New Recipe - Caramel Brownies

This recipe is from a dear family friend. They are quick and easy and I have already made them twice and I've only had the receipe for about 10 days!

I think baking should be easy for all Accountants since we are all so detail-oriented, but I learn more and more each day that this is just not the case. However, I didn't completely follow the recipe for this one. First, I used a glass Pyrex, so I lowered the temperature to 325 degrees which also affected the cooking time. Then I decided it was silly to not use the entire can of sweetened condensed milk so I added the small leftover amount to the caramel sauce. I didn't measure out the chocolate chips at all--just added what looked right. This is one of those receipes that is definitely not an exact science!

Caramel Brownies

1 box German Chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
60 caramels
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips

Melt caramels and 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk. Make sure to stir constantly or the sugar will burn and stick to the pot. Not good for the brownies or cleanup.

Mix German Chocolate cake mix, butter and 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk until fully incorporated.

Take 1/2 of the cake mixture and pat in the bottom of a 9x13" greased and floured cake pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Take the remaining cake mixture and sprinkle on top of the caramel. Really, it's more like crumble over the top. This worried me the first time, but I promise it turned out fine.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.

These brownies are VERY gooey! I had trouble neatly cutting them even once fully cooled overnight. The second time I made them, I was a bit more rushed and tried to remove them from the pan after about an hour--not good. Trust me and wait at least two hours to take them out of the pan unless you don't mind a slightly molten pile of deliciousness for your dessert. If you are serving them to guests, resist the temptation and wait. They will be even better after the anticipation has had time to build.

That's all for today. Busy season is killing me, but I have to remember that we only have 55 days to go...geez, that sounds bad now that I think about it.

Unmatched

As you can see from my choice of pants, shoes and earrings today, I do not match. I guess it's pretty obvious I'm tired when i knowingly picked out navy pants and brown shoes and the proceeded to select black earrings.

New Recipe

I received the 2011 Southern Living Cookbook as a Christmas gift from my Uncle Mark this past year. I often get in a habit of making the same recipes over and over again so I decided to try something new tonight. I really enjoy taking the time to make a meal from scratch on the weekends since time trumps taste during the week as a CPA during busy season.

One of the first recipes I found during a quick peak in the cookbook was for a Kentucky Hot Brown. I had eaten this once before and enjoyed it, so I decided it would make a yummy Sunday night dinner.

I altered the recipe a bit--most notably cutting it in half. I wanted to make sure I had enough sauce, but I could have cut the recipe even further and still had more than enough sauce. I'm going to put the remainder in the refrigerator in hopes that it might reheat well if I get to come home early enough this week. I also added nutmeg to the sauce. I remembered that the original sauce I tasted had just a hint of nutmeg in it.

If you have the Souther Living Cookbook, the recipe can be found on page 109.

Kentucky Hot Brown (serves four)

4 thick white bread slices
3/4 lb. sliced roasted turkey
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 plum tomatoes, sliced (I omitted these)
8 bacon slices, cooked

Preheat broiler with oven rack 6 inches from heat. Place bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until toasted.

Arrange bread slices in 4 lightly greated broiler safe individual baking dishes. Top bread with turkey slices. Pour hot Mornay Sauce over turkey. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Broil 6 inches from heat 3 to 4 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned; remove from oven. Top sandwiches with tomatoes and bacon. Serve immediately.

Mornay Sauce

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper (I'll add more next time)

Melt butter over medium high heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

I don't know how to embed a link with my iPad (always my excuse, huh?), but I will paste it below.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/kentucky-hot-browns-50400000112163/

This was a great recipe--very yummy and extremely filling. After just one sandwich I'm bursting at the seams!!

Busy Weekend

My sweet Daddy came to visit last night--and he brought Emma!! Mom was out of town this weekend, so Dad came to stay with me instead of us both being home alone.

I had to work most of Saturday. That wasn't fun, but unfortunately it's part of being a CPA. After I got off work, I raced down to Franklin to get my bangs trimmed. My hair has been on my nerves all week and usually got pinned back before then end of the day, but I couldn't stand hair in my eyes any longer. After the trim, I needed some retail therapy! After picking up a Valentine's Day gift for Mom, I picked up a few things for myself at Banana Republic and Williams-Sonoma. I really should not be allowed to go to Williams-Sonoma anymore!

My last stop before Dad got here was Kroger. I wanted to make Dad a special treat for his Valentine's Day gift from me. His Mom used to make something called Patio Skillet when he was growing up and I like to make it for him to freeze and take to work for lunch. I love to cook especially when I can make something special for someone I love!

Dad and I went to Moe's for dinner since it was after seven when we both got home. I also had to run to Petco to get a treat for Emma and some food since her bag was accidentally left in Florence.

Dad and I went to church this morning at West End United Methodist. I've been going there regularly since the end of July and really enjoy the services there.

I just got Dad off on the road home. I'm really thinking like a nap sounds like a most excellent idea, but I have so much to do! Laundry, vacuuming, dusting...oh, my!!

Until next time...

What a surprise!

Look what was waiting for me when I got home from work today! My sweet Mama and Daddy surprised me by bringing part of my *new to me* dining room suite up from Florence. I was completely shocked since I thought there was only a small chance that it would come tomorrow--certainly not today!

The picture hanging above the sideboard is much too high and is only there for safekeeping. I was afraid something would happen to the canvas, so I used an existing hook until I move the painting. Now that I can see the furniture in the room, I have a better idea of the kind of mirror I want for that wall.

Also, I have learned that this app does not like apostrophes and will make a garbled mess out of any word that uses one. I guess I have learned to check the post in safari and not assuming that it looks ok.

PS-I hope this picture works. I took it with my iPad and tried to attach it. I might have to get out my laptop if I can't figure this out soon!

I'm a horrible blogger...

Well, it looks like busy season is here for those of us with "CPA" after our names. I've already started staying later in the evenings and our department is starting to work on Saturdays this week. Emma has gone to Florence on "vacation"--actually, my parents have custody from late January through mid-April. I've tried to visit with friends and family and savor sleeping in since I won't be seeing much of either for the next few months!!

In house-related news, I bought a dining room suite in Florence last weekend. I found it at one of the antique stores I hardly ever visit. (I've had much better luck at one right down the road.) I got an amazing price, so I won't feel bad to sell it one day if something else strikes my fancy. Now, I just need a large mirror for above the sideboard and a rug for under the table to make the downstairs complete. If I ever figure out how to post pictures from this app, I will post some pictures. Does anyone know how to do this from an iPad??

My bedroom is starting to come together as well. I got a duvet (finally) that I absolutely love. I still have to make the pillow shams to finish the bedding. I have an antique painting done by one of my relatives in 1906 that I am going to hang above the bed. I still need something to put my tv on, but now I at least have an idea of what I want. Always a work in progress...

There are still curtains to hang in the guest bedrooms, but at least they are made. I just need a pretty decorative rod for one of the rooms. Maybe I'll attempt that on Sunday?

I'm working on a new knitting project. We have a new group at work that is going to meet twice a month during lunch to knit. I'm making an afghan and it's such slow progress. It doesn't help that I made a mistake and had a whole row to take out. Maybe I'll finish it by July.

I would say I'll try to do a better job at blogging, but I don't want to lie. I know life is just going to get busier over the next few months, but I will try to post pictures once I get my dining room squared away.

Please, someone, teach me how to post pictures from my iPad!!

I just wrote an entire post (shocking) reflecting on 2011, but it disappeared before I could publish it. Instead of trying to recreate it, I guess I'll talk about something else an pretend that that post didn't disappear somewhere in the Internet. I was trying to add a picture when I wrote the previous post, so unfortunately there will be no pictures until I have time to figure it out.

I had a good Christmas, albeit very different this year. I enjoyed spending time with my family and a few dear friends during my time off. My parents, Emma and I went to Gatlinburg for several days and I enjoyed the opportunity to read, sleep and just exist without a particular schedule--anyone who really knows my knows that I'm very much a creature of habit so freedom from my routine is nice, to an extent. Unfortunately, I think it's going to be a difficult transition back to work after being away for more than a week. I'm not going to like having limited time to cook (and shop!) once busy season rolls around. I guess since I know better what to expect, I'm really not looking forward to long nights and weekends in the office. I enjoy my job, but I really need some time for cooking, cleaning, reading and simply getting enough sleep.

Once I figure out how to add pictures to my posts, I'll try to write with more frequency--I can't do much worse than I've done this year!!

P.S.--I did try to attach a picture my Uncle made at my house on Thanksgiving. I'm not sure how it's going to look.