Valentine Brownies

Shirlene Reeves, our contributing chef,  has created a simple, yet elegant, Valentine dessert. She's a scratch
baker and we all appreciate her efforts because scratch is so rare these days.  If you are unable to take the time to make scratch brownies, grab a box of brownie mix at the store.  As you can see from the picture, Shirlene had a heart shaped mini-brownie pan. Once baked, she placed her brownies on a pretty platter and gave them a light dusting of powdered/confectioners' sugar.  Add some whole strawberries as garnish and you've got a lovely holiday sweetie to share at home, work, church or to keep all for yourself (while you read a good romance novel...say something from The Goodbye Lie series, perhaps?)  Thank you, Shirlene. You've done it, again! 

If You Don't Have a

 Heart-Shaped Pan

Use one round cake pan and one square pan. When your cakes are baked, turn them out of the pans. Lay the square brownie so it looks like a diamond on a foil covered cookie sheet unless you have a large platter. One corner of the square brownie will be the bottom point of the heart. Next, take the round brownie and cut it in half.  Place a half-round at each diagonal top edge of the square brownie to form the shape of a heart.  Slather on chocolate frosting to keep it together. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with those fresh strawberries.  For one thick large brownie, use two boxes of mix.  For one thin large brownie, use one box. 

Honey Walnut Ice Cream- Peeper Writes



Here is an easy dessert is vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt drizzled with honey and sprinkled with walnuts.  This treat is featured in my upcoming novel, Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, set in 1898 and served at the Crusty Anchor Pub.

Excerpt:

Pat winked as he returned to his table in time for a beefy waiter to deliver steaming bowls of their ordered beef stew. Uncle John, giving nary an acknowledgement of the incident, sliced the loaf of accompanying beer bread and slathered each piece with butter before passing the first portion to Jency, who still smiled in relief that there was no altercation. They ended their meal, appreciating their vanilla ice cream drizzled with honey and walnuts.

 



The Goodbye Lie Diaries:

Fernandina, Florida
1898

Grandmother Peeper writes:  Shoot. I betcha they paid a pretty penny fur that goodie.  Come on down ta my house and I won't charge ya nothin'.  Well, I think I'd have ta send Aunt Noreena a bill, just ta be mean.

Serving Makes the Difference- a Dessert

Rather than go out to a fancy dinner on our anniversary, I usually choose to make a semi-fancy meal at the house.  I'll set up a table in the living room or anywhere, other than the dining room.  It changes the mood from everyday to special.  Cover the table with a sheet, quilt, place mats, or tablecloth you rarely use, get out your best dishes and silver, a fancy serving tray or dish, cloth napkins,  and your grandmother's salt and pepper shakers.  Clip some greenery and a few flowers from your garden or your nice neighbor's, light an unscented candle (so the aroma is the food, not a candle scent), and turn on the music from your radio, TV, CD or phone. Try something romantic and slow for back ground atmosphere.  After dinner, dance to the wonderful lyrics from the Big Band era, something from Frank Sinatra always works.  In each other's arms, lean back and listen to the lyrics as they tell a story which will inspire you both or, if the words are sad, make you count your blessings.

 

As to the food, keep is simple and fun.  Make something in the slow cooker, so it's ready with no effort. It will give you both time to dress appropriately.  Whatever your lifestyle, the swirl of a skirt and the look of a tie add so much with so little effort.

 

And for dessert, I made these easy brownie, chocolate pudding (sugar-free), whipped topping (lite) and stemmed cherry delights. Yummy and the secret to special is to serve in a fancy stemmed glass.   In the photo below, I wasn't sure which order to layer the ingredients, so they would present best. I tried, from bottom to top, brownie pieces, whipped topping, pudding and cherry.  On the right, I had brownie pieces on the bottom, pudding topping and the cherry.  Decisions, decisions.  Which looks better?  I guess it really doesn't matter, because it sure tasted swell.



 

Oh, don't forget a selfie photo of the two of you and your dessert.  You can't have too many pictures. 

Diet Dessert

I came up with this gem of a recipe I like to call Chocolate, Butter, Sugar Juice. While it's really not much of a recipe, the good news is you probably have all the ingredients on hand.  When you need a sweetie and chocolate but don't want to eat the whole cake or box of cookies, try this. No flour calories plus the real secret is to eat this with a fork.  It's a slow process so you can savor each bite and your sweet teeth will be satisfied.  Enjoy!

You'll need:

a microwavable proof glass
a pat of butter or any kind of margarine or cholesterol cutting spread you use
a dusting of cocoa
a pack of Splenda or Stevia
a splash of vanilla
a small blob of peanut butter (optional)
fork

Mix the above ingredients and nuke in the microwave until melted.
Be sure to use a pot holder to retrieve the hot glass.

It might not be pretty but it sure serves as a sweetie substitute.

Randolph, the Red Nosed Rodent

Meet Randolph, the Red Nosed Rodent and his family of like-looking chocolate cherry rodents. Make your own quick and easy mousies and they will be the hit of any party. Yummo!  Go to ourr  website for the recipe: http://www.greenlightwrite.com/chocolatemice.htm and enjoy!