Lasagna, Brownies....and Memories

When Catie and I went shopping on Saturday, it was the last errand of the day and it seemed as if Walmart would be the death of me.  I pushed the heavy cart back and forth 3 times between the front and back as I tried to remember everything I needed, cursing the layout that makes you walk every inch of the store.  I was picking up groceries for "Chin Sunday Dinner" as the kids have named our weekly family meal.  Then I remembered a friend who had surgery and decided to double the meal and drop it off.

 I had a Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie recipe in mind for dessert and would bake 2 batches of those too.  Then Catie corrected my numbers, reminding me that she HAD to take sweets back to school to share with her friends.  She advised me that treats from Grandma Chin were now expected on Sunday nights.  

As I cursed the recipe that called for nearly a full pound of butter per batch, I loaded the cart with tons of sugar, butter, cocoa and peanut butter.  Adding in a new calculator to replace the one that was stolen in class when Catie went to the bathroom,  the ingredients for lasagna, the weekly supply of juice and some fresh fruits for her to take back to the dorm, I was grateful for her help pushing the heavy cart,  as we made our way to the register to pay. 

Sunday, I began making the sauce for lasagna and Joe asked if I was feeding the neighborhood.  Andy walked by and remarked that he would eat it all week.  I've never seen sauce or lasagna go to waste in the Chin house.  Catie watched and declared that she now knew how to make Chin Sauce.  (I'll remember that the next time and she is welcome to try her hand at it).  However, she was hanging in the kitchen with baking in mind.  Catie loves to bake, so I offered to allow her to make the Peanut Butter & Fudge concoction.  No deal!  She wanted to do it together.  

It turned out to be quite a process to bake 3 pans of these brownies.  Neither one of us could resist tasting each of the 3 layers and by the end, we got creative, adding to the recipe for "taste".  Then we found out our friend already had a meal planned for the day, so we would and drop off one another day.  No problem...until Mike and Courtney cancelled.  Now we were staring at a HUGE pan of lasagna and 3 pans of the richest brownies on earth.  One bite was so rich, it was hard to take a second until the sugar rush subsided.  I knew I could force myself through the pan before the week was out.

Catie quickly grabbed her pan and began to slice and get it ready for her dorm buddies.  She was debating if she should take total credit for the baking or admit that Grandma "helped".  The best part of the day was her Facebook posting:  

Had a good weekend at home, I made homemade peanut butter brownies and lasagna with grandma today (: 

I guess it was the memories we made that were far more lasting than the food.