The World's Fastest and Easiest Brownies

This is the first recipe I posted on Empty Nest Full Heart.  It makes store bought brownie mixes obsolete and unnecessary because you can mix them up just as fast and cook them even faster (in the microwave).  There is a one simple rule for making brownies in the microwave:  DO NOT OVERCOOK THEM.  Otherwise, you'll have one fine excuse for a hockey puck instead of tender, chewy brownies.  Don't let fear rule your heart, though, because these brownies really are superb, and if you don't tell, people will never know how fast and easy they were to make.

Try it!  You'll like it!

Melt one stick of butter (I always use salted) in the microwave and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and 1C of sugar.  Add the melted butter and 1t vanilla, and whisk til smooth.  Next stir in 1/2C  unsweetened cocoa and 3/4C flour just until blended.  Pour into a Pam'd square casserole dish.  Microwave for 5 minutes, turning halfway through if you don't have a rotating turntable.  The brownies will still look wet on top. Set the dish on the counter top and let it cool for 10 min. before cutting into squares.  For an extra treat, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Photo courtesy of myrecipes.com

Sunshine Behind the Clouds

One of the things I love about my commute to and from work is the morning sky.  Depending on the time of the year I might get to watch the sunrise.  For the last week or so, the morning sky has been nothing to write about.  We have been surrounded by gray clouds, making it hard to wake up, much less get excited about the day.

This morning, we were greeted by several inches of newly fallen snow, which usually brings with it a feeling of freshness and cleanness, except at the end of February, when we're wearying of winter and have by now been teased by a few springlike days, only to be thrown back into the cold.  As soon as I started driving I knew I should have left earlier.  The roads were mucky and only partially plowed.  The sky was gray.  Again.  I sighed deeply and went on my way.

As if gray skies weren't enough, I felt enveloped by a gray mood.  Wisconsin is going through some difficult days as the newly elected governor, standing true to his campaign promises, is attacking the budget deficit with vigor.  The teachers' union is not happy, to say the least, as their right to collective bargaining is up for slashing.  Strong opinions are flying everywhere, accompanied by less than charitable feelings toward the "other side", whichever side that may be.  It's just politics - and it's the way things are.  People disagree all the time.  What's my problem?

I've been around long enough and have lived through enough conflict to know full well that this is the kind of thing that has division written all over it.  This is the kind of battle that separates friends and families and yes, even churches.  I'm not so sure I can handle one more factious fight in my lifetime.  I am grieved and gray.  I told Flyboy last night that without some heretofore untapped reservoir of grace one more major attack on the fabric of our church just might do me in.  He understood.  God bless him.

And so it was, with such gray clouds above that I began the drive to work this morning.

As I drove, something caught my eye.  The gray sky above seemed, in one spot, to be not so gray.  There seemed to be a brightness trapped behind, trying to push through.  And while it didn't clear the sky, the sun was there, slightly visible, reminding me that behind the gray clouds, the sun is burning brightly.  Even when the sun is completely invisible to me, it is still burning brightly.  Even in the dark of night, the sun, on the other side of the world, is burning brightly.  The sun never ceases to burn brightly.

The same is true for the Son.  Even when things around me look gray, His love continues to burn brightly.  His grace is as available as ever, not blocked by the clouds, not held back by circumstance or struggle.  His grace is in abundance, and once we step out of the way, nothing can stop it.

The opaque sun, barely seen through the gray morning brought much hope to my heart.  And then, like the cherry on top of a sundae, I found this verse waiting for me in my email at work:

"And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?  My hope is in you."  Psalm 39:7 NLT

Thank you, God, for sunshine behind the clouds.

Passports - Check!

Our passports arrived today in the mail, two weeks and six days after we made application.  That's a relief!  We are one step closer to our upcoming trip to England, which is now just over five weeks away.

Unbelievable.

Can't wait to hug on all of them.

Funny story...overheard this past week between Dash and JackJack:

JackJack:  If bad guys came and wanted to hurt us, I would punch them in the face.

Dash:  If bad guys came and wanted to hurt us, I would stay in the house.

If any conversation ever personified the marked differences between these two little guys, it's this one.  And how interesting to ponder the difference between nature and nurture...  JackJack loves super heroes and Star Wars and wants to play rugby when he turns five.  Dash cares about people, and when a friend recently had a fire at her flat, his first question was, "is she alright?", which was followed by, "she could stay here at our house with us."

Being so far away has been hard, and we are missing out on so much.  But at the same time, knowing it was God Himself who led them, who made the way plain, who has guided them along the way and supported them (even in especially in the hard times) makes the distance bearable somehow.  We will be celebrating JackJack's birthday, as well as his sweet mama's, and seeing places with our own eyes we have only dreamed of.

Next on the agenda: an itinerary.  The Incredibles have things they want to show us, and we are taking any and all suggestions from anyone who has been there.  What would you recommend?

Snow Day 2!

Yes, yes, I know this is old news. And I know Facebook is plastered with pictures of the blizzard of 2011. But for posterity, and mostly for Girlfriend (our Arizona daughter who has had to suffer through unseasonably cold weather this week - 50 degrees - poor thing), because she knows she wishes she could be here about now.

This one was indeed one for the record books. Let's look at some pictures!

There was four feet of snow right outside the garage door. Flyboy was excited, like I was, to be snowed in and have a day at home to lay around and watch movies. Until he opened the garage door and got the full impact of what he was in for.

And here he is, two hours later. Making progress, but still oh so much more to go.

Just when the driveway was starting to look passable, I ventured outside to congratulate Flyboy. And then I took a look toward the front porch. And believe it or not, there should be a sidewalk parallel to the street.  At a time like this, there is only one thing to do. Catch the next plane to Phoenix.







Well, like everybody else in the upper midwest, we did finally get dug out. This morning, however, posed a new challenge. Wanting to get caught up on the laundry while I'm at home today, it occurred to me (after a nice reminder from our local tv anchorwoman) that our dryer vent might very well be buried in snow. This is a problem. Getting into the back yard is also a problem because there is a sheet of plastic adhered to the patio door for the winter and I must go out the front and around the house to get to the patio where the vent releases hot air from the dryer in the basement.

So what's the problem?

Step one: dress for success.

Step two: plot your course. Hmm...this looks pretty deep. Let's try the other side.

Not much better, but at least I spy some footsteps into the neighbor's back yard. Maybe I can follow them for awhile!

How to determine your fitness level in one easy test:  walk in waist deep snow from the front of the house to the back of the house.  If you make it without having a heart attack, you pass!  It was about here I wished I had brought my phone with me just in case I needed to call 911.

Step three: locate the dryer vent. Come on - I know you're in there somewhere!

Success!  There you are!













I am happy to report that I am safely back in the house, sipping a hot cup of Constant Comment, having somehow miraculously avoided the need for cardiac resuscitation. The sheets are in the washing machine, and I am ready to settle into a day of study and prayer.

Life is good!