Peanut Butter Brownies

Good Tuesday morning!

Did I hear someone say, "Oh, I hope she has more Zoo pictures." Did I? Well, you are in luck. There are MORE Zoo photos in the Gallery.

RANDOMNESS #1 - It has been two years since I visited the Birmingham Zoo, and I must say they are doing a fabulous job. Although it isn't 100 percent finished, the Trails of Africa section is really beautiful.

Surprisingly, one of my favorite parts of our visit was the Petting Barn. It is so well-kept and the animals (llamas, miniature horses, sheep, baby goats, etc.) are so up close and personal. I loved it.

I like the direction they are going, and even though it is a little pricey ($14 per person for people 13 and older), if you take your time and meander through, it is a very nice way to spend an afternoon.

If you have small children, there are even more fun opportunities. (The NEW playground in the Trails of Africa, the playground and splash pad in the Children's Zoo, the train, the carousel, the fossil digging section... good stuff!)

RANDOMNESS #2 - It was a hit or miss kind of weekend as far as movie rentals were concerned. A few of us watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Roderick Rules late Saturday night. I love the books. I love the movies. And even though it was a "kid" movie, at different parts, we all laughed out loud.

Austin and Melia rented Rio for our Sunday night flick. Melia and I had not seen it. I wish I had gone to the theater when it was out. Bright, vibrant colors. Great music. Singing birds. Hey. What can I say? I love a good fowl pic!

RANDOMNESS #3 - A Roxie Story - When Roxie was born, we were spending a lot of time with another family with "matching" kids. Well, the kids matched in age, but not in gender.

Roxie did everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) with five boys.

She rode bikes. She jumped off high dives. She camped. She rode scooters and skateboards. She fished. She played with action figures. She watched super hero movies.

If the boys did it... Roxie did it.

But she knew something was missing.

Once when we were in a restaurant, Roxie became very quiet. I watched her study a nearby table. There sat a daddy, a mother, a brother AND a sister. The little girl appeared to be about two or three years-old. Roxie was three at the time.

After a few more minutes of staring, she whispered in my ear, "Can I go talk to that little girl?"

The family wasn't eating yet, so I nodded, and watched Roxie make her way to the table. She touched the other mother's arm and asked if she could speak to her daughter. The mother caught my eye, smiled and nodded.

Roxie and the other little girl began an animated conversation. They touched. They laughed. They whispered. When the waiter brought the family's food to the table, I stood up to "bring Roxie back," but she was already saying good-bye. The two girls, hugged, kissed and waved to each other as they separated.

"Well. Was she nice?" I asked.

"Oh, yes. She is my very best friend," Roxie replied.

"What is her name?"

"I don't know." There was a very long pause as she thought hard about whether or not she had even asked the little girl her name. Hmmm. Must have skipped that little detail. "It doesn't matter. She's my very best friend," she repeated.

"That is wonderful," I replied. And then and there I decided to broaden Roxie's Female Friend Base. She was obviously missing something in the "girlfriend" department.

The other family finished their meal before us, so they were leaving the restaurant. The mother walked by carrying the little girl, and she leaned down to hug and kiss Roxie one more time.

"I love you," she yelled and waved as she and her mother walked out of the restaurant.

"I love you, too," Roxie yelled back. And then, reverting back to her male-dominated origins, she added, "Hey, Little Girl! What's your name?"

But it was too late. That was the last time Roxie ever saw her "very best friend."

I am happy to report that over the years, Roxie has made several more "very best friends." And I'm even happier to report, she actually knows their names!

Peanut Butter Brownies

I made these last night as a trial run for a tailgating dessert. They are good, but I have a couple of things I would do differently. (I'll give you more details toward the end.)

You will need the following:

1 yellow cake mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix together cake mix, oil and eggs. (Mixture should be stiff and all the powder should be mixed into the dough.)

3. Stir in peanut butter.

4. Bake 14 to 16 minutes until golden brown on top.

5. Mix together powdered sugar and milk.

6. Drizzle powdered-sugar glaze over top while still warm.

NOTE #1 - The recipe didn't give a pan size for the brownies. I baked them in an 8" x 8" baking dish. I had to add 26 minutes to the cooking time, and they were super thick and cake-like. (They still taste very good.) Next time, I will bake them in a 9" x 13" baking dish.

NOTE #2 - Some of the Faulkner Five do not like nuts. I used smooth peanut butter instead of chunky... and nothing bad happened!

NOTE #3 - MUST BE served with milk.

Have a delightful Tuesday. I will be back tomorrow with a Seasonal Tradition, Wednesday Wisdom, A Roxie Story, more pics and some Randomness. It is our VERY busy day on a Simple Life.

Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda