[[Cream Cheese Brownies]] Friends make the BEST food.

I'm going to go out on a metaphorical limb here and say that I've got more than one best friend. I know, this statement is heaping full of oxymoron; "more than one" and "best friend?" Together? Yep.

I have best friends from all of the different parts of my life, from elementary to college and every step and place in between. Erin...  she's my best friend from high school (and quite possibly my hands-down favorite person, ever) and she's a fellow foodie. The best kinds of friends are the foodie kind, I believe.

When we were in high school, Erin and I developed one of those beautiful girls-night-in traditions with a few other close girlfriends, all of which contained three key ingredients: pajamas, movies and THESE brownies.

The brownies came to life after Erin and I saw a box-mix for them in our local HEB and thought that we could do better. Over the years, the brownies have taken different forms; we usually used a box brownie mix and added the cream cheese. Here, I use my Gramma's scratch brownie mix and the same idea that Erin and I developed in her parents' kitchen many years ago.


CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES:

What you'll need:

2 1/2c. white sugar, divided
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. baking cocoa (unsweetened)
1 tsp. salt
1 c. veggie oil
6 eggs, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. full-fat cream cheese

What you'll do:

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of sugar, flour, baking cooca, salt, veggie oil, 5 eggs and vanilla. Using a large fork (not a mixer), mix by hand until well blended. Pour mixture into a greased glass pan (I use 9 x 13).

In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg and softened cream cheese. Beat until fluffy (and yes, you can use a mixer for this part).

Using a tablespoon, drop cream cheese mixture into brownie batter. Swirl the cream cheese into the batter or leave it on top, whichever you prefer.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Let brownies cool completely and cut into bars to serve to your best foodie friends!

Cinnamon Dolce Ice Cream? Count me in.

Welcome to Foodie [UN]famous. This site is, as I am, completely un-famous (notice, infamous is NOT the word I was looking for here). The way things work around here is modeled after the way things work in the South. We're not uptight. We're not in a hurry. We definitely enjoy our food.

Though I don't believe in eating dessert first (because I believe the meal should be as enjoyable as the post-feast calories), I am starting with a dessert recipe... because that's what we had for dinner tonight! Yep. I fed my family ice cream for dinner. Every kid in America now wishes to call me, "Mom."

Let's get started, shall we?

I love two things in copious servings: 1) cinnamon dolce lattes from Starbucks and 2) ice cream. So, today while at the store, I had one of those light bulb moments: cinnamon dolce ice cream.

My husband, whom you'll get to know as Sergeant, just raised an eyebrow at me when I suggested this combination of things. His weird looks aren't a deterrent, however. He usually just gives me *that* kind of look and silently watches while I get myself into foodie shenanigans.

I used my favorite base recipe for ice cream and added just a splash of cinnamon dolce syrup (which you can buy, with a pump, at your neighborhood Starbucks store for around $10). Here's how it goes:

The secret: Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce syrup!

1 1/2  cups cold milk
1 1/8  cups organic granulated sugar
3        cups heavy whipping cream
3.5     ounces Starbucks cinnamon dolce syrup
ground cinnamon to garnish
caramel sauce to garnish

Mix the cold milk and sugar together with a whisk until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the heavy whipping cream and Starbucks cinnamon dolce syrup. Stir gently. Add the mixture to your automatic ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer's freezing instructions. When your ice cream has reached a good, thick consistency, remove it from your ice cream freezer and spoon it into an air-tight container. Put it in the freezer and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Scoop into bowls with a spoon or ice cream scoop and garnish with a dash of ground cinnamon and caramel sauce, if you desire.

Eat. Taste. Savor. Enjoy!