Holiday Traditions

As this year draws swiftly to a close, I am reminded that nothing is so valuable as our time together as a family. Traditions established over the years seem to bind us even closer.



Each family , big or small, loud or quiet, has its own traditions that are followed more or less unchanged for a long period of time. Keeping these family traditions alive is not only the responsibility of the parents, but also the grandparents, the uncles and aunts, the family friends and in most cases, the responsibility of children. Whether you consider a family tradition to be the annual  Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas presents and birthday parties, the fact remains that families come closer and share the memories of past rituals performed to honor everyone. Families need those times together to strengthen ties and develop bonds that last for years to come.

We can cherish and keep family traditions alive by doing what we used to do as kids. (Just because you're older doesn't mean you have to grow up! I still hang three special ornaments on our tree that my mother gave me way back in 1964. Each one brings back special memories of Momma, Daddy, and the JOY we shared as we prepared for Christmas.) If you are given the chance help your mother or grandmother bake cookies, wrap presents and put them under the Christmas tree, bake that special cake that she only makes once a year, do whatever it takes to make memories that will last. These are some of the most precious moments you can share with your loved ones. Do not forget or let them vanish.

During the holidays, our family has developed several traditions over the years. For almost thirty years now, my husband has purchased some type of Christmas music box for me (each with a different tune---and believe me, that isn't easy as the numbers of music boxes have grown). On Christmas Eve, we play some of the music boxes (usually in the order they were purchased), then my husband reads the Christmas story from Luke 2 in the Bible, and then we play more music boxes to complete the ritual. Most of the time, the only lights are from the Christmas tree and candles, which adds to the atmosphere as the Christmas story is read.

Several "food traditions" have developed as I've tried new recipes and added them to the list of "must haves" over the Holidays. One of these is a recipe for homemade rum cake. Before I found this recipe, I tried several that either flopped (baked high and pretty, then fell flatter than a pancake), or turned out more like a sponge. However, this is one that I think you will enJOY making and sharing with friends and family. The syrup coating cools to make the outside almost crunchy, while the inside is deliciously light and has just the right amount of rum flavor without the taste of alcohol (which cooks out during the baking and boiling processes). I hope you will give it a try and leave me a comment below about how it turns out for you.

Before we get started with the recipe, let me say that I was just a bit too busy last week when I made this to photograph all the steps. So, if you have any questions about any of the directions, don't hesitate to email me (or if you're local, call me!). You can contact me at pkrains@tcworks.net.

I hope you will consider making this one of your "traditions"---no matter what time of year you choose to do so. Don't forget to print the recipe or copy and paste it to a file and save it in your recipe collection.



Pat's Homemade Rum Cake Recipe

For the Cake:
1 cup chopped pecans
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup butter, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons + ½ cup Crisco oil, divided
1 - 3.4-ounce package of instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup dark rum
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Rum Syrup:
¾ cup butter
1½ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup water
Pinch of salt
½ cup dark rum

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard tube pan (12-cup capacity). Lightly toss chopped nuts in flour to coat, then sprinkle them around the bottom of the prepared pan; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture and the 3 tablespoons of canola oil, and mix on medium-low speed for a minute or two – the mixture should look like wet sand. Add the pudding mix and mix again on medium-low speed until combined.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, remaining oil, milk, rum, and vanilla extract. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat until smooth.

5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (My oven takes just a few minutes longer.)

6. When the cake has about 10 minutes left to bake, start the rum syrup. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Once it is melted, add the sugar and the water. Bring to a rolling boil (one that can't be stirred down). Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and stir in the rum. Once it is mixed in, return it to medium heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

7. When the cake comes out of the oven, use a fork to poke holes all around the top. Immediately pour about one-third of the rum syrup over the top of the cake. Pour slowly so it has time to seep into the cake and down the sides between the pan and cake. Let it sit for 5 minutes or until it appears that all the syrup has absorbed. Don't let it sit too long, or it will stick to the pan.

8. Invert the cake onto a serving platter. Using a fork or a skewer, poke holes all over the cake – the top, sides, and around the inside. Don’t be shy – all of the holes ensure that the rum syrup seeps into the cake evenly. Sloooooowly pour the remaining rum syrup over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. You want to do this step very slowly so that the syrup actually seeps into the cake and doesn’t just pool on the bottom of the serving dish.

9. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before serving. Leftovers can be kept, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

 

What holiday traditions do you observe during the year? If you haven't established any, consider doing so as we begin the New Year.

May 2013 be one filled with JOYful BLESSINGS for us all!

 

 

A Bountiful Table

If you grew up watching the Waltons, you may have reminisced along with them, as they gathered around the family dinner table for their bountiful Thanksgiving feast. (See: http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=waltons+thanksgiving&tnr=21&vid=b97f19c5ff80b3561e71c787cdcce784&l=30&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DU.5035158419341352%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2Fvideos%2Fwatch%2F%3Fq%3DWaltons%2BThanksgiving%26vid%3DD59E42AEFE922789AF44D59E42AEFE922789AF44%26docid%3D5035158419341352&sigr=13sc6i2ll&newfp=1&tit=INSP+presents+The+Waltons+-+The+Thanksgiving+Story+starring+Ralph+...&back=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%3Fei%3DUTF-8%26p%3DWaltons%2BThanksgiving&sigb=11umju1mh) 

Although those days are gone, we can still gather 'round the table and count our blessings as we recall family, friends, and events that have touched our lives throughout the year.

 

No Thanksgiving meal is complete without delicious rolls on the table, whether it’s one of those fluffy dinner rolls or golden crescent rolls (I'll take one of each, please!). Whichever you prefer, hot rolls slathered with butter is a great addition to any celebratory meal (or for a quick snack in the middle of the day). This is an easy dinner roll recipe that I found  a couple of years ago in the Lion House Bakery Cookbook (available here: http://www.amazon.com/Lion-House-Bakery-Brenda-Hopkin/dp/1606411373/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353212174&sr=8-2&keywords=lion+house+cookbook).

 

These rolls are delicious even days later. I always bag the leftovers and microwave them just a few seconds to warm and serve later. I love these with ham and cheese tucked in and warmed for breakfast. This recipe is also great to use for cinnamon rolls.

 

So, let's get started!

THE BEST ROLLS IN THE WHOLE WORLD

First, let's gather the ingredients:

(NOTE: The recipe is on page 84 of "A Pinch of This... A Smidgen of That," but you can also find the complete recipe below, after the tutorial. You can copy and paste it to your word processor and print or save your own copy, if you don't have the cookbook. If you'd like to purchase a cookbook, send me a message using the form at the end of this post.

Gather these INGREDIENTS: 2 - cups warm water; 2/3 - cup nonfat dry milk; 2 - tablespoons dry yeast (2 tablespoons =2 packages); 1/4 - cup sugar; 2 - tsp salt; 1/2 - cup butter; 1 - egg; 5 to 5 1/2 - cups all purpose flour; 1 stick butter, for slathering hot rolls fresh from the oven

In a LARGE glass or stone bowl, combine water and dry milk. (I set my bowl in a sink partially filled with very warm tap water to keep the bowl warm.) Stir until dissolved.

Add sugar, salt, butter, egg, yeast, and 2 cups flour.

 

 

Whisk well until ingredients are wet, then for a minute or two extra, just to be sure you get out all the lumps and it's really smooth.

Add 2 more cups of flour, and mix with a large spatula (it's too much for your whisk) until ingredients are wet and continue mixing one or two additional minutes after that to incorporate all the flour and get it smooth and pasty. Add remaining 1 1/2 c. flour and again work it in well, as before.

Once combined, don't worry if it's still a bit sticky. Just clean the sides of the bowl, clean your spatula onto the lump of dough, and pour about a tablespoon of Crisco oil over the dough, using your fingertips to spread it around over the top to cover. Grasp dough with oiled hands and turn it over to oil the bowl. Turn over once so dough is covered with oil.

Cover with a lint-free tea towel, and let rise in a warm place (as I said, I leave it sitting in a sink full of warm water) until double in size.

 

Once risen to double, or to the top of the bowl, scrape dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface. (You can lay out two strips of waxed paper side-by-side, overlapping a little, and cover it with flour to do this. Then, when you're through, just pick up your mess and toss in the trash.) Roll out dough to a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch thick, and brush with melted butter. (I usually melt about 1 stick of butter to cover the whole area of rolled dough.)

 

 

 

 

Using a pizza cutter, cut rolls into desired shape and size.

TIPS ON CUTTING: To cut my rolls after rolling them out in flour, I use my hand to measure the length and width of the strips. My thumb is the width, and from my thumb to the end of my index finger is the length (about 2 1/2 X 5 inches rectangle). I cut all one direction, then the other to make the small rectangles, then roll them up like crescent rolls, tucking the end under the roll when I place it on the pan. To space these, I leave a thumb's width (almost an inch) between them all around. They will use all the space you can give them to rise. Have your butter ready to slather them on top when they come out of the oven.

 

 

 

 

 

Place on a greased (with Crisco solid) or parchment paper lined baking pan.

 

Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until rolls are doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with additional butter while hot.


  Serve HOT with your favorite meal (or microwave and serve with ham inside for breakfast sandwiches).

THE BEST ROLLS IN THE WHOLE WORLD

INGREDIENTS:
2 - cups warm water
2/3 - cup nonfat dry milk
2 - tablespoons dry yeast (2 tablespoons =2 packages)
1/4 - cup sugar
2 - tsp salt 1/2 - cup butter
1 - egg
5 to 5 1/2 - cups all purpose flour
1 stick butter, for slathering hot rolls fresh from the oven

DIRECTIONS:
In a LARGE glass or stone bowl, combine water and dry milk. (I set my bowl in a sink partially filled with very warm tap water to keep the bowl warm.) Stir until dissolved. Add sugar, salt, butter, egg, yeast, and 2 cups flour. Whisk well until ingredients are wet, then for an additional minute or two, just to be sure you get out all the lumps and it's really smooth. Add 2 more cups flour, and mix with a large spatula (it's too much for your whisk) until ingredients are wet and one or two minutes after that to incorporate all the flour and get it smooth and pasty. Add remaining 1 1/2 c. flour and again work it in well, as before. Once combined, don't worry if it's still a bit sticky. Just clean the sides of the bowl, clean your spatula onto the lump of dough, and pour about a tablespoon of Crisco oil over the dough, using your fingertips to spread it around over the top to cover. Grasp dough with oiled hands and turn it over to oil the bowl. Turn over once so dough is covered with oil. Cover with a lint-free tea towel, and let rise in a warm place (as I said, I leave it sitting in a sink full of warm water) until double in size.

Once risen to double, or to the top of the bowl, scrape dough out of bowl onto floured surface. (You can lay out two strips of waxed paper side-by-side, overlapping a little, and cover it with flour to do this. Then, when you're through, just pick up your mess and toss in the trash.) Roll out dough to a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch thick, and brush with melted butter. (I usually melt about 1 stick of butter to cover the whole area of rolled dough.) Using a pizza cutter, cut rolls into desired shape and size. Place on a greased (with Crisco solid) or parchment paper lined baking pan. Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until rolls are doubled in size. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Brush with melted butter while hot.

TIPS ON CUTTING: To cut my rolls after rolling them out in flour, I use my hand to measure the length and width of the strips. My thumb is the width, and from my thumb to the end of my index finger is the length (about 2 1/2 X 5 inches rectangle). I cut all one direction, then the other to make the small rectangles, then roll them up like crescent rolls, tucking the end under the roll when I place it on the pan. To space these, I leave a thumb's width (almost an inch) between them all around. They will use all the space you can give them to rise. Have your butter ready to slather them on top when they come out of the oven.

TIPS ON FREEZING: After shaping the rolls place them 2 inches apart on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Place the rolls in the freezer and freeze until firm. When the rolls are firm, transfer to a large zip lock freezer bag. Date and freeze for up to 4 weeks. Great to do this when getting ready for the Holidays or when taking meals to needy families. TIPS ON USING FROZEN ROLLS: Arrange frozen rolls 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with nonstick cooking spray or covered with parchment paper. Cover rolls with plastic wrap coated with baking spray. Place in a warm place and let the rolls rise until doubled in size. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with additional butter while hot.

 

 

Best-Ever Bar Cookies and Brownies

What is your favorite cookie? Do you like a thin, crispy cookie, or a thick chewy-in-the-middle chunky cookie? What about bar cookies, or cookies with icing on top?

In America, a cookie is described as a thin, sweet, usually small cake. By definition, a cookie can be any of a variety of hand-held, flour-based sweet cakes, either crisp or soft.

Each country has its own word for "cookie." What we know as cookies are called biscuits in England and Australia, in Spain they're galletas, Germans call them keks or Plätzchen for Christmas cookies, and in Italy there are several names to identify various forms of cookies including amaretti and biscotti, and so on. The name cookie is derived from the Dutch word koekje, meaning "small or little cake." Biscuit comes from the Latin word bis coctum, which means, “twice baked.” 

According to culinary historians, the first historic record of cookies was their use as test cakes. A small amount of cake batter was baked to test the oven temperature. (SOURCE: http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/CookieHistory.htm)

However you define them, the bar cookies and brownies I want to share today are perfect for snacking or celebrating. These mouth-watering treats serve as a great way to sweeten up a chilly day or night. Leave these chewy bar cookies and brownies unattended and they'll disappear faster than you can say, "May I please have seconds?"

After purchasing an extra large bag of pitted dates this past week, I began a quest to find a delicious date bar recipe. After sorting through a half-dozen or more recipes for these treats, I finally settled on a combination of three of them. Each had components I wanted to incorporate into the cookie, but none were exactly what I had envisioned as the mouth-watering, chewy cookie I wanted to taste. So what I'm sharing with you today is a more-or-less "original" (since I added a "secret" ingredient not in any of the recipes) recipe. I hope you enJOY it as much as we have.

Also, a friend of mine who moved to Texas a few years ago (we forgave her for that), visited us on her way to Missouri. One of the desserts I served that day was Rocky Road Brownies. My friend emailed recently and asked for the recipe, and I promised to put it on the blog. That was before life got REALLY BUSY, ... so I apologize, Tina, for taking so long to follow through with my promise. I'm trying to catch up on my "to-do" list this week! Check out the recipe below (after the Delicious Date Bars).

Let's get started!

DELICIOUS DATE BARS

Be sure you have all the ingredients before you start. Don't forget to let your butter come to room temperature before you use it. If you want to, you can go ahead and cut it into cubes while it's cold, then just set aside to soften.

Here's what you'll need:

Place pitted dates, water, and molasses (the SECRET ingredient!) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla (After the dates cooked, I used a potato masher to blend them into the liquid. This helps cool and thicken puree. It's okay if a few lumps and bumps are still in the mixture, so don't worry about getting it really smooth.) Cool to room temperature. (I was in a hurry to make these---couldn't wait to try them--, so I placed my hot saucepan in a sink of ice water to hasten cooling.)

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8x11.5x2-inch (or 8x8-inch) baking pan. (I used the 8x11.5x2-inch Pyrex baking dish you see in the photo. It worked great.)

Combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in large bowl; stir to blend.

Add diced butter. Using a pastry cutter or fork, blend until moist clumps form.

Use a spatula (or your fingers) to press half of oat mixture evenly over bottom of prepared pan.

Spread cooled date mixture over the crust.

You can see that it is fairly thick (after cooling) and almost a puree, but it still has a few lumps of dates.

Sprinkle crumbles of remaining oat mixture over the date filling;

press gently to adhere to the filling. Bake until brown at edges and golden brown and set in center, about 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Once the pan has cooled, cover it with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator at least one hour or until firm enough to cut bars easily. Cut into bars and serve.

These will keep, covered, in the refrigerator up to a week or at room temperature for four or five days. (I like mine at room temperature with a steaming hot cup of black coffee!)ENJOY!!!

The date is a delicious fruit brimming with much-needed minerals and energy to help you stay fit and healthy. Wonderfully delicious, dates are one of the most popular fruits packed with an impressive list of essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are required for normal growth, development and overall well-being. For more about this great little fruit, check out http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/dates.html. Don't forget to print or save and file a copy of the recipe below.

Now, I need to keep a promise to my friend and post the

Rocky Road Brownie Recipe

Let's get started by gathering our ingredients:

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of a 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. Since I planned to deliver this batch to a friend, I used a disposable aluminum pan :-) (Hope you enJOYed the brownies, Reta!). When I make these to keep at home, I usually bake them in an 8x13x2-inch Pyrex baking dish.

Make brownie batter as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan.

(Box directions include:
1/4 cup water, 3/4 cup vegetable oil, and 2 eggs. I like to whisk my eggs just a little bit before I add them to the dry brownie mix.)

Prepare brownie batter as directed on box. Use a spatula to blend well; if in doubt, count about 50 strokes, just until well mixed. .

Stir in the mini-chocolate chips and fudge sauce. Spread evenly in pan.

If you don't keep the homemade Fudge Sauce on hand in your refrigerator, you're missing a treat! It helps make these brownies moist and fudgy! (And, makes vanilla ice cream and pound cake extra yummy!)

Spread evenly in pan and bake according to box directions for 13x9-inch pan. (I often use an 8x11.5x2-inch Pyrex baking dish to make these just a little thicker. If you use Pyrex, you may want to bake an extra 5 minutes, or so.)

(While baking, prepare Chocolate Frosting---recipe below.)

Immediately after removing brownies from oven, completely cover the top with miniature marshmallows and, if desired, the peanuts (I usually leave these off---so my "road" isn't quite so "rocky"! :-)

Drizzle (DO NOT SPREAD) very warm chocolate frosting over the marshmallow/peanut layer (in the photo below, you will notice I left out the peanuts). If your icing cools too much before the brownies come out of the oven, simply warm it again, then drizzle it evenly -- leaving some of the white marshmallows showing through (again, DO NOT SPREAD THE ICING. You want it to sink down between the lumpy marshmallows). The icing will firm as it cools.

Cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into 24 squares and serve. Store at room temperature.

I'm sorry I don't have a fresh photo of these all cut and pretty, but this batch (as I said earlier) went to a friend, and I hated to take it to her with a piece missing---which is what would have happened if I had cut these into squares!) So, just pretend the picture below came from this new batch of brownies:

What better time than Fall to make bar cookies and brownies for hungry kids to snack on after school. I hope you and your family will use these recipes to make some memories while filling hungry tummies! (Don't forget to print or copy and save the recipes below!)

 

Blessings to you and yours,

Patricia

DELICIOUS DATE BARS 

INGREDIENTS

Date Filling:
1 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates
1/3 cup molasses (I like Grandma's Molasses)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust and Streusel Topping:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, diced, room temperature

DIRECTIONS

Place pitted dates, water, and molasses in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla (After the dates cooked, I used a potato masher to blend them into the liquid. It's okay if a few lumps and bumps are still in the mixture, so don't worry about getting it really smooth.) Cool to room temperature. (I was in a hurry to make these, so I placed my hot saucepan in a sink of ice water to hasten cooling.) 

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8x11.5x2-inch (or 8x8-inch) baking pan. (I used an 8x11.5x2-inch Pyrex baking dish. It worked great.)

 

Combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in large bowl; stir to blend. Add diced butter. Using a pastry cutter or fork, blend until moist clumps form. Use a spatula (or your fingers) to press half of oat mixture evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Spread cooled date mixture over the crust. Sprinkle crumbles of remaining oat mixture over the date filling; press gently to adhere to the filling. Bake until brown at edges and golden brown and set in center, about 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Once the pan has cooled, cover it with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator at least one hour or until firm enough to cut bars easily. Cut into bars and serve. These will keep, covered, in the refrigerator up to a week or at room temperature for four days. (I like mine at room temperature with a steaming hot cup of coffee!)

ROCKY ROAD BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS
1 box (18.3 oz) Duncan Hines® Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix (13x9 Family Size) OR the equivalent size of Betty Crocker® Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix (13x9 size).
(1/4 cup water, 3/4 cup vegetable oil, and 2 eggs called for on brownie mix box)
1 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Mini-morsels
3 Tablespoons homemade Fudge Sauce (Recipe for this is on page 162 of "A Pinch of This... A Smidgen of That" cookbook. Or, you can use commercial fudge topping: Hershey's Hot Fudge Topping is good. I keep a small bowl of the homemade Fudge Sauce stored in the refrigerator and use it to top pound cake and ice cream, or as a dipping sauce for fruits. Yummy goodness!)
2 cups (give or take a few) Kraft® Jet-puffed miniature marshmallows 
3/4 cup chopped peanuts (Optional. Lots of peanut allergies these days, so I don't add these if I'm unsure who may be eating them.)
Chocolate Frosting (recipe below)

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of a 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. (I like to use an 8x11.5x2-inch Pyrex baking dish.) Prepare brownie batter as directed on box. Use a spatula to blend well; if in doubt, count about 50 strokes, just until well mixed. Stir in the mini-chocolate chips and fudge sauce. Spread evenly in pan.

Bake brownies as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. (While baking, prepare Chocolate Frosting---recipe below.)
 

Immediately after removing brownies from oven, completely cover the top with miniature marshmallows and, if desired, the peanuts (I usually leave these off---so my "road" isn't quite so "rocky"! :-) Drizzle very warm Chocolate frosting over the marshmallow/peanut layer. If your icing cools too much before the brownies come out of the oven, simply warm it again, then drizzle it evenly -- leaving some of the white marshmallows showing through. The icing will firm as it cools. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into 24 squares and serve. Store at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING
(You can find this on page 181 of "A Pinch of This... A Smidgen of That" cookbook.)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 c. butter
4 T. cocoa
3 T. milk
3 T. water (note: if you want your icing extra rich, omit the water and milk, and instead, use 4 or 5 T. of half-n-half or whipping cream)
3 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp. (depending on your preference) vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
In a small sauce pan, bring butter, cocoa, water, and milk to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. While still hot, add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Use a fork to blend out any lumps. Pour hot frosting over brownies. Allow to cool completely before cutting.