Friday, November 7, 2014

Unknown Name, Emoticons, Mermaids,

No callersI wish something could be done about these unknown name callers, we have been getting so many lately. Thursday afternoon I had been feeling under the weather, (bowled really badly too but being unwell was my excuse) came home and decided to take a nap. Had trouble dropping off and finally did so only to get a bloody phone call from Unknown Name. Grrrr. Once in a while I answer them if they are from the local calling area because our cleaning lady comes through as an unknown name, but usually I don’t. This morning I did and it was a call from our Prime Minister. Recorded of course!! No, I didn’t listen.

A friend used this emoticon on an email message yesterday, I thought it was so cute I simply had to copy it.  You’ll gather we were talking fencing or was it pistols at Dawn? I rarely use emoticons as I can never remember how to do so, or what you type for what and I keep losing the list I have.
Dueling Emoticons

I heard an ad on the radio for a Christmas performance of The Little Mermaid at a local theatre. How on earth do you do mermaids on a stage?

My blog has the title “A scent of Chocolate” so it’s about time we had a chocolate recipe. This one certainly fills the bill. Makes me drool.

HERSHEY'S Ultimate Chocolate Brownies Recipe

 
    Ingredientsimage
    • 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted and divided
    • 1/2 cup boiling water
    • 2 cups sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
    • ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (recipe follows)
    • Additional HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (optional)

      Directions

      1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan or two 8-inch square baking pans.
      2. Stir together cocoa and baking soda in large bowl; stir in 1/3 cup butter. Add boiling water; stir until mixture thickens. Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining 1/3 cup butter; stir until smooth. Add flour, vanilla and salt; blend completely. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan.
      3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan, 30 to 35 minutes for square pans or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost with ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING. Garnish with chocolate chips, if desired. Cut into squares. Makes about 24 brownies.
      ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
      6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
      2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
      1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
      1/3 cup milk
      1 teaspoon vanilla extract
      Beat butter in medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk,
      beating to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir in vanilla.
      About 2 cups frosting.

      Have a great day
      Jo_thumb[2]

      20 comments:

      1. I get those calls ALL THE TIME! It's annoying as sin and I haven't figured out how to block those kinds of calls. I don't even think it's possible with unknown or restricted callers.

        I like that you love the little emoticons. Hahaha! It was muskets at dawn but I didn't have any emoticons with muskets, so I had to improvise. If you put your email in 'text' instead of html, I believe it will show you the symbols you need to create the emoticon. I'm not sure.

        Thank you, thank you for the brownie recipe. My name is Eva....and I am a chocoholic. Xoxoxo.

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        Replies
        1. Aren't they just Eva? Drive us crazy.

          I will try that with the emoticons.

          So am I Eva, so am I.

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      2. Very cute emoticon! The brownies look delicious, and I am also a chocoholic! Hope you feel better, Jo!

        Julie

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. Chocaholics unite. Thanks, I do this morning.

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      3. Disney does mermaids on Broadway with roller skates, quite clever as you might expect and Sierra Boggess is a great performer. And by the way, Hershey's does not count as chocolate!

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        Replies
        1. That does sound clever. I wonder if that's how they will do it here. When did you ever get to Broadway???

          It does over here. I must admit we enjoy Lindt very much.

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        2. Oooh Broadway would be nice! The closest I've ever got is Youtube.

          Lindt is wonderful, Thornton's is wonderful and, of course, Cadbury's, But I've had Hershey's and it's very far from wonderful!

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        3. I actually enjoy my Hershey's Kisses. Don't know Thornton's and Cadbury's I haven't had in years although there are some English specialty shops that sell it I believe.

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      4. I don't even answer those calls. If it's important, they will leave a message.

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. Very true Alex. I need to discipline myself more LOL

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      5. I, too, get tons of those calls. Only on my landline though, which I only have b/c it's cheaper to bundle a landline w/ internet & cable TV than just have internet/cable. Drives me crazy. That dueling emoticon is adorable! And the recipe looks amazing....it's so unfair that I have chocolate allergy issues. I can do milk chocolate and semi sweet.

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. We don't really use our cell phone, it's a very simple one because Matt is technologically challenged. Mind you he has trouble with the phones anyway. He really needs an old fashioned phone.

          Sorry you are allergic to chocolate JoJo, glad I am not.

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      6. I don't like the unknowns either. Emoticons and choccolate make me happy! Have a great weekend - feel better!

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. Guess none of us do. Me too and hope you have a good weekend.

          Thanks.

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      7. I refuse to answer unknown calls unless I'm expecting a specific call. We have a register here you can add your number to which is a 'do not call' register for advertising/promotional calls. Some still slip through though.

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. So do we Pinky, but it's amazing how many slip through the register. Drives me batty.

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      8. Yeah, that unknown thing, we get that here too. I never answer, they can bugger off.

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      9. We get those types of calls. I don't bother answering them. Nine times out of ten the unknown caller doesn't bother leaving a message either.

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. No, same here Susanne. It's just a damned nuisance.

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