It’s Time for BlytheCon!

    

The first online BlytheCon! We are excited to be a part of it!

Here are a few of my offerings—

And I have a few of my new EyeChip Collection available—

For BlytheCon attendees I will be offing a special discount with an exclusive code — and

a free pair of tights with every purchase!

(Also, keep your eyes peeled all weekend, as I will be randomly listing grab bags of vintage dress lots from my personal collection!)

See you there!

Outrageous Brownies with Peanut Butter Swirl Recipe

 

With all the home baking we've been doing lately, we've developed some favorite recipes.  And this is a big favorite!

Plus, we dote on peanut butter in our house.  All of us, including the puppy and kitten love it!  Peanut butter and chocolate is a perfect combination.  (Just don't share the brownies with your beloved pets!)  Since I do share peanut butter with my animals, I often buy the natural, sugar free, salt free organic type.  I have come to love the more authentic taste, too.  There are lots of good brands of this type available, such as Kirkland from Costco, Whole Foods 365, Adams, Trader Joe's, etc.  These types tend to be more runny than processed peanut butter, so we can sweeten it up with some confectioner's sugar to make a great filling.  The sugar combines with the oil and quickly firms up the peanut butter, so I add a bit of half and half to thin it back down a bit toward filling consistency.  It's up to you how firm you want it. 

I buy Ghirardelli Cocoa powder.  It has a great flavor.  But I prefer the Guittard chocolate chips.  They have a great flavor and a smooth velvety texture, not waxy.  Adding a cup pf these chips into the brownie batter before spreading it in the pan would really make these brownies over the top!

Mixing the brownie batter

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brownie batter in pan

Filling spooned and swirled on top

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outrageous Brownies with Peanut Butter Swirl

Ingredients

         Brownies

1 c. butter melted

2 c. white sugar

1 T. vanilla

4 eggs

1 c. all-purpose flour 

2/3 c. Ghirardelli unsweetend cocoa powder

1/2 t. baking powder

1/w t. salt

     

            Peanut Butter Filling 

3/4 c. runny organic peanut butter, such as Trader Joe’s, Kirkland, or Adams

1/2 c. confectioner's sugar

2 - 4 T half and half

1 t. vanilla

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with butter.

    

2.  Mix together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  

   Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt then gradually stir 

   into sugar/egg mixture until well blended.  Spread batter into buttered pan.

    

3. Make filling:  mix peanut butter and confectioner’s sugar.  

   Stir in enough half and half to make the filling workable.  

   This depends on how runny the peanut butter is to start with.  

   I like to use it all so that the filling is more spreadable.  Stir in the vanilla.  

   Dot the peanut butter filling by spoonful around the top of the brownies in the pan.  

   Swirl a bit with a knife, if you like.

    

4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the brownies start to look done at the edges and the center is set. 

   Cool as long as you can wait.  

    

   Attack!

 

 

Fun At Home Project

Looking for a fun project to do at home?  I've posted about this in the past, but maybe it's time for a little reminder.  It's always fun to make your fave girl a new hat!  Since summer is approaching around here, I decided on a classic turned up brim hat in a bright, rich pink.

This is a pattern that I have made before.  And it's still available for free on Ravelry here.  This is a tried and true pattern.   I found some yarn in my bin, since all the stores are closed now.  But plenty of stores are still open for online shopping.  You will need a wool that is not treated for washing.  I like this yarn, because the fibers are fairly loose in one strand.  This is a fast knit, a small project on large needles.  I really love this brand of needles.

The hat will come out ridiculously large.

Now we are ready to felt.

I use two bowls and a pair of thick extra large gloves to insulate against the heat.

Fill one bowl with an ice bath and get the hat cold and wet.





















Then fill the other bowl with very hot water and a splash of detergent.  Squeeze the cold hat out and put it in the hot bath. Start scrubbing it good.  You need to get it very hot.  Start breaking down those fibers.

Back into the cold water.  Add a few more ice cubes if necessary and get it good and cold.  We want to give those fibers a big shock.  Now squeeze it out and put it back into the hot water.  Pour more water from the kettle on it.  You don't need to add more soap.  It will foam up enough.  Keep working on those fibers, swishing it around and scrubbing together between your hands.  Once the process begins to happen, it will move along fairly quickly.

Once it looks close to the right size, rinse it will and check it out.  I have a doll I try them on.  She's a little fakie that doesn't mind getting a bit wet (unlike the vintage Kenner pictured here).  But you can cover the dolls head with plastic wrap or a bag before putting the hat on her to check for size.  Since this is wool, it sheds water, so it is fairly dry right out of the rinse stage.

I shape it with my fingers.  I push it all the way down on her head to get that nice perfectly shaped crown.  The pattern is for a completely rolled brim, but you can shape it into a turned up brim.  It can even be shaped into a cloche shape.  This pattern is super versatile.  Be very detail oriented about the shaping before and while it is drying, because this is exactly what you will get when it dries.  I find it quite moldable, like finger pinching clay.

 After I have shaped it exactly as I want it, I allow it to dry perched on a glass.

Finally I give it a pretty ribbon for a hat band and few flowers in the back.

My girl is ready for a breezy summer afternoon!

Give felting a try!