Dear Easter Bunny

If you are reading this please take note of this beautiful copper bowl that I promise to love and cherish until death do us part. It's so gorgeous I can barely stand it. Happy Easter baking everyone!

Brownie Points

I happened to be married to a self-proclaimed Brownie Aficionado. Seriously, for a guy who couldn't find a cake pan in the kitchen if his life depended on it...he sure knows his brownies. It's pretty much guaranteed that BD is on the hunt for some homemade brownies about twice a week to satisfy a mysterious sweet tooth he claims doesn't exist. Riiiight. His cousin brought some brownies to a recent family gathering and well, they literally blew BD away. He asked about them for weeks. When I realized the pleading wasn't going to stop, I asked for the recipe. And I've been scoring brownie points (har har) with BD ever since. Thanks Bine!

MUST TRY. EASIEST. BEST. BROWNIES. EVER.

You'll need:
1 box of your favorite brownie mix-enough to make a 9x13 inch baking dish
3 large Symphony Toffee bars

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions including eggs, water, and oil. Pour HALF the mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Place the 3 candy bars directly on top of the brownie mixture. Pour the remaining HALF of the mixture right over the top and smooth to the edges. I told you it was easy. What is my finger doing in this picture? It's scared stiff thinking OMG I have chocolate goop on myself again...and OH NO! She's going to do it, she's going to stick me in that dark slobbery hole and lick me with her tongue.

Bake brownies as directed. For this batch, I kept mine in the oven for about 5 minutes longer until the edges were nice and crispy just to be sure the middle was cooked enough. But that might be my antique oven talking. Let them cool down completely, and then some more. You want to give them ample time to cool so the chocolate layer inside can semi-firm up again, otherwise you will have a huge gooey mess when you cut into them. Not that that's such a bad thing.

And...try not to attack your computer right now because of this close-up picture. But really, I wouldn't blame you, not even a little bit. Talk about being tranquilized...

This video is making me thristy

But then again, I've watched it 6 times in a row.
Please have a moment of Schweppervescence, on me.

And...you're welcome.

Pillow Talk

Some of our best conversations as a married couple seem to happen in those late night hours laying in bed, attempting to relax into sleep. However, this is also the time when BD's mind is fast at work conjuring up the wildest of ideas at which Wifey, played by me, affectionately puts down so she can get to sleep sooner. This is not effective. Many conversations open a flood gate of political filibuster, religious declamation, and he said/she said gossip. Inevitably, BD will get out of bed to Wiki something that Wifey may or may not be right or wrong about. For example, last night as I was finishing up a chapter in my current book, I came across a word I did not immediately recognize; pugnacious, used to describe a gentleman's facial demeanor. I inquired BD if he knew while reading to him the context of the word. He confidently responded, "it means your face looks like a pug, all squished up, like this" and he proceeded to squish his face up, like that. "No, it doesn't," I quipped back, immediately calling his bluff. BD conceded his defeat and was off to the computer to verify pugnacious with the all-knowing Gods of the Internets.A few moments later from the other room he bellows as if I'm three stories below "IT MEANS "FEELING OR DISPLAYING EAGERNESS TO FIGHT, SEE BELLIGERENT." Since then Wifey's face has been referred to as pugnacious at least a half dozen times, as well as various body parts of mine that I will not mention here. Most often our Pillow Talk conversations leave one of us, and sometimes both, in a state of inconsolable laughter. And when we finally realize that sleep has been completely taken off the table, we rally in the kitchen; a hot cup of chamomile for her and a heaping plate of nachos for him. I only wish I had started writing this all down sooner, you know, for posterity. And just to clarify, I do realize that we are the only ones who will think any of this is at all funny. I'm still debating how much I actually want to share here, as this is a "family" blog.

Unless otherwise noted, what I write is pretty much verbatim.

Concluding a brief discussion about diabetes and the imminent dangers that loom in both our genetic heritage:
BD: Kin, I don't want to get fat...
Wifey: You eat like at HORSE.
BD: I know that. Thanks, Captain Obvious.

Wifey (AKA Kin, AKA me) now answers only to pugnacious Capt'n O.

Guess what time of year it is?

Time to start stockpiling these.