Blog: Fr. Robert

Sometimes you just need a brownie

Sometimes when you are working at home you just need a brownie. I came across this brownie recipe and it came out pretty good.

I did not use the original recipe but the modified recipe in the comments. Here is a list of the changes I used from the comments.

  1. Decrease the cocoa powder to 3/4 cup.
  2. Decrease the sugar to 1 1/2 cup.
  3. Increase the butter to 3/4 cup.
  4. Mix the wet ingredients together.
  5. Mix the dry ingredients together.
  6. Combine wet and dry ingredients.

I would also suggest two other modifications.

  1. Use a smaller pan than a 9 x 13. I would use a 9 x 9.
  2. Watch your time. Your brownies my not take the full 30 minutes. Mine were done in about 20 minutes.

I liked this recipe for several reasons. First, it makes a chewy brownie which I like better. Also, the recipe is quick, easy, and uses standard pantry ingredients. Another plus is it just uses cocoa powder so no need to melt chocolate chips.

Matrices: including Gauss-Jordan and the Simplex Method

While I normally just teach math, this summer I am also tutoring. I am enjoying the tutoring because it allows me to assist students with different mathematical topics than I normally do not get to teach. One of the popular subjects in the tutoring center this summer in finite math. Finite math is not a particular topic in math but rather a broad category that covers a variety of topics.

The topic of Matrices seems to generate a lot of questions. I found several helps this summer dealing with matrices and in particular the Simplex Method.

The first site I found was How to Compute Determinants at Dartmouth College.

The second site I found was Finite Mathematics & Applied Calculus Resource Page. It has two very good lessons on the Simplex Method.

The first is The Simplex Method: Solving Standard Maximization Problems

The second is The Simplex Method: Solving general linear programming problems

The last site I found is not really a site but rather a YouTube channel by patrickJMT.

Here is a list of some of his videos dealing with matrices.

Using Gauss-Jordan to Solve a System of Three Linear Equations - Example 1

Using Gauss-Jordan to Solve a System of Three Linear Equations - Example 2

Inverse Matrix Using Gauss-Jordan / Row Reduction , Example 1

The Simplex Method - Finding a Maximum / Word Problem Example, Part 1 of 5

The Simplex Method - Finding a Maximum / Word Problem Example, Part 2 of 5

The Simplex Method - Finding a Maximum / Word Problem Example, Part 3 of 5

The Simplex Method - Finding a Maximum / Word Problem Example, Part 4 of 5

The Simplex Method - Finding a Maximum / Word Problem Example, Part 5 of 5

BBG Videos

I have stumbled across a series of video lectures using Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek. The lectures are by Dr. Mark Schuler from Concordia Saint Paul. Once I have gone through the series of lectures I will post a review.

The play list can be found on YouTube.

RSS Feed

I have added a RSS Feed to the website.

The feed can be found at the bottom of of any page. By adding the feed to your RSS Reader you will be notified when I add a new article to the blog or make any other changes to the website.

Thanks for reading.

Strawberries as Ground Cover

I started a gardening experiment last summer.

After my strawberries fruited and started sending out runners, I put peat pots underneath the runners. This way once they rooted in the pots I could transplant them easily.

My strawberry bed was full so I had no real place in the garden for the runners but I had two empty spaces in my landscaping that needed some full sun ground cover. So I transplanted the runners into one of the empty spots as a test.

The runners rooted very well this fall and this spring have filled in the empty spot very nicely. Here is the bonus I was able to pick almost a quart of strawberries from my ground cover this morning.

Needless to say the other empty spot in the landscaping will be filled in with runners this fall.

strawberries