Random Stuff

Time for a new entry! And I feel like I have nothing to talk about. This week has been pretty slow as far as events or activities. These are the dog days of summer, for sure! I've taken up a new project: making my hubby a 19th century outfit because he will be helping with a living history program in October. I usually make my own patterns for my clothing, but I entered new territory when I agreed to make mens' clothes, and have been working from a rough written-out "pattern" for a shirt. It's quite frustrating. I still have to try my hand at making a vest, but thankfully we are ordering pants for him, so I won't go crazy trying to make those.

With the weather too hot to enjoy being outside for very long, I like to stay inside and do housey things like kitchen work. So, would you mind if I share a recipe? One of my hobbies is baking, so I'll share a dessert recipe. The recipe at the end of this post is for some extremely delicious brownies, acquired from one of my husband's coworkers. It makes quite a bit, so it's best to have lots of friends over to share these with (as in, serious girl's night)!

I'm not sure what direction to go with this blog. My original intent was to tie Scripture into everyday happenings in life, but it doesn't seem to be very effective. Does anyone have any suggestions for improvements? If I like your ideas I will use them! I appreciate feedback. You can leave comments at the end of the blog entry or on Facebook.

I have found myself shorter with patience than usual lately. My sewing project is a great example of it. I don't know why I have no patience right now; however, I will admit that patience has never been a virtue for me! I came across this verse, which is a good reminder that patience is not a suggestion, but a commandment: "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Col. 3:12

Cheesecake Brownies:

Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix, your choice

½ C vegetable oil

¼ C water

4 large eggs

2-8oz packages softened cream cheese (I use Neufchatel, because it has less calories/fat)

1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 C lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ C seedless strawberry jam (optional)

¾ C walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray 13 x 9 pan with no-stick cooking spray.

Combine brownie mix, oil, water and 2 eggs in bowl. Stir. Stir in nuts if desired. Bake 20 minutes.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk. Slowly mix in 2 eggs, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth. Pour over warm brownies.

Stir jam until smooth. Drop teaspoonfuls over cream cheese. Use knife and swirl jam gently into cream cheese filling to create marbling.

Bake additional 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Cool 1 hour. Loosely cover and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or more. Cut into 16 bars. Store in fridge.

Other suggestions:

Layer strawberry jam between brownies and cheesecake. Do not marble.

Use caramel, either swirled into cheesecake or layered between, and add mini chocolate chips to cheesecake mix. Top with caramel and nuts for turtle cheesecake brownies.