Hello!
If you have never heard of Shirley Hughes then may I please present one of England’s finest modern-day children’s book illustrators and writers?
I found Shirley Hughes where I have found treasure all my life- in a library. I had an assignment for a child development class in high school and had to review 2 books. I saw these both and kept them checked out for the rest of the year. “Moving Molly” and “Dogger” are still my favorites.
They were touchstones for me. As I read them I discovered that this was how I wanted my adult life to look: mothering, babies, children, old houses, etc. I had found home. I had found a path, hope, a dream.
Some of my first learning to paint lessons were me trying to copy Hughes’s work. This picture was my favorite. I spent a long winter laboring over copying this. Many lessons were learned about watercolor!
I thought having tea with Shirley Hughes would be perfect for the cooler weather we have had. I set it in the 70s-80s to coincide with the golden years of Hughes’s work. We had brownies and fall fun! The colors popular in the 70s are harvest colors and go so well with this season.
This Holly Hobby Coleaco easy-bake oven is loved by both my kids and even still used!
I found all of our 70s kitchen stuff including Tupperware glasses, our set of Woodland Brown Corelle dishes that my husband grew up with (they are our every day dishes) and a Pyrex Town & Country Cinderella bowl for the brownies.
This is how I wanted to be as a mother, including the bell-bottoms!
I love the leather shoes English kids used to wear! I even have Doc Martens like this. I wish they were still in style.
Best Brownies EVER
3 Ounces unsweetened baking chocolate (like Baker’s)
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 & 1/2 Cups sugar
3/4 Cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Pre-heat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit, and grease an 8″ square cake pan. In a glass bowl microwave the chocolate and butter together at 1/2 power for 5 minutes. Stir until chocolate is melted. In a medium bowl, sift together the sugar, flour and salt. Add the eggs, vanilla and melted chocolate mixture and stir until incorporated. Don’t overmix or overbake, brownies should be moist and chewy. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes before cutting. Store in a sealed container. YUM
I’ve made these brownies since I was 14 years old. They are from an old Fanny Farmer cookbook. They have always been my go-to when I need comfort, warmth and chocolate!
“After school she and I bake brownies together.”
-Susan Branch writing about her O’Keefe & Merritt stove
With harvest colors and after-school warm brownie love to you from Kansas Street,
-Jaime
Life on Kansas Street 