Proud Mom, Mud Pies and Chocolate

Recently my daughter was accepted into a robotics program at school... It's cool... I'm proud..very proud actually, but my daughter told me that sometimes I embarrass her.... so I won't go crazy shouting about how wonderful she is from the rooftops.. like I normally do... mainly because I haven't quite recovered my voice from before. 
The classes teach about "putting things together and making them work". That is as far as my understanding level will take me.  They're on every other Saturday from 9:30-1 pm.
This makes me think of the wide-eyed, devious 11 year old me and where I was every other Saturday during that time...It had nothing to do with school.
I was a major slacker, sorta still am... School was only cool during lunch and auto-cad.
But my little "scholar" loves school, she is organized and studies, does extra credit work. At first I was worried..she is just so different then me. Sometimes I would wonder if I should call the hospital to see if my real child is still out there somewhere. Then I look at her and remember that day she came into my life and forever changed me and I see how much of me she does have in her..

So perhaps she wasn't switched at birth and there isn't a kid out there with beat up converse and 2 braided pigtails, using her Granny's best pie pans to make mud pies..

or maybe there is...

Mississippi Mud Brownies 

What ya need:

For the Brownies:
I cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter
4 oz (1/2 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all -purpose flour
1.2 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 bag mini marshmallows

For Chocolate Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Now let's make something:

Preheat oven to 350
Place chopped pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 mins or until toasted.  Granny made some brownies similar to these but used pecan halves rather than chopped. You can do that too, Granny would like them better that way.

Place butter and chocolate chips in a large microwave safe glass bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds to make sure chocolate is melted.

Whisk sugar and next 5 ingredients into the chocolate mixture and pour batter into a greased pan..
I used an 11*15 Cookie Sheet (Jelly Roll) Pan

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then remove brownie from oven.. Don't eat them yet your not done.
Sprinkle mini marshmallows on top of brownie then place back into the oven and bake for about 10 more minutes or until marshmallows start to turn golden brown. 

Now you're gonna need some chocolate drizzle, icing, frosting, milk... ok not milk
For that you stir the first 3 ingredients listed for the chocolate frosting in a  sauce pan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Cook, stirring constantly until slightly thickened..about 2 minutes. remove from heat and using a mixer beat chocolate mixture, powdered sugar and vanilla at medium speed until smooth...

Remove marshmallow topped brownie from oven and drizzle (while still warm) with chocolate frosting and sprinkle with toasted  pecans.

Now let me tell you.. this is going to be a chocolatey brownie yummy gooey mess...

But it will be worth it....

Trust me

I ate 4 brownies..

ok maybe 5

I'm not ashamed...

Come to me... I am your master