Best Ever Brownie Recipe

Brownies are a special American treat. They are not biscuits, cookies or cakes, they are brownies. they have a unique texture, a bit squidgy in the middle, not too crisp or dry, just right. Everyone has their own special Brownie recipe and the best ones are often safely guarded family secret recipes. After a lot of trial and error to get the perfect squidginess this is mine, I hope you like it.

Angie's Brownies

150g chocolate
3 eggs, lightly beaten
250g sugar
150g butter
100g plain flour
vanilla essence

Heat the oven to 180.
Line a 20cm square cake tin with greaseproof paper.
Melt the chocolate and the butter in a saucepan over very low heat.
Remove from the heat and quickly mix in the beaten eggs then the sugar and lastly the flour and the vanilla essence.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes.
Let cool completely in the tin and then cut into 16 squares.
Leave over night if possible and then serve dusted with icing sugar.

Friday evening is the best time to make these Brownies. They will only improve over the weekend and you will be able to share them with friends and family because otherwise you may regret having made them by Monday morning.

Enjoy.
Beat well until thick and glossy.

The Beautiful Voice of Professor Llewellyn

When a friend of mine told me that she had written a book I was full of admiration and in awe and couldn't wait to read it. So here it is, my review of a wonderful heart warming book written by a friend.

The Beautiful Voice of Professor Llewllyn

Elaine Fitzgerald- Burrowes


From the first page I was hooked. I immediately warmed to the main character Phil, a widow struggling to bring up three children with love and good humour. The children are beautifully described and I found myself cheering them all on and caring about what was going to happen.
Phil has a larger than life best friend called Maisie who adds light relief and is someone we would all like to have as a friend.

The beautiful voice of the title belongs to a retired Welsh professor who is also
widowed and moves into the house opposite Phil. Romance seems round the corner
and the only fly in the ointment is the professor's daughter Megan.

I do not want to ruin the story for you so here I will quote from the cover of the book which sums up the story so well.

A contemporary novel that will have you laughing, crying and cheering from the sidelines.
It explores the complexities of two families coming together and the ups and downs of finding love in later life.
It also takes on a serious and psychological element too, and sheds a much-needed spotlight into how a family member's mental health issues can impact on and threaten a blossoming romance.

You can order the book on Amazon or download on kindle.

Mental health is now often rightly considered in the same way as physical health, something that needs looking after and in the book there is an acknowledgment.

St.Patrick's University Hospital Dublin (founded with money left by Dean Jonathan Swift in his will in 1745) has been innovatively and tirelessly working to break down the barriers of stigma around mental illness and empowering people across Ireland with mental health difficulties to speak up and seek help through their walk in my shoes campaign.

www.walkinmyshoes.ie.

So make yourself a cup of hot chocolate and settle down for a heart warming read with Elaine Fitzgerald-Burrowes first book and then look out for the next two due out this year.

Welcome Visitors

When my son was three we went for a whole year without seeing my parents. A year is a long time when you're three, a third of his life. It wasn't like it is now with Skype, cheap phone calls, facetime, he just had to rely on me talking about them to keep his interest and feel their love.
When eventually they came to see us having driven for two days my son was shy, holding back and unsure,holding back. My mum, his grandma smiled at him and spoke with her gentle voice, 'We've driven a long way to see you.' That was all it took for him to rush to her arms and give her a big squeeze. He knew that of someone had come on a journey to see him it must mean they care for him.
A dear friend of mine wrote me a text saying that friends are important and precious but they need nurturing. When you are already fond of someone all the technology available to us keeps the flame alive, because it can go out, be aware.

When visitors come to see you from afar it is surely a sign that they care for your company.
As you await their arrival you might give your house an extra thorough clean, get out your best plates, make something special keep your diary free for them. Then you might start worrying if they will like the food you've prepared, the bed that you've made for them, the other friends that you introduce them to. When they've gone you might feel a bit at a loss, feel melancholy, so you cheer yourself up by watching a funny film or going for a walk.
What will stay in your heart though will be their smiles, their laughter and the fact that they wanted to be with you so much that they made a journey all the way to see you.

Wishing you all a happy new year with friends that care.

Friends run together