Well, how was Valentine’s Day? Mine was a pretty full day, started out with blueberry pancakes for folks at the office, friends & family. My husband got me my favorite chocolates and a bouquet of flowers, I am still enjoying. Our son, Phillip and his gal, were here for a nice Valentine dinner of Shrimp Alfredo with linguini, accompanied by a nice salad, bread, chocolates and coffee. A perfect closure for a lovely day.
For some reason it seemed like I cooked a great deal this week, I haven’t figured out why yet. Today I made old-fashioned tuna melts for dinner and then plenty of leftovers for sandwiches this week. We were right in the middle of a movie tonight when I leaned over and said: ‘Let’s put this on pause and make a pan of blond brownies.’ Ervin said: ‘I’m headed to town; I can’t have brownies without a glass of milk.’ Good thing he made the trip because we were out of eggs too. Unbeknownst to me I had cooked the last dozen eggs for the tuna salad!
Phillip had gone to his girlfriend’s house, so we teased him a bit by sending a photo of a glass of milk and the pan of homemade brownies. Then; I picked up the phone and called my dad at bedtime, and he too was like: ‘Oh mom always made those, they’re so good.’ Well, guess what we did? I packaged the brownies up and we decided to pull out in the morning with tuna salad sandwiches and brownies, as we head back to Lewistown, MO to surprise my dad. For my readers who get this column directly, please don’t tell my dad!!!
Those of you from the Lewistown, MO area may know the recipe I am speaking of, especially if you knew the O’Dear and VanMeter families. Yep, Maxine VanMeter or Martha Lou O’Dear always brought them to church events. As some of you may know blond brownies with chocolate chips on top were a big thing in the 50’s and 60’s. I probably hadn’t made them for about 5 years, at least. I sat there with my brownies and milk and cried because of the wonderful memories associated with those brownies.
As a musician I frequently stated the following about music: ‘It evokes emotion’. Well, so do smells, food and awesome memories. That’s why it’s so important to
keep cooking. I remember when my girlfriend badly broke her knee in a garage door accident about 4 years ago. I spent several nights at her home and was taking meals out to her pretty frequently. One day, she looked at me and said: ‘Could you cook here tonight, I just want to smell food cooking.’ If I were a cook in a care facility I would be setting up a table and making small omelets to order each weekend. It’s all about ‘passion’. A passion for people and a passion for cooking our way into someone’s heart. I’d best curtail myself right now or I could end up with a five-page dissertation on the inadequacies of senior care facilities.
Well; I’m headed off to bed, because it appears I’ll be rising early in the morning. Good thing I finished up most of the laundry this evening!!! When you stir up these brownies do not overcook them, the second the center is firm, they are basically done. They do not tend to pull away from the edges of the pan either.
Simply yours, The Covered Dish.
Blonde Brownies
2/3 cup soft butter, do not melt
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6-8 ounces chocolate chips
1 cup chopped English Walnuts or pecans, optional
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Soften butter and blend in with brown sugar, cool slightly; add the eggs and vanilla. Mix all the dry ingredients together with a whisk and gradually add to the butter mixture. Lastly; add nuts if desired. Spread into a greased and floured 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips on top. Bake in the 350-degree oven for approximately 25 minutes. For a nice presentation line your baking pan with foil, and spray, spread the dough and add chips, then bake. When the brownies are cool lift them from the pan and allow to cool. Cut with a plastic knife and they’ll look like they came from a bakery! Test with a toothpick for doneness. Makes about 24 squares.
