PERFECT Brownies

Here is the recipe we discovered in a lovely old cookbook put out by Proctor & Gamble in 1956 called Creative Cooking made easy - The Golden Fluffo Cookbook

PERFECT BROWNIES
Chewy Squares For Everyone's Delight

(makes 16 2 1/4 - inch squares)

1/2 cup Fluffo ( I use Crisco shortening)
2 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sifted enriched floour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt Fluffo and chocolate together.
Blend sugar and eggs and stir into melted chocolate mixture.
Beat in combined dry ingredients.
Stir in nuts and vanilla.
Pour batter into a 9-inch square pan rubbed with Fluffo and bake at 350*F for 30 minutes.
Cut into squares while warm.

If you don't have squares of chocolate in the house you can substitute:
3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder + 1 Tablespoon butter = 1 square chocolate

MY SNEAKY Secret Sister!

 I received a box the other day with my on-line quilting friend, Diane's address on it and when I opened it I was amazed and then confused as I knew she wasn't my Secret Sister as I assigned them and then I got on-line and asked Diane why she had sent me a package she acted like she hadn't a clue as to what I was talking about so then I went to inspecting the OUTSIDE of the box  there was the postmark..... COLBERT, WA.... CLEAR ACROSS THE COUNTRY in Washington... sneaky CARROLYN! Carrolyn WAS the partner I was assigned to receive from... we all got a good giggle out of it! And get this DIANE KNEW!!! SNEAKY!

 Back to the INSIDE of the package. Well folks Carrolyn has REALLY spoiled me. There were three lovely hand knitted dish-clothes (LOVE THESE as they last FOREVER), 2 Fat Quarter bundles (1 cats and 1 Christmas/winter), 2 panels (1 cats and 1 Holiday), a really awesome shopping bag that fits over the sides of a shopping cart, and some GREAT cat buttons. I feel like a down right spoiled wretch. GIGGLE!

Yesterday I took the trays of cookies into work and you would have thought I had just shared a Million Dollars with them all. WOW! I guess people really don't bake from scratch anymore. One of the ladies in floral must have came up to me about a dozen times to figure out how I made the dipped pretzels. Perhaps I will post a tutorial on here on how I made them. It's SO EASY!

Busy Day Yesterday

Yesterday I baked ALL DAY!!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies, dipped pretzels, No-Bake Cookies and Peanut Butter Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin, dipped pretzels,and Sugar cookies

I will be taking these trays full into work today as my gift to my co-workers. When I told the Boss I was bringing them in on Saturday he said, "I'm not working Saturday? So I won't get any" - I sure hope they leave some for him on Sunday (tomorrow). I mean seriously in those two trays there are 12 DOZEN cookies. You'd think they would last 2 days. 

After a short nap in the chair with Tesla on my lap the fella's came home and we went to my sister, Ronda's and her husband Kevin's for a DELICIOUS Spaghetti dinner. Ronda surprised the daylights out of me with a Zoo Membership because I had made her an UN-Christmas present - a small album of her childhood picture's. I LOVE the Zoo; especially the garden's but the rates are quite high to just pay for a single day. I can go as often as I want now for a year. I'm thinking a once a week trip to the Zoo in 2011 sounds AWESOME!

 Their dogs were so funny; especially Sonny. He would stare at the shadows and reflections made on the floor by the under cabinet lighting and the lights on their Christmas tree.

And he was such an attention hound.Poor Winnie and Wrinkles could hardly suck up. Winnie gave up and retired to "her room" so I don't have a picture of her.

But Wrinkles managed to sit in all of our laps for some intense petting and oohs and ahas. I think she would have liked to keep Greg.

We had a wonderful time and it was so good to see them as well as my folks that drove down from Spartanburg for dinner as well.

Dad, Ronda and Mom

Kevin and Ronda's tree was lovely and Kevin enjoyed showing us his neat train that went around the middle of the tree.

Kevin and his train