Happy Valentine's Day

Hi there - thanks for all the good thoughts about the Husband's car.  Fortunately, the car did start.  Unfortunately, the mechanic does not know why it started, or what was wrong with the car to cause it to completely die for two full days.  So instead of guessing and spending lots of money trying to get an answer, the Husband drove it to a dealership and traded it in for a new car.  Not what we wanted right now, but we are just going with the flow!

Anyway, I hope you are having a happy Valentine's day!  I am home with the Toddler today.  She has a stomach bug.  Boo.  The poor thing is finally feeling better, but she missed her Valentine's Party at daycare today.  They were going to have all sorts of treats and probably listen to some music and dance.  Oh well, when she feels up to it, she can have one of the brownies I made (you should make them too, they are really good!).

Knock You Naked Brownies!
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients:

• 1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1/3 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (additional)
• 1/2 cup Butter, Melted
• 60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
• 1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.
• Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.
• In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
• Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.