. Any kind, any sauce, doesn't matter. I love to make pasta dishes as well, and this is one I've really liked for a long time. It's fresh, fast, and really yummy, plus it looks kind of fancy, too. So, I thought I'd share!

First, you need a cup of fresh basil. Lucky me, we have basil in our garden! Mmmm, basil. It's sweet and peppery and oh so very delicious.


You also need a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. People seem to have a love/hate relationship with these bad boys. I happen to love them--they're both sweet and tart. Delish.


A bag of rotini. Easy-peasy.



Two cloves of garlic. This makes it very garlicky, so I wouldn't advise putting more than two in.


Normally I'd use freshly grated romano or parmesan, but...I don't have any. So I cut up some fontina cheese and tossed it in the bowl.



Here's the super easy part: throw the basil, garlic, and tomatoes in a food processor with some salt and pepper, and pulse it until it's your desired consistency. Voila--the pesto is done!



Cook your rotini, toss it in the bowl with the cheese and pesto, and there you have it. Easiest pasta in the world. Doesn't it look delicious? Well, that's because it is!



Toddler verdict: NOM NOM NOM.



Hope you enjoy!

Salsa time!

So. I love homemade salsa. It's easy to make and it's about a billion times better than...well, any other kind of salsa (except the fresh, raw kind I also make). Although I should add that I live in the Maritimes, where we're not exactly known for fantastic, authentic Mexican food, so I'm sure it's made different elsewhere. I don't care, because I love THIS stuff! ;) I thought I'd share the recipe, and do it in a fun way.

First, you need 12 cups of peeled, seeded, chopped tomatoes. Look at these bad boys, straight from the Burtt family garden. Nom nom nom.



You also need a lot of garlic. Especially if you are like me, and love garlic.



Mmmm, green pepper. This wasn't in the original recipe, so I reworked it and made it with peppers. I can't have spicy salsa, so mild green peppers it is. One will do.



I'll admit that I love onions. I love the smell of them and the way they pack flavour into anything. Two large onions for this batch.



So, those are the veggies. The first thing I do is cover the tomatoes with boiling water. It'll split the skins and they'll slide right off. Let them sit in the water for a few minutes and then replace the hot stuff with cold water so you can handle them.


You need five cloves of garlic.


Mince those bad boys.


Chop up your onions to whatever size you want. I like my salsa reasonably chunky, so they're not miniscule. Your mileage may vary.


Same goes with the green pepper.


Peeled tomatoes lose a little of their appeal. ;) Seed them and chop them up. I chop them pretty haphazardly, because as I said, I like chunky salsa. Also? I'm lazy.


Dump all of the veggies into a pot. Lookin' good already, right?


Add 1T each of salt and pepper, 1 cup of lemon juice, a can of tomato paste, and a can of chilies and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. Then add 1T each of oregano, cilantro, and cumin. You can adjust those measurements to taste. Generally I use fresh cilantro, but I forgot to get it, so dried it is.


Your salsa is ready to can! Pour it carefully into clean bottles and cover them.



Put them in a large pot of boiling water, cover, and process for 15 minutes.
Voila! Delicious, healthy, tomato-y, flavourful salsa. Enjoy!

Amy and her gorgeous kids.

My friend Amy (we've known each other since fourth grade) was visiting home from Alberta with her kidlets, so when we got together to catch up, I snapped some pictures of them. It was almost too much cute for me to stand. :) I hadn't taken any pictures of an infant (he is 5 months old) so it was fantastic practice for me. And the 5-year-old was pretty much the funniest, most interesting 5-year-old I know. I brought along my son and they played in the water for a good long time. Another of our friends joined us as well (along with her adorable kids), so I guess we made up for all missing our 10-year high school reunion!

Vacation!

I love getting away. It doesn't even have to be far. So when my husband suggested a quick overnighter to Fundy National Park, I jumped at it. It was the first time the three of us went somewhere alone. We had no agenda. We stayed in a little B&B, ate takeout from a roadside fish-n-chips stand, walked on the ocean floor at low tide, and played on a giant playground. It was incredible.

Two days later, my best friend-slash-cousin and I went to St. Andrews-by-the-sea for two nights. We stayed in a creaky old B&B that ended up being charming and sweet. We ate seafood and shopped in little stores and drank yummy lattes. We watched boats in the harbour and walked the length of Water Street many times. We dressed up and had dinner at the Algonquin. We ate candy and played cards and had a blast.

I miss both places, but I'm reminded of how much my own little province has to offer. We traveled no further than two hours away from here, and saw a whole new world.

Calamari in St. Andrews:


Moi on the rocks in St. Andrews:



Checking out the boats:
Sunset by the sea:

Boats in Alma at low tide:


Playing on the ocean floor:


It was a bit windy on the coast:


Waiting for our greasy but delicious takeout:

What a smile :)