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My Brother Michael by Janis Owens

mbmjowtrmkThe love affair of Myra Sims and Gabriel Catts will break your heart. And Claybird Catts will steal it. Janis Owens’s three novels centering on the life of Myra—who has a past more tragic than most, and a present she just can’t seem to hold on to—are beautifully haunting. My Brother Michael is told from Gabriel Catts’s perspective, but puts the reader smack dab in the middle of events concerning Myra Sims, while in Myra Sims, the title character tells her own story. The Schooling of Claybird Catts completes the trilogy, and is told from Myra’s son Claybird’s point of view.

As Gabriel agonizes over his desire for Myra in My Brother Michael, the draw of pecan brownies by the poolside and his image of Myra in a bikini fail to lure him. Her son’s “conniving” voice, more than Uncle Gabe can withstand, finally does.

As warm weather begins to roll in with April’s rain clouds, Janis Owens’s “Myra” books are a great way to round out the summer reading list. Comfort food in the form of pecan brownies are practically required as an emotional investment is made into the life of these three lovable figures, as are a box of tissues and a new swimsuit so they can be enjoyed poolside.

Poolside Pecan Brownies

Ingredients:

3/4 c. salted butter

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

3 eggs

1/2 c. cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s Special Dark)

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt (optional)

1/2 to 1 c. chopped pecans

Pecan halves for the tops of the brownies

Method:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter over low heat in a small saucepan.

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Stir in the cocoa powder.

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Beat the eggs with the sugar.

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Whisk the cocoa mixture into the egg mixture until combined well.

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Sift together the flour, salt, and chopped pecans.

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Add to the wet mixture. Fold until combined.

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Pour into a non-stick pan or greased 9 X 9″ pan.

Top with pecan halves to decorate.

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Bake between 25 and 35 minutes, depending on how firm you want them. I like them underdone, but mine had to travel so I fully baked them.

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Yield: 12 brownies

 

 

 

Buy this Book!

Amazon
Genre: Potpourri
Author: Janis Owens
Publisher: Pineapple Press Inc
ISBN: 9781561643430
Ingrid

From a very early age I have read cookbooks like novels– curled up on the couch perusing recipe after recipe, scanning images of plated food that tell a story of their own. Even when immersing myself in a novel, I find I am more drawn to those in which culinary delights play an integral role in the lives of the characters. I am certain that this literary devotion to food, and the passion my parents helped instill in me for quality ingredients and companionable cooking are what led me to begin a professional cooking career as a young adult.

One Comment

  • jeanm says:

    The books look really interesting, thanks for pointing them out. Now if only someone will make the brownies for me and bring me a glass of milk!

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