Butterscotch Swirl Brownies

I was torn about whether to post this here at RoughDrafts, or over on Proof It, since it is image-heavy. Since it’s more of a how-to and since I mentioned it here first, I suppose I’ll do it here.

The Butterscotch Swirl Brownies are a huge success. Both recipes were prepared much the same, i.e. done in a saucepan by melting the oils, sugars and flavorings then adding the eggs and dry ingredients. The only thing I had to change was the cooking time; they required the longer, of course, and though I was worried the chocolate brownie batter would over-cook with an additional 5 minutes, it did not.

This was the view outside my kitchen window as I got started; it’s all about setting a scene, doncha know.

The two recipes, Butterscotch Brownies, and my go-to fudge brownie recipe.

The two batters.

I poured the butterscotch in on the bottom:

Then drizzled on the fudge:

Then pulled a table knife through it for a nice swirlie pattern:

I cut them into little squares, figuring they’d be rich, and voile!

They actually taste even better than they look.

In other news, Mom and I walked yesterday for the third time this week, and cut 15 minutes off our previous times. It was still chilly, but in spite of that, there were some raucous spring peepers kicking up a fuss in a little marsh. First I’ve heard of them this year.

This morning, I returned from choring and looked up into the hay field between us and the nearest neighbors to see a big dog standing facing me. I thought it was a boxer, at first. It was just staring. Then it turned and trotted a few feet, and I realized it was a very healthy-looking coyote! He didn’t even seem particularly bothered by my presence, even when I moved toward him and clapped my hands. He did head into the trees, but not away from me; more parallel to me and the house. It was broad daylight, too. Cheeky bugger.

And today’s quote:

“Me and a dead owl don’t give a hoot.” Raylan Givens from “Justified.” Love that show.

On that note…

A Crafty Weekend

The weekend went sort of as planned. The only thing we didn’t get done is the Subaru repair, which is pushed to Wednesday. We did get out on Saturday, though, and had the tires rotated, had my hair cut and had a nice lunch at Bojangles.

When we got home, I got started on the slippers I’ve been promising Steve. When I finished them Saturday night (it takes about 5 hours to make a pair), I put pictures up on Proof It, and the orders started pouring in! And by orders, I mean Mom and Dad both wanted a pair.

So I spent all day yesterday crocheting slippers. I got Mom’s pair done, and one done for Dad… I needed to make sure it fit him before making the second one. So that’s what I’ll be doing today. I may even get to a pair for myself today!

It’s a good day for it. It’s raining again, but at least the temperatures have come up a bit so Steve won’t have any trouble getting to work. I’m not going to complain about the rain; it is much needed and will make for excellent spring grass!

I also finished the blue afghan Friday evening. It’s on its way to its intended recipient. I’ll be putting up some pics of it later, as well.

We went to Mom and Dad’s for a fantastic venison roast last night, and I also made a chocolate cobbler to take along. I’d made it once before, and it was as good (and as easy) as I remembered. Tonight, we’ll have what’s left after our baked spaghetti pie. And I am thawing two roasting hens for one of our all-time favorites, Glazed Chicken and Vegetables. I’ll make that for a family dinner tomorrow, since Steve has the day off.

Today, though, more crochet. And maybe a nap.

 

More Homelife

After Monday’s cleaning binge, on Tuesday I went on a cooking binge.

Steve informed me that he had been craving some good oatmeal cookies. So I picked out two recipes from my Big Red Cookbooks (I have a Betty Crocker one and a Better Homes and Gardens one), Peanut Butter Oatmeal rounds and plain old Oatmeal Cookies. I put plain M&Ms in the former, and dried cranberries in the latter. They turned out really well. I made them jumbo sized so they came out really chewy and nice.

After a couple of hours baking cookies, I got a loaf of French bread in the oven, and made a really good Chicken Lasagna for dinner. Both turned out fantastic.

We went riding yesterday, and Sully was excellent. He had more get up and go, thanks to the fact that I’m being consistent about not letting him walk as slowly as possible, ever. We maintained a forward walk or nice jog for the entire ride, and this over gravel.

I’ve taken the plunge on the Easyboots after finding a pair of Bares in their bargain bin. I got two boots for less than the normal price of just one. And the rep assured me that I’ll get better mileage out of them than I would out of the Trails with the amount and type of riding we do, as well as Sully’s overall size. I can’t wait to get them and try them out.

I’m also trying out two different operating systems, thanks to Dad. He upgraded my Ubuntu 10.04 to 12.0-something (4?), which utilizes what I think he called a Unity desktop, and also installed XUbuntu on the same machine. So far, I’m liking the XUbuntu with its leaner interface.

Not much on the roster for today, other than a bike ride or two. I did manage to pull a muscle in my neck yesterday while uncinching my saddle (this after a mile and a half ride during which I debated wearing my helmet and opted to leave it at home.) It’s pretty sore this morning.

Emeals Chocolate Cheesecake

I baked this cheesecake on Friday, and it has been a huge hit.