Giant Brownie Bowl Party Sundae: Rock It Blog With Frends

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends theme collaborations. Each month a group  of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about this partnership is that it’s not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may have a recipe, sewing tutorial, crafts projects, book review and/or a technology post all related to the theme of the month.

This month's theme is Rock It.

There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here’s a peek at what we all came up with:

This time of year my thoughts go to school. We had back-to-school traditions in our house. When it came to food, I made all of the boys' dinner favorites in the week leading up to the first day. Then, on the first day I always made treats for the hordes of kids who invariably ended up at our house. Over the years, there were many hits, I mean we are talking treats, but one overwhelming favorite. When it comes to being a rock star mom, this recipe truly Rocks It! 

Giant Brownie Bowl Party Sundae

Make the brownie bowl ahead of time, it takes a while to make so I often made it the day before, refrigerated it overnight then brought it to room temperature the next day. The bowl is not difficult, it just takes time. 

Let me tell you that whenever the boys saw (or smelled) the brownie bowl being made I'd always see their eyes widen. They knew what was coming the next afternoon. And they loved it.

First I made a half batch of brownies:

While the brownies are cooling slightly, line a round 2 quart bowl with plastic wrap. Be sure it hangs over the edges, this will help remove the brownie bowl from the glass bowl for serving.

Then you get to play with the brownies. Yes, you'll get your hands dirty. While still warm, they are formed into a bowl, then put in the freezer to set for one hour up to overnight. 

Use the plastic wrap to remove the brownie bowl from the glass bowl then gently peel off the plastic wrap.

I used some of our favorite toppings, but you can change this up any way you want. Use different ice cream flavors, add nuts or chocolate sprinkles, whatever works for your family.

Assemble in two layers, first the bottom:

Top it off and serve it on a platter and hand out spoons, or let the kids break it up and put it into individual bowls. Whatever you do, with this recipe, you will rock it!

Don't be surprised when in the first minute it looks something like this:

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares her recipe for Tropical Sangria.

Tamara shares How to Rock Life as a Part-Time Working Hockey Mom. 

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares Conquering the Cricut Explore Air 2.

Rabia of The Lieber Family shares How to make a Chrome Book Sleeve.

Jules of The Bergham Chronicles shares Kindness Rocks!

Giant Brownie Bowl Party Sundae

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 oz unsweetened chocolate
3/4 stick margarine
1/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup flour

1 banana
6 ripe strawberries, hulled and striped
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
4 scoops chocolate ice cream
4 scoops strawberry ice cream
1/4 cup fudge sauce or chocolate syrup
1/4 cup strawberry syrup
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
whipped cream
colored sprinkles
cherry

Directions:
NOTE: The brownie bowl takes a while to prepare, you can make it a day in advance.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 X 8 baking pan.
*Melt together the unsweetened chocolate and margarine in the microwave. Stir until completely smooth. 
*Stir in the vanilla. Once incorporated, stir in the sugar, then the egg and last the flour.
*Spread into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes until still warm but not hot.
*Line a 2 quart bowl with plastic wrap large enough to hang over the sides. Using a spoon, mix the brownies to make them crumbs then, using your hands, spread into the bottom and up the side of the glass bowl to form a brownie bowl. Allow to cool completely at room temperature for 20 minutes, the freeze for at least one hour.
*Remove the brownie bowl from the freezer and use the plastic wrap to help you remove it from the glass bowl. Carefully peel off the plastic wrap and place the brownie bowl on a serving platter.
*Cut the banana in half (width), then in half lengthwise.
*Place 2 scoops of each ice cream flavor into the brownie bowl. Sprinkle with half of the strawberry slices. Gently press the banana slices into the ice cream along the edges to stick up over the bowl or just lay along the sides.
*Fill the bowl with the rest of the ice cream and strawberry slices. Drizzle with the chocolate, strawberry and caramel toppings, then the sprinkles. Top with whipped cream and a cherry.

That's a Wrap: Secret Subject Swap

Welcome a Secret Subject Swap. This month 9 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

My subject is: You're being interviewed by the local news. Why?
It was submitted by: Rena of The Blogging 911.

Not that I've lead a . . . ahem . . . interesting life, but my first thought was that it could be one of about 20 things. And that's right off the top of my head. Imagine if I thought about it for a while. Or maybe you better not.

My second thought was just "jeez, what the hell have I gotten myself into now?" Because I'd like to say that it's for something good, but you all know me better than that by now.

I'm actually relieved that this is local news. I mean at least I'm not on the national news, got that going for me. And possibly whatever I've done won't get back to my mom on the east coast. 

Perhaps it's for my baking? Naaaa.

Peaches and Cream cake and Sundae

I know! I'm running for office. 

No, not that either. I'm afraid politics in this country has become a blood sport, and I don't like blood. Especially when it's mine.

Here's what actually happened:

In answer to the bell, I opened my door to find a well dressed woman and a man with a large video camera. Behind them, in my driveway was a white car with a big blue "News 8" on the door. 

Me: Can I help you?
Woman: We'd like to interview you for a community story we're doing.
Me: Community story? What story?
Woman: Have you seen our Friday segments featuring people in our viewing area?
Me: The one where people call in to nominate neighbors who have made a difference?
Woman: Yes. You were nominated and will be featured on tonight's newscast.
Me: You don't let people know in advance? I . . . um . . . would have worn something nicer, straightened my hair.
Woman: Someone was supposed to call you, tell you to expect us. Did that not happen?
Me (looking down at my clothes): No.
Woman: Can we come in? I'd like to sit and chat a bit.

I showed them to the den and offered them a drink all while wondering whether, in my ratty old clothes and Rosannadanna hair, I could hope that nobody seeing me would recognize me.

The woman situated herself on the couch while I took the chair opposite her. The camera man found a place to stand off to the side between us where, obviously, he could pan the camera between us.

Woman: I'm Charlotte, the reporter assigned to this series of segments and this (waving her hand to the left) is my camera man, Paul.
Me: Hello. Welcome. 
Charlotte: As I said, you were nominated for your volunteer work at the school.
Me: Me? I can't imagine who would have nominated me. And my boys haven't been in school in years.
Charlotte: Really? That's odd. Was there anything that was noteworthy when they were there? 
Me: Well there was that one time a teacher asked me to cook a turkey for a Thanksgiving celebration. And the time the kids made single cell shaped cookies for science that I was asked to pick up, bake at my house then return to them.
Charlotte: I guess that must be it. Tell me those stories.

We spent a good hour talking about my volunteer work at the school. I was in the middle of another story when my cell phone rang.

Me: I'm sorry Charlotte, can you excuse me for just one minute, it's Kathryn Brandon, my neighbor, she had some minor surgery to her leg, let me just be sure she's OK.
Charlotte (eyes wide): Wait! You're not Kathryn Brandon? 
Me: No, as I said, she's my neighbor.
Charlotte: Isn't this 6243 Grand St?
Me: No, it's 6234.
Charlotte (making a cutting motion across her neck to her cameraman and racing towards the door faster than I thought one could move in heels): Wrong house? I spent an hour listening to stories at the wrong house? We better find the right house NOW or we'll miss our deadline.

And that's it. My five minutes of (redacted) fame. 
Bad news: I'm doomed to end up on the cutting room floor.
Good news: I won't be showing up on TV in my ratty clothes and Rosanne Rosannadanna hair.

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

The Lieber Family Blog
The Bergham Chronicles 

The Blogging 911
Cognitive Script 
Never Ever Give Up Hope 
Part-Time Working Hockey Mom 
Climaxed
My Brand of Crazy

Peaches and Cream Cake and Sundae      

                                    ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup ripe peaches, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

vanilla ice cream
caramel sauce, warmed
chopped pecans

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 X 11 baking pan.
*Cream the butter, margarine, sugars and egg. Carefully beat in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
*Gently mix in the chopped peaches and white chocolate chips.
*Pat evenly into the baking pan and bake for 25 - 28 minutes or until the center is completely set and the bars are browned.
*Cool until just barely warm before cutting. 
*To serve, top each bar with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, warm caramel sauce and chopped pecans.
*Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

No Reflection: July Poetry

Setting the bar low. It's a tough job (not really) but someone's gotta do it (not really). Yes, you guessed it, it's monthly poetry time. For the past 21 months I've tried to torture amuse you with my stabs and jabs at poetry. I've had the opportunity to explore many different types of writing in these posts, both in style and in tone. I tend to gravitate towards the light humorous rhyming poems as they're fun for me to write and I hope you get a bit of a laugh when you read them. I'll do that again today.

Each month the bloggers who join in this challenge get together and choose a theme for their poems. This month we're working on the theme Reflection.

Passing through the woods at night
came upon lovely Snow White,
half eaten apple in clear sight.
Fighting off his urge to bite,
 
for the first time in his "life"
fell in love despite the strife,
"I must make Snow White my wife,
here and in the afterlife."

Selfishness he must postpone, 
if he's to make her all his own.
I am king, she'll share my throne,
but she's asleep, he did bemoan.

Surely I can deal with this,
no bite, I'll wake her with a kiss.
"Nothing!" angrily raising a fist,
"What is wrong? I did not miss." 

When of a sudden he could hear,
cackling, that much was clear,
through the woods who did appear?
A witch with quite an ugly sneer.

"Wicked Witch, you must tell
how else I can break this spell?
You must answer so think well,
'cause at drawing blood I do excel."

Terrified, the witch did speak,
"Without a kiss, options are bleak.
If alternatives are what you seek,
then in the mirror you must peek."

Look in your own eyes and say,
mirror, mirror show the way, 
What magic potion must I spray
to awaken Snow White on this day."

The answer does not bring him glee.
Shaking, yelling angrily,
"No! No reflection can I see,
because a vampire's what I be". 

PS: Didn't work a recipe into the poem today, but my White Chocolate Oreo Raspberry Sundae is just too good not to share. Think of it as your reward for having survived my warped poetic interpretation of the theme Reflection.

White Chocolate Oreo Raspberry Sundae

Before you go, click on these links to more poetry by some of my friends: 

Dawn of Cognitive Script shares Reflections of My Past Life.
Diane of On The Border shares Gahhh!
Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares One Year.

White Chocolate Oreo Raspberry Sundae

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients (makes 8):
1 stick butter
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

48 oz raspberry sherbet
10 oreos, crushed

OPT: Whipped cream and/or sprinkles for serving 

Directions:
*Melt the butter in a sauce pan turned to just below medium heat. Add in the white chocolate chips, powdered sugar and salt.  
*Once the white chocolate chips have melted, whisking constantly, slowly add the heavy cream. Continue whisking until it comes to a boil. Allow to boil for one minute, whisking now and then. Remove from heat and mix in the vanilla.
*Divide the sherbet into bowls and sprinkle with the crushed oreos. Pour the desired amount of white chocolate topping into each bowl.
*OPT: top with whipped cream and/or sprinkles.