Brownies are good to eat. The cute stuffed leopard (of Jay), LaughingBuddha, and HappyMassager got to test out the brownies I made to thank somebody for helping me move. The cute stuffed leopard was much to regal to help out in the cooking, but he had no problems with looking like a quizzical Alan Rickman on camera while watching the rest of us slave over the confection.

Above is almost everything you will need. You will also need a source of water, a source of heat, and a sharp knife. I know that the brownies are from a box, but Betty Crocker and her ilk have come up with INSANE forms of flour and ways to package it that no home chef could ever hope to emulate. Their flour is specially made by chemists in order to rise perfectly and have the exact amount of bubbles that is pleasing to the palate and other fun things. It's not your normal flour by a long shot.

LaughingBuddha reminds us to wash our hands with joy. (Get it? GET IT??)

I only use the finest filtered water for my cooking. The water here does Bad Things like leave a strange white crust on Jay's saucepans and makes me want to toss my cookies whenever I brush my teeth if I don't grab a mouthfull of filtered water for the brushing.

HappyMassager makes sure I pour the oil in a satisfactory manner.

LaughingBuddha and HappyMassager and I remind you that YOU MUST WASH YOUR EGGS. Who knows where those eggs have been after Pasteurization?! E. coli and salmonella aren't fun.

LaughingBuddha helps me crack the egg with a sharp knife. This ensures a clean break-- no eggshells to fish out of the batter! :-)

Look at what a nice break that was!

HappyMassager helps me stir the batter! Use long strokes along the edge of the bowl to bring the unmixed ingredients together to the center, where they will be smashed around and homogenized. I love using a flexible spatula for this because it can really form itself to the bowl.

Now we Pam the pan! HappyMassager and LaughingBuddha are hiding under a dishcloth for this one. If you don't have Pam, my favorite thing to do is to use a stick of butter like a crayon and color-in the pan. The wrapper for the stick of butter will also work nicely.

The duo anxiously watches me pour the batter into the pan. This is another time when I bless the flexibility of the spatula and its ability to scrape everything off the side of the bowl.

Ok, now it's time to autoclave on Wrapped for 20 minutes at 120*C and 15lbs/inch for 20 minutes... Or not. It's probably time to put it in the oven at 350*F for about 30 minutes.

MMMmmm... time to lick the bowl! Except that we don't want salmonella. With school coming up soon it is best not the take the chance, even if it is only 1 in 10,000 eggs infected with the bacterium.

LaughingBuddha helps me clean up my implements of cookery. A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen!

HappyMassager and LaughingBuddha gaurd the brownies from hungry roommates. Our task is done!