Pin 1 Down: Zucchini Brownies

With no time to waste, I accomplished my 1st pin in my personal 6 pins in 6 weeks challenge. We received a giant zucchini from my family when we came to visit - or rather, we received only part of a giant zucchini! This recipe only used 2 cups of shredded zucchini, so I still have quite a bit left to play with....or hide and pretend it doesn't exist....

Every Pinterest recipe that I found for gooey-looking zucchini brownies used the same recipe as this one from Mommy I'm Hungry. And while it sure is gooey (or rather, the frosting certainly is), the brownies themselves weren't my favorite. For one, there are no eggs in this recipe! How can we have brownies without eggs? So the brownies were slightly gritty from the sugar (I think I may have done the steps in an incorrect order though..) and I thought they were pretty dry. But then I put this frosting on top- and you can't even tell! I only did about 2/3 of the actual frosting and it's still so gooey, chocolatey, and delicious!

So while I'll keep searching for a better zucchini brownie recipe, I was actually pleased with how these came out. Plus there were plenty to share with our neighbors, especially the wonderful ones who lent me powdered sugar when I had absolutely none.... :)

6 Pins in 6 Weeks

Lately I've been in such a creativity rut. I don't feel very motivated to try new foods, desserts, crafts, sewing projects, anything! I loved the 6 pins in 6 weeks challenge I participated in earlier this year, so I think I'll have my own little challenge over the next month and a half to get the juices flowing again. Here we go - these are the 6 pins I'd like to accomplish in the next 6 weeks (give or take a few months... :D ):

Order fabric online (something I've been afraid of) and make a cardigan: http://pinterest.com/pin/55450639131526721/

With some of the fabric I order, make myself a new purse: http://pinterest.com/pin/55450639132710723/

I love apples but I never take full advantage of apple season. Buy some and make this delicious-looking pizza: http://pinterest.com/pin/55450639133691477/

Use up that zucchini and make brownies! http://pinterest.com/pin/55450639132658432/

Do at least a few of these different ways to improve your life: http://pinterest.com/pin/55450639132782959/

And finally, get to work on another necklace! http://pinterest.com/pin/55450639135049832/

Blue Necklace

I can make jewelry! Or rather, I can attempt jewelry. It has long been a goal of mine to start making jewelry. However, unlike sewing where I already have the machine and just have to buy fabric each project, or crafting where I already have a glue gun and just need some random supplies, jewelry making involves a whole new set of tools and materials - so I had to start from scratch. That's why I've been putting off jewelry-making for so long...but now I can make jewelry forever!

Over the course of a month or two, I collected Michael's coupons and purchased the supplies - wire, chains, necklace closures, straight pins, crimps..all kinds of things! I was planning to just use our wire cutters and pliers from the tool kit- but I discovered I really needed one of those round pliers. So I got one of those too, and it made all the difference!

After acquiring alllll of that, I finally got some beads as well. They're all cheap-y ones from Walmart right now, but once more coupons come in I'll probably get some prettier ones at Michael's again! I have so many jewelry ideas on my Pinterest board that I want to try, but I settled on the Cobalt Blue Cluster Necklace from My Girlish Whims to start. It looks pretty easy....boy was I wrong!

Okay it wasn't actually too bad. The hardest part (just like she mentions) is getting 50 or so beads on the straight pins and creating the loops. I was doing so terrible, but then I got those round pliers and it was way easier! Unfortunately, the holes in my (cheap) beads were too big for the pins, so I ended up hot gluing all the beads onto the pins...which may not hold forever, but I was determined to make do with what I had on hand!

After getting all the beads on pins (this only took me like...a month? I'm a slow worker :D), getting the chain and crimps and everything else was super easy. And I am very excited and pleased with this necklace! Now...what to work on next?! Maybe earrings to go with it!

Twix Brownies

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to make caramel. Sometimes I love to ponder on how my NYRs aren't so much resolutions...they're more like goals. Is there a difference? I should just say "one thing I'd like to change about myself is the frequency that I make caramel." Perfect! So now, instead of zero times per year, I have officially made caramel one time per year!

Instead of the usual boring (and amazingly delicious - Ghirardelli from Costco) brownies that I make, I wanted something fun when our friends came over. I have been eyeing these twix brownies from Jasey's Crazy Daisy for forever, and I finally got up the nerve to try them! I didn't have shortbread cookies, so I made a graham cracker crust instead and it was delicious. I should really make brownies with a graham cracker crust more often.

I also didn't have caramel squares...dun dun dun. And since I just can't make a single recipe without substitutions, I might as well admit that I don't ever buy cream anymore either, so I didn't even have that necessary caramel ingredient... :) So I found this caramel recipe from Bright Eyed Baker that uses milk! Making that caramel was certainly an adventure. Unlike her instructions that say it should take about a half hour...mine took well over that and still didn't get thick! I was stirring the sauce on the stove after adding the milk, and I realized my burner had turned off a while before...(it does that :( ) so I think I let it cool too much and it just never got thick!

Despite that (wow, sorry long post!), these brownies were seriously DELICIOUS. Make them! Make them with a million substitutions! Just look at the picture for ages and keep drooling! I definitely know we'll make these brownies again. I may even splurge and get caramel squares! Haha, actually I will for sure get caramel squares next time. They were gooey, rich, chocolatey and caramelly and amazing.

 

p.s. Sorry these pictures are so bad...we were eating them way too fast! Also, I'm trying to improve my food photography just a little bit, and clearly these pictures aren't doing it.