Let me start by saying Happy 4^th of July weekend. This is a big weekend for all of us who live for bbq’d food, cocktails and sunshine. Which is why this weekend is starting off as perfect as possible…girls night tonight, a concert at Hollywood Bowl tomorrow and a fun filled day of food and friends on Sunday. Oh yeah I volunteered to work on the 4^th…but one of the girls I work with is known for fabulous food so I know she will make working worth my wild (love ya Marl).

Ok I have a confession I just started reading Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife. Saw an interview with the author on a morning show yesterday at work and I was intrigued. She looked normal, she looked classy and she admitted she had an alcohol problem. To be completely honest she had me a little concerned so last night I downloaded her book onto my iphone which has a Kindle app and started reading it. Since I am in confession mode I have to say I can relate to some of her escapades however I have not tap danced for my friends after drinking too much (right, guys?) or I do not have a bad blackout habit.  However, I do know that I have done eTrade baby commercial impressions and there was that one night when I did ask my husband,”babe I took my clothes off after everyone left, right.” The answer to that was everyone had left…phew! I am now on page 150 of her book and I do find it intriguing and I have to say I completely understand and can relate to how she got to where she was and I think she is a courageous woman for recognizing her problem and finding a way to conquer her demons.  I find the book really interesting and her story deals with the taboos of our society and the relationships we all have with alcohol. Bottom line though the book is a buzz kill, but an interesting one…definitely not a book I can read over a glass of wine though.

I am happy to say that I have been cooking a little more this week. I know it is wacky to be making soup as the temperatures climb in lovely So Cal however I found this awesome crock pot soup recipe and although it is definitely not low cal it is way yum! The addition of the bread and the garlic infused olive oil truly makes this soup delicious! And seriously how can anything be bad with pancetta and parmesan cheese…so although my so cal and AZ followers probably will not embrace this recipe for another couple of months I dedicate this recipe to my Nor Cal friends and family who are still dealing with rain, fog and wind…love you guys http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/slow-cooker-ribollita-recipe/index.html

Also we had a bake sale at work this work to benefit Relay for Life…I know for a second you all thought we did a bake sale to raise funds for us personally…now wouldn’t that be tacky. But I made a super easy and kind of cheater brownie recipe that is great if you need to bring or make a dessert and you don’t have a lot of time.

Black and White Brownies

1 19-21 oz pk fudge brownie mix

1 10-12 oz pkg white baking chips

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup pecan pieces

1/4 cup butter melted

3 T hot water

2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 c cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup pecans

1 Preheat oven to 350. Grease the bottom of a 13x9 pan and set aside. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Stir in half of the white baking pieces, all of the chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of pecans. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan.

2. Bake about 30 min or until center is set. Sprinkle with the remaining white baking pieces and bake for 1 min more. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

3. For frostin, in a small bowl comine melted butter and hot water; stir in powdered sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla. Beat by hand until smooth. Spoon over top of brownies. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup pecans. Cool about 1 1/2 hours or until frosting is set. Cut into bars.