Sally, this is one of the easiest things I've ever made, we love it, and I eat it out of the jar with a spoon. Don't tell my kids, LOL. Colleen's notes are at the end: Lemon Butter �(Colleen�s) � 4oz butter (NOT margarine) � 3/4 cup lemon juice �(about 3 lemons' worth) � all the rind from the lemons, grated � 1 cup sugar (I use superfine) � 4-5 eggs, thoroughly beaten � � Put butter, sugar, lemon juice and lemon rind into a micro-safe bowl. �Cook on high about 3 minutes, stirring halfway through. �Butter should be melted and sugar dissolved. �Beat in eggs and microwave in 30-second bursts until it thickens, about 2 minutes. �Whisk after each burst. �Cool and pour into sterilised jars. �Cover immediately. �Store in refrigerator after opening, or even before opening to prolong the shelf life, which is short. � Makes about 3 medium sized jars. � � Sneaky notes: � If you are making a _lot_ of this, for gifts, etc, I peel the rind off with a peeler and drop it into the blender. �Then cut off the white pith with a paring knife. �Making sure there are no seeds, drop lemon flesh into blender. �Whizz it up until the rind is pulverised. �You should end up with about 1 cup of juice/rind mix per batch, to account for the rind and aeration. �You can double or triple the recipe, just use a bigger bowl and adjust the times. � I also use the blender to whizz the eggs. �If they are not totally beaten, you can get little white strings from the egg white which don't look great. � If you overcook it and it separates, beat up an extra egg. �Gradually mix separated (sounds much better than curdled, doesn't it? �) mixture into egg. �Repeat if necessary. Annie�

LindaC, I was less concerned by what was in that shell than by what was on it. Commercial eggs have been cleaned, but free range eggs have not. The risk is slight, but if those chickens are laying eggs all over the place, not just in nests in their safe (and hopefully clean) coop, then there could be e coli from the deer, plus numerous other things. I'd be far more careful cleaning them than I would eating them. bcskye, I got the Buckeyes from a place called "Backyard Chickens". They were the only place I could find heritage breeds that would let me get an assortment instead of requiring that I buy a larger number of the same variety. They are mailed to me the day they hatch, and my mortality rates are very low, I lost 2 out of 24, one Salmon Faverolle (which are notoriously fragile) and one Silver Laced Wyandott. They are a bit more expensive than going to Tractor Supply or somewhere similar but I got to choose the breeds and the time I received them. The white "frankenchickens" that I sometimes grow for meat, those I just get locally during "Chick Days" at the local co-op. Annie

Sorry I'm so late, sooz, I was weeding the strawberries and moving baby chicks to their new/bigger home. Then I planted 100 asparagus crowns. It's spring you know. (grin) I've topped the brownies with chocolate chips, but not in an effort to keep them from sticking to the wrapping. Maybe the M&M's would work, if you put them on thickly enough, but I've not tried it and I'm not optimistic, as the ganache gets pretty soft and sticky at room temperature. I've also frozen brownies by themselves, but never frosted. I've also frozen the frosting for later use, so I'm only guessing that those components would be fine, although I think the ganache might separate or even bloom. I've used a 9x13, but I'm happier with a 9 inch pan, just because I like my brownies thick. The thinner brownies in the 9x13 can get especially crunchy in the corners, if they are overbaked at all. By the time you add the peanut butter layer and the frosting/ganache layer, it makes a reasonable sized brownie in the 9x13, but I still prefer the texture of the thicker brownie baked in a smaller pan. It must be in the air, I made a gluten free banana/chocolate brownies with peanut butter frosting today, as Amanda was here with Dave and the kids for dinner. They were pretty good, even gluten free! Have fun and good luck, I hope you have a great and successful bake sale. Annie

Katie, my friend, I was just thinking about you. I canned your French Onion soup over the weekend, and dehydrated some garlic wondered how and what you were doing. Still Librarian-ing? (Is that even a word? LOL) I do wonder when they are going to change the salsa rules enough that the recipe will no longer be "acceptable". I just keep upping the vinegar, bit by bit.... Annie