Texas Brownies with Fudge Frosting

I don't usually love brownies but I had a strange craving last week for brownies with frosting.  So I tried one recipe and it was not so great.  Then this week I found some new recipes and merged them.  Here is the result.  They were pretty dang good.

Texas Brownies with Fudge Frosting

For the brownies:

2 cups flour                                          2 cups sugar

½ cup butter or margarine                     ½ cup shortening

1 cup water                                          ¼ cup dark, unsweetened cocoa

½ cup buttermilk                                   2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda                                1 tsp. vanilla

         

          Combine 2 cups flour and 2 cups sugar.   In heavy saucepan, combine butter, shortening, water, and cocoa.  Stir and heat to boiling.  Pour boiling mixture over the flour and sugar in the bowl.  Add the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla.  Mix well.  Pour into a well-buttered 17-1/2 by 11 inch pan.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until brownies test done in the center. 

For the frosting:

1 (12 oz) package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 (14 oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

    Just before brownies are done, in heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chills with sweetened condensed milk and remaining 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla.  Remove form heat.  Immediately spread over hot brownies.  Cool Chill.  Cut into bars. 

Finger Paint

We had a snow day today and needed an activity.  I've tried a few different finger paint recipes in the past and this is my favorite one. 

You'll need:

1/2 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups cold water
food coloring

In a medium saucepan stir together the cornstarch, sugar, and salt.  Then whisk in the cold water over medium to medium-low heat.  Cook for 5-10 minutes stirring constantly.  You are just waiting for it to thicken and become shiny.  I think I cooked it a little too long.  You don't want it too thick! 

Prepare some storage containers. 

Let it cool and add food coloring.

Then let your kids at it!

\My kids were having hard time not wiping their hands off every few seconds!  Store containers in air tight containers.  I store mine in the fridge.  I've had it go moldy in the past.  Yuck.

Tie Onesies

Tis the Season for Projects.  Its cold and I need something to do with myself.  So here is something I've been working on...

My sister made me a bunch of tie onsies for my baby but he has grown out of them all so I made some more and it cost me NOTHING.  I dug through his onsies and found some plain ones.  Then I found some ugly clothes he never wore and cut them into tie shapes.  I even did some bow ties.  (Pictures to come.)

Then I realized my sewing machine was broken!  But now its fixed and wa-la!

I just sewed the ties on with an embroidery stitch.  So easy.  So fast.  It would have been easier with that double sided iron on stuff.  I forget what its called.  It was still pretty easy without though.  Try it yourself!