Sometimes situations go awry, and no amount of
plan B's or C's or LMNOP's can make things work out the way you'd like. It's just
part of life, I suppose. People will tell you not to let it get to you -- that
there's something better coming and everything will be okay and just wait and
see.
Easier said than done, right?
Waiting and seeing is really hard. I’m more comfortable
with movement, so sitting still in the tension of not knowing isn’t exactly my
cup of tea. In fact, it stresses me out.
In times like these, I fight back with butter and sugar. All
this waiting and seeing may mean that I'm not able to make plans or move forward, but at least I
can make brownies. And while that might not actually solve any of my problems, it
certainly helps soothe them.
Bring it on, life. I've got chocolate chips, and I know how to use them.
Simply perfect (and perfectly simple)
brownies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cups (75g) butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp water
1 ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips,
separated
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts
(optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 F (160 C). Then grease and flour (I use cocoa instead) an 8x8 inch pan. If you want super easy removal and cleanup, line the pan with parchment paper. It's a wonderful invention.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small
bowl and set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt butter with the
sugar and water. Bring just to a boil and then remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup of
chocolate chips. Add vanilla extract and allow to cool till it's only just warm.
Whisk in the eggs one at a time, and mix well
after each addition. Stir in the flour mixture, and then add the
remaining ½ cup of chocolate chips and the nuts.
Pour into a greased 8x8 pan, and bake for 25-35
minutes. Check them at around 20 to make sure you don't overbake -- dry brownies are a tragedy. Then remove from oven and cool before serving.