‘Woman’s Day’ Articles at Sweetnicks

First things first. I completely spaced in last night’s post and neglected to include the LINK to the new pop up shop. Duh. You can visit the shop right here (new listings went up tonight!). Nick was sick yesterday and today, so I’m blaming it on being a spaced out mom. Or a mom that was focused on dispensing chicken noodle soup and blankets and not selling napkin rings.

Now, today’s recipe. I went back and forth about sharing this one. But after making it four times in only three weeks, I decided to forge ahead. Regular readers know our ongoing quest for the perfect, stop-the-search, fudgy brownie. A recent online search brought me to this one, from the folks at Woman’s Day magazine. I first made it a few weeks ago. Sent half home with Mystic for his kids. Gave my kids a few in their lunch boxes. And then it was gone.

In less than 24 hours.

Mystic’s oldest son said it tasted like fudge. And inhaled it. So after a few recent hard days for him, I made the second batch and declared it only his.

The third batch was because I had to even the score. And Madeline’s frequent request these days are “brownies. the chocolate ones.”

And who am I to say no to that?

And the fourth batch? ‘Twas just because.

So now you might be wondering if I made it four times in three weeks, why am I hesitant about sharing it?

Because it doesn’t cut neatly. And that’s one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to brownies. (Don’t mind the crumbs in the dish. It’s not quite as bad as that picture would indicate. That’s just from little hands in the dish.)

It might seem like something small and insignificant, but it bugs me. I want to be able to cut the kids a nice rectangular piece of brownie. Without all the jagged edges and crumbs falling on the floor. I want to be able to plate up perfectly neat squares when friends drop by.

This brownie is not that.

But that being said, the taste is really good. Like really really good. Slightly dense. Very definitely fudgy. And the answer to a chocoholics dream. Beyond that, it’s ridiculously simple to make.

Which is a bonus in anyone’s book, if you ask me.

So for those moments when you need a sweet little treat. And are able to let go of the brownie’s (and life’s) little imperfections.

This is that.

Tomorrow? Pure randomness.

…

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Even though I’m not one of those uber-organized bloggers that gives you weeks of recipe and craft ideas before the holiday hits, I do have a great gift idea if you’re still on the look-0ut for something for your child’s teacher or a neighbor. I’ve been trying to think of something creative to give Madeline’s teacher and was really down to the wire. Thank goodness Woman’s Day magazine came to the rescue!

In the December issue, they featured a number of food gift ideas, and when I spotted this one for Gingerbread Men, I knew it was perfect. Her teacher likes to bake and cook, and we’ve been trading magazines and cooking tips back and forth for awhile now. In no time flat, I had the ingredients mixed up for this food gift, and it was all assembled, without one slim dime being spent. It also helps that I had bought extra cookie cutters a few weeks ago, and I was able to snag a few plain brown lunch bags from my mom. You know, because I didn’t think Miss Janet would appreciate the Spiderman lunch bags that have taken me FOUR YEARS to get through.

The mix for the gingerbread men is inside the bag, along with the printed recipe, and outside, I made a tag with her name and tied a cookie cutter to it. I also made a second one for a friend that was just yesterday bemoaning the fact that she can’t find Betty Crocker‘s gingerbread pouch mix on sale anymore. This is perfect and oh so much better!

You can go here for the instructions on making your very own Gingerbread Men Mix gifts for your favorite teachers and neighbors, and if you scroll to the bottom of that link, you’ll find a cute printout for the recipe to stick inside the bag. Happy gifting!

P.S. In January, I, along with Sarah, am starting a new weekly challenge, Eat. Live. Be. for a Better 2011. I’ve reached out to a number of bloggers who will be joining in our challenge – yay! If you’re a blogger that would like more information (and you didn’t already get an e-mail from me), please drop me a line and I’ll fill you in. Thanks!

Project 365
December 22, 2010, Photo #316-317
Jamie came over tonight to celebrate an early Christmas with us, and we ended up having pizza in the living room, watching Home Alone and Beezus and Ramona, a few of the kids’ favorite movies.

Recipe: To-Die-For Fudge Brownies {Kid-Approved Snacks}

Teacher or Neighbor Gift Idea