Right on target ... and brownies!

With just one more week to go in National Novel Writing Month, I'm right on target: 38,302 words today, 50,000 a week from today.

World's Best Brownies -- Seriously

The recipe for these brownies comes from The Great Book of Chocolate by David Lebovitz. SpecialEd and I have tried a lot of brownies (he's the baker, I'm the taster, of course), and these are by far the best. They're cakey and fudgey and perfect. You're welcome.

Dave and Kate's Remarkable Brownies
Yield: 16 brownies (who is he kidding? 6 to 8 is more like it)

8 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick)
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 C sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C walnuts or pecans, toasted (don't skip the toasting) and chopped
1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips

Butter an 8-inch square cake pan and lightly dust it with flour, tapping out any excess. Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the chopped chocolate and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat and mix in the sugar, then the eggs and vanilla.

Stir in the flour and salt, then the nuts and chocolate chips. Scrape the brownie mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

*The cutting will go much more smoothly if you can curb your impatience and wait for the brownies to cool completely. Ask me how I know. Also, the author says that they can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Right, like there'll be any hanging around that long.

Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act

If it's free, it's me.

This is the real deal. An article about how you can get free, delicious chocolate is here. The site where you register is here. Go. Now.

Chocolate: It's what's for breakfast ... lunch ... and dinner.

You get to see pretty stars when you hyperventilate

I'd like to thank the Academy ...

I've just spoken to a very nice reporter from the Associated Press about this Kissables situation.

Let that soak in for a minute: a reporter. From the Associated Press.

Do you realize what this could mean? Do you?! When this article hits, it may just convince Hershey's (and other companies?) that saving money by substituting ingredients is actually costing them so much more, because they're losing loyal customers. Like me.

Stay tuned. More to come as this story develops ...

I refuse to eat mocolate

I am vindicated.

You may recall that I suspected that something was up with my Kissables, that someone was asleep at the quality control switch. The company rep poo-pooed my concerns and sent a couple coupons ... for Hershey's products.

I wasn't fooled, and now the company's dirty secret is out there for the world to see: Hershey's has been screwing around with its recipes to save money. Well, it's going to save me a lot of money since I can no longer feed my Kissables habit. I refuse to eat something that tastes like fund-raising chocolate, especially when I can remember how it used to taste. *sniff*

So be sure your bag or bar of chocolate says "milk chocolate" before you buy, because Hershey's isn't the only company cutting corners.

Fortunately, my husband loves me and likes to make me happy. He's been supplying me with Dove chocolate. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

News from Hershey

The fine folks at Hershey have gotten in touch ...

Thank you for contacting us about HERSHEY®’S KISSABLES™ Candy Coated Mini Kisses®. I am sorry you were disappointed and appreciate you bringing this to our attention.

A great deal of care is used in our manufacturing and distribution processes to ensure that consumers receive quality products. Since the basic ingredients are agricultural products, subtle flavor changes from soil, temperature, and rainfall conditions may sometimes be detected by consumers.

Our products can absorb odors from strongly scented products such as soap, detergents, spices, moth balls and petroleum products. This can happen if the product is stored too closely to such items. Printed instructions on the shipping cases inform all distributors of the proper handling and storage of Hershey's products.

We apologize for the problem you experienced with our product. You will receive reimbursement by postal mail in 2-4 weeks.

We appreciate your loyalty as a consumer.

Hmm. I'm feeling lukewarm about this. A refund is certainly nice, but what I really want is some mouth-watering chocolate. Maybe the refund check will arrive nestled in a big ol' box of Kissables! We shall see...

Chocolate, Valentine's Day, and a Purple Belt

So far I haven't heard a peep out of Hershey, Penn. I'm sure all the executives are scrambling like mad, trying to find out what's happened to the most-marvelous delight named Kissables. These people just know that the company is going to lose big money if it doesn't address the disgraceful slippage in the quality control department.

On the bright side, the Valentine's Day celebration was most satisfactory at Chez Say-This. DH made a jaw-dropping dessert: marbled poundcake topped with chocolate ice cream, topped with raspberry sorbet, topped with whipped cream, and surmounted by a Dove chocolate. The whole delightful thing was slathered with warm chocolate/raspberry sauce. Dang ... I'm drooling just thinking about it.

As if that weren't enough, DH (BTW, in case you didn't know, DH = dear husband. It is not an abbreviation for a rude description.) gave me a lovely necklace with a heart and a golden retriever. *sniff*

Oh, and I'll be promoted to the rank of purple belt on Friday. I don't mind that I'll have to learn a kata (a series of moves -- kind of like a martial arts dance). What I mind is the promotion itself. Seriously. Let's call it performance anxiety. Oh, well. Guess I'll just have to pull up my big girl panties and get on with it.

BTW ... I'm a big fan of Demotivators, and when a friend sent this link to their make-your-own candy hearts, I was next to myself with delight. If you have a sense of humor and can remember when motivational posters with inspirational sayings were all the rage, head on over to Demotivators.

What's Happened to My Kissables?

I'm distressed. I'm distraught. For more than two years I've been devoted to one candy: Hershey's Kissables.

If you've never heard of Kissables, they're small Hershey's Kisses coated with a candy shell (a la M&Ms). If you've never had Kissables, well, I just don't know what to say. There's something in the juxtaposition of smooth, creamy Hershey's chocolate with its warm, mmm-inducing flavor and the bright crunchy candy coating that creates the perfect flavor.

I have a variety of methods of eating Kissables. I like to eat them in two's and three's and, when I'm just starting my snackage, I'll just crunch them up. But when I really want to be in the moment with my Kissables, I'll hold a few in my hands to warm them up, then pop them in my mouth and gently crack the shells with my front teeth. Then that warm chocolaty goodness just flows out. Mmm.

But something is amiss with my beloved treat. Over the past two months, I've noticed a definite change in the chocolate's flavor. I've had many, many different chocolates, from Godiva to See's to Nestles to fund-raising "chocolate" (*shudder*). When I say something's different, I know what I'm talking about, folks. And I am distressed.

I stopped at a drugstore on the way home tonight to pick up some Valentines (and the requisite candy that nowadays has to accompany the valentines). I decided to pick buy two bags of Kissables ($4), hoping that the nasty experiences I'd had with them lately were a thing of the past. So I sat down here, opened the bag, popped a couple in my mouth. Gaa! NO! NO! NO!

I've had it. Something has to be done. So I've written a letter to Hershey's. I can only hope that something is done to rectify this unacceptable state of affairs. I know how much you care, so I'll keep you posted as things develop.


My letter. We shall see if it's effective.

I've been eating Kissables for over 2 years now and am passionate about them. I won't eat M&Ms any more, because they taste awful (in comparison), and I'll pass up any chocolate bar for Kissables.

I'm writing to let you know that the last few bags I've purchased taste "off" or, more accurately, awful. The chocolate is missing something -- as if the manufacturer is skimping on something. There's something of a "bite" to the flavor -- I don't really know how to describe it, but it tastes like Nestle's Crunch, which is pretty nasty (in comparison).

I've always been delighted with Kissables until about 2 months ago. I'm going to have to use the Kissables I just bought today in cookies or brownies, which is OK, but not like eating them out of the bag. I urge you to have someone inspect whoever it is that's responsible for manufacturing these Kissables.

Thanks for your time. I hope to be enjoying some "original" Kissables very, very soon.