Every once in a while my dear son gets a bug in his ear to cook something.  This usually makes me cringe.  Yes, I want him to be as independent as possible, but this child has a tendency to break things.  Or make a mess.

I came home a couple of weeks ago and Josh announced that he had made brownies, but they came out rather strangely, so he figured something was wrong with the mix, so he was trying again.  I approached the kitchen full of trepidation.

After taking in the dissarray, I examined the finished tray of brownies he shoved under my chin.  "What's wrong?" queries my culinarily challenged child. 

 Where to begin?  The cookie sheet seems a good place to start.

"Uhm, son, why didn't you use the pan we usually back brownies in?  I know you know what it looks like because you're very good at licking it clean."

"I couldn't find it." explains the dear boy.  "Why are there bubbles all over my brownies?  They look like the picture of that dude from Africa in the CDC who was the last known case of smallpox, you know?"

Glancing around the kitchen I notice that the stand mixer is out and dripping brownie batter.  "Uhm, brownies are only supposed to be mixed until they are combined.  Like with a spoon.  Cakes get mixed in the mixer because you WANT them to be light and airy."

"Oh.  Well, I guess the mix is all right then."