Do I think the word anniversary sounds stuffy and formal? Yes.  Do I believe spending 365 days together with someone deserves some recognition and should have its own word? Probably.  So I'll continue to use the word anniversary even though it kills me a little inside and I feel the need to say it in a weird voice to make it sound not so serious.

With those issues aside, Sam is out in Portland, Oregon with his family for winter break, and our one year anniversary happens to be while we're 2,427 miles apart.  In my attempt to be clever, I decided to send him a brownie pizza with peanut butter frosting  in a pizza box to surprise him! Too bad as soon as I finished making it he texted me making me promise I wasn't sending him anything for our anniversary...woopsssss.  But honestly, I don't think he'll be upset when he gets this in the mail.



Making this sweet pizza (l-o-l at my pun) was actually pretty simple. The only think I didn't have around my house was the disposable foil pizza pan with a small lip to it, and I was able to pick up a pack of 3 of them from my grocery store for $3.

I used my mom's usual brownie recipe from the back of the chocolate chip bag, which I'll post down below, and poured all the batter that I could fit into the pizza pan.  I placed the pan onto a cookie tray just so it'd be easier to get in and out of the oven without spilling.  The bit of leftover batter I had I poured into a small glass baking dish to make a few extra brownies.

I cut down the sugar in the recipe by about a 1/4 cup to account for the super sweet icing I was putting on top, and also cut the baking time from 50 minutes to 25 on account of how thin the brownie "pizza crust" is compared to a normal brownie.



I made the peanut butter icing (the recipe is below, PS I CAME UP WITH MY OWN RECIPE; BE PROUD OF ME) while I let the brownie cool.  Once it reached room temperature, I then decorated it and iced it how I wanted.

As for the actual decorating of the inside of the pizza box, I just went crazy with my craft supplies to create the sunburst background and the heart with the tinfoil "1" on it.  I used a white square of poster board the size of the inside of the box lid as my base so I didn't have to craft directly onto the lid.  I used basic construction paper to make the stripes of color, and my trusty Crayola water colors to fill in the white spaces. It would've been cool to print out some photos of me and Sam and thrown them in there somehow, but alas, I am lazy.  I used Elmer's glue to stick my creation to the lid of the box.

^Some of my craft supplies chillin' on the table (I didn't end up using that gold rikrak).

Figuring out a way to keep my brownie safe and unsmushed on its journey across the country was probably the biggest challenge. I ended up putting three "pizza tables" (those little things that come on top of your pie so the lid doesn't smoosh into the pizza), on the brownie and then placed one of my extra disposable tin pizza pans on top of them.  My brownie pizza was then in a safe tin pan sandwich which I thoroughly plastic wrapped and taped together, with added tinfoil for safety.








To make sure the tin hockey puck didn't slide around on its journey, I taped it to the bottom of the box and then shoved tissue paper into the corners.  I added pipe cleaner hearts and a note for #romance.


Brownie Crust Recipe (adapted from the Shop Rite chocolate chip bag) :
1 1/2 Cups Unsifted Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
2/3 Cup Butter
4 Eggs
1/4 Cup Water
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups of Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup of Chocolate Chips to Sprinkle

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine flour, salt, and baking soda.  Set aside.  Combine sugar, shortening and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Add chocolate chips and vanilla, stirring until smooth.  Transfer to mixing bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes.  One at a time, beat in the eggs.  Gradually add the flour mixture.  Place greased tin pizza pan onto a cookie sheet to stabilize it.  Pour batter into tin pizza pan. Pour any remaining batter into your choice of pan.  Cook for approximately 25 minutes.  Cool.

Peanut Butter Icing:
2 Cups of Confectioner's Sugar
3/4 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Jiffy Peanut Butter
3/4 Natural Peanut Butter*

*I chose to use mostly natural peanut butter to cut down on the sugar and make it more peanut buttery than sugary. The final product is plenty sweet I promise.

Warm butter in microwave until above room temperature and somewhat melted. Combine butter and peanut butters in mixer until smooth.  Add in powder sugar gradually. Done.

Peace and blessin's.
Caitie

P.S.  He got it in the mail!





(Quotes in speech bubble may or may not be exaggerated)