Hello everyone!  I am so glad to be back!  Many of you regular followers *may* have noticed that I took a break for a while.

You see, blogging is what I do for ME.  It is something that I enjoy and something that I can truly express myself with – through all angles of the blogosphere.  Some people have reading, some watch TV…I blog.  It’s what I love.

I don’t necessarily enjoy the writing part (in all honestly I’m really bad at the writing part!).  If I did, I would probably have a blog where I simply write.  Ha!  That’ll be the day.

What I do love is the creation process.  The sketching out on paper, the planning, the baking and crafting, photography, editing.  All of it.

Then a few weeks ago I was getting really into blogging!  Which, is a good thing at first glance.  I was spending hours looking for and budgeting for a designer to help me create a better looking blog than I currently have.

I’ll admit it.  I gave up.  I just don’t have the money to pay for what I want right now, and it kills me that I can’t pay for something I love so much!  My blog is almost like my child

So I avoided the situation, and I didn’t want to look at my blog (because obviously I didn’t like it without the new design!).

However, I simply couldn’t get away from the cooking and crafting, so now I have about 6 or 7 things piled up…ready to post…I could no longer avoid my blog

Long story short: I’m here.  I have LOTS to share.  I’m dying for a new blog design.  Do you know any good (but cheap) wordpress designers?

As far as these brownies go, they’re some of my absolute favorite!!  My mom would make this recipe all the time growing up for fancy little parties or open houses.  They are SO delicious.

I think that the mint would be perfect for Christmas time!

Mint Brownies
Ingredients:
Brownies:
3/4 cup Butter or margarine
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 Tbs. canned milk
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. mint flavoring
food coloring
1/2 large (7 oz.) Hershey’s Chocolate Bar

Directions:
1. Boil butter, cocoa, and water together in a glass measuring cup.
2. Mix together flour and sugar.
3.  Mix boiled cocoa mixture into flour/sugar mixture by hand.
4. Add buttermilk, baking soda, eggs, and vanilla.
5. Pour into a well greased and floured baking sheet (18″ x 26″ x 1″)
6. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.

For Frosting:
7. Mix all frosting ingredients, except the chocolate bar, until smooth.  Add additional powdered sugar if necessary.
8. Frost brownies.
9. Melt the chocolate bar and drizzle over the brownies (use a spoon, or I like to put the chocolate in ziploc bag and cut off a corner, then drizzle).  Enjoy!