They are just so perfect . . .

We had a lazy day today -- I think I'm almost done knitting the scarf I started at the Grand Canyon in April (this is why this isn't a knitting blog). So I figured this would be a good day to make the Brownies. It did not turn out to be a good day to EAT the Brownies. While I was out buying bananas for the next recipe, I spied a self-serve frozen yogurt shop and immediately craved plain tart with fruit -- and devoured it.

Like Maria, I have made All-American Brownies so many times that I never have to even glance at the recipe. They are always perfect, they make a small-ish batch, and they only get the saucepan and a rubber scraper dirty. I have to admit that I was surprised to learn that Maria found the extra bowl needed in "Brownie" Schrumpf's Brownies objectionable, because I seem to recall that she likes to use every single bowl in the house to make something. Hmmm. Maybe it's different when you have to wash your own dishes?

I made the recipe just like Maida wrote it. I melted the chocolate using my "double boiler." I know I can do it in the microwave, but there is something very soothing about watching chocolate slowly melt in the double boiler. And I used the full 2 cups of walnuts, putting them in the Brownies. Since I was over-stuffed from the plain tart with fruit, I was able to freeze the brownies after taking them out of the oven. And I used a tape-measure and toothpicks to cut the Brownies into 16 perfect rectangles. Cassandra would approve of that - she uses a tape measure to cut potatoes so the squares will be even!

Pete was the photographer this time -- he got to use his brand-new SLR, so the photos are very artistic.

This picture has crumbs -- the fault of the food arranger (me) rather than the photographer. They look delicious, don't they? But I'm . . just . . .not . . . hungry. So I wrapped each of the 16 very large brownies carefully in clear cellophane, packed them into a box, and they are sitting patiently on the counter waiting to be distributed to friends, family, co-workers, and the guy who sells buckets of balls at the driving range. Wrapped like that, they look too perfect to eat.

I'll bring them on our hike tomorrow. I'm sure that after a couple of hours of hiking, they won't look too perfect to eat!