Fudge Brownies and a Few Thoughts

I can’t take any credit whatsoever for these beauties. This is the genius of Half Baked Harvest. I’ve made a handful of her recipes now and I’m hooked. They are approachable, flavorful and so damn delicious. I’ll link to the brownie recipe HERE. I can’t recommend them enough. If you need a treat, have a hankering to do a little baking or need a dessert for a party; this is it.

We try and get together with my sister and brother-in-law for dinner most weekends. We usually order take-out from our favorite restaurant (shout out to Crafted Yakima!) and relax while the kids run around. We pass the baby back and forth (well a more accurate picture would be Scarlet and I fight over who gets to hold the baby and Aaron usually swoops in and steals her while I’m arguing with my daughter). We’re all a little baby crazy in these parts, but it helps my niece is the most delicious baby.

But back to dinner; I’ve been thinking a lot about family and friends and why this space is here. I ran into a girlfriend last week and she asked what I was up to these days. I gave her the quick rundown: kids, sports, freelance work, the same old stuff. She asked about this space and asked what my plan was and it sort of stopped me in my tracks.

And here’s why: I love connecting via this blog or over on Instagram. I care about people sharing a meal together. Nothing brings more joy to my life than people crowded around my table; glasses clinking, silverware clattering, the murmur of conversation, the temporary quiet as we all dig in. I love it for me and I love it for you. I want us to look the people we love in the eye, sitting across from each other and have a few moments to talk and connect.

And I will be the first to raise my hand and say this is a work in progress at my house. We don't get this right everyday, not even close. I yell at my kids about their manners. I feel frustrated when a kid is rude or ungrateful about the meal I’ve prepared. Sometimes my husband and I are exhausted and stressed and we have three practices in one night and dinner is the least of our priorities.

But the nights we sit together and no one fights (that much) and we eat and chat for a few moments, it feels a little sacred and very much worth the effort to get to that moment. And even better if the food tastes pretty good and it wasn’t too much of a hassle to make.

If I can help you with that part: getting a meal put together so you can call your people to the table? Then, this space is doing exactly what I hoped it would. The internet can be really loud sometimes and downright harmful and I’ve worried for a long time that because I personally struggle with phone usage and mindless scrolling that what I have to offer is just noise; not important or even worse, hurtful.

But I’m changing my thinking on that. If this space doesn’t serve you, I hope you’ll click off and never think twice about it again. But if this little space gives you some inspiration or a nudge to cook and gather your people (whether you actually make one of my recipes or not), then stay a little while. Let me know if you like a certain recipe or if something doesn’t work for you. I want to know.

I wasn’t quite planning something so heavy for the Monday after Daylight Savings but my jumbled thoughts have been rolling around in my head for a couple weeks now and it felt good to spit it out on paper. And after all that rambling about the importance of dinner, I’m off to search the depths of my fridge to come up with something for dinner. I had grand plans for the grocery store but alas it didn’t happen.