Random 5 for October 9, 2022 – Comfort food, brownies, cycles, Sundays, grands

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My brownies looked a lot like these. Source: pixabay

That doesn’t make sense! – This week my GI system was upset. Not happy. The weird thing is that the two things that make it better are brownies and beer (not together!). Does that make any sense at all? What’s with toast and bananas? Nope. I made myself a pan of brownies and I’m feeling much better.

Speaking of brownies — I have a fabulous recipe that takes a half cup of butter. Yum! They are good but my go to favorite is a Duncan Hines mix. There is something about brownies made with a mix that makes them tasty. I’m not a fan of homemade (except by me of course) because you never know how people make them. A former boss brought a batch in once. His family loves them almost raw. They eat out the middle part with a spoon and the edges get tossed. We didn’t do that at work, but I wouldn’t touch anything but an edge piece. Everything else was runny like egg yolks! I never was a fan of batter.

The pink patch are petunias. The begonias by the front door are history for this year.

And it ends – We had spotty frost today. That’s the death knell of annual flowers. I had a new variety of petunia that outdid itself. It’s still huge and blooming – through extreme heat and downpours and now through cooler weather. It’s somewhat protected from the frost, but it won’t be long until that’s history too.

Sunday mornings – My Sunday morning trip to Starbucks is different from the weekdays. It’s filled with old men coming out for coffee. No younger (working) people at all. I had two cars follow me the entire trip. When we all pulled into the parking area, I saw the two other guys were older than me (or they didn’t weather life as well). Sometimes they settle in with a newspaper (young folks have a laptop) and sometimes they get it “to go.” I always wonder what their story is. Getting away from the sleeping family? Peace from weekend guests? Just a love of coffee? There is no socialization going on so it’s a mystery.

The grands from several years ago

The invasion – Next weekend the granddaughters are coming east to visit. They are 16 now. No juice boxes or smurfs or beloved trips to the Target toy section. We don’t get to see them often as they live on the other side of the country. When we do see them, they have changed exponentially. They are pretty and smart and a joy to be around. Maybe this trip, they will drive the old grandma (that would be me) around! They like Starbucks! I’d love to take credit for that but their dad was a big Starbucks fan until he got a fancy coffeemaker.

So how was your week?

 

56 thoughts on “Random 5 for October 9, 2022 – Comfort food, brownies, cycles, Sundays, grands”

  1. I love brownies. Years ago, at the first law firm where I worked, I used to run a bakesale for charity after Thanksgiving until a week before Christmas. I started it during the Ethiopia Famine and all monies raised went to the Red Cross directly there. It was a lot of fun and a quarter for each item. I put up a chart to sign up to ensure we had at least two people baking/buying/bringing in for the three-week period. Most people signed up to bring either brownies or chocolate chip cookies. I remember telling my mom I never knew so many types of brownies existed as we just had the chewy-on-the-inside, crispy on the edges type at home. One of the young male attorneys used to smash up candy canes throughout and on top – pretty good, though I’m a purist, no icing, just nuts.

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  2. More proof that chocolate solves everything! I hope your tummy is still doing well.

    While I freely admit that I enjoy underbaked cake and brownies, and I will sometimes make a tiny pan of said treat separate from the pan I make to share with others. I cannot imagine taking an underbaked treat to the office. If someone brought it, even though I do enjoy underbaked brownies I would not trust their’s. Which is why microwaves were invented.

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      • There weren’t microwaves while I was growing up. I hated rare meat at that time and my dad insisted that the roasts be rare. Yet, he also insisted he got the end pieces that were cooked all the way through. People are weird. It’s a pity I was not brave enough at that age to throw my dinner into a skillet and cook it through – but then again, while I learned how to cook beef well done and keep it moist and tender when I grew up, I probably couldn’t have achieved that at 6 or 8.

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  3. Your flowers are beautiful! And they have lasted pretty well too – hopefully they are around a while longer 🙂 Sorry that you were not feeling well, but glad the brownies helped! I would not eat raw brownies either – that sounds like a pretty serious health hazard. Hope you have a wonderful visit with the granddaughters!

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  5. Chocolate is my comfort food…..but my “thing” is Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies. Yep I confess – I’m hooked. BUT they do the trick – I am a smiling fool after a few of those! We’ve had our first few frosts too – and the leaves are changing so quickly. I love Fall…..we’ve yet to have our first fire in the fireplace but I think it’s imminent. Enjoy your week!

    Hugs, Pam

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  6. Beautiful granddaughters.

    I’m not a fan of batter either. My mother taught me well. I guess next time I get a yen for some brownies, I’ll have to get a Duncan Hines mix.

    Since June 21, we’ve only had about an inch of rain in the Seattle area. We usually have dry summers, but this summer has been unusually dry.

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  7. I hope you have a wonderful time with your granddaughters. They grow up too fast. I have my great-nieces coming tomorrow ( ages 4 and 6) so I am stocked up with juice boxes, lunchables and craft supplies.

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    • Those are the easy years. Now I’m not sure what they like or what they are into. Mostly they will do things on their electronics. We used to go to a local park for the rides. Not sure if that phase has passed too.

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  9. I have a Duncan Hines brownie mix in the pantry. Your post is making me think it’s time to get them made. I like almost anything chocolate. Your yard is beautiful. I am getting ready to plant pansies on my balcony. I love seeing the colors in the winter. Enjoy your visit with the girls. I am sure you see a lot of changes since you only see them once a year.

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  10. The topic of stomach discomfort is a daily one here so I can appreciate your challenge. I love brownies too and am happy to use a box. I too prefer box to homemade. Your landscaping looks lovely. It was 33 degrees here this morning. I have one more batch of bulbs to pull out. Next project is cleaning up after the septic contractors. I hope I can get that done before the snow flies. Granddaughters visiting – now, that’s certainly a good thing.

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    • I will take the flowers out of the deck railing boxes after the guests leave next weekend. They are still pretty but the flowering is getting sparse. It’s a matter of time until the frost gets it. I’d rather do without freezing my tush off.

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  11. Still no freeze here, yet. The garden is still in high gear. However, temps are in the 40’s at night, so we know it’s coming. We usually have our first snow on or before Halloween. My husband is a devout coffee drinker; I only drink tea. So far, of 4 adult kids, only one drinks coffee. But they all know to give the dad Starbucks gift cards for holidays. It is like currency in our family!

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    • When I worked and exchanged gifts it was a common (and much appreciated) gift. I still have parsley and mint which usually goes on until there is a hard frost. It’s protected under the pergola so we’ll see how that goes.

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  12. I’m sure your granddaughters are looking forward to the visit every bit as much as you! I know my two teens love Starbucks, and sometimes when I feel like I just want to cheer them on a bit I send Starbucks $$$ to them in a text message, even though I live with them. It’s always a hit!

    Frost? I am just a wee bit jealous, Kate!

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  13. Mmmm, I love brownies. Homemade. My homemade. Only I can’t make them any more because of Mr. Celiac. Mine won a blue ribbon at the county fair, I’ll have you know. (OK, it’s the old Better Homes and Gardens recipe, probably edition 1). Have fun with the attitude-bringers!!!!!!!!

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  16. When I have GI issues my stomach needs a cheeseburger… I’m not kidding. Comfort food for today… I need tuna noodle casserole and that’s what we are having tonight with applesauce and cottage cheese.
    It’s even been cool here since that ding dang hurricane slammed through. It’s warming up and getting soupy but a nice strong cold front is going to push in. I think the cool low humidity weather was a gift for Florida.
    Enjoy your Grands!

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  17. I’m not a big fan of brownies (although, if someone put one in front of me, I’d eat it… just to be polite, you know) but I’m happy we are coming into baking season again. During the summer, we avoid turning on the oven at all costs.

    Have fun with your grands! It must be so different having them each year… at that age, every year brings big changes.

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  18. It could be the yeast in the beer and the brownies that help heal your gut . . . or it could be a placebo effect that makes you feel better. Either way, glad you’re on the mend.

    Have fun with the grands next weekend. When our nieces got to be that age, we spent lots of time playing board games of their choosing. Made for relaxed togetherness.

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  20. Brownies that mushy sound terrifying. I used to make a raspberry truffle brownie (homemade brownie with cheesecake like topping), but it was cooked. I promise. Now I make fudge chocolate cookies with dark cocoa and white chips. They’re the husband’s favorite.

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  21. Seems like we went right from summer to winter this year, very little fall. Still, I am enjoying the cooler days, and the dogs love walking in the cooler temps. It was mid 30’s this morning when I went out to do client visits. What’s with that?? It is still early October.

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