I'm never sure what time my husband will come home from work on any given
night. Last night, I decided to make something simple and easy for dinner
that I could throw together at the last minute. That way, if he called and
said, "Hey, it's Friday! Let's go out!", I could easily leave the
ingredients for the next day.

When he called at 6:30, he said he had just spoken with an old friend of
ours, who had had a bit of a romantic mishap and was in need of cheering up.
Bring him home, I said. Figuring that a good dessert was the cure, I
decided to make brownies. I grabbed my closest cookbook, which had the
recipe for Anne Bourget's brownies, which I hadn't made in years, and had
been meaning to try again. (recipe below).

Dinner was chicken simmered in Trader Joe's Korma sauce, basmati rice, and a
mix of fresh green beans (the nicest I've ever bought from a supermarket!),
carrots, and cauliflower, all steamed until tender crisp and then sauteed
with some purple onions. Not exactly company fare, but then, our friend is
like a family member, and has often shared spur-of-the-moment weeknight
meals with us. He brought a nice baguette to go with dinner, and some chips
and salsa for an appetizer.

The brownies were delicious -- very moist and thick and fudgey, and a tiny
bit chewy around the edges (in a delightful way). I think they were too
rich and thick for my two-year-old, though, so I probably won't make them
again (at least until he's older). Maybe one more time, side-by-side with
Barb's for comparison's sake (they did remind me of Barb's, but thicker and
minus the almond extract).

Anyway, here's the recipe.

Anne Bourget's Brownies (slightly paraphrased, w/ my notes added)

1/2 lb. unsalted butter, divided
4 squqares unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar (I used 1 3/4 and was happy w/ that amount)
3 large eggs
vanilla extract (amount unspecified)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. AP flour

Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt chocolate w/ 1 stick of butter, being careful
not to burn. Add the salt. Let cool slightly.

In large bowl, using electric mixer, beat 1 stick butter til soft.
Gradually add the sugar and mix until well blended. Add the eggs one at a
time, beating about 30 seconds between each addition. Add vanilla
extract -- Anne did not specify the amount, so just splash it in to taste.
Add the warm chocolate butter mixture and mix. Add the flour, and mix til
just blended.

Pour into a greased/floured pan (7 x10 or close equivalent). Spread the
batter evenly and give the pan a nice bump on a hard surface, to deflate any
air bubbles. Bake anywhere from 30-45 minutes, depending on your oven and
your taste for brownies. I accidentally baked them 38 minutes (longer than
I'd intended), and they came out extremely moist anyway.

Anne's recipe included frosting, but I didn't have that part (guess I
snipped it off because I don't believe in frosted brownies). They are
perfectly yummy without it.