February 9

I’m sharing something that not many people know about me.

Not even Superman knows this.

I keep at least one box of brownie mix, stashed way back in the back of my pantry.

It is there for one reason, and one reason alone.

So I can mix it up and eat it……raw.

I put it in the fridge and it turns to this semi-solid fudgy goo that is just perfect for when a chocolate craving hits and there just. is. no. more. chocolate. in. the. house.

Which is rare, but it has been known to happen, hence the stashed .99 brownie mix.

It is also the reason that I picked today’s TWD, Rick Katz’s Browies for Julia.

Julia Child that is.

You see this bakes up chewy on the outside.

And just a wee bit gooey on the inside.

Once it cools completely it isn’t runny anymore, but I am not know for my patience, so I cut a piece 20 minutes out of the oven, and Internet…it was perfection.

The recipe was very easy, and I only used 2 bowls.

No mixer was involved, but that is only because my strapping son offered to whip the eggs till they were doubled in volume.

Want the recipe?

Here it is.

Rick Katz’s Brownies For Julia

Dorie writes “In 1995, when I was working with Julia Child filming the PBS series Baking with Julia and writing the companion book, Boston-based pastry chef Rick Katz was running the prep kitchen in Julia’s basement.   Working between the washing machine and the dryer, Rick was in charge of getting the recipes of each of the twenty-six visiting chefs ready for their close-ups.  An ordinary human would have had his hands full, but superman Rick always found time to make us extra little goodies, among them these very dark, very fudgy brownies.   The way he prepares the batter is different from any other brownie recipe I know.  Half of the eggs and sugar are mixed in with the chocolate, while the other half are beaten until they double in volume and are as light as a sponge.   Whipping the eggs creates the surprisingly creamy, soft and definitely fudgy texture.

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped ~~I used semi-sweet
• 2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350º F.  Put a 9 inch square baking pan (I like to use Pyrex for this) on a baking sheet.   Whisk flour and salt together.

Set a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the butter and chocolate in.  Stir frequently until the ingredients are just melted-you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates.   I melted these in the microwave in my usual fashion. Add 1 c. sugar and whisk gently just to incorporate it, then remove the bowl from the pan of water.   Stir in the vanilla and transfer to a large bowl.

Put the remaining cup of sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium bowl and whisking a whisk, stir in the eggs.  Switch to a rubber spatula and little by little add half of the sugar-egg mixture to the warm chocolate, stirring very gently without stopping-you don’t want the heat of the chocolate to cook the eggs.

With the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, or have your chef son beat the reaming sugar and eggs on medium-high for about 3 minutes, or until they double in volume.   Using a spatula and a light touch, fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate, stopping just short of blending them in completely.

Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the batter and delicately fold them in, working only until they disappear.   Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.

Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the top looks dry.   Poke a thin knife intot he center and take a peek:  The brownies should be only just set and still pretty gooey.

Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

The brownies are fragile and best cut in the pan.   Cut eighteen 1½ x 3 inch bars.

I sure hope that y’all enjoyed these as much as I did, and thanks for baking along with me today.

.

February 8

So we have been busy trying to crate train Cloe.

I have read all sorts of articles from the Google.

And all of them have said ….introduce the dog slowly, blah blah blah, toss in treats, yadda yadda, and if that doesn’t work  climb in and make it fun.

As you can see, she wasn’t much interested.

Maybe it is her lack of tail, I don’t know, but I have found a great used for the crate.

I’m gonna sell it to the witch in the forest in Hansel and Gretel.

It is perfect, don’tcha’ think?

.

February 7

Hey Internet!

How are you on this snowy, frigid day?

Today I’m thankful for

• My niece and nephew.    I rarely see them, but I love them dearly, and they bring joy to my life.  Happy Birthday today Joel and Shannon.

• Ice melt.   ’nuff said!

• The boy who worked tirelessly for hours shoveling snow.

• Neighbors with snow blowers on the front of their John Deere tractors that plow a spot for Superman’s car.   Thanks Jay!

• No dog messes in the house…so far, so good.

• Dean’s girlfriend, without whom I would have totally freaked out about Cloe already!

What are you thankful for today?

.

February 6

I have been thinking about getting a dog for several months now.

I finally told my family what I was thinking.

Not a smart idea, because Internet, they wore. me. down.

Meet Cloe.

We are fostering her.

Fos. ter. ing.

That is what I keep telling everyone.

But somehow this hopped into my cart.

Perfect food dish for a Chocolatechic’s dog.

Don’tcha’ think?

.

February 5

It is Friday, Internet, and I’m nosy.

1. When you come home from a long day of whatever it is you do and your brain is totally fried, what therapy do you normally seek?
2. Of the myriad of desserts made primarily of fried dough, what is your favorite?
3. Most fried foods are best right out of the fryer, but what’s a fried food that you enjoy cold?
4. What’s the most unusual deep-fried food you’ve ever tried?
5. Where can you get really good French fries?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.   I seek the remote, my knitting needles and some chocolate.

2.  Schulers doughnuts

3.  No fried food is good cold!

4.  Deep fried snickers bar.

5.  McDonalds….they are THE best.

.

February 4

February 3

Dear writers of LOST,

I am LOST, so maybe you could answer just a few questions for me.

Why are there 3 John Locks? and which one is the real one?

Was Jacob the smoke monster and needed John to take over?

Why did you show the island at the bottom of the ocean?

Are you doing a flash forward?  flash backward?  split universe?  parallel universe? this is what happens when you mess with time universe?

What was the important thing that Juliette was going to tell Sawyer with her dying breath?

And last but absolutely not least, where is Claire??????

Signed,

even more LOST than ever

PS.   Sawyer is fierce, and it is just a bit scary!

Best line of the night….”I’ve got a gun (fumble, fumble) and I know how to use it.”~~Hurley

Most telling line came from Charlie….”I’m supposed to be dead.”

What do y’all think?

.

February 2

Chocolate chip cookies….absolutely!

Brownies…you betcha!

Hot fudge…Oh yeah!

Chocolate ice cream…fabulous!  Especially when topped with hot fudge.

Dove Dark…I’m in love!

But chocolate cake…not so much, oh I’ll eat it if there isn’t anything else, because I’m not one to pass up chocolate.

Today’s TWD that Kristin of I’m Right About Everything picked, is Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes.

And I didn’t make it like the recipe suggested.

I just couldn’t bring myself to add chocolate to the batter.

So I didn’t.

Everything else was the same.

Except I tweeked the filling just a smackeral.

I added cinnamon to it.

Heavenly addition.

This little cake is heavy but moist, and best right out of the oven.

Go check out Kristin’s blog.   She’ll have the recipe.

I also suggest that you do not half the recipe like I did.   The three whole muffins were gone in about 2 hours.

.

February 1

I got nothin’ today.

All this weekend the girl and I have been watching a What Not To Wear marathon.

I have come to the conclusion that I’m not wearing the proper clothing for my body type, and I don’t think that Stacy or Clinton would be happy with my wardrobe choices.

My jeans do not fall straight down from my hip.

My tees are shapeless, and my color pallet is rather single minded.

I don’t wear pointy toed heels.

I don’t wear sassy bracelets.

I don’t layer, unless you count me wearing a pink sweater over everything in the winter.

I don’t mix prints, or wear make-up.

No, Stacy and Clinton would be very displeased.

But, I don’t care.

I’m a stay-at-home mom, so it just doesn’t matter.

.

.

January 31

Today I am thankful for…

• My daughter.   She challenges me every day.   She makes me smile.

• A hot shower.

• Toilet paper

• My mother’s love for me.

What are you thankful for today?

.

January 29

Dear Pothole Street Department,

When it snows 5 inches, that is when it is time to get out the snow plows and the salt.

Plow my street then.

Do not wait till 4 days later when everything has been packed down into ice, and plowing does absolutely no good whatsoever.

Also, if it snows only about an eighth of an inch, like yesterday, my street doesn’t need plowed and salted 3 times.

Sincerely,

I could do a MUCH better job

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, on to the questions.

1. When did you last feel you were required to jump through meaningless hoops to get something you wanted?
2. What kinds of hula hoop memories do you have?
3. How do you feel about basketball?
4. What do you think of hoop earrings?
5. What’s your favorite Whoopi Goldberg movie?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.   Yesterday when I was doing my taxes.

2.  I stunk really bad.

3.  Blech!!!

4.  I love hoop ear rings, but not the humongous ones.

5.  I don’t much care for Whoopi, plus she doesn’t have eye brows…ewwwwwwwwww!

.

January 28

Last July I purchased a new washing machine.

I lovingly created a riser for it.

And all was well.

Till about a month ago.

Now, every time we do a load of laundry, it tries to escape.

.

January 27

Do you remember around the middle of last October when I showed you this.

Then the next day we purchased this, because Superman had to have a way to work, but it spent the next 3½ weeks in the shop.

Around the end of December we purchased this, because the boy’s car decided it just couldn’t take living any more, so he was using the green car, Superman was driving this, and all was right with the world.

Last night I got a phone call from the boy…

and oh!   you know where this is heading.

He hit a deer.

A big deer.

I told him his next vehicle had better be an M-1 Abrams.

PS.   He is just fine.

.

January 26

Today’s TWD selection of Cocoa-Nana Bread came from Steph of Obsessed with Baking.

And I didn’t make it.

I just couldn’t get passed the whole chocolate bread with banana’s in it.

It just kind of makes my tongue go ewwwww, however if you like the whole chocolate/banana combo, go check out Steph’s blog, she has the recipe.

Instead, I’d like to show you one of my Christmas presents.

Gigantor Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

They are seriously 4″ in diameter and 1″ thick.

And they will take even the most serious chocolate lover an entire week to eat just one.

They make me happy that chocolate and peanut butter go together.

.

January 25

My girl is just fickle.

Fickle, fickle, fickle!

Over a year ago, she insisted that she have short hair, and would I please, please, please cut it for her.

So I did, then I took her to my hair dresser to fix my botch job.

Then she wanted the style changed, and she wanted bangs, and would I please, please, please cut it for her.

So I did, and promptly took her to my hair dresser to fix my botch job.

Then she decided that she wanted a different look, but I learned my lesson~~I’m quick like that~~and took her straight to my hair dresser.

Now….

Now she wants to grow her hair back out.

I wonder how long it is going to take after she grows it out for her to want it short again.

.

January 24

A friend of mine posted a “I’m thankful for ” ….on her blog, and I thought I’d do the same.

Today I’m thankful for

• hot water
• the fact that it is raining and not snowing
• Reeses peanut butter cups
• clean laundry
• and last but not least, you Internet.

What are you thankful for today?

.

January 22

Hey Internet, it is Friday, and I’m nosy.

1. What’s your favorite “just add water!” food?
2. What’s your favorite thing to add vinegar to?
3. What’s something weird you’ve added to normal food?
4. What’s your favorite thing to add whipped cream to?
5. What’s something you refuse to add anything to, even though most people add something?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.  Instant potatoes

2.  The rinse cycle in my washing machine

3.  I don’t do weird!

4.  My mouth

5.  Steak.   I’m a purist.

.

January 21

The economy is so bad that …

• I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.

• I ordered a burger at McDonald’s and the kid behind the counter asked, “Can you afford fries with that?”

• CEOs are now playing miniature golf.

• If the bank returns your check marked “Insufficient Funds,” you can call them and ask them if they meant you or them.

• Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM.

• McDonald’s is selling the quarter ouncer.

• Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their childrens names

• A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico .

• Dick Cheney took his stockbroker hunting.

• Motel Six won’t leave the light on anymore.

• The Mafia is laying off judges.

• Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.

• I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Lifeline. I got a call center in Pakistan, and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck.
  

January 20

My brain…it is fried, and it is only 7:30 in the am.

Fried.

Maybe there is something to that whole ‘over the hill’ thing.

Here are some things that you might or might not want to know.

• I’m getting burnt out on school

• I haven’t played Bejeweled Blitz in over 24 hours and it makes me sad

• Superman has diabetes

• My mother’s birthday was on the 5th of this month, and I still haven’t wrapped her present.

• I miss my sister

• I watch The Bachelor

• I let my daughter watch it too

• I haven’t seen my son in 24 hours and that makes me sad too.

• Jack Bauer rocks!

.

January 19

Have you ever met someone that was difficult to get to know.

You really want to get to know them, but they have this hard crusty shell.

But once you break through, they are just the sweetest people, and you just can not get enough of them.

That is exactly how today’s TWD recipe of Chocolate Oatmeal Almost Candy Bars, that Lillian of Confectiona’s Realm picked for today was.

A thick oatmeal cookie base.

Then a rich chewy chocolate layer, with chopped nuts.

It was supposed to have raisins in the chocolate layer, but ewwwwwwwwww raisins!

Shoot me now!

And then a bit of the base for the top.

It was supposed to have cinnamon in the cookie layer, but I didn’t include it for one reason.

I put Reeses peanut butter chips in the topping, and I didn’t think that cinnamon would go with the theme of chocolate and peanut butter.

This was a fun, quick and easy dessert.

It was fabulous tasting, and I plan on making this again and again.

If you’d like to make these, go check out Lillian’s blog.   She has the recipe.

Make sure you have a full glass of milk to drink when you eat these, because they are rich!

.

A thick heavy oatmeal base.