Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Melt 6 tablespoons butter - I always used unsalted

Add 1/3 cup Cocoa - I used Hershey cocoa but any brand would work

Stir in 1 cup white grandulated sugar and 2 eggs

Add 1/2 unbleached flour.  I didn't have unbleached flour, so I used all purpose flour.  Add 1 teaspoon Vanilla.  I also added 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips to give it a little bit more chocolately flavor.

Pour into a oiled baking pan and bake for 30 minutes - until a tooth pick inserted into the middle of the brownies comes out dry.  This one of my better brownie recipes.  Enjoy!!

The final product - the hard part is waiting for them to cool!!  And they are soooo good with ice cream!!  But isn't EVERYTHING good with ice cream!! 

Since Valentine's Day is little over a week away, I decided to make my husband some heart shaped sugar cookies.  And I found the most fantastic and easiest recipe for buttercream frosting ever! Oh my, is it ever wonderful!!  And so simple to make!!  You can whip this up in seconds.

Easy Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1b. powdered sugar
1-3 teaspoons milk

Using a mixer, cream softened butter and vanilla until smooth.  (I used the wire whip that comes with my Kitchenaid Mixer - it worked wonderfully!!!)

Gradually add the powdered sugar, allowing butter and sugar to cream together before adding more.

If you want your frosting a little creamier, add a teaspoon of milk at a time and beat on high until you get the right texture.

Add food coloring if you want colored frosting.

See!! Isn't that easy!!  Frost away, my children!!

And if you have some left, simply put it in a tupperware or similar container with a lid and put it in your freezer!  It freezes really well!  Who knew life could be so easy!

I didn't get a chance to try out the pizza dough from Mr. Reinhart's book.  I promise I will sometime next week.  I did make pizza using my good ole stand-by, Garlic Pizza dough(listed)with his Crushed Tomato sauce.  It turned out to be a crowd pleaser.  Of course, there was only 2 of us, well, I guess 4 if you count our two shih tzus, Ella and Choo.

This is the pizza sauce.  I didn't have any oregano, so I subsituted Italian seasonings.  Tasted wonderful.  The great thing about this recipe is that it makes a lot, so have a mason jar handy with a lid, so you can save some for your next pizza!!

This turned out to be just your average pepperoni and cheese pizza.  Nothing fancy today.

First, I sprayed my pzza pan with PAM,.  Smooth the dough out with our hands or a small rolling pin.  Then I spread the sauce around.  Then comes the pepperoni.  Next the cheese!!

Now into a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.  I was going to take a picture of the finished product, but half time was over on the Super Bowl and the game was starting again.  It turned out really good!! 

OK - this is not meant to be about who is going to win the Super Bowl this weekend!  I can tell who is NOT going to win!! The Cincinnati Bengals!! (Just in case you don't know, I live in Cincinnati!) I can't remember the last time the Bengals even came close to being NEAR the Super Bowl!! BUT, I am getting completely off-topic here!!

OK, BACK to the Super Bowl BUT not to the ACTUAL game.  OK!!  What does everyone do on Super Bowl Sunday?  Well, let me rephrase that.  What does everyone do (but my house) on Super Bowl Sunday?  They have a Super Bowl Party!!  And every pizza parlor, hot wings joint, and take-out restaurant in the city is going to be going bananas!!  So if you want to order something - DO IT NOW!!  BUT, if you are like me, instead of ordering you will make it yourself!

Besides where I live, the options for pizza is not very good.  The best restaurant for pizza closed down, I am sad to report.  So my only options for pizza are frozen from the store.  Now Freschetta does make pretty good pizzas, not GREAT but if you REALLY have to have pizza, it will do.  So I search far and wide until I found this "life saving" book at the library

Someday I will actually buy this book!!  I haven't used any of his dough recipes yet.  BUT, his sauce recipes are to die for!  Can you hear me swoon!!!  This is my family's favorite recipe!!

Crushed Tomato Sauce

Makes 4 cups

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried basil (or 2 T minced fresh basil if you are lucky enough to have it!!)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 T garlic powder or 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 T red wine vinegar
1 t salt to taste

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together , starting with 1/2 t salt and add more to taste.  Store tightly in covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week ONLY.

Now for the pizza dough.   This is the recipe I normally use. 

Garlic Pizza Crust

1 package yeast (or 1 T of bulk yeast)
1 cup water (about 90 degrees)
1 T sugar
1/4 cup oil (I use either olive oil or sunflower oil)
1/2 tsp salt
3 to 4 cups all purpose flour
1 to 2 cloves minched

Dissolve the yeast in the water and add the sugar.
Wait a few minutes.
Add the oil, salt and garlic.
Mix in 3 cups of flour
With the dough hook on your mixer, mix for about 10 minutes, until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
Take the dough out of bowl and put on a floured surface.  Add remaining flour and knead until the dough is smooth.  Add more floor if necessary.
Place dough in bowl that has been greased with oil.  Cover bowl with saran wrap and a dish towel.
Let rise for about 20 to 30 minutes.  Punch down.
Let rise again for another 20 to 30 minutes.
Spray either a cookie sheet or a pizza pan with PAM or oil and press dough out to edges.
Put desired toppings.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

ENJOY!!!

BUT, this weekend I am going to try one of Mr. Reinhart's recipe.  Life as I have known it may completely change!!