I call it cheaters because I didn’t make the stock myself. I was running short on prep time because going to the Outlet Mall was definitely priority over making dinner for my family full of runny noses.
I call it cheaters because I didn’t make the stock myself. I was running short on prep time because going to the Outlet Mall was definitely priority over making dinner for my family full of runny noses.
We watched Coraline the other night. When Maeve watches a movie, she needs everything to be “right.” Pjs, slippers, pillows, blankets, popcorn in the “popcorn” bowls, very sleepover like. We didn’t have any candy so I HAD to make brownies. Can’t have movie night without chocolate something. Brownies are awesome to make because they’re super simple and fast.
Chocolate Peanut Butter
and Chocolate Chip Brownie.
1/2 cup butter
3 oz coarsely chopped unsweet chocolate
3/4 cup of sugar (you could use a cup but I like them a little bitter)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 handfuls of chocolate chips (chocolate or butterscotch is good too)
1/4 cup peanut butter
-grease an 8×8 pan
-In a pot, melt the butter. while it’s melting grind up the chocolate in a mini chopper.
Toss the chocolate in and melt it.
Remove from heat and I stick it in the fridge.
In another little bowl I whisk the flour and baking soda together.
-get out cooling chocolate and butter, stir in sugar, beat in eggs one by one, add vanilla and finally the flour/soda. Once mixed throw in 2 generous handfuls of chocolate chips.
-take the peanut butter and heat it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Stir it up, pour on top, and swirl it through.
Bake 350 degrees for 30minutes.
These are like cake, and they’re delicious frosted if you don’t want the peanut butter top.
I am SO mad at myself. How the hell did I walk into Walmart to pick up Brinn’s new glasses, and walk out with a fluorescent green plastic pumpkin and a monster bag of Combos? Which I ate 98% of the bag by the time I got home.

I know my blog doesn’t seem as if I’m on a diet between baking cookies, cupcakes and treats but I’ve been very good lately. (even lost a couple pounds!) I try to be smart about it. Like the night I made cookies. I skipped dinner and only ate cookies, because for me a diet is math and food is food. If I ate 300 calories worth of chicken or 2 Reese’s peanut butter cups my body reacts the same. I’d know, I’ve been on a diet since I was 12.
A three year old can be a really bossy, opinionated little dictator. When Brinn got her eye/vision diagnosis, the doctor sent us home with a few cute floral eye patches that she wore with no problem. At first.
But the “cute” Ortopad eye patches have to be ordered and shipped. I went to CVS and picked up a box of CVS brand patches, but they were c.r.a.p. They stick for about 5 minutes before falling off her face. We spent almost a week fighting her to wear those crummy CVS eye patches, bribing her with candy to keep them on even though we would end up having to attach them to her eyebrow with clear tape. Seriously, TAPE.
Then the packages of Ortopad eye patches came; they’re flowers, hearts, music notes, even cow print. She was so excited. I told her to pick one out and she squealed, “which one has giraffes, mommy???”
WHAT?
A few weeks ago she developed this weird obsession with giraffes. She’s able to fit the word “giraffe” into any conversation. “Do you want dinner, Brinn?” “Mommy, giraffes eat leaves!”
So of course she told me she’d ONLY wear her eye patches if they had giraffes on them, so we had to figure something out.
Stickers. Now I have to buy stickers to stick on the eye patche$.
She’s STILL making me reward her for wearing them with tiny Hershey bars.
Every 5 freaking minutes, “can I take it off? Is it time? Can it come off now!?” I have to turn the kitchen timer on for 2 hrs so she’ll quit asking me so much. AND I have to dangle that Hershey bar over her when she starts begging to take it off or she sneaks away and sticks the patches to everything and anything but her eye.
She just leaned over the laptop and yelled, “giraffes is my favorite animal ya know!”
Glasses Update: The glasses I posted about last week were not the right size. She didn’t want to wear them, and if she did have them on they would fly clear off her face if she turned. So of course we have yet another hassle to deal with. We returned the glasses and have to wait another week for the new ones. This whole eye patch/glasses thing is not going so smoothly.