Congo Squares

Growing up, my mother worked full time. It was a time when most mother's didn't work outside of the home and society wasn't as structured for the care of all these children. Some of the time mother would hire a local teen to be my sitter during school breaks and after school. However, summers created another problem. When sitters couldn't be found, I got shipped off to stay with my grandparents in Bardstown. Sometimes this meant I would be living with them for some while. I thought it was a great plan.

My grandparents lived in a tiny little house on a quiet street. Next door lived a family with four daughters, one just my age. Two doors up the street lived a little girl just a little younger. Then across he street lived a family with five boys and one teen girl. (She grew up to become a nun, but that is another story.) I was in kid heaven. We three girls and the three youngest boys spent hours playing, fighting, teasing and generally getting into trouble. It was a kinder, gentler time and while we were complete hooligans, the neighbors were tolerant of most of our antics.

My grandmother wasn't your typical cuddly grandmother. She was more likely to soothe a skinned knee by telling you to quit squalling, no one ever died from a little lost skin. She was a fiery redhead covered, much to my fascination, with freckles from head to toe. At just a little over five feet she was a human dynamo that could do anything. Everything she did she did exceptionally well. She tailored coats for her friends, made up her own patterns, covered furniture, painted rooms, made drapes, and cooked. My, oh my, how she could cook. She cooked for fun, for giving away, for the challenge, and for eating. She loved to eat almost as much as she loved to cook. The constant battle was to keep the pounds off her diminutive frame while indulging her culinary experiments.

As kids we knew that messing around in her kitchen wasn't a great idea. Not only did she have a short, red head temper, but an ingenious method of dolling out odious chores as punishments. However, we also knew that her cooking experiments often resulted in great "left-overs" for us. The compromise was the utility room. If there was a snack for us it would be placed on a plate on a counter just in the back door. You know we checked that counter a dozen times a day.

The best days were the ones she made congo squares. She was famous for these chewy, blond brownies chocked full of nuts and chocolate chips. Think a soft, gooey chocolate chip cookie about 1 inch thick. Eaten warm they are the best in the world. I think this recipe is the one that won my husbands heart. I've made them for years for my kids (big and small). I never make them I don't think of my grandmother. Beneath her growly disposition was a heart that remembered to make cookies for all the neighborhood kids.

Thanks Wawee.

Congo Squares
3/4 c. margarine, melted
2 1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts
1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Melt margarine, add brown sugar and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Bake in a 9x13 inch baking pan in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. Do not over bake. They should be very moist and chewy.

Enjoy.