My Formula for Living

Hot! Just enough of a rain shower to raise the humidity. Hot! Now I’ve lived in hotter temperatures. The hottest official temperature I lived in was 122 degrees F in Arizona. We were coming back from Sea World in San Diego where it was 65 degrees F. As we picked up radio reception fro Phoenix, we heard the weather report. Needless to say it was a record breaking day in Arizona. But…..if you take 96 degrees F with 50 percent humidity, it isn’t hot, it’s miserable. In fact, it’s hotter here in Northeast Oklahoma than it is in Mesa, Arizona just outside Phoenix. Even Cyclone George, my daughter’s kitten has slowed down. Did I say hot? So how does the grass grow like a mutant weed from Venus? It goes from green to brown and it still needs to be mowed. By now you’re probably thinking that the old guy has finally lost it. Heat stroke, maybe he’s senile, or maybe he’s raised too many children. Here’s the point I’m getting at.

Have you ever thought about working from home? You know, one of those home business opportunities. Now look, after more than three decades in law enforcement I can tell if an opportunity is a scam or not. So when a good thing comes along, why not take advantage. One of the best reasons is that on a hot day, I don’t have to go outside if I don’t want to. I can earn an income while staying at home. Now there are a lot of so called experts out there who will tell you that you can’t do this. If the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has accredited a company, and with decades of law enforcement experience I’ve checked it out and verified the BBB findings, I’m satisfied that I’m smart enough to make a decision. It’s really not hard to see the difference between a legitimate work from home opportunity and a scam. So being able to enjoy staying indoors and earn an income can be a great thing. I like this quote from Cary Grant; “I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can.”

The concept of working from home and earning some extra income is a great way to spend that “in between” time Cary mentioned. And making your own schedule is really what it’s all about. This allows you to gain that extra time you want so you no longer miss events the children or grandchildren are doing at school or church. With the right work from home concept, these things are possible. Just think for a moment. Is anyone really going to pay you a residual income for doing absolutely nothing? Probably not! This means that you will have to work your business to make it successful. So now I need to do one of those in between things which I’ll share.

Decadent Dark Chocolate Blueberry Brownies

Thanks to bakedinmaine.com for a delicious treat.

Ingredients:

5 ounces of dark chocolate chips, melted and cooled.

2 sticks of salted butter, softened

2 cups of sugar (or sweetner of choice)

4 whole large eggs

3 teaspoons of vanilla

½ cup whole wheat pastry flour (buy this at health food store)

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup nuts (optional)

1 cup blueberries (dry on a towel)

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

Grease or spray a 9 X 13 pan

Melt 5 ounces of chocolate chips (use your glass measuring cup) in the microwave (30 second intervals) and cool the chocolate completely before using.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.

Turn the mixer on low, and drizzle in the cooled, melted chocolate. Mix until combined. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder and mix until just combined, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix 5 seconds more.

Add the chocolate chips, blueberries and nuts (if using) mixing a few seconds more until just combined.

Bake for about 30 minutes. You’ll know when they’re done when your house fills with the aroma of fresh baked brownies and you just can’t stand waitin’ any longer!! People will start roaming around your kitchen asking “are they ready yet”?? Tease them a little and tell them they must cool first. Then carefully cut a corner brownie and hide somewhere to eat your treat.

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