Brownies

I got my first recipe for magic brownies at a Weight Watchers meeting. I became so hooked on the little squares of chewy, chocolaty goodness that I began testing, revising and perfecting my own version. When mixed and baked just right, they come out moist, delicious and mind-numbingly good. The secret ingredient? Black beans. That's right, magic brownies are nothing more than a can of black beans pureed and dumped into a fat-free brownie mix. I also add cinnamon, which not only perks up the flavor but has been shown in studies to help lower LDL, or "bad" cholesterol.

A congratulations to the Harford County Department of Public Works and Mr. Cooper; they have stepped up from being responsible for sediment run-off into the bay to sewage. For a county employee Mr. James C. Haynes to self-describe his performance as excellent after 263,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into the environment is absurd. It kind of smacks of a "good job, Brownie. " Good job in controlling the other 167,000 gallons, you deserve a raise. Have County Executive David R. Craig fund it through the developers.

I know you're going to laugh when you read this, but prune brownies are really pretty good.All kidding aside, the California Prune Board has been experimenting with substituting prune puree or prune butter for butter, margarine or oil, measure for measure, in standard recipes for muffins, cakes and cookies. (In a recipe that calls for 1/4 cup of butter or oil, substitute 1/4 cup of prune puree.)The brownie samples they provided were really chocolaty and good. The texture was a little different, spongy rather than chewy.

Claudia Santini from Santa Rosa, Calif., was looking for a recipe for making caramel brownies that used German chocolate cake mix as the base. She said her mother used to make them in the 1960s and she would very much like to have the recipe. After seeing Santini's request, Tzippie Mahr of Baltimore sent in a recipe she noticed on http://www.mr.food.com that surely is the one Santini was in search of. This recipe for Chocolate Caramel Brownies starts with a box of German chocolate cake mix to which butter, evaporated milk and nuts are added.

When spring rolls around each year, I know it is my turn to invite the nine other women in my book club to my house for dinner and a literary discussion.Southwestern-style dishes struck my fancy this time, so chilied almonds will begin the evening, followed by a robust tomato-vegetable soup seasoned with cumin, hot peppers and cilantro and garnished with shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Homemade bread and a green salad tossed in a honey-lime vinaigrette will complete the main course. To end the night there will be orange and raisin brownies.

DUBNA, Russia -- It's hard to tell Brownies apart, whether their scout badges are written in Cyrillic or Latin letters. But you know you're at a Russian Brownie hike when the parents bring out the champagne.Recently, Brownies from Moscow's Anglo-American School traveled two hours by express train to Dubna, about 100 miles north of Moscow, to meet with one of Russia's first Brownie groups.Dubna was a city built in the 1950s to house nuclear research. Children growing up there have been unlikely to encounter foreigners, ever.

* Item: Pillsbury OneStep Brownie * What you get: 12 brownies * Cost: About $2.80 * Preparation time: 35 to 38 minutes in conventional oven * Review: What could be easier than brownie dough in its own pan ready for the oven? The hard part is waiting the time it takes for these rich chocolate treats to bake. These are crumbly, gooey, practically fudge brownies that almost melt in your mouth. Follow the alternative directions if you prefer a cake-style brownie. Pillsbury also offers a OneStep Cookie.

Bring on the brownies. That was our mantra recently when we decided to taste a variety of the chocolate cakelike squares made from store-bought mixes. More and more, we have been overwhelmed by the number of choices taunting us from the grocery shelves.Yes, we know, making brownies from scratch is not difficult. But, late at night, when your child remembers she's supposed to bring a snack to school the next day, these mixes come to the rescue. They are quick and convenient.They're also great on dreary-weather days when you need a satisfying respite from the outside world.

SEVENTEEN PAIRS of small feet stepped, jumped and danced across the floor of the dance studio to the soundtrack from "Space Jam." The first-grade girls glanced at themselves in the mirror and giggled, but mostly their eyes were on instructor Jaclyn White.Clad in shorts, T-shirts and socks or tights, the 6- and 7-year-olds from Brownie troops 654 and 1549, based at Bushy Park Elementary School, were working out at the Triumph Health and Fitness Center last month to earn a Dancercize "try-it" badge.

Annette McDaniels of Ellicott City was looking for an easy recipe for graham-cracker brownies that she said was popular in the 1960s. Jean Dacquisto of Ringtown, Pa., sent in a recipe for the brownies that she says her family has always loved. Her recipe is no fuss, no muss. To me, these goodies came out looking more like blondies than brownies, but no matter - they were a hit with everyone in my house. You can whip up these yummy treats on a moment's notice the next time your kids volunteer you to bring in something for the bake sale.

Social shopping is the new trend in Internet commerce these days. Websites have sprouted up, promising great discounts if a certain number of people sign up to buy. Groupon and LivingSocial are some of the most prominent, but a small Maryland startup is also trying to make a name for itself. Jasmere was started by Katrina Kugel, 40, and Jeremy Kugel, 38, a husband-and-wife team with marketing experience in corporate America. Their Silver Spring neighbor, Andy O'Mara, also is a partner.

W eeks ago, when everyone was worried about the feet of snow piling up around Baltimore, inches of another sort were accumulating inside. Having trouble buttoning your pants lately? After back-to-back snowstorms, and who knows how many days of snow-day eating, Marylanders are still feeling the storms' effects - on waistlines, thighs and butts. Snow pounds. And they're not exactly melting away. Take Jennifer Silate. The 32-year-old Baltimore marketing manager entered the new year determined to do away with, as she calls it, the "holiday slide."

Kim McDaniel of Winchester, Va., was looking for a brownie recipe that her mother used to make on special occasions. Unfortunately, her mother did not pass on the recipe, but she remembers that the brownies had a graham-cracker crust, then a layer of brownie, she thinks, and then a layer of marshmallow and probably chocolate chips. June Palmer of Santa Rosa, Calif., sent in a recipe for what she calls S'More Squares. If they're not exactly what McDaniel was looking for, they have to be very close.

Annette McDaniels of Ellicott City was looking for an easy recipe for graham-cracker brownies that she said was popular in the 1960s. Jean Dacquisto of Ringtown, Pa., sent in a recipe for the brownies that she says her family has always loved. Her recipe is no fuss, no muss. To me, these goodies came out looking more like blondies than brownies, but no matter - they were a hit with everyone in my house. You can whip up these yummy treats on a moment's notice the next time your kids volunteer you to bring in something for the bake sale.

I got my first recipe for magic brownies at a Weight Watchers meeting. I became so hooked on the little squares of chewy, chocolaty goodness that I began testing, revising and perfecting my own version. When mixed and baked just right, they come out moist, delicious and mind-numbingly good. The secret ingredient? Black beans. That's right, magic brownies are nothing more than a can of black beans pureed and dumped into a fat-free brownie mix. I also add cinnamon, which not only perks up the flavor but has been shown in studies to help lower LDL, or "bad" cholesterol.

German Chocolate Cake looks pretty good for 50. The combination of tangy-sweet layers and nutty custard is as irresistible as it was when the recipe was first published in a Texas newspaper back in the Eisenhower era. If it were a Reese's cup or an Oreo, German Chocolate Cake would be into its 10th reincarnation by now. But this is one venerable dessert that needs an homage more than a makeover. If you take the same concept, with essentially the same ingredients, you can produce any number of variations with just as much extravagant flavor and texture but with 2.0 attitude.

If you want to get big and fat in this country and grow to the size of the Goodyear blimp, there is no shortage of opportunities to do so. The latest comes courtesy of the folks at Domino's Pizza, who have come up with a new offer that makes some of their previous offers look like an order of celery sticks by comparison. The new offer is this: order a large pizza and Domino's will throw in a free order of 10 oven-baked brownies. Yes, brownies. Apparently, this is being offered on the theory that after someone polishes off, say, a thick, cheesy, pepperoni pizza and collapses on the couch in a stupor, the first thing he or she thinks is: Boy, it would be great to have some brownies right about now. Pizza and brownies - is that an artery-clogging doubleheader, or what?

Attention volunteers. Brownie Troop 118 in Long Reach Village needs knitting volunteers to help with a community project, "Warm Up America."The Brownies are going to knit 9-inch "granny squares" and stitch them together to make afghans, which will be given to Howard County shelters for women and the homeless.With the material, patterns and moral support of Katharine Schatzer and her business, Needle Play, in Hickory Ridge Shopping Center, the girls have been collecting leftover yarns and needles from families and friends to begin their project at their meeting in the Phelps Luck Elementary School, next Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Volunteers from the Knitters Guild will attend to help the Brownies.

When my cousin from North Carolina called to ask for help planning the menu for a birthday lunch for her mom, I proposed a scrumptious new brownie recipe I had recently developed. My aunt, a spry octogenarian, loves sweets, especially those made with chocolate or with coconut, and my new brownies contained both. CHOCOLATE-COCONUT BROWNIES WITH COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM Serves 8 BROWNIES : 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing baking pan 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup flour plus extra for dusting baking pan pinch of salt 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM: 1 cup heavy or whipping cream 1/4 cup cream of coconut (see note)

If you want to get big and fat in this country and grow to the size of the Goodyear blimp, there is no shortage of opportunities to do so. The latest comes courtesy of the folks at Domino's Pizza, who have come up with a new offer that makes some of their previous offers look like an order of celery sticks by comparison. The new offer is this: order a large pizza and Domino's will throw in a free order of 10 oven-baked brownies. Yes, brownies. Apparently, this is being offered on the theory that after someone polishes off, say, a thick, cheesy, pepperoni pizza and collapses on the couch in a stupor, the first thing he or she thinks is: Boy, it would be great to have some brownies right about now. Pizza and brownies - is that an artery-clogging doubleheader, or what?