#MEwx Another HHHday with an ice cold recipe to help out with it.

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have hot and humid heat again with Partly sunny skies. A chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon with hot temps and highs in the upper 80s. West winds around 10 mph. Heat index values in the lower 90s.  

Tonight we'll have a chance of thunderstorms during evening hours and mostly cloudy conditions. A chance of showers and humid with lows in the upper 60s. Light and variable winds.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Our outdoor temperature is 73.8°F, the humidity is 79% and the Dew point is 66.9°F.

The wind direction is Northwest between 0.0 MPH and 0.2 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.88, the Absolute pressure is 29.68 and "upish" with a weather graphic indicating sun.

If you want to see real-time instrument readings from my personal weather station in my North field click Here. That will take you directly to my weather station.

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers with hot, humid sun again today.

The UV rating is 2 out of 16, The moon is  3.5% illuminated, the moon phase is waning crescent, Sunrise is 4:55 am↑ 56° Northeast, sunset is 8:21 pm↑ 304° Northwest, Moonrise is 3:50 am↑ 65° East, Moonset is 6:50 pm↑ 298° Northwest and we'll have 15 hours 26 minutes of daylight today.

We didn't receive any rain here over the past 24 hours.

Gods it's freaking hot outside!

Today's BFY (bad for you) summer recipe is:

 

If you have kids that are fresh out of school for the summer, and they're as hot and sweaty as you are, bring them into the kitchen to make this.

Trust me, just smelling this will see an extra 2 pounds on your hips.

BROWNIE BOMBE

Recipe courtesy of "The Kitchen" TV show.

Ingreidients:

Nonstick cooking spray, for spraying the baking sheet

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large eggs

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa

Directions

Special equipment:

a 4-inch round cutter.

a 2 1/2-quart freezer-safe bowl (about 9 inches by 4 inches).

a 3- to 4-cup freezer-safe bowl (about 5 inches by 2 inches)

For the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-by-17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs in a large bowl and mix until well combined; set aside.  Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler, then whisk together until fully combined. Pour the chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture and mix until fully combined. Fold in the flour and cocoa.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

For the bombe:

Using a 4-inch ring cutter, cut a round from the baking sheet of brownies. Slice the remaining brownies into approximately 3-by-4-inch rectangles.  You should have 10 rectangles. Keep 5 rectangles as they are and cut the other 5 in half to make triangles.

Line a 2 1/2-quart (about 9 inches across) freezer-safe bowl with plastic wrap. Place the brownie round in the bottom of the bowl and, alternating between the rectangles and triangles, fill the sides of the bowl. Press the brownie pieces into the sides of the bowl so that the interior of the bowl is lined with brownies. Break off any excess that extends above the edge of the bowl.

Make sure to press the seams together so there are no cracks. Break the remaining brownie pieces into small crumbles and reserve. 

Wrap a 5-inch freezer-safe bowl in plastic wrap from the bottom, combining the loose ends of the plastic wrap at the top.  Spread the softened ice cream inside the large bowl over the brownie layer. You should have about a 2-inch-thick layer of ice cream. Place the 5-inch bowl inside the ice cream layer, pushing it into the ice cream slightly to create a well. Cover the top with plastic wrap and freeze until the ice cream is firm, about 2 hours.

Next, In a large chilled bowl, combine the heavy cream, granulated sugar and cocoa. Whip the cream with a whisk or electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Remove the bombe from the freezer and remove the small bowl. Pour the hot fudge into the well, then fill with the whipped cream. Combine the reserved brownie crumbles and walnuts and sprinkle over the top of the bombe. Cover with plastic wrap and push down to press the brownie crumbles into the bombe. Freeze until the whipped cream is frozen, about 2 hours.

OPTIONS:

I used some peanut butter ice cream instead of the chocolate, and replaced the whipped cream with vanilla ice cream.  I did not spare the fudge sauce (be sure it's just pourable, not hot or it will melt the ice cream!), and applied a thick layer before adding the vanilla ice cream.  I covered the top with more fudge sauce before adding the crumbled brownie bits.  I used coarsely chopped peanuts instead of walnuts.

Flavors of ice cream and sauce can be easily changed according to preference.  Use a "fudgy" blonde brownie instead of chocolate?  Butterscotch sauce?  Walnuts, pecans, whatever!