The Eagle Has Landed

Okay, making brownies may not be rocket science, but those of you who think I am overstating the case have never actually tried to make brownies in China, have you? Let's start with the fact that kitchens here do not have ovens. Yes, well that does complicate things a bit. Which also means that brownie mix is mighty hard to come by. (And making brownies from scratch IS a lot like rocket science so I am not going there.)

So today was an adventure. Ever since the brownie mix arrived (THANK YOU, BECKY!), my girls have been asking WHEN I was going to attempt this amazing feat, but I kept telling them I needed a day when I had at least a few hours free...who knew what obstacles I would face?

Yes, this is the *oven* I used, and as you can see below, the dial is in centigrade. All that fifth grade math is coming in handy!!

One of my first challenges was measuring the oil and water...our ayis do not use any measuring devices for cooking. I have made a lot of brownies so I figured I could eyeball it, but if you calculate the cost of those brownies, including shipping and the fact that it would take weeks to get another box, I really didn't want to take a chance. Happily, I found a reasonably accurate measuring device that is not in short supply at our house!

Ah, yes, the pan. Finding any ovenproof container that would fit inside the toaster oven took several shopping trips. No one in the department store or the grocery store understood what I needed!

I am happy to say that a little innovation and a good dose of desperation resulted in some really, really good brownies...there were lots of happy faces tonight. To quote Lindsay, who is not much into sweets, "ooooooooooooh". I'll just add my own, "Ahhhhhh", and leave it at that.