I Have Loved You Card & Last Minute Cookies & Cream Brownies

Happy Valentine’s Day!! 

I had to wait until today to share because I was giving my hubby this card… and on the very slim off-chance that he might actually catch a glimpse online… well, I just didn’t want to risk it.  :)

Especially because of the time and effort it took to track down all those days. 

All 4,263 of them. 

Let’s just suffice it to say… thank goodness my mother-in-law kept her day planner from 11 and a half years ago.  And thank you Aaron, for telling me you loved me (and vice versa, of course) on a day we had special plans with your family.  ;)

And how awesome is that background paper?  I just got it last week on mom’s and my shopping escapade, and it couldn’t have fit more perfectly with my idea for this card.  I mean, “let me count the ways”?!  btw, if you were wondering, my script handwriting is not that good, I stamped the heart, and then designed the “I have loved you…” font graphic in photoshop and printed it out on the computer. 

Anyway, I’m just pretty darn thrilled with how this card all came together.  (And of course, I wrote inside… but i’m not sharing my mushy-gushies with you).  OK… it wasn’t that mushy-gushy… but enough to warrant a sheepish grin this morning when i presented the card.  I’ll take it ;)

On another note, if you need a last minute dessert idea for today these brownies are your ticket!  SO SO SO easy, and SO SO SO delicious… mom can attest!

I wanted to call them cheater brownies because they start with a box mix, but something about calling them cheaters on Valentine’s Day just didn’t feel appropriate.  ;)

So um, yeah.  Box mix brownies (we here at 2create prefer the good ol’ Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix), what it calls for on the back of the box/pouch, plus one additional egg, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and some Hershey’s Cookies & Cream candy bars.  Ok, I used some Hershey’s hugs too… BUT, if I hadn’t already eaten a quarter of my giant candy bar I would’ve used that instead. 

Mix up the brownies, the ingredients it calls for, the extra egg, and some chopped cookies & cream chocolate (about a cup).  Spread in your greased pan, drizzle can of sweetened condensed milk over the top of the brownies, swirl in roughly with a knife.  Sprinkle extra cookies & cream chocolate over the top.  Bake according to instructions on your mix (although mine took a tad longer than they suggested).

These are seriously so gooey and delicious.  And rich and decadent, especially for really only adding two additional ingredients to box mix brownies.  Plus, you can make them in a jiffy.  Took me ten minutes to put together.  And then I showered while they were baking… even shaved my legs which is like a pregnancy and Valentine’s bonus… but I digress…

And then you wait for them to cool, cut them and eat them.  Except I skipped the waiting for them to cool part, well… is approx 3.5 minutes long enough for them to cool?  That’s how long it took me to dry the top half of my head, otherwise… well, you don’t want to see what my bangs do on a day I don’t dry them… and I digress again…

Just: Make them.  Eat them.  Enjoy your Valentine’s Day!

Sam