I am taking over…who wants a Brownie Trifle?! (shh, don’t tell Bridgette)
July 24, 2009 by Jennifer
Filed under My So-Called Life
Bridgette is busy at BlogHer and I am in charge!!!! *evil laugh* I hope she is having fun and learning all sorts of new tricks that she can attempt to teach me, but who am I kidding? She will have to teach me at least twice. I am so new at this it’s not even funny!
Anyway, since my very first product review was for FairyTale Brownies I thought I would share a recipe a friend recently gave me for Brownie Trifle. This is a good one when you have no time but need to impress. It’s so easy, takes almost no time to make, and holy cannoli is it good. See, I said I wasn’t June Cleaver. June would make Baked Alaska or Cherries Flambe’ or some other pooh-pooh dessert. Me? BAM! Brownie Trifle. It looks impressive but takes no time and is so dang good it will make you want to slap your momma. Don’t really slap her though.
You will need: One box brownie mix (to make a 9×13 inch pan) and whatever the box says you need to make that (oil, eggs, etc). I prefer any kind of brownie mix that has chocolate chunks in the mix. You will also need a small box of chocolate pudding (instant), 2 cups of milk, 2 pints fresh strawberries (see variations below though if you don’t like strawberries), 6 cups of whipped topping, thawed (like Cool Whip), and 2 Hershey bars.
Directions: First, bake the brownies as directed and cool. In the meantime, make the pudding using 2 cups milk and let refrigerate a little bit until it is set. If you are using strawberries this is a good time to wash them and slice them. Once the pudding is chilled, fold in 2 cups of the whipped topping and set aside. Now you are ready to assemble it! Use a big glass bowl or trifle dish if you have one (’cause you KNOW June Cleaver has a trifle dish AND a deviled egg plate…but we won’t go there).
Cut the brownies into bite size pieces (I just crumbled mine up because I hate doing dishes and it saved me a dirty knife). Then layer in bowl: 1/2 of everything except the Hershey bars: brownies, pudding mixture, strawberries, and cool whip. Repeat. End with cool whip on top and then grate two Hershey bars on top to make it look pretty, y’all. Or grate one and eat one, I won’t tell! Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. This part is important, because it tastes great right away, but AWESOME after it has set up completely.
Now for the variation: My kids love fruit in general but don’t want anything healthy mukking up their dessert. So the other recommendation is to use cut-up Peanut Butter Cups. HOLY COW. I made this last week for some friends and the wife doesn’t eat peanut butter cups, (I know, what is wrong with her?) so I used crushed up Heath Bars. WHAT? Someone get the smelling salts! Heath Bars and Brownies? That should be illegal. You really can do anything you want as I can’t imagine any type of candy bar plus brownie plus pudding and cool whip goodness tasting bad. Let me know if y’all try it and what you use. June likes to shake it up to keep ‘em guessing! Enjoy!
Fairytale Brownies Review and Giveaway! Chocolate Lovers, Behold!
There are dozens of gift options available, from the penny pinching to the sublime, and Fairytale will also work with companies to ship brownie gifts with your company logo! This was something I was very excited to hear because every year my husband tries to think of something different to send at Christmastime to the companies he deals with as his way of saying “thank you” for doing business. Guess who’s getting their brownies on this year???
How to enter:
1. Visit Fairytale Brownies and tell me which product makes your mouth water!
Additional entries:
1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Fairytale Brownies.
2. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited!
3. Subscribe to my blog.
4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook.
5. Follow Fairytale Brownies on Twitter.
Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on July 22nd. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.
Sweet Muse: Review and Giveaway
You know what I love to receive as a birthday gift? Chocolate. Anniversary? Chocolate. Christmas? Chocolate. Just because it’s Wednesday? Chocolate! See a theme here?
So you can imagine that when I got the opportunity to review the new Brownie Buttons at Sweet Muse, I was in heaven (did I mention they are chocolate?)! The Chief Muse, Laura Siner, started baking as a way to relax and wash away the tensions of a hectic New York City. She busily created many varieties of gourmet brownies and began sharing them with her peers in the New York theater community. Soon she found herself taking orders and Sweet Muse was born!
From the website:
“Super moist and with rich chocolate flavor, Sweet Muse gourmet fudge brownies are baked entirely from scratch, using only the finest ingredients — premium dark chocolate, sweet creamery butter, and fresh eggs. Then, fresh from the oven, each fudgy brownie is individually wrapped to maintain maximum freshness and flavor.”
You just cannot wrap your mind around all the wonderful flavors that are available. A few that make my mouth water are Turtle, Deep Dark Double Fudge and Pecan Toffee. The brownies can be purchased in a variety of combinations, the Buddy Box which contains 2 brownies, an 8 piece Brownie Gift Tin, or even Heart Shaped brownies!
Can’t decide on a favorite flavor? Laura has whipped up another delicious creation with her Brownie Button Box. This set allows you to sample several flavors in bite sized portions. Packaged in a cute box with red ribbon, this sampler would make a perfect Mother’s Day gift!
Sweet Muse was nice enough to send me my very own Brownie Button box to sample. As I opened the box, the sweet aroma of chocolate forced me to dive in and start tasting! My box included one fudge, two double fudge, two pecan and toffee, peppermint candy crunch, turtle (cashew and caramel), hazelnut, peanut butter chip, walnut, and toffee bar. Like I said, I am a serious chocoholic, so the double fudge brownie button was my favorite. You can definitely tell these brownies are homemade!
Believe it or not, I actually shared my brownie buttons with Lily who was more than happy to help review the product. She loved the peanut butter chip! In her words, it was “yuuuuuuuuumy!”
Hungry? Want to try them for yourself? Sweet Muse has generously offered one Not-So-Blog reader a Brownie Button Box of their very own!
How to enter:
1. Visit the Sweet Muse site and tell me which flavor would satisfy your sweet tooth!
Additional entries (please leave each entry as a separate comment):
1. Sweet Muse is having a flavor contest through the end of the month. Hurry over to Sweet Musings and let them know what your dream flavor is! If your creation is chosen, you will receive one Buddy Box of your suggested flavor!
2. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog.
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway.
4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook.
5. Favorite me in Technorati.
Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on May 12th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.
This giveaway is listed on the Ultimate Blog Carnival on LiveGiveaways.com!
