Today I took a little road trip BY MYSELF, ALONE, WITH NO OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CAR, BECAUSE YOU SEE IT WAS JUST ME AND NO ONE ELSE.
Not that I’d been looking forward to a little solitude or anything.
(A brief aside: you know those personality tests? That determine if you’re an introvert or an extrovert? I’m always right smack dab in the middle. Which pretty much means that I get so energized from being with people that I can’t wait to be by myself and channel that energy into cleaning or writing or catching up on DVR’d programming or whathaveyou. And then I get so energized from alone time that I think, “HEY! WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE? I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM NOW!”)
(Oh yes. I am a veritable barrel-o-crazy.)
So I took a little road trip to see some of my oldest and most favoritest friends: Merritt, Liz, Melissa, Tracey and Elise. Tracey and Elise didn’t even know that I was going to be in their neck of the woods today, but they are such good friends that when I called and said, “Hey! I’m in town!” they replied with “Hey! Come on over!”
And so I did.
It was such a great day. Sweet mercy I love those girls.
I won’t bore you by sharing all the things we laughed about that no one else in the free world would find even remotely amusing, but I do want to share about, well, food.
Shocking, I know.
Liz, our own little Martha Stewart in the making, fixed a delicious lunch for Merritt, Melissa and me. She made chicken salads that were absolutely beautiful (and healthy, too), and she made two huge trays of Parmesan Crisps, one of which I’m pretty sure I ate all by myself, because I can always be counted on to negate any benefits of healthy eating by singlehandedly putting away AN ENTIRE TRAY OF CHEESE.
I’m a nutritional inspiration, really.
Anyway, since I’d already eaten that entire tray of cheese, I really didn’t feel too guilty about adding a little sugar to the mix. Liz always has great dessert treats at her house, and today I think I had my very favorite Liz dessert ever: Symphony Brownies.
Do you people know about these?
And if you do, WHY HAVEN’T YOU TOLD ME?
According to Liz, they’re super-simple to make – as I’m sure I will discover the next four or seventy two times that I make them. You prepare your favorite brownie mix, pour half of it in the baking dish, top with Hershey’s Symphony Bars with Almonds and Toffee, pour the other half of the brownie mixture on top of the candy bars, and bake according to package directions.
Then eat, praise Jesus, and repeat.
Also: even though we had a lovely lunch at Liz’s house and I had a large Starbucks once we left Tracey’s, Elise still managed to convince Merritt and me to eat some of her homemade gumbo around, oh, four in the afternoon. Because apparently we felt we needed a light snack.
I mean, it just made good sense to re-fuel after all the talking we’d been doing.
And then, when I got back to Mama and Daddy’s around 7:30, I felt the need to pay tribute to my time with my college friends, so I had Popeye’s for supper.
I even thought about taking my tribute to the next level by lighting some candles around my plate of fried chicken.
But ultimately I decided against it because I didn’t want to risk the grease fire.
I am nothing if not practical.
Hope your Thursday is filled with sweet friends, great conversation, and lots of laughs.
And chocolate.
And Starbucks.
And, well, gumbo.
And maybe even a little fried chicken, too.
Lawsie woman, but those brownies sound delightfully, obnoxiously, decadently won.der.ful.
I am forgetting all about my South Beach New years resolutuon today and am making those brownies!!!
You always keep me laughing.
The symphony bars sound good. Wife made a cake for Christmas dinner that had chunks of chopped up cheesecake between the layers.
A cake inside a cake? Sign me up.
I’m curious about why those things are called “symphony bars”. Are they really long and make you sleepy?
Um….nothing says new year’s like a lot of food. It all sounded so good that I just had to grab that chocolate donut over there and wash it down with some orange soda (orange is healthy, right?). Because after all, I don’t happen to have any symphony candy bars on me at the moment.
I’m also always on the line between introvert and extrovert. Thank you for so perfectly explaining me to myself.
Sounds like a lovely day! And the brownies sound divine! Enjoy your air today!
I’ll take the “sweet friends, great conversation, and lots of laughs” for the day – but I NEED to resist the chocolate.
It’s a New Year so I need to put away all the bad eating habits that started around Thanksgiving and ended around….well they haven’t quite ended yet – but they NEED to.
Did the Starbucks thing myself yesterday with my darlin’ husband! (We had to travel 75 miles to have a cup.)If you know of a closer location you better email me immediately. (That looks rather menancing on the screen. I mean…please.)
Your friend-girl day sounds fabulous. What a great way to start the new year.
Those brownies are a Paula Deen recipe (on the Food Network website). I have a friend who recently introduced me to them. I actually made Ghiradelli brownies and put plain ole’ Hershey bars in between (warning: it takes 2 Ghiradelli box mixes to make this recipe work…but the sacrifice is totally worth it!) I liked that better than the Symphony, because I’m a chocolate purist ;-)
That sounds heavenly! The talking with your girls, not the food. I mean the food sounded nice too, but I am a thousand miles from my girls and I miss ’em like the Dickens. Have you seen that recipe for the brownies with the ROLOS on top? OHMYGRANNY. ROLOS, on brownies. I have died and gone to heaven.
You need some kind of intervention, girl. And I mean that in a nice way!
My new year’s resolution will never be to go on a diet for just this reason. I like food too much. I actually had an assessment done at the Y recently whereas a very tiny athletic person told me I could stand to lose 60 lbs. That would put me in the 115 range. I haven’t weighed 115 since Jr. High. I laughed and told her perhaps we’d just shoot for 20. I’m willing to put down a salad or two in the interest of rediscovering my svelt figure burried somewhere beneath the fluff, but putting down the brownies and fried chicken – NEVER!
Yeah. Now I have another thing to make that will negate the workouts I’ve been trying to sneak in at Curves!!
And I need some starbucks, but it’s just about 95 degrees below zero here with a nasty wind blowing in straight from the north pole, so I guess good ol’ folgers will have to do. :(
And this is why you are my hero.
I’m sitting here eating my New Years Special K cereal and you are making me salivate! Oh I would have loved to have been on that tour with you – parmesan crips are MY FAVORITE (and gumbo and brownies and popeyes). YUM!
I am gaining weight just reading about the brownies. You can’t beat good girl friends, good food, and good conversation. Have a nice visit home.
I too am from Mississippi, would you email me and let me know what town you are from?
The Park Wife
Those brownies sound like an instant sugar coma! I think I’ll steer by pre-diabetic self towards the gumbo and away from the brownies, thank you. :) The calorie-free morning laugh was wonderful!!
Wow, those brownies sound fantastic, but I’m afraid the Symphony bars wouldn’t last that long…they’re my favorite.
You tickle me.
I’m convinced food tastes MUCH better when you’re eating it without having to cut it into small pieces for someone else or referee a fight in between bites.
Can you see how green I am all the way where you are? Because a weekend away sounds delightful. DE. LIGHT. FUL.
And I noticed something the other day. I was sipping my Ghiradelli coffee when I told my oldest child that no, he could NOT have the Ghiradelli chocolate chip cookies I made for breakfast. Then I pulled out the Ghiradelli brownie mix to bake some brownies for a get-together.
Am I an addict?
Do you chop the Symphony Bars or just stick them in there? I’m just wondering….it’s not like I’m going to rush out today to buy all the ingredients and make them or anything……
yum. how bleak does my macoroni and butter look to me right now. :( Here’s to more good food and good times with good friends in 2008!
Those brownies sound awesome!
Those Parmesan crisps? Oh my! They look easy and delicious, and I just got a silicone baking sheet for Christmas. Which means, of course, I have to try them!
Those brownies sound sooo good! I will have to try them sometime.
During my Thursday, I will be surrounded by 7 children, ages 4(twins),5,7,7,9,10. I will also be surrounded by them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday! These would be my kids plus my sister’s kids. I will NEED me a whole pan of brownies by Sunday night, and maybe a sedative. :)
At first, you made me incredibly jealous! After reading this post entirely, though, I just feel really full.
I am *soo* making those brownies for tomorrow night! Symphony bars are my *favorite*. A friend is having a birthday get-together for me and these will be a perfect addition. Yay!
And I am *soo* glad to know I am not the only person on the planet who is smack-dab in the middle of the Introvert/Extrovert scale. I’ve been pondering that this week, as a matter of fact, and somehow it isn’t nearly as disturbing knowing that I share that trait with BooMama!! Thank you for easing my angst a bit. :)
I feel like an oompaloompa after the holidays, so I can relate.
BTW….I was in Barnes and Noble yesterday and saw a book with your name all over it….”The Soup Bible”
You might want to run get that. :)
Air actually tastes pretty good when you deep fry it in chocolate and dr. pepper. Just in case you were thinking today wouldn’t be any fun in the food department. =0)
There’s just something about laughing with girlfriends that makes me hungry. The only way to really do it right is with assorted junk food options.
BTW, I am totally in touch with your introvert/extrovert dilemma. I LOVE hosting parties & going out with friends. But I also LOVE when my husband takes the kids somewhere for the day & I can be totally alone in the house. Clearly, I’m a very complicated & deep person. (Ahem.)
Nothing better than good friends and good food! Well, okay, maybe there is something better–but we’ll save that for another time! Especially if there is a pan of brownies sitting in front of me! Hello?!
Symphony brownies? Never heard of them! But I feel I MUST rush right out and get the ingredients to make them…seeing as how my husband is in the Montgomery Symphony…how could I not?!?!
Happy Thursday!
I would eat those symphony bars on top of a hot dog, but alas, they are VERY HARD to find in my neck of the woods.
Well…I must say I’m jealous of your eating adventures. I’ve made it thru one cup of coffee and there is NOTHING good to eat in the whole house!
I love random fun days with good friends and good food!
I found those brownies last year at a Super Bowl party. YUM! Needless to say I have made them about 3 – 4 times this year over the holidays for various parties. My friend that I got the recipe from said they like them better the next day after the chocolate has kind of set. I know my family (and I) prefer them the same day they come out of the oven! Just thought I would share…. :-)
I am a HUGE fan of those brownies! My mother had been going on and on about them so one day I had to see what all the fuss was about. I haven’t been the same since! Oh so good! The only problem is, all this talk about them makes me want some. With a big scoop of Blue Bell Homemade vanilla ice cream, of course! Honest, I’ve been trying to claim the fruit of the spirit of self control but dessert makes it difficult!
I have to make those brownies immediately. IMMEDIATELY, I tell you.
To Diet Air!
you
are
killing
my
resolution(s)
*sigh*
Blessings,
K ;0)
Just finished a huge meal at Cracker Barrel, complete with biscuits and blackberry jelly. But, you’ve inspired me to make a run to the grocery store for the ingredients to try out Symphony Brownies!
Yum!
There is nothing quite as sweet than a day with old friends! Truly a gift from heaven!
Not to mention the heavenly brownies….
Laura
Well, goodness sakes alive — I think I’m smack dab in the middle of the personality test with you! I always get to a point during my “alone, introverted” time thinking, “Where are they? They should be home by now!!” But I sure do love me some alone time. And I sure do love me some friends and family time! I think smack dab in the middle is a delightful place to be!
And goodness gracious I’m so happy about a new brownie recipe that I will try as soon as I hit “Submit Comment!”
Happy New Year, friend!
Dori
I’m eating air for the next two or three or a hundred days, too… I realized with great horror this morning that I’d officially cleared an entire plate of fudge on my own in the past three days. I’m not going to allow myself to be tempted by those brownies. I’m just not.
YOU. ARE. UNDOUBTEDLY. THE. FUNNIEST. WOMAN. I. KNOW. Seriously!!!! You really do make me laugh so hard. And your commentors are also pretty funny themselves :)
A good time with friends that includes food, well, it just doesn’t get any better than that!
Good friends and good times require good food! Those brownies sound wonderful!
Oh, and I’m eating air for the next little bit, too. The salesman who just dropped off the Dunkin Donuts at my desk obviously didn’t know that.
Have a great day!
Get thee behind me, temptress! Have you no mercy on my sweet-riddled body that can hardly fit into jeans. Oh the humanity of it all!
Yeah, I’ll try the brownies. I’d never heard of them either.
HOLY COW! I got full READING your blog today!
I’m always in the middle of a personality test, too! When I was working on my masters degree, I had to take a class called “Psychology of Individual Differences”. OH. MY. GOSH! I think I was supposed to learn about understanding “other people” in this class but I learned sooooo much about myself. Every test I took, I fell smack dab in the middle of the catagories. At first, it was very upsetting to me. But, it was more enlightening than anything. I think that’s why I am so indecisive! My brain is even straddling a fence!!
It sounds like 2008 is starting out wonderfully for you! Great friends! Good food! A loving family! It doesn’t get any better than that! Oh, I forgot to tell you……I’ve been reading your blog for a year, now. I can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to each day and/or how humorously you’ve shared it. I’m so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with you and many of your “blogging buddies”. Does that make us BBFF (Blogging Best Friends Forever)??
By the way, I fixed your black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day.
Happy New Year, Boomama!
Looks like your new year is off to a fantastic start! Happy 2008!
I adore you.
And I laugh harder every day.
I recharge that way, too. There’s a fine balance to be had with company and then alone time :) Of course, the refueling part sounded wonderful, as well. Those brownies must be delicious!
Oh I’m on the side that needs people needs people all the time! I’m glad you enjoyed your drive and really glad you enjoyed the food I am on day 3 of WW… So eat one more piece of wonderful greasy chicken for me!
Here’s what you can always expect immediately after New Year’s…..
endless television commercials for diets (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, South Beach) and brownie recipes at BooMama.
I must try those and then get right back to the diet.
Oh, and those parmesan crisps sound good, but I can’t get the link to work.
Here’s what you can always expect immediately after New Year’s…..
endless television commercials for diets (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, South Beach) and brownie recipes at BooMama.
I must try those and then get right back to the diet.
Oh, you know …. those parmesan crisps sound good, but I can’t get the link to work.
Mmmm, those Symphony brownies sound delicioso (and sinfully decadent). Sort of like my mom’s Almond Joy brownies. You mix coconut and a can of sweetened condensed milk together with a little vanilla and some chopped almonds, and spread it over half the brownie batter, then cover with the other half and bake.
Too bad there’s not such a thing as the Emperor’s New Food. Invisible food that we could deceive ourselves into thinking tasted just like those brownies, when in fact were nothing but air.
I refuse to talk about sweets. I’m so glad you didn’t provide any graphics. :/ You crack me up. Do you do any professional writing?
Nancy
Oh my word – I did NOT need to be reminded of the symphony brownies!!!
Sounds like the PERFECT day!!
xo,
J
Symphony brownies are divine. Yum.
You are all funny but BooMama may be the next Erma Bombeck (if you have to ask who she is, you are young)
I love coming here but it sure is hard hearing about all this foooooood when I cannot eat any of it. But I will still write down all my favorites because once I lose my weight I can try some of it. I had a dinner party at my home at christmas and made the asparagus casserole and lo and behold the teenagers that were here loved it and asked there mom to get the recipe from me, it was too funny. I still have 80 pounds to lose and laugh everytime I come here and listen to you and all the food. Paula Deen is the same way, Southern woman, well I am Southern too I guess, it isnt fair to be Southern and have to diet….
I am just gonna bypass all the food comments and say I am right there with you on the introverted extrovert scale (or would that be extroverted introvert?).
Oh I DO know about the Symphony brownies. They really are just too good.
I am always smack in the middle of I and E, too! Of course I never use my energy for cleaning, but still we’re a little bit alike in that way. What I think it means for me is that if I feel like being around people, I really like them, and otherwise I’d be just as happy at home alone with my computer or a book.
I think Merritt is about the coolest name I have heard in quite some time! Just thought I would let you know that bit of randomness!
Always make the Symphony Bar Brownies and they’re ALWAYS a hit. BUT, shhhhhh, don’t tell people how easy they are to make. I rather like the attention at people thinking I’ve slaved away. :) AND… for a yummy change… try the same with Andes mints. It takes awhile to unwrap them, but they are scrumptious!!!!
You. make. me. laugh.
I really need to eat something that hasn’t been dipped in something (do you follow me?). I hesitate to even throw the word “resolution” around, but ya know?
I’ve definitely got to try the Symphony Brownies. Symphony bars are my “treat”. Ok, so is dark chocolate. and Resees.
and
Dove bars
and……..
Dang-a-wang why did I read that?? I think I can stick to my diet. I think I can stick to my diet. I think I can…I think I can…I think I can have those brownies made before I go to bed tonight!
Sounds as if a great time was had by all. Had to, there was a lot of GOOD food involved!
I make those brownies too but I also melt caramel and put it on top of the symphony bars and then the other 1/2 of the brownie mix. You might have to have a cigarette after you eat them. :)
OK, I stumbled upon your blogginess from the LPM blog – LOVE me some Beth Moore!!! – and I must comment. I realize that you don’t know me from Adam and, at the risk of sounding like a blog stalker, I must say that I love ya!!! Your style of writing, along with your wit and charming personality, has kept me utterly entertained for the better part of a half hour now.
I have laughed, I have cried, I have tried VERY hard to stay focused on the focus of keeping my healthy temple resolve (though I must say that I am now seriously craving me some of them Symphony brownies!!!!). But, mostly, I have THOUGHT, reflected on my sweet Jesus and what a wonder it is that the Good Lord created the mind of some genius who created the internet and that is how we will all know eachother this side of Heaven!!! How cool is He to provide a way for us to uphold and support our sisters – or is that siestas – without ever having laid eyes on most of em?!?!?!
Gotta love that Big Guy!!!
Anywho – just wanted to say hey and thanks for the words – I may be stepping by often (course that will make it elevens of readers….. Is that ok?!?!?!)
Thanks again!
Becky Jo
Yes! I’ve had these before and they are de-lish!
But, I always use “(2)Hershey’s Brownie mix”. It makes for a thicker brownie and more chocolate Goodness & who doesn’t want that, right?
Put one mix on the bottom…layer your bars…then pour the other mix on the top! & ENJOY!!
Oh how I love you and really want to hang with you!!! We’d get along just great!
Friends who “graze” together are friends for life.
Hugs,
Sue
Air … somehow that sounds better than lettuce and diet soda … especially after gumbo and those brownies! Brownies that at my house will be constructed without haste this weekend! Glad I found your site on this entry! Looking forward to the archives. Made me laugh right out loud!
Sounds like the internets are much better than me on their diets. There are too many bowl games yet to start. Monday is the big day for me and hubs. But that is the day after I make symphony brownies for our bible study on Sunday night. I will be immediately going to the Food Network website to fully research this recipe! The symphony bars and brownies are two of my favorites!
Oh my gosh!!!!!!!!! Those brownies sound absolutely delicious!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.littleladyboutique.blogspot.com
Raising my glass of faucet soda to you, and chasing it with a generous helping of oxygen cookies!!
THANK YOU for sharing the brownie recipe. I’m all about the easy these days. And now that I have a missionary out who keeps writing home asking for Mom’s homemade anything and everything, I can whip up a batch of these to send out to him.
He doesn’t care if they are stale, he just wants them made by Mom. :)
You had me at starbucks and fried chicken.
I’m always smack-dab in the middle of intro-extrovert too! We’re a rare breed o’ craziness, all right.
All sounds yummy! I’m going to have to try those brownies–they sound just sinful! Glad you had a good time with your friends–and alone time in the car–glorious:)
I thought YOU were the one who enlightened me about the Symphony brownines a while back.
I don’t know anybody else who bakes. :)
xo
All I had were Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars — but I tried it and about died!! I’m getting me one of them there symphony bars. Lord Have Mercy!! I can hear the violins now!! Or maybe that’s the rush of my scale dial zinging past my last all time high.
My version of Symphony Brownies include doing exactly what you suggested, letting them cool, then spreading a light layer of Pillsbury or Duncan Hines cream cheese frosting and topping that with a larged MELTED Symphony bar. Refrigerate them for about an hour, eat one and fall into a happy sugar coma. Enjoy!
Those brownies sound INCREDIBLE! I’m going to buy the ingredients tomorrow . . .
Those brownies! Oh wow! Oh wow! Oh wow!
Mari-Nanci
Parmesan Crisps are divine!