This time of year, I have very little interest in trying new recipes.

Frankly, I’m happy to get something – anything – on the table at the end of the day.

In the past two weeks, we have eaten several pizzas, many sandwiches and a few tacos. We’ve had chicken legs from the slow cooker. Twice. (What can I say? They were 99 cents a pound.)

On Saturday night, I pulled out a box of brownie mix. After I got the batter in the pan, I remembered I had a partial roll of sugar cookie dough in the fridge that I needed to use.

So I sliced that dough up and laid it out on top of the brownie batter before I threw the whole shebang into the oven.

“It will taste like a brookie,” I told myself.

I was lying to myself.

It tasted nothing like a brookie. The cookie part was very dry and crumbly by the time the brownie layer was cooked enough to eat.

My best advice is that if you find yourself planning to layer sugar cookie dough on top of brownie batter and to make a new creation, stop. Reconsider. More is not always better. And I’ve learned that it is actually possible to ruin brownies.

Thankfully, Julia has not yet left the building.

We are squeezing a few more precious days of at-home living from our recent high school grad, and it seems that she has inherited my desire to bake in the face of stress.

So she has taken up the mantle of baked goods recently, and I am so grateful for that.

Her most recent dessert was wacky cake, a cake I love for its simplicity, taste and limited ingredients.

It’s the perfect cake for when you want something sweet but don’t have an egg handy. (In fact, it might not be a bad idea to clip this recipe for the next time egg prices go through the roof.)

Julia mixed her batter in a separate bowl because she’s fancy like that, but I’ve also made wacky cake directly in the cake pan with very good results.

WACKY CAKE

(adapted from Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water

Directions
■ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Mix all dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, sugar, soda, and salt) directly in pan.
■ Make three wells in the dry ingredients. Into each of the wells, pour vinegar, vanilla, and oil. Pour water over the top. Whisk all ingredients well until no dry streaks remain.
■ Place in preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Top with 5-minute chocolate buttercream if desired.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Ingredients
1 cup butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
3-4 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt

Directions
■ In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat butter for 1 minute. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Beat until combined, starting slowly to avoid spraying dry ingredients all over the kitchen. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
■ Add cream, vanilla, and salt and continue beating for an additional 2 minutes. Increase speed to high and beat another 2 minutes. Spread on cooled cake.

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.