Puzzles

I have two boys who love puzzles, but I hate all the boxes that come with them. So I cut the covers off, and pop them into a sharpie labeled ziploc bag. Toss them into a giant bin, and we are golden.

Trees

I just wanted to take a picture of the trees in the backyard, I am sad that the one only blossoms for a week or so. It rained last night, so a lot of the pink pedals have already fallen off.

Beefy Beer Stew

• 2 pounds stew beef
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 4 cups of beef broth
• 1 can of the most flavorful beer (Boxer Beer used here!)
• 4 potatoes, cubed
• 4 carrots, french cut, peals on
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ground pepper
• parsley

Brown the stew meat with butter and olive oil. Remove the meat, and cook the garlic in the drippings for a few moments, DON'T let it burn. Or your done. Add the beef back in with broth and beer. Add the salt, paprika, and pepper. Cover and cook at a low simmer for 2 hours.

Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another half hour. Serve topped with parsley and bread.

Jbiz hated it. Too many veggies. I liked it. Sigh, story of my life.

Knock You Naked Brownies

I made this using Pioneer Woman's recipe. I made it for Teacher Appreciation Day. The recipe calls to use a 9x9 pan, but I only have an 8x8 pan. So, I used my 8x8 and 2 ramekins, called it close enough. That way the heart ramekins were leftovers for John and I. I should have cooked the ramekins for a shorter period of time.

Ingredients

• 1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• ⅓ cups Evaporated Milk
• ½ cups Evaporated Milk (additional)
• ½ cups Butter, Melted
• 60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
• ⅓ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• ¼ cups Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

Sparkle Chucks

How cute are these? I got them at Target for $8.74. Pretty sweet, they were on the clearance end cap, 75% off. I like them, they have no laces, just slip right on for easy AND stylish runs out to the mailbox. Plus, all the toddlers love them. Target has a pair of black ones I have my eyes on right now, but they are still $34.99.