beep beep

Just had to pop in to say that I’ve been trying to post, but every time I get a second, something comes up. So I’m just going to do a lickety-split update for now.

1. Circles Salon in JP is offering a 10% discount to all Team Boston members for supplies used in their Olympic project. How cool is that?! And it’s 15% on the day of the Opening Ceremonies. And since we’re all going to meet at Doyles that night for our own opening ceremony, and it is right around the corner, well, we all know what has to happen. Last minute preparations are the best!

2. Mittens are finished and they’re faboo! Can’t wait to make more. They’re made with Rowan’s Cashsoft Aran. I used a little over one ball of the color “Burst” and about half to three-quarters of a ball of “Oat”. So now I have leftover yarn, which means if I buy a little more, I can make another pair. And if I have any of that left over, I’ll just get a wee bit more and I’ll just keep knitting aaand knitting aaand knitting aaand knitting aaand knitting.

 

3. Loooooook! With the kind and patient help of the adorably curvaceous Ms. Melanie, I am now fully qualified to operate dpns! Do you see any ladders? No, you don’t. She has taught me well and now I’m totally hooked on this sock thing! I know, it seems I’m always late to the party. Chloe here looks like she could use some socks, doesn’t she?

 

4. It would seem that Owen and Mzee have started the ball rolling and other creatures are joining in! Is this just a publicity stunt by the Union of the Snakes* to make themselves appear more likeable? Time will tell. Meanwhile, little “Meal” the hamster should probably sleep with one eye open, just in case.

5. Mike has requseted that I make him the cashmere pullover from Weekend Knitting. I tried to explain that it was a ladies sweater, but he would have none of it. He also would like me to make it from his own luxurious fur.

 

I’ve done my best to make this fur harvest as painless as possible.

6. I also want to chime in that I had a fantastic time at Claudia’s a week and a half ago, but I was remiss in posting my joy. It was a blast and Claudia is a super hostess. The food was amazing and my fellow guests were as delightful as ever. As promised, here is the recipe I used to make my mom’s brownies. They’re more like a dense chocolate cake. I feel like I have to say that, because they aren’t what you’d expect when you say “brownies”, but they’re way more than you’d exect if you simply said “cake”.

Stella’s Killer Chocolate Brownies

Mix in bowl:
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda

Bring to boil in saucepan:
1¼ bars butter**
4 tbsp. cocoa (I used the Dutch Processes dark cocoa, and I used about five)
1 cup water

Add hot ingredients to flour mixture slowly, mixing constantly

Once they’re combined, add:
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla (but really, who can stop at one?)

Bank in 9×13 pan at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Frosting: (this also helps when you’re having a massive craving for fudge. You can whip up a little bit in minutes. Trust me.)

Melt:
¼ cup butter
4 tbsp. cocoa (again, just four, mom?)
7 tbsp (approx) milk
¾ box powdered sugar (add it slowly, mixing it in completely before adding more. Stop before it gets too dry. It should be shiny and goopy.)

Frost immediately while everything is still hot. That way, all you have to do is kind of pour the frosting on and smear it around a little. It will melt pretty smoothly over the hot brownies. Cut into small squares so it doesn’t seem like you’re eating that many.

**edited for our foreign, potentially metric-using friends. A bar/stick of butter = 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons = 4 ounces = 113.3980925 grams. Here, check this out, a whole page just for butter conversion!! I’m going to marry the internet someday, I love it so.

*Yes, I was a big fan of Duran Duran, why do you ask?