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.

Two-fer: Secret Subject Swap

Welcome a Secret Subject Swap. This month 8 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've unexpectedly inherited $10,000 from a great uncle you never knew you had. There's a catch, though. You either have to spend the money on frivolous items for yourself only or the money will go into a trust for your great uncle's 3 cats. Do you spend the money? On what?
It was submitted by: Jenniy of Climaxed.

Frequently before starting their posts, my friends who participate in these writing challenges thank the person who thought up their prompt. 

For the record, thanks Jenniy. Although my first thought was that I'd be so much more grateful had you sent in not just the prompt but the money. You know, so I'd get the chance to put my money where my mouth is . . . so to speak.

Is this really a question for some people? I know you're an animal lover, Jenniy, but would you give up an inheritance to a few? Because hell -to-the-yeah I'm spending that money. In a heartbeat. The only thing that would be difficult about it would be stopping at $10,000. Is there someone somewhere, like companies that match donations for their employees, who matches inheritances? 'Cause sign me up.

I know, the cats. I may be missing the compassion gene, but in this dog-eat-dog world if it's me or a cat (or 3), I'm voting for me.

Where to start? I think, quite honestly, the shopping would be just as much fun as the buying. A car? No, actually not enough money. Travel? I've traveled extensively but I still have a bucket list. I'd love to cruise the Greek Isles, but if I could only spend the money on myself, I'd have to go alone and I wouldn't like that. Anyone got a spare $10,000 and want to join me?

The kitchen. If I were to redo my kitchen, designed by me to my exact specifications, would that count as spending the money on something frivolous and for myself? I need to know because I certainly don't want to default and end up with nothing while 3 cats eat lobster for the rest of their days.

Strawberry and Caramel Swirl Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

It would be important to me that I spend the money on something I can enjoy for a long time, like an in-ground pool, not a consumable that would be here today and gone tomorrow. If only my yard would accommodate a pool (and if only you could buy one for $10,000). So I guess my whole idea of taking a week at a spa and working on my zen would be out. Damn!

So here is what I'd do: I would buy replacements. Maybe clothes, luggage, furniture, items I already own that I can replace with the new and donate the gently used. Win/win. Like a two-fer.

BTW, I know that I'm obliged to spend the totality of the inheritance on myself and as I've said, I will. But once I have, I just want to mention, I fully intend, out of my own pocket, to purchase 3 lobsters (or tuna if they prefer) for 3 lovely losers felines. I mean, I may be selfish but I'm not heartless, after all.

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 
Climaxed
Part-Time Working Hockey Mom

Strawberry and Caramel Swirl Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

                                                              ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe


Ingredients:

2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (12 - 14 rectangles)
2 TBSP sugar
6 TBSP butter, melted

2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

6 TBSP seedless strawberry jam, divided
6 TBSP caramel sauce, divided

OPT: sliced strawberries for serving

Directions:
*Grease a 9 inch springform pan. On the outside of the pan, wrap a sheet of tin foil around the bottom and partially up the sides of the pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
*Mix together the chocolate graham cracker crumbs, 2 TBSP sugar and butter. Press into and partially up the sides of the springform pan.
*Beat the cream cheese, remaining sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the sour cream and heavy cream, then the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the mini chocolate chips.
*Pour half of the filling into the prepared crust. Drizzle with half of the jam, then half of the caramel sauce. Swirl around with a knife or large toothpick. Repeat with the remaining filling, jam and caramel sauce.
*Bake for 60 - 75 minutes, until the center is just set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
*To serve: gently run a knife around the cheesecake before removing the side of the springform pan. Slice and serve topped with fresh strawberries, if desired.
*Store leftovers, covered, in refrigerator.

Home with an H

It started as a mission of sorts, and ended as a joke. One we never forgot, one we talk about to this day.

When College Boy was going into 3rd grade and PurDude into 2nd grade, we moved to a bigger house. It was an exciting time, but a bit frantic as well. Our former house sold while we were on vacation on Cape Cod and the buyer wanted most of my furniture as well. Not only would I be furnishing and decorating a bigger house, but without most of what I currently owned. Part of me panicked, but part of me was thrilled, everything I pick out would fit this new home. How much fun would that be?

For the next 2 months I could be seen all over town, in every furniture store, department store, discount store, rug store, decorations boutiques, craft fairs, everywhere and anywhere. This house would represent me (us), piece by piece. And it did.

My favorite haunts were stores like TJ Maxx and Marshall's. Not just because I worked for one of their chains long ago, but because I loved sifting through items for one-of-a -kinds to put together myself as opposed to pre-packaged pairings. At the time, large wooden or metal decorative letters seemed to be everywhere in those stores. I decided to use them up on the wall by the ceiling between the kitchen and living room. I'd spell out "home" with the "h" in the corner of the kitchen wall and the "o m e" beside the "h" over the opening to the living room. In this store and that I picked up the "o", the "m" and the "e". They sat on the kitchen desk as I scoured town looking for an "h".

The kids and I would laugh at the "ome". In fact, the more I searched the more they'd laugh. "Just put it up, mom, it'll be like the yoga mantra". Every time they walked by that desk they'd close their eyes, hold up their hands with their fingertips together and chant "ome, ome, ome". Never having found the elusive "h", I eventually returned the other 3 letters. It's just not "home" without the "h".

Fast forward to now. I wrote a few weeks ago about PurDude accepting his first job. Considering he could have ended up anywhere, I was thrilled that the one he accepted was here, downtown. I figured he'd live with us for a while. Not so much. PurDude is a master sleeper. The only person I've ever known to sleep this much was my grandfather (alav ha shalom). Apparently the 45 minute commute both ways on Interstate 80 in rush hour traffic was infringing on his sleeping time, so he targeted an area within walking distance to work and went apartment hunting. He found just what he wanted, falling in love with a former warehouse built around 1900 on a cobblestone street in the heart of the Old Market. He applied and if accepted, he planned to move on September 1st, the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

 The outside of the building.

There's a coffee shop next door and even a restaurant he can enter from the lobby.

The atrium has seating areas, a water feature, coffee bar, entrance to a restaurant and straight ahead between those white columns are 2 glass elevators.

The roof has a pool, a hot tub, multiple seating areas and grills with a view of the river, the city, and the building where he works. A woman we met there says you can hear concerts from the casinos across the river on summer nights. There's also a weight room and a social room on that level.
 

He didn't hear anything until the Monday before the first. The agent who had been working with him was on vacation the previous week when PurDude's approval came through and no one else picked up the ball so she didn't inform him until she returned. OK, he's moving in 5 days and has nothing. Nothing. Nothing is also what bothers this kid but his mom, she was in a panic.

Let me step back a minute and tell you that we never got PurDude a graduation gift. We wanted it to be memorable, but just didn't know what.

Hubs and I talked and we just knew that this was it. We would fully furnish and outfit his first apartment including renter's insurance for his first year, leasing a U-Haul for moving and dinner for any friends who helped with the move. 

To start, PurDude walked through my house and picked out some things he wanted: a bedroom set from one of the guest bedrooms, a lounge chair, coffee table, demi table, couch (which he didn't take as I ended up buying him one), my Crate and Barrel dishes, glasses, mugs and silverware. OK, that was a start. But I had so much more to design and buy and a few days to do it. 

What I did in 2 months for the family move, I compressed into 3 shop-til-you drop (almost literally) days this time. For the most part, he was happy to let me make choices, but for anything I wanted his opinion on, I'd take pics in the stores and he'd text back his choices. In what I can only characterize as a miracle, I put the whole place together. Saturday family and friends would move him in. Sunday we'd do a final shop together for food and supplies and would do the unpacking and decorating (I decorated the entryway, he will buy wall art as he sees things he likes). The kitchen would be outfitted including a Kureg, probably the only thing he'll use. Chances are no food would be prepared there, he'd mostly eat out, bring food in or, now and then, have it delivered by mom.

Spicy Taco Chicken Sandwich

Before I wrote this post, I asked on my Facebook page if you'd like to see what we'd done this weekend. There were so many lovely comments like" Of course! We have seen him through college, he is part ours too. #FBFamily 😊❤️" So with PurDude's permission (well, maybe I didn't ask his permission per se, but I did inform him), here's what was accomplished in just 5 days:

Welcome

 

 Looking down his hallway from the living room towards the front door. There are 4 little sunk-in nooks in the brick wall which I had fun decorating.

This demi table he took from my house and is now in the first nook, closest to the front door.

In the second nook I put this metal art piece with 3 trunks below. Still needs something else . . .

This lantern tree is from our house too and is in the third smaller nook right across from the kitchen. There's a fourth nook that's in the living room and will perfectly hold his kegerator. Oy.

I did the bathroom in blacks, greys and browns. There are 2 doors, this pic was taken from the hallway, the door you see on the right near the shower leads to the laundry room which came equipped with a washer and dryer. His bedroom is on the other side so you can get to the bathroom from the bedroom or from the hall.

He took the bedroom furniture from one of my guest rooms and chose the bedding from 2 I sent pictures of in a text from the store. There are 3 closets in total. Where the desk chair is in this pic there is now a desk to go with it.

The bedroom from the other side. The door by the wooden post leads to the laundry room, then to the bathroom.

The living room. The coffee table and rocker/recliner came from my house. The doors lead out to a small deck. The TV will go into his bedroom, he now has a larger one for the living room.

The deck is small but he absolutely wanted an outdoor space no matter how small. It fits 2 chairs and the garden table that came from my house. He may eventually put an electric grill out there.

He chose not to have a dining table as he doesn't feel he'd use it. It can always be added later, for now I found him 3 bar stools where he and friends can eat.

Just before leaving I placed one last gift for him on his kitchen counter. A small thing really, but one I hope brings a smile to his face every day.

 

Home. With an "H".

Spicy Taco Chicken Sandwiches        

                                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

NOTE: This recipe calls for my Grilled Taco Chicken. When I make this for dinner I make extra and refrigerate for use in these sandwiches.

Ingredients (per sandwich):
1  to 1 1/2 pieces of Grilled Taco Chicken (depending on the size of your roll)
1 Italian sub roll
1 1/2 slices Pepper Jack cheese
2 TBSP Chipotle Ranch dressing (more for dipping)
lettuce
1/4 cup crispy jalapenos 

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Wrap the leftover Grilled Taco Chicken in tin foil and place in oven for about 20 minutes or until warm.
*Toast the roll, place the cheese inside, wrap in tin foil and place in the oven with the chicken for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
*Remove the roll from the oven. Carefully separate the top from the bottom. Spread half of the Chipotle Ranch dressing on each side of the roll. 
*Remove the chicken from the oven. Put the lettuce on the bottom of the roll. Top with the chicken, then the crispy jalapenos.
*OPT: Serve with additional Chipotle Ranch dressing for serving.