Saturday, February 13, 2010

Chewy Fudge Brownies

On July 4th, 1975, I entered my Chewy Fudge Brownies in the Lakewood Jaycees Bake Contest. Although I still have the same haircut, I don't have the Raggedy Anne tee shirt anymore.


My efforts earned me third place in the "Cookies and Snacks" category. (For the record, to hell with Marian Topp and Mrs. Robt. Shea. Silly broads probably cheated.)


I proudly stepped onto the stage at 8 p.m. to collect my prize from emcee Ted Lux. Nice to see I braided my hair. Too bad I didn't change the stained tee.


Lux adjusted the microphone for me so I could comfortably deliver my acceptance speech.


Unfortunately, I miscalculated the microphone's amplification feature:


They gave me my prize anyway (a potted plant). I've never won anything since. Yeah, yeah.

Here is the recipe for CHEWY FUDGE BROWNIEDS, copied straight from my old album:


I haven't made them in 30+ years. Sounded like a good activity for a snowy Valentine's weekend. I'll let you know how they turned out.



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For anyone wondering why the pix have holes in the corners, Dad used to put together collections of pictures on binder rings, then have them sitting out on the coffee table for peeps to flip through. I took the pix of me back in '75 from a ring he entitled "Growing Up."

Miss you, Dad.


Bill and Judy O'Brien were married in Oxford, Ohio on February 14, 1959
This photo was taken in the Ozarks in 1967

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24 comments:

Anonymous said...

THanks for the recipe!
Guess what hubby's gonna get for VD tomorrow?!
(I have a heart=shaped pan so...it's all good.)

ps. you don't need a microphone ;-)

jo

Mr. L said...

I can't eat the chopped nuts anymore, but I like me some brownieDs!!!!

It's obvious it was fixed: "Marian Topp"??? Subtle...."Mary on top"....that's probably how she influenced the judge! :)

Angela P said...

This made me tear up a little... You looked so happy!

Bridget Callahan said...

Not having that t-shirt is really really sad. REALLY sad.

Kalei's Best Friend said...

Love the photos and the remembrance to your dad... Childhood memories- looks like yours were happy ones.

Kelly@TearingUpHouses said...

I will be making your award winning fudge brownies this week and passing them off as my own. Thank you.

And the old pictures are really neat!

Kelly

Kirk said...

Those brownies look good!

(The librarian's going to wonder why there's teeth marks on the computer screen.)

Anonymous said...

awesome

dean said...

You are so cute. Then and now.

Oh, and Ted Lux - worst combover ever. EVER. Holy crap.

Erin O'Brien said...

Peeps, I am not kidding. Those brownies are ass-kickin' They're chewy all around the edge and soft and gooey in the middle of the pan.

So rich. WOW. These would be wonderful when still warm with a scoop of vanilla.

Worth the effort and really not all that hard. Mix the flour and sugar into the melted stuff a bit first, then add the egg (so it doesn't cook).

HEY! I shoulda won first place!

Have a great day with your Valentine, me erflets.

Leslie Morgan said...

What great pictures, Erin! Obviously as exuberant a little girl as you are today. Thanks for this. I'm not making the brownies for my Valentine as we're each rather food Nazis. But I'll make a pan and take them to the home dudes - they'll enjoy eating them and I'll have enjoyed the fragrance of them baking.

You sure look like Mom!

Venus and Mars said...

Classic Photo's. Boy in that one pic it looks like Rob Reiner fresh off of the All in the family set fixing the mic for you ! Happy Valentines to you and yours.

Anonymous said...

Did you ever get any taller?

RJ

P.S. Happy VD.

Erin O'Brien said...

Not much. I'm only 5' 1"

erfo!

sarahm59 said...

you were so cute. look just like your mom. i cried. miss both our dads....

Harry Finch said...

I think you've won a few things since then.

Bill said...

thanks for sharing those photo's and memories. a wonderful family continues.

DogsDontPurr said...

Fabulous photos! And imagine...taken with *real* film...not digital. How retro!

Great post!

WV: lapses "The photos always bring back the lapses in my memory."

Hal said...

You have your mom's smile, and your kid has yours.

The Shitty Astrologer said...

I have the strongest feeling to squeeze your cheeks hard, geez you were cute (and still are)!!! Erin, this post has made my day...I am so trying that recipe!!!

Big Mark 243 said...

This really did bring a tear to my eye. Such wonderful memories...

Coll said...

Erin, you were a beautiful child and are an even more beautiful adult. Thanks for sharing this memory with us.

Unknown said...

I just watched a man I devoted 10 of my 35 years to drink himself to death. Literally. I struggle with if he loved me or not; I loved (and still do love) him very much. As a cruel twist of fate or an answer or coincidence I watched Leaving Las Vegas before knowing what the movie was about. Needless to say, it affected me deeply. I read the novel your brother wrote soon after. I stumbled on this link because it is on his Wikipedia page. Alone now, I’ve become so very aware of how much time my codependent relationship filled, and baking the brownies was a nice distraction to fill some of these now empty hours. Thanks.

To be of service said...

Hey Unknown, I followed the same thread as you. I'm sorry to hear of your loss.