A Chocolate Emergency Kind of Day

Today was "one of those days."  Had to make a visit to the opthalmologist for a six month check up.  Time for a pressure test for glaucoma - both eyes.  I have been doing this for 28 years.  The good news is, I am now "eligible" for a laser procedure to open the drainage passages from my eyes because the 4 medications I use just aren't keeping my pressures where they want them to be.  High pressures cause irreversible damage to the optic nerve.  Damage to the optic nerve leads to blindness.  I really don't want to go there.  Now, I get to fight with my insurance company to see if they will pay for the procedures.  Ugh.

Since Dan and I were out and about, we had lunch at PFChang's because it's near the doctor's office.  Lettuce wraps - yum!  He had cashew chicken, oh and I ate his hot and sour soup because he doesn't like it.  Lucky me.

You know how there is "something" you want to eat sometimes?  PFChang's was good, but that wasn't it.  So we drove through Starbucks and he had a mocha with whipped cream.  (I could hear his arteries screaming).  I had my usual Americana, one shot decaf.  I know, I know.  I just can't do caffeine.  Getting old sucks sometimes.  But, the Americana wasn't it either.  That rich coffee usually does the trick.  Not today.

We headed home.  I tried.  I really tried.  I looked at the cabinet and turned away.  I did a few things, but that red cabinet was calling my name like a siren's song.  In that cabinet is our emergency stash.   Emergency stash of what?  Why chocolate of course.  Yes, I needed chocolate.  So I walked to the cabinet and opened the doors.  There in the corner is our stash of different kinds of chocolate. Yes, different kinds.  Shameful, I know.   (I know chocolate has some caffeine, but not as much as coffee.)

First, I had a couple of these.

See how rumpled the sack is?  It's been opened and closed several times.  I played a few word games on Facebook while I ate a Godiva Gem or two.  Good.  Yeah.  But, that wasn't it.  I kept looking at the red cabinet.  Should I?  Shouldn't I?  Okay, I'm going back in.

I put the Godiva sack back in it's special place and I stood there and stood there looking at the last package in the cabinet.  The.  Very.  Last.  Trader Joe's.  Dark.  Chocolate.  Bar.  With Caramel.  And black sea salt.  Best.  Candy.  Bar.  EVER!!!!

If I ate the last one, we would not be going back across town to Trader Joe's until next week.  What if there was another emergency and there was no Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate?  Decisions.  Decisions.  You guessed it, I pulled that candy bar out of the cabinet and sat down at the table.

Oh divine bar of rich, dark chocolate with caramel in the center and that lovely black sea salt.  Look, it has 70% cacao.  Glorious.  

I mean seriously, look at the description on the package.  Exotic Hawaiian Black Sea Salt from the Pacific seawater that surrounds the Hawaiian Islands.  We have never been to Hawaii (count yourself fortunate if you have), but this black sea salt of which they speak is divine.  Simply divine.

Then, it is paired with that caramel and super dark chocolate - OH MY - is all I can say.  I didn't even have my lei, Hawaiian shirt or grass skirt on and it still tasted outstandingly fabulous.  And, look, no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives so it has to be good for you right?  Another bonus?  Check it out.

Mm hm.  No gluten ingredients used.  Bingo!  All you people with gluten intolerance or allergies, this candy bar is for you!

So I opened the package up and someone has been eating on this candy bar.  Goldilocks?  I think not.  Oh Daaaaan!  Now I like chocolate on occasion and definitely in an emergency situation, but this guy is a complete chocoholic.  Thank goodness he had not eaten it all or we would have been trekking back across town today.

Yup.  It was him all right.  At least he didn't eat it all or it could have been downright ugly.  I pinched off a few pieces of that heavenly dark chocolate with the ooey, gooey caramel in the center and that was all I needed.  Emergency abated.  This was what I wanted to eat all along.  Rich, dark chocolate.  Pure comfort food.

I wrapped the remaining bar back up and put it back in the chocolate stash for another day.  (That's if he doesn't get to it first).  Happiness for a mere $1.79.  Who could ask for more?  

We will definitely have to stock up next week when we trek back across town to do our Trader Joe's shopping.  If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you, make a drive to find one and get yourself some of these fabulous candy bars.  Stock Up.  Buy lots!  Ask for some for your birthday or Christmas or just because.  Give them for gifts.  Everyone will thank you.  You will be happy you did, because this candy bar is that good!  No, it's better than good.  It's amazing.  It's a life saver.  It's necessary.  It's chocolate - dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt.  You're going to thank me for this.

Hope your day was good.  It could be better if you had one of these candy bars.  Just sayin'.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Who was the person that decided to put sea salt with caramel and chocolate?  Thank you whoever you are!

PS:  Get your eye pressures checked!  Glaucoma is a silent disease with no symptoms.  It's worth it.

Super Easy Nutella Brownies And My Baking Disaster

Hope you all have had a good Wednesday.  It's been raining off and on all day, but it has been fairly warm which makes the rain more bearable.  Wednesday is our day to volunteer, so we enjoyed a very productive day.  After work, we had to buzz by our daughter's house to discuss the birthday cake for her son who will be two tomorrow.  For Gus it's all about trucks - trucks of every size and description.  Bet you can't guess what kind of birthday cake he is going to have.  Now all I have to do is figure out how to make it.  

Yesterday, I had a total "Lucy" moment in the kitchen while baking.  All of these years and I have never had anything happen like this.  I should have taken a picture to show you, but I was so distraught over the whole mess that I forgot.  Also, the oven was on and I had to clean things up in a hurry before the oven caught on fire.  Melted caramel in a hot oven is NOT fun to deal with.  

I was baking a pan of these lovely Nutella brownies with a caramel in the center (yum) and when they were done, I was removing the pan from the oven and hit it against the top of the oven. They went flying everywhere!!  I mean everywhere.   They were all over the oven, between the crack in the oven door, on the floor.  Oh my what a mess.  I almost cried because I really, really wanted those brownies for dessert last night.  I hurried and turned the oven off and Dan and I started cleaning.  It took both of us.  Melted caramel is not fun to clean up from a hot oven let me tell you.  Ugh.

As soon as the mess was cleaned up, I quickly mixed up another batch.  This is the easiest recipe ever! I got the recipe from a blog called Butter and he filled his with malted milk balls.  I didn't have any, but I did have Kraft caramels, so I cut them in half and put those in the brownies.  It totally works!!

Here is what you need:

1 cup Nutella

2 eggs

10 TBSP (1/2 cup) all purpose flour

preheat oven to 350 and line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake papers

Mix the ingredients thoroughly, making sure the eggs are well incorporated.  Fill each paper with about 1 TBSP batter, dividing batter equally.  If using malted milk balls, place 4 mini milk balls in each brownie.  I cut 6 caramels in half and placed one in the center of each brownie.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes.  Watch closely and do not over bake.  Remove when a toothpick comes out clean.

You can see that lovely melted caramel in the center of the brownie.  So, so good!

This makes the perfect brownie - great texture, fabulous taste and so cute.  I placed a brownie on a plate, added some vanilla ice cream and drizzled it with chocolate sauce.  Heaven!  So glad I baked another batch.  Dan was REALLY happy.   Doesn't that dessert look fabulous in the picture?  It is!

If you want to make your own chocolate sauce, here is a good recipe:

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 2/3 cup white sugar

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Heat all ingredients except vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Store in refrigerator for up to a week.

Eating that delicious Nutella brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce made up for the baking disaster from earlier.  Talk about a stress reliever!  If you look at the picture, you can see how the chocolate sauce pooled in the indention made by the caramel.  Oh my goodness good.  I really hope you never experience a baking disaster, but having something chocolate and decadent to eat afterwards sort of made up for the whole mess.  I just hope it never happens again.

Everyday Donna

Things to remember:

If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, then you got a problem.

Everything else is inconvenience.   ~Robert Fulghum