Down Under

We had the pleasure of having our neighbors over for lunch this weekend. Actually, they brought most of the food while we provided the grill and back yard venue. Patti and Steve are one of the sweetest couples and we're so fortunate to have such kind, considerate and thoughtful next-door neighbors. One of their sons married a girl from New Zealand and they have a two year old and a newborn. They've come to visit for two months. Patty and Steve never met their grandchildren so this was a very special Christmas for them indeed! I thought I had it bad with all of my family in Pittsburgh, but can you imagine living across the world?

We loaned them a few baby items for their visit and they wanted to pay us back with a barbeque. I just wanted to spend time with them, become Angie's BFF, and visit them in New Zealand every year for the rest of our lives. I'm still working on that last part, but we did have an enjoyable Saturday afternoon with delightful people. I made these Dark Chocolate and Cherry Brownies for our dessert. For some reason, I don't have a 9x9 baking dish so I used a 9-inch pie plate and made a brownie pie. I like brownies with a more fudgey texture, but the intense dark chocolate flavor and hints of strawberry (I didn't have cherry preserves, but I figured strawberry would work just as well) evened it all out.

Angie tells me she loves to bake, too, and rumor has it that her chocolate pudding recipe is sinfully delicious. Maybe I'll have some New Zealand recipes to share with you in the future. Here's hoping!