Recipes for a Good Critique Group Meeting Part II

I ran into a dilemma trying to finish my blog “Recipes for a Good Critique Group Meeting.” I wrote out the story about myself trying to make the brownies and running into problems with mice and breaking dishes etc., but the story also involved other people. When I finished, I suddenly realized that I was planning to put the story onto a place where potentially everybody in the world could read it. It is one thing for me to write about myself doing stupid things, but it would be another thing if someone else wrote about me being involved in a stupid story. I wouldn’t like it. I, therefore, couldn’t put my story on the blog. I’m not sure what this means for me as a blog writer.

Here are the last four paragraphs of the story and the recipes:

Michelle brought an eggplant dip (to a Critique Group meeting at Bridget’s House) and Joan brought some kind of bean dip that were very interesting.

Sarah’s brownies were like a really good book that you hug before you set it down to finally fall asleep and then pick it back up again to finish despite having to suffer the next day.

The two dips on the other hand were like books that you read slowly. You can easily set them down but you can joyfully pick them up to savor later. I kept having to taste them over and over. I’d get a little eggplant dip and let it rest in my mouth – so interesting. Then I’d get some of the bean dip and let it hang out in my mouth for a while – also very interesting. Eggplant dip, bean dip, eggplant dip, bean dip over and over. It was a very interesting and delightful evening and I don’t even like eggplant.

Okay that’s really the end of my story. I warned you from the beginning that it wasn’t really going to go anywhere. Now all I have left to do is to actually give you the three recipes for a good critique group meeting. Unfortunately, I don’t actually have the bean dip one yet from Joan. I have to get it for me and for you. I haven’t tried to make the eggplant one yet, because I am waiting for my free eggplant to ripen in my parents' garden. Do you have the nerve to try the brownies? They really are good. I am going to make them again myself as soon as I am finished with this blasted diet. Will I ever be finished? It takes forever to lose weight especially if the dieter is always breaking the diet. You all may have to make and eat the brownies for me. Good luck!

Sarah’s Brownies
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla.
1 t. instant coffee
3/4 c flour
3/4 c cocoa
dash or two cinnamon
about 1 c. chocolate chips.

Melt butter, stir in sugar. Stir in eggs, one at a time, till well
mixed. Then add vanilla and instant coffee. Mix dry ingredients
together and add to butter mixture. Stir till mixed, then stir in
chocolate chips.

pour into greased 8 x 8 pan. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

The Eggplant Recipe is a link from Rachael Ray.