sounds great – in Jefferson Texas, East Texas, there is a Bakery, German I think, Jefferson is a very small historic town in East Texas with the famous Excelsior Hotel that is usually booked yr round – anyway back to the brownies – they use to seel sinful brownies- 1.00 each.  when my grandmother and I went in one time – she said 1.00 for a brownie – you can get a mix at the store and make a whole batch for that. 

To which I said – NOT LIKE THESE.  They were about 2 inches high and layered with all sorts of stuff – unreal.  Dont know if they are still there or not though.  Jefferson has great bed and breakfast places too, old railroad cars and the river boats of yrs gone by. 

but once in a while we need a sinful brownie right!

Yes love the Christmas tour of homes.  so wonderful.  the christmas lights in Marshall are wonderful too but too comercial now for my liking.  My grandmother started those lights in Marshall yrs ago.  it was her idea.  I always went there for Christmas and to the home tours there too – it all smelled so great in the homes and they served food too.  loved the courthouse all lit up.  I have not been to Marshall in about 2 yrs.  I still own cemetery land there with my sister.  My grandparents are buried there.  Her house use to be off 59 and 20.  Now I have a hankering to go. 

My grandmother taught Bill Moyers in High School English.  He was to do her funeral, he is a minister too, but PBS had him under contract for a special and would not release him.  we went to a lecture hegave in Jefferson in the 80s at the library.  my grandmother in front of the cameras and all corrected his pronunciation of a word.  he said well Ms. Hughes we will see and he got the dictonary and said well you are right.  It was in people magazine that yr. 

Yes oh my the memories – my grandmother's house is right off 20 and 59, turning left on 59 going into town.  i love to go and stay at the old houses bed and breakfast places down town off the square.  a lot has changed in Marshall too.  Did you see Bill Moyer's special in 1984 on small towns?  He started with his  home town, Marshall Texas.  It is fascinating for sure.  Slaves built the Methodist church there in the 1860s.  Yes going into the country around there, moss everywhere, Caddo Lake is suppose to be haunted according to the Indians there.  There is a great cat fish place out in the woods around the lake – cant find it on my own though.  REcently in Southern Living they featured a story about a store out in the country around Marshall.  My grandmother took me there several times.  they have very old things on the shelves but not for sale.  they sale cheese and goods the old old way there too.  in the middle of nowwhere. 

once we went to a very old plantation (Bill put it in his film too) a very very old lady sat on the front porch, shot gun in lap, rocking in an old wicker chair.  they still have slaves using sickles to harvest the crops, a slave cemetery too.  eerie for sure.  this was only in the early 80s.  East Texas is so mysterious too, lots of confed money funeled through there too.  Now I have an itching to go and visit.  Wiseman's dept store downtown, Jewish family was so wonderful, not there anymore.  Their old house had wheat carved on the front door – good luck.  in each corner of the 3 storyhouse there were pieces of wood to make the corner round bec they believe the devil hids in corners.  so rich with history, some pretty and some not so pretty.  But I loved going there, esp in spring, open the windows and doors to my grandmother's house and smell the pine trees.  she had an out house too and a ceiling fan on the porch outside too.  she made mayhaw jelly – know it any of you.  It is from the mayhaw berry – looks like plumb, grows in east texas i think. 

Jane, I think I've been to that Catfish place out in the woods.

My these Brownies sound SCRUMPTIOUS and I wanted a brownie yesterday! YUM I am copying this one!!