Tasty Tuesdays: Irresistibly Fudgy Brownies

 

Do you remember when I told you Sundays put me in a baking mood? Well this past Sunday was no exception. The boy & I decided to whip up some brownies using a recipe he had taken from what he thinks was his mother's old church cookbook. Why are they irresistible? Because I eat four yesterday & four Sunday and there are currently 2 left. Woops? Wanna know how you too can eat a half pan of brownies? Check it out:

Irresistibly Fudgy Brownies
Taken from an unnamed family cookbook
*Serves 10 people with self-control. Otherwise, serves 2.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Mix dry ingredients:

1 1/3 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1c cocoa

Look at those big, strong arms!

Mix wet ingredients:

4 eggs
1c. melted butter
2 c. white sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine the wet with the dry, pour into a greased 9x13" pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.

Now I don't know why I started doing this, but I think this is how my mom used to serve brownies... with applesauce! The tartness of the apples cuts the sweetness a bit and makes it a taste explosion in your mouth! Haha.

YUM

 

 

But if you're more into the frosting (like D is) here is the matched frosting.

Mix 3 tbsp melted butter, 1/4 c. cocoa, 1/4 c. milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla & 2 c. sifted icing sugar. Frost only once brownies are cooled.
These brownies are absolutely perfect. The top crisps up and crackles like it should and the middle is soft and chewy. If chocolate fudge and chocolate cake had a baby, it would be these brownies. No joke. They're easy to make and you probably already have everything you need to make them. So unless you're on a diet or your gluten free or some shit, you should do them up. I promise it'll be worth it. Do it for your tastebuds, not for your ass hips.

xo Janelle

Ladies Room Fashion Show!

Happy Monday! Today's style post was inspired by Melissa at Dear Baby. She did a slew of posts titled "Ladies Room Fashion Show" to show off her adorable outfits she wore to work when she was pregnant with her little ones. Now don't panic. I'm not pregnant in any way shape or form. But, since her posts inspired me to try some new looks I wouldn't have thought of, I figured I'd pass on the love to you.

Now because I'm one of 3 people in the office on a daily basis, I can get away with some casual pieces that may not be appropriate for other work environments. So I get to have a little fun and dress up or down. The one rule is no jeans. Other than that, it's all about being professional but wearing something that's comfortable enough to sit down in all day. Anyway, enough blabbing. Here's today's outfit:

Gray pencil skirt, Joe Fresh (it's knee-length & high-waisted)
Black tank top, Smart Set
Black blazer/sweater, Costa Blanca
Scarf, India (D got it for me on his trip!). You can't see the detail but it's got red, purple, black and tan threads.
Red purse, Northern Reflections (thanks Nanny!)

Thanks for stopping by the blog. Hope you have a relaxing night!

xo Janelle

15 minute craft: Twine + Tea Canister

Tonight I was in a crafty kind of mood. I finally made a list of all the projects I have planned and WOW. I was just itching to get started. I adore making pretty things and crafting. Always have. And now that I'm starting to get settled into a routine, I finally have the time to create. I've been working on 2 projects for about a month now off-and-on. One should be done within the next 2 weeks and the other I'm only planning on finishing in a year. So it felt very satisfying to finish this twine-wrapped tea canister in only 10 minutes!

All I used was a tea canister, twine, hot glue, scissors and an old rice box to catch glue drips. I was inspired by Centsational Girl's gorgeous rope bowl. Isn't it awesome? So with the bowl in my mind, I decided to wrap an old tea canister in cotton twine that I had already. The cost of this DIY was about $10 for the glue gun & sticks. That's it! It's a pretty straightforward, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here's the canister in all it's naked glory before the "makeover":

See? Even the canister doesn't want to be thrown away. 

A little dab of glue at the top to start it off.

Wrap. Wrap. Wrap. I put a very very small dab of glue about every 5-10 wraps around. Make sure you keep wrapping really tight so that the design underneath is fully covered. Don't worry about making it perfect....

 And.... done.

I really like the texture of the twine with the smooth metal.

I tested it out as a makeup pad holder. Not bad.

Or I could always tie a ribbon around it, fill it with tea and give it as a gift. But, I've offered it up to D so who knows what he'll end up storing in it. Pennies? Chocolate chips? Dog treats?

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

xo Janelle

Happy Friday List + Blog Catch Up

Today I'm stealing borrowing Jen's idea from JenLovesKev and doing a Happy List. I know that it's cheesy and shmoopy, but really though, have you met me? I love this stuff.

So here are 5 things I'm happy for this week:

1. SUNSHINE. Without really noticing it, the weather has been a bit bummy around these parts. Thankfully though, today it's nothing but clear blue so we're going to take advantage of it and check out the Buskers on the waterfront with Abby.

2. Catching up with friends you haven't seen in too long. Last weekend I got the chance to spend a couple days with not one, but two, of my closest friends. We chatted about girlie things, shopped, had a patio lunch, went to a concert and went out dancing with some cool people. Last night I also met up with a friend I used to work with and we had a lovely, delicious supper at a new-er restaurant in the waterfront/Hollis St area, Baton Rouge. It was just what I needed.

3. A happy pup. It's hard not to smile when Abby is licking my face. Unless it's 6am...

4.  Weekend morning laziness. There's something about waking up and not having to go anywhere... or even just having 15 minutes to lay there. It's a definite luxury.

5. My Nan & Grandad. My grandparents are the best. A couple of weekends ago Grandad showed up unannounced at the train station because he knew I'd have to walk home in the rain with my suitcase. Just this past week (and a handful of times before that) they drove us to the vet. Oh, and did I mention that Nanny never lets me leave empty handed? Love them.

What are you happy for?

Also, I kind of took an unplanned blogging break in the past couple weeks. I'm still trying to figure this whole Blogger thing out. When I'm working full-time on a computer all day, I don't feel as motivated to blog at night. I want to, but sometimes my eyes say no! I have so many things I could write about, but I need to pin-point what I want to write about. My favorite blogs are lifestyle blogs, but honestly, I don't know if my life is exciting enough to write about! Haha. We'll see.... I love doing home projects and crafts, but that can get costly. What do you like reading on my blog? Do you come for the recipes? The updates? The home stuff? I'd love to hear what you think! See you on Sunday for a Steppin Out post?

xo Janelle

MIA

Hi everyone! My blog needs a little love. I've neglected it for the past week, but I'll be back in full force ASAP. If the power doesn't go out tonight (again!) I'll attempt a post....

I will tell you I had a great weekend visiting my family for New Brunswick Day! And this weekend should be just as fun, with a few of my besties coming to visit for the Summer Rush concert. Hello, Pitbull!

Hope your day is less rainy & more fun!

xo Janelle