Happy last day of February.
Maybe March will bring the Spring…but I’m not holding my breath!
Today I am thankful for…
It is your turn, Internet. What are you thankful for?
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It is Friday, Internet, and I am nosy.
I have always been nosy…from the day that I was born.
So…
Bonus question…
What is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie?
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1. My taxes
2. I am not a careless person, so…….I have no idea.
3. Walk
4. Hmmm….I have no clue.
5. I have never been a patient person. I think it goes along with the nosy.
Bonus…my favorite is a bite of the peanut butter and a bite of the Thin Mints mixed.
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I think were gonna keep her.
PS. I need Girl Scout cookies.
Oh Internet.
I have so much to say, but all I can think is ….
It snowed last night.
Snowed.
Oh the hope I felt on Monday and Tuesday as the sun shined, and the snow melted.
The air was almost balmy as it was 43º.
What joy!
I began to see grass that I haven’t seen in months.
Months!
Now it is covered.
Again.
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When I was a little girl, my parents decided that we as a family needed to be more healthy.
What did they choose to do?
Make the sister and I drink wheat germ in our orange juice.
Gag-a-maggot!
Internet…11 years old + wheat germy orange juice = revolt.
They began to “sneak” it into the pancakes and whatever else they thought they could “sneak” it into.
But let me just say that to this very day, when I even hear the words wheat germ, my gag reflex kicks in.
And that is why I did not make today’s TWD that Michelle of Flourchild picked for today.
Sorry Michelle, but 1 cup of wheat germ inside the cookies and then roll those suckers in wheat germ…it was just to much for this Chocolatechic to handle.
However, if you tend toward the crunchy, then you will love these healthy cookies.
Go check out Michelle’s blog. She has the recipe.
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Saturday I took the girl out on a date.
I took her to give blood, because I’m a great date.
Then I took her out to the English Ivy for tea.
Both the girl and I want to own this house.
We both are enamored with Georgian/Victorian architecture.
This is the ceiling in the dining room…isn’t it fabulous? and the bay window with window seat…I have always dreamed of having a window seat.
We especially like the build in china cupboard.
See the beading …I need this house.
The parlor.
I want a parlor.
With a working fire place.
And light streaming in.
Until it comes up for sale, the girl and I will just have to go visit our house on a regular basis.
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Today I am thankful for…
Your turn!
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It is Friday, Internet, and I am nosy.
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1. Hmm…..I don’t know….I think all most all rules make sense.
2. No comment, because the parents read this blog.
3. While driving the car, most people don’t use their turn signal.
4. There MUST be chocolate given, and if not chocolate, something sparkly.
5. Silver~~Take responsibility for your actions. Bronze~~Quit whining….oops….I don’t seem to follow that one very well…
Now it is your turn.
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We all are adjusting nicely to having a dog in the house.
It has been rather fun.
Chloe is sweet, and serious.
Oh…there have been a few ‘accidents’ on the floor, but they have all been cleaned up quickly.
But unfortunately, not all of us are happy Chloe is here.
Particularly Grace.
Chloe just wants to play, but Grace is having none of it.
And Whiskey feels the same way.
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There are two foods that I have never seen my father turn down.
The first is a piece of my mother’s cherry pie.
And the second is a home made chocolate chip cookie.
Now I have made over 42 million CCC’s in my lifetime…or at least it feels like it…and I have to say that my favorite is the old standby, the beloved Toll House cookie.
This recipe of My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies that Kait of Kait’s Plate picked for today’s TWD WWD is very similar to the Toll House recipe.
I The boy at my insistence did a wee bit’o tweaking.
I The boy used butter flavored Crisco for half the amount of butter. I did this so that they wouldn’t spread as much.
This, as you can see, didn’t work at all.
Also instead of the 1 cup of nuts, I the boy put in a bag of toffee bits.
They were fabulous, but I still like my Toll House better.
And daddy….I froze some dough, so the next time I come up, you’ll have some fresh cookies to munch on.
If you’d like to try this recipe, go check out Kait’s blog. The recipe is there. I promise.
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Dear people of Pothole,
Please shovel your side walks. Not only is it the law, but it is helpful when one is trying to walk the dog.
Signed,
Wet from the knees down.
PS. A huge shout out to the blond haired, blue eyed Asplundh man that came to my rescue yesterday. Chivalry is not dead!
PPS. TWD will be up later.
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It is official…I have a dumb dog!
Yesterday Chloe decided to bark and growl at my mother.
It seems that mom is some sort of threat.
Dear Chloe,
You are only supposed to bark and growl at bad men who break and enter my house, not my harmless mother.
Signed,
rethinking the whole dog thing
PS. I want a taco
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Happy Valentines Day, Internet!!!
Today I am thankful for…
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Hello Internet.
It is Friday, and I am nosy.
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1. My favorite blanket is my down comforter. I got it on sale at Land’s End, and it is the most delicious blanket I have ever owned.
2. The last thing I baked was my TWD brownies.
3. Most hot and bothered? angry or sexy????
Angry?…….Robert Gibbs
Sexy?…….Oh…they are way to many to name, but I hearted Patrick Swayze
4. Last year.
5. I have no feelings for hot sauce. I don’t eat it. Period!
Now, it is your turn!
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Just got back from taking the boy to school.
Brings back lots of memories when he was 5 and in Kindergarten.
sigh…
Anyway, I have to know…
Snow man
Snow Angel
Snow Fort, or
Snow Ball fight
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Dear Spring,
I know that you are on vacation and all, but seriously?
It is time to come home.
Look at what your vacation has done to my Rose of Sharron hedges.
It just isn’t pretty!
Even the boy is beginning to complain.
Signed,
Tired of your BFF winter
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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.
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.
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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?
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Hey Internet!
How are you on this snowy, frigid day?
Today I’m thankful for
What are you thankful for today?
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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?
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Chocolatechic 