February is my favorite month because there are so many things to celebrate such as Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day and Spunky Old Broads Day! (I am not making this up.) February is also the month when the first blooms pop out, and you know that Spring is just around the corner. By the time February rolls around at our house, we just about have all the Christmas decorations put away. That alone is a great reason for celebration!
My favorite holiday in February happens to be Valentine’s Day. I love flowers, chocolate and sparkly things like diamonds, so it makes sense that I am partial to Valentine’s Day!
When I was teaching fourth grade, our class Valentine party was a big deal. It was so fun to watch the students read their valentines from their classmates. That was really serious stuff to them! Everyone gave a valentine to everyone else in the class, so no one was excluded. Wouldn’t it be great if that happened every day?
Speaking of chocolate, I have the best brownie recipe to share with you. It came from a neighbor many years ago in Houston. I wrote it on a note card, and THOUGHT I knew where it was. When I couldn’t find it, I realized I might never be able to make that recipe again. It made me know that I needed to do a better job of protecting those treasured recipes, not only for me, but also for my family. Thankfully, I did find it and now have it saved on my computer.
This brownie recipe is easy to do. You don’t need to melt chocolate or use a mixer. I promise you have never had brownies like these, so give it a try.
Houston Brownies
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 heaping Tbsp cocoa
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time.
Add the cocoa and flour and stir until completely incorporated, then stir in the vanilla and pecans.
Spread the batter into a 9” square greased pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.
(I usually bake mine in a 7”x11” pan for about 25 minutes because the brownies are thinner.)
If you make these brownies, please let me know your thoughts. Also, if you have a favorite brownie recipe, please share.
– Becky Lynn is a writer for EllisDownHome.com. She and her husband Bob enjoy spending time with their 8 grandchildren and traveling. Becky loves cranking up the music and heading to the kitchen to try out new recipes or cook for an upcoming party. She is passionate about continuing to be a life-long learner!
