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  #1 (permalink)   Report Post  
Felice Friese
 
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Default Barb's Brownies failures ain't Barb's fault!

Poor Barb! Day after day she has to read headers about "her" brownies
failing!

Whatever happened to the OP's attempt, I doubt it had anything to do with
the recipe. I've made them often (more often than necessary) and they are
always great. Some may adjust the degree of sweetness or chocolateness, but
even with such minor variations they're the best brownies going.

Three cheers for Barb!

Felice


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Melba's Jammin'
 
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Default Barb's Brownies failures ain't Barb's fault!

In article <tpmvc.31272$pt3.22184@attbi_s03>, "Felice Friese"
> wrote:

> Poor Barb! Day after day she has to read headers about "her" brownies
> failing!
>
> Whatever happened to the OP's attempt, I doubt it had anything to do with
> the recipe. I've made them often (more often than necessary) and they are
> always great. Some may adjust the degree of sweetness or chocolateness,
> but
> even with such minor variations they're the best brownies going.
>
> Three cheers for Barb!
>
> Felice


Aw shucks. You're buttering me up for a jar of rhubarb-mango jam, I'll
bet. You rascal, you!

AFA the OP's problem with the recipe (see how I may be distancing myself
from it?), he said he followed it to the letter. I ain't got no
flippin' idea about the rise, unless he's got some bogus stuff in the
can. AFA the almond extract -- I like it and I don't measure it (the
truth is out) -- but I know it's at least a teaspoon. I don't measure
the vanilla, either.

Whatever. Thanks for the affirmation, Fleece.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sam I Am updated 5/30/04.
Only 3-1/2 weeks until my birthday. "Shop early, shop often, shop
big." Good gin and cheap chocolate preferred. Or is it cheap
gin and good chocolate? I can never remember. . . .
  #3 (permalink)   Report Post  
PENMART01
 
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Default Barb's Brownies failures ain't Barb's fault!

Chocolate beet brownies:

http://www.plantea.com/chocolatebeetbrownies.htm

They can't be beat!
A recipe to fool skeptics, plus beautiful beet info

When the movie Chocolat came to our small town theater, it caught my interest,
along with some chocolate lover friends of mine. We planned to make it a
special event, starting with passing up the bags of movie popcorn. Instead,
we'd pack our own homemade snacks--of chocolate!

The movie is about a single mother (Vianne) who happens upon a French village
in the early 1950s. She dares to open a chocolate shop during Lent in a
conservative Catholic community. The mayor denounces Vianne as a temptress
who'll bring down the morals of the town. Instead, the chocolates awaken the
residents' passions. One movie critic said it was "as pleasurable as a richly
fashioned piece of elegant chocolate, and as warm as a homemade cup of cocoa."

The day before the movie, I still hadn't decided what to bring. The usual
chocolate cookies and bars wouldn't do. So, I decided to take a basic brownie
recipe and experiement with it.

Not only did they have to taste great, they had to be nutritious. Studies show
that Americans eat far too much junk food, so why not take charge in our own
kitchens? In other words, healthy desserts ARE possible. I love to cook, so I
approached the basic brownie challenge like Sampson facing Goliath.

First I thought to myself, what's the world's most favorite flavor?

Chocolate.

What's the least favorite flavor?

A quick poll around my neighborhood produced the answer: beets.

Put them together and you get chocolate beets. Question was, how to combine
this Odd Couple of flavors? Then carrot cake came to mind. If it was possible
to disguise the orange vegetable in a spice cake, surely I could hide a beet or
two in a brownie recipe.

What's up with chocolate?

In the movie Chocolat, we're taken to believe that chocolate is an aphrodisiac.
Incidentally, women tend to crave it more often than men. Researchers say that
chocolate can produce powerful effects on a person's mood, which was really
played up in the movie. The ingredients in chocolate have a chemical similar to
adrenaline and a little caffeine. Together, this causes a slight raise in heart
rate and blood pressure. Maybe this is what some describe as the "mental lift"
we feel after eating chocolate!

There's more good news. Now there is evidence that the stearic acid in cocoa
butter can help lower low density lipoproteins, or bad cholesterol. Chocolate
has also been found to have antioxidant flavanoids--which are thought to help
protect against heart disease. Not that we should replace broccoli with
chocolate truffles, but knowing this may help reduce some of the guilt
associated with an occasional chocolate dipped strawberry.

With the guilt factor diminished, my quest to make the perfect chocolate beet
brownie got easier. The recipe follows below, but first let me give you a few
beety facts and some growing tips...

Three beets to the wind!
What's up with beets?

We've all been told that beets are good for us. But for those who are dead-set
against eating beets, that doesn't improve the taste one bit. Just ask my
husband.

Beet greens contain vitamins A and C, and more iron and minerals than spinach.
Beet roots are rich in potassium and contain protein, fiber, iron, calcium,
phosphate, niacin, folate and vitamins A and C. They can be baked, steamed,
pickled, used in soups, salads, side dishes and secretly added to chocolate
brownie recipes.

If variety is the spice of life, then beets are cool. Beet cultivars come in an
assortment of different colors and shapes: red, purple, gold, or white; round,
oval, or cylindrical.

How to grow beets

As you can tell, it's worth it to add beets to your gardening repertoire. Even
if it's just a single row. Here are some beet growing tips to help you get
started:

Beets perform best in full sun, but do fine in partial shade.
Light, sandy loam permits rapid, uninterrupted growth for tender roots. Moist,
fertile, well-drained soil with a neutral pH of around 6.5 is ideal.
Beet seeds are actually fruits, producing a cluster of seedlings. So you'll
need to thin these when they emerge. When plants are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin
again to 4 to 6 inches apart.
A tip for northern gardeners: I've had good luck sowing seeds in flats and
transplant outside when the soil warms.
Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Lack of moisture causes tough,
stringy roots.
To harvest, pull up roots when they are 1.5 to 3 inches wide. Remove any dirt,
then cut the tops off, leaving at least 1 inch of stem to prevent the roots
from bleeding. Refrigerate for several weeks, or layer in a box filled with
sand and store in a cool spot for up to 5 months. Freeze, can or pickle the
extras.

Chocolate Beet Brownies

These brownies are rich, chewy and secretly nutritious!

1/2 cup butter (or 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup applesauce)
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 15 oz. can beets packed in water, drained and mashed; or 1 cup cooked beets
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ

Melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Set aside to cool. In a separate bowl,
beat eggs until light in color and foamy. Add sugar and vanilla and continue
beating until well creamed. Stir in chocolate mixture, followed by applesauce
and beets. Sift together flour, salt, spices and baking powder and stir into
creamed mixture. Fold in wheat germ and almonds. Turn into greased 9x13-inch
pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool before cutting into
squares.
---


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````
  #4 (permalink)   Report Post  
Felice Friese
 
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Default Barb's Brownies failures ain't Barb's fault!


"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
> In article <tpmvc.31272$pt3.22184@attbi_s03>, "Felice Friese"
> > wrote:
>
> > Poor Barb! Day after day she has to read headers about "her" brownies
> > failing!
> >
> > Whatever happened to the OP's attempt, I doubt it had anything to do

with
> > the recipe. I've made them often (more often than necessary) and they

are
> > always great. Some may adjust the degree of sweetness or chocolateness,
> > but
> > even with such minor variations they're the best brownies going.
> >
> > Three cheers for Barb!
> >
> > Felice

>
> Aw shucks. You're buttering me up for a jar of rhubarb-mango jam, I'll
> bet. You rascal, you!



Oh, Barb! Don't tell me you're one of those who wreck helpless foods by
combining them with rhubarb. Unless you give a stalk to the kids to dip in a
bit of sugar, you should leave it in the garden where it belongs.
Felice


> AFA the OP's problem with the recipe (see how I may be distancing myself
> from it?), he said he followed it to the letter. I ain't got no
> flippin' idea about the rise, unless he's got some bogus stuff in the
> can. AFA the almond extract -- I like it and I don't measure it (the
> truth is out) -- but I know it's at least a teaspoon. I don't measure
> the vanilla, either.
>
> Whatever. Thanks for the affirmation, Fleece.
> --
> -Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sam I Am updated 5/30/04.
> Only 3-1/2 weeks until my birthday. "Shop early, shop often, shop
> big." Good gin and cheap chocolate preferred. Or is it cheap
> gin and good chocolate? I can never remember. . . .



  #5 (permalink)   Report Post  
byakee
 
Posts: n/a
Default Barb's Brownies failures ain't Barb's fault!

Hark! I heard "Felice Friese" > say:
>
> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In article <tpmvc.31272$pt3.22184@attbi_s03>, "Felice Friese"
> > > wrote:
> >
> > > Poor Barb! Day after day she has to read headers about "her" brownies
> > > failing!
> > >
> > > Whatever happened to the OP's attempt, I doubt it had anything to do
> > > with the recipe. I've made them often (more often than necessary)
> > > and they are always great. Some may adjust the degree of sweetness
> > > or chocolateness, but even with such minor variations they're the
> > > best brownies going.
> > >
> > > Three cheers for Barb!


Hurrah!

> > Aw shucks. You're buttering me up for a jar of rhubarb-mango jam, I'll
> > bet. You rascal, you!


> Oh, Barb! Don't tell me you're one of those who wreck helpless foods by
> combining them with rhubarb. Unless you give a stalk to the kids to dip in a
> bit of sugar, you should leave it in the garden where it belongs.


Hey now, some rhubarb recipes are good -- here's one that I *love*,
makes me wish we had some rhubarb plants:

Rhubarb Crunch

Crump Topping:
1 C. flour
¾ C. quick cook oats
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. melted butter or margarine
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine in medium bowl and mix well. Press half into bottom of greased
9" X 13" baking dish. Cover with:

4 C. diced rhubarb

Sauce:
1 C. white sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 C. water
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sauce is clear
and thickened. Pour over rhubarb and top with spoonfuls of remaining
crumb topping. Bake at 350° F. for one hour. Serve warm or cold.



--
J.J. in WA (Change COLD to HOT for e-mail)
~ mom, vid gamer, novice cook ~
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!


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Default Barb's Brownies failures ain't Barb's fault!

Felice Friese > wrote:
> Poor Barb! Day after day she has to read headers about "her" brownies
> failing!
>
> Whatever happened to the OP's attempt, I doubt it had anything to do with
> the recipe.



Good Lord. I *never* blamed Barb or her recipe. I was asking what *I*
did wrong. I haven't had a chance to try again (perhaps in a week or
two), but I'll let everyone know what happens.
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