Red Velvet Brownies and a 50th Birthday!

Yesterday my little sister turned 50!  Shocking, but true.  Like many siblings, we would fight over insignificant matters.  Who gets the odd Ravioli from a can we were splitting?  This was decided diplomatically. . . if you were the dividing the Ravioli, you got the odd one.  Why does my chore list seem harder than hers?  Why does she always cross the imaginary line down the back seat of the car as we traveled?  Why did she get to shave her legs years before I did?  Please keep in mind that this was a total insult to me.  I had dark hair and she had blonde!  Those of you with dark hair know why I was insulted by the fact that she had permission  to shave her "no color" hair while I had to have dark, hairy legs!  I could go on and on, but instead, will tell you that we are best of friends, even though we still argue on family trips!

Each year, we celebrate her birthday by having a "A Christmas Story" birthday party.  We have a blast eating Chinese takeout and dressing up as scenes from the movie. The best dressed group wins a prize.  Last year, we dressed as the "soap poisoning" scene.  When she answered the door we were ready with our lines.  Needless to say, we won the prize!  Usually, the Christmas Story party is delayed until my oldest son flies in for Christmas.  So on my sister's real birthday, we celebrate by going out to eat, but save the real party for later.  Last night, we went to her favorite local restaurant, Aunt Jenny's.  After dinner I invited everyone back to our home for a small dessert party.  My sister loves red velvet cake and my mother makes a special, scrumptious red velvet cake each year for the "A Christmas Party" birthday celebration.  Last night, I thought I would make a batch of red velvet brownies.  Not too much after a heavy meal and very different from my mother's delicious cake.

Let's take a look at this easy recipe:

Red Velvet Brownie Layer:
1 stick butter
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of red food coloring
1 teaspoon of vinegar
2 eggs
3/4 cup all purpose flour

Cream Cheese Layer:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking pan, and set aside.

Brownie layer: In a saucepan on medium heat melt the butter. Remove the butter to a large bowl and add the sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar, in that order, mixing between additions. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and stir it into the cocoa mix. Fold in the flour until lightly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, saving 1/4 cup of the batter for the top.

Cream cheese layer: Blend together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Gently spread the cream cheese layer on top of the brownie batter in the pan. Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese layer. Using a skewer, drag the tip through the cream cheese mixture to create a swirl pattern. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before cutting.

Our dinner table overlooked the sparking, moonlit waters of the bayou. . . the red velvet brownies were a hit and the evening was filled with laughter and wonderful conversation.   A truly special night.

"A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life" - Isadora James

Blessings from Still Woods Farmhouse

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