saucepan BROWNIES

The last weekend of summer. I always get all weird over Labor Day weekend. Feeling like I want to make the most of the last weekend of Summer for me and my family, and it is always Kenny's Birthday over this weekend. Which pretty much stinks, because I NEVER, I mean never every know what to buy this man for his birthday. And it completely stresses me out. It's not that he cares. He doesn't not one iota! But, I am a gift giver, it's one of my primary love languages...and the fact that I, in 17 years, have yet to find the Love of my life the perfect gift gets me all irritated and sweaty and irritated..did I say that all ready?

Today, Kenny had the day off. We had planned to take the kids to Cedar Point this summer, but it never worked out so we compromised with a trip to Michigan's Adventure which is only 50 minutes away instead of 5 hours. Normally it would have been a blast of a day, but if you live in Michigan you know how the weather living on a peninsula can be. Painfully unpredictable. And the nearer you get to the Big Lake the more likely 1. the weather could clear up and be beautiful OR 2. could be windy cold, and the clouds could just hang right on the lake shore. As was the case today. Blah! There were gale force winds for crying out loud! I watched a table umbrella fly off a table and conk a poor mom in the back of the head while she was trying to feed her poor baby a nutritious lunch of french fries, chicken nuggets, and a gigantor Slurpee. Poor mama did not know what hit her. MAN kaPOW! She barely skipped a beat, she shook it off and kept on feeding her youngin's.

What the hector does any of this have to do with brownies you ask. We didn't eat in the park. We actually bailed out, cause the kids were whining and cold and people were flying through the air, and I really didn't feel it was safe to stick my kiddos on roller coasters in that weather. I fell asleep on the ride home, because that's what I do on the way home from trips I fall dead asleep with my mouth wide open, drooling all over myself...real sexy. While I was sleeping I dreamt of brownies, warm out of the oven sticky brownies. I walked straight in the house and whipped up my GOTO Saucepan Brownies. They are just enough if you have a hankerin for chocolate, and they don't make a whole huge pan. They are super quick to make AND I bet you have all the ingredients in your home. Less than 30 minutes and you are eating homemade brownies! What is better than that to get you out of a "ain't got my husband a birthday present, it's the last weekend of summer and it's freakin' cold outside grouchy mood"!

Saucepan Brownies

printable recipe

1 stick butter

2-1 ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

preheat oven 375 degrees

These are so simple. Get all your ingredients out, because you need to just whip them together...don't waste no time my friend.

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, add chocolate squares whisk until melted. If you don't have unsweetened chocolate bars in your pantry then you can use cocoa powder follow the directions on the back.

3 level Tablespoons Cocoa+1 Tablespoon oil = 1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate!

Whisk it in there till the chocolate and butter are one smooth party.

Now add sugar and flour with baking powder, whisk in until smooth. Remove from heat and add...

The eggs that you already have cracked in a measuring cup and beat. Mix them in to the chocolate batter...quick, quick...don't dillydally.

Pour into greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20- minutes. And Voila in less than 30 minutes you can have yourself a very sweet treat!

Look at that. My mood is lifting already. It's gonna be Ok. I'm going to find my husband a present and "I bet your bottom dollah, that tomarrah there'll be sun".... Oh Annie.

Sorry, I lost me senses and broke into a rousing rendition of "Tomorrow". Now I need to ask. Are you a corner or a middle piece person?

My second son is a corner man. He always calls the corner piece in everything! The other kiddos are middle piece people, and ME well, as the growth of my middle has shown, I am a corner/middle/and anything in between person. If I had to pick I would pick the corner...crispy and chewy all in one.

MIDDLE?

CORNER?

Hope your weekend is sunny and SWEET!

LuvYA,

Turtle Sunday....how sweet it is!

I realize you don't spell the ice cream sort of sundae, Sunday, but it was Sunday when I made them sooo.....well yeh, maybe you will understand.

I am however, notoriously, not very good with spelling....if you only knew...I have my dictionary..Scrabble and Websters at the ready and I thank the Lord above everyday for spell check!

What ever did we all do before spell check? Sometimes my spelling is so poor that even spell check cannot figure it out. I have a friend she is a living breathing dictionary....she won the Spelling Bee in 2nd grade. I was knocked out in the 1st round of course. I did not know her a that time, she had big brown eyes and boingy curls, like Shirley Temple. I was so jealous of those boingy curls. there I sat with my bad spelling and my bad bowl cut, with chopped bangs, cause I thought I could do better than my Aunt Marilyn could with the haircutting. So anyway...little did I know that day that Freida K. and I would someday become life long friends and our oldest boys would be two peas in a pod. Weird. That would have been just down right weird that day, during the 2nd grade Spelling Bee at Coopersville Elementary School, if I could have had a glimpse into the future. I would have never, ever, not on your life believed that Freida K speller extraordinaire would be my friend to this day!

One more thing about Freida, she loves ice cream. I got a funny story about a date she had once and ice cream, but if I told you it, I would have to kill you OR she would surely kill me! One or the other. I love ya Fred!

I am not sure if Freida loves Turtle Sundaes or not......my memory is going bad from all that toxic anti-perspirant....but no matter...

I love me a good Turtle Sundae...all salty and caramelly...oo-la-la. So here is how I make mine at home or if you happen to be in the Holland, Michigan area you really must stop in to a Captain Sundae.

The key to the BEST turtle sundae is to start with salty, buttery pecans...so you can start by making yourself some! They can be used right away or you can put them in a airtight container and store them in the fridge for a couple weeks.

1 cup of pecans

1/4 cup butter

kosher salt

Melt the butter in a small fry pan add the pecans and toss around 5 minutes or so, on low heat.

You want the pecans to soak up the butter and get all toasty...but you don't want to burn the butter...STAND WATCH.

Now pour them out on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt 1/2 teaspoon or more if you like.

Oh my now that is a wonderful thing, right up there let me tell you!

OK the next thing you MUST have to make a the best Turtle Sundae ever is Butter Pecan Ice Cream....you can use vanilla...if that's all you have, but if you want to make the BEST sundae then buy some Butter Pecan my friend!

I used to make my own sauces...but I found out Sanders does it better and it is SO much easier!

Sanders is a Detroit based company...they are famous for the Bumpy Cake...which I have never had. I hinted the whole time my sweet Seestor lived in Mo-town, but apparently she did not get my hint to bring one home! It's OK I will forgive you...

Scoop a rather large scoop of ice cream in a dish, drizzle the caramel and milk chocolate toppings generously over the top...then add some pecans....

Then do it again....

Oh yes my friend this is the good life....

You can squirt some whip topping on there and top it with a cherry, but I guess I'm a Turtle Sundae purest. I like it just so. (sigh, smack, drool) Is 1pm on a Monday too early for a sundae?

Hope you enjoy!