Tempered Valentine Thursday

Happy Valentine's Day

*I warned you I'd be mushy, right?



My mommy made this for us and special delivered it last night. Now don't you feel bad for being such a VDay grinch? Huh, huh, doncha? doncha?

In the interest of sharing our love... Well it's about time you all knew something very very important about me...

I'm a...



Yep. It's true.

I'm a certifiable...

Mutt

Huh? What's that? You thought I was going to say something else? Why what ever could you mean. Hmmmm...

Ok, so the truth is- they don't come too much more confused than my poor forefathers. I happen to have a Basque grandpa who was a crazy old coot (and that's putting it nicely). My grandma whom I never met died when my dad was just 3 years old. She was Irish or something. We think there might be Native American mixed in there too. I took after my dad's side in the looks department. I have 2 very beautiful younger sisters who take after my mom's side. (Nuff said, right?)

My mom's side includes my grandmother who is Welsh and Native American (Sioux to be specific). That side is all the women who wooed the trappers into marrying them. Several trappers and hunters and fur tradesmen and somehow or other we got Buffalo Bill mixed up in all of this.



My great-great-grandma helped him and they were just friends. There's no genetic love here. FWOB.

My grandma on my mom's side has most excellent stories. I obviously get my female prowess from my mom's side. Too bad I didn't get the looks to go with them. One day maybe I'll tell the story about her "bookkeeping/accounting" career in Las Vegas.

My mom's dad is a dashing Mexican who immigrated to this country to serve in the military. My grandma and grandpa settled into running a bar that served fantastic Mexican food. I can eat Mexican food day and night.Of course, when I say this you have to remember that I was raised believing Mexican food is what came from that bar. My grandpa would pluck hot peppers from his plant that was right in the kitchen window, sit down to his TV tray in his Lazy Boy... and that is how I remember good Mexican cooking.

So I'm a total mutt. Which brings me to my big request today. In the interest of sharing love, I'm gonna ask you to consider sharing your love with not only this mutt, but several others.

For those that don't know about ZooToo yet~ they will award a $1 million Animal Shelter Makeover. You just sign up and earn points for your shelter of choice. More importantly it gives you an outlet for posting pictures of your poor pets in ridiculous hats. And yes, I know it's very very wrong. Yes, I sometimes do it anyways. Sorry.

If you use this link I'd very much appreciate the referral as I'm trying to work up points for a shelter that rescued one of my babies from the streets: http://www.zootoo.com/register/referrer/TemperedWoman

I'd appreciate the referral love and you can check out pics of my babies, we'll be friends, and if you don't have a favorite shelter please consider supporting my personal fave, the Stray Rescue of St. Louis. Just use their zip code to find them: 63104
Hop on over to Stray Rescue's website and read all about the Miracle Dog. Warning: if you are a big pushover for dogs take some kleenex with you!
*Tempered Woman has been known to do incredibly irrational things around puppies*

And to thank you for that public service announcement. I give you the treat I made for TOBAC for Valentine's Day *cue the trumpets*

Have I mentioned he likes PB? Oh yeah? rly? k.



Rich Salty Sweet Peanut Buttercup Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks)unsalted Butter
8 oz. Semisweet Chocolate Chips
3.5 oz. bar Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
4 large Eggs
1 T Instant Espresso Powder
1 T Vanilla
1 cup Sugar
3/4 cup AP Flour
2 t Baking Powder
1/2 t Salt
20 Reeses mini Peanut Buttercups, unwrapped
1- 12 oz. package Chocolate Peanut Butter Chex Mix

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Butter and flour an 9X13 baking pan. Over low heat melt down butter, chopped semisweet and bittersweet chocolate until melted and smooth (be sure to keep a constant watch, stuirring, so chocolate doesn't burn). Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs, esspresso powder, vanilla and sugar. Blend chocolate mixture into egg mixture; cool to room temperature (Bowl should NOT feel warm to the touch).

In a medium bowl, sift together one cup flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, mixing over low until just incorporated. Add Chex Mix and Reeses Peanut Buttercups to chocolate mixture. Pour batter into baking pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for another 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool thoroughly and refrigerate overnight. Let the brownies sit out the next morning for about 20 minutes before you attempt cutting them.


This is what it looks like going into the oven.

Kind of reminds me of my mutts but not in a good way...

I decorated them all pretty for my man. I made little chocolate ganache swirls then sprinkled with lots of Valentine jimmies. As I was doing this I asked Monkey~ is there such a thing as too many sprinkles?!?! And without hesitation...

"Nope!" *that's my minimutt*