Practice Makes Perfect: Funny Friday

Today’s post is this month’s Funny Friday, a regular feature published on the last Friday of every month. Funny Friday is a collaborative project. Each month one of the participants submits a picture, then we all write 5 captions or thoughts inspired by that month’s picture. Links to the other bloggers’ posts are below, click on them and see what they’ve come up with. I hope we bring a smile to your face as you start your weekend.

Here's today's picture. It was submitted by Dawn of Cognitive Script.

1.Woman (exasperated after just having left the mall, and mumbling under her breath): Bet he never walks up and down 10 aisles in a mall parking lot searching for where he left his car.

2. Well that's the height of laziness, get out and walk, you don't play paintball in your car.

3. Little boy to his mom (pointing to the multicolored car): Mom, what's that?
Mother: That's the car of someone who flunked art.

4. The next day:
Little boy to his mom (pointing out the front window): That guy only painted half of his car, what do you think he in art? A "C"?

5. Next day: 
Mom: Where are you going?
Son (heading into the garage carrying every color of indelible marker they make): I have to go practice, I want to get an "A" in art.


And now for something yummy: 

Chocolate Chunky Peanut Butter Bars

Click on the links below and let some other bloggers make you smile:

Southern Belle Charm 
Cognitive Script 
 The Bergham Chronicles
Bookworm in the Kitchen

Chocolate Chunky Peanut Butter Bars

                                                                ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
14 chocolate graham crackers, crushed to crumbs
1 stick butter, melted

2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter

1 can evaporated milk
box chocolate pudding mix (3.9 oz)
1 cup chopped peanut butter and chocolate candies (peanut butter clusters, peanut butter cups or butterfingers)  

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

OPT: chocolate syrup
 
Directions:
*Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.
*Mix together the chocolate graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
*Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, evaporated milk with the chocolate pudding mix, just until incorporated. Mix in the chopped candy and set aside.
*Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and beat until firm peaks hold. Fold into the cream cheese mixture. Pour into the crust. Refrigerate for at least an hour before cutting. OPT: drizzle with chocolate syrup. Store in the refrigerator.

 

The Coffee DMZ

There is one day a year that I am just miserable. Well, there's probably more than one, but those are individual stories for another day (or not). But there is one that I can bank on, it's Yom Kippur. It comes in the fall, at the time of the Jewish New Year, and is a very solemn holiday, a day when we pray to be included in the "book of life" for the coming year. We think, we pray, and we fast.

I bet you've decided that I'm miserable because of the fast. Nope. Actually, my family and I do quite well with it. It's the coffee. I do not do well (actually, I don't "do" at all) without coffee. I'm addicted and no intervention is going to cure me. I need it to function and yes, I know that all addicts say that but there it is, it's true. 

For many of us, there is a line to be drawn in the day, every day, between pre-coffee and post-coffee. I, most assuredly am one of those many. With that in mind, if you want to be my friend (you do, don't you), here are some things you need to know.

  Eight things that cannot happen before coffee:

~ Say "good morning" to me. If you are a morning person, you cannot be my friend. Or family. Or acquaintance, neighbor, or anything else. You are an anomaly that I have no desire to resolve. Yeah, Grumpy Cat (rest in peace) had nothing on me.

~ Ring my doorbell. Separate from my first point, this is not just because I'm grumpy, but for your own good. If you don't want to see me with my pajama top hanging off one shoulder, hair looking like I stuck my finger in a socket, one eye open and mascara gluing the other shut, frantically looking for door opening directions, just don't do it.

~ Let me try to work out a new recipe. Been there, done that with this one before, woke up with a genius recipe idea, jot it down and then later (post coffee), as I'm deleting, wonder why the hell I thought Nutella and lime juice would go well in macaroni and cheese. Well, unless you're looking for a home made version of Ipecac Syrup. And I'm not.

This recipe, btw, completely developed after a few good cups of joe:

Macaroni Dinner Salad
served with
Blueberry Lime Bread

~ Tell me bad news of any kind. I'm like a deer in the headlights, completely paralyzed, not a single idea of what to say or do, not even sure I'd heard what (it later turns out) I had, in fact, heard. Even PurDude, when he broke his leg in college (and was himself in agony), knew to wait till he was sure I'd had my coffee before calling with the news.

~ Make plans. Whether it's for that day or another, truth is, even if I do remember it later I'll think it was a dream.

~ Let me anywhere near keys. Car keys specifically, but for the safety of all, any keys really is a good general rule. 'Nuff said.

~ Allow medical commercials on TV. There should be a law dictating the time of day for these things. I mean, I turn on the TV so I can watch the news, but until I've got that first cup in me, do not even think about advertising meds with these (among other) side effects: explosive diarrhea, abnormal ejaculation, vaginal twitching, bloody discharge . . . I'd like that coffee to stay down, thank you. And believe me, so would those around me.

~ Assume I have any working brain cells. I don't. But if you wait a few minutes, I know where they are, and I'm about to them.

Hello, my name is Karen and 364 days a year I'm a coffee addict. And that other day? You'd best steer clear. 

Macaroni Dinner Salad        
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups macaroni noodles

3/4 cup cooked chicken, cubed
1/2 cup cooked ham, cubed
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 carrot, peeled into strips with a potato peeler
1 green onion, chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
2 tsp stone ground mustard
4 tsp sweet pickle relish
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
*Cook the macaroni to al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water multiple times to stop the cooking process. Place in a large bowl in the refrigerator.
*Whisk together the mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, mustard, relish, salt, celery salt and pepper. Refrigerate.
*Once the noodles are completely cold, add the chicken, ham, eggs, carrot and green onion to the bowl and gently mix. Last, add the dressing and gently mix again.
*Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to overnight. Mix every now and then.

Have a Nude Day: Fly on the Wall

Welcome to a monthly Fly on the Wall group post. Today 6 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house. At the end of my post you’ll find links to this month’s other participants’ posts.

Always check your caller ID, friends.

Hubs went out to fill our propane tank. We don't do those drop one off and take another stations because we did it once and the tank caught fire. 

My cell phone rings and he tells me the gas station we usually go to has changed hands and doesn't sell propane. I tell him someplace else to try.

My cell phone rings and he tells me the second place doesn't have anyone on staff today who can do the propane. I tell him someplace else to try.

My cell phone rings and he tells me that the third place won't fill our tank because they only fill tanks 10 years old and newer and ours is 11 years old. I tell him someplace else to try.

My cell phone rings and he tells me that at the fourth place the two guys ahead of him got propane and when it was his turn, they ran out. I told him he was a propane jinx and to just come home. He's noncommittal, I can tell he doesn't want to give up.

My cell phone rings and I've had it. I pick it up and yell "JUST COME HOME"! Which would have been understandable if it had been Hubs on the phone.

The Red Sox have been having a pretty miserable start to their season {{sob}}. Since I don't live on the East Coast, even though I do have MLB channel, I don't get many games on TV so I often have to stream the games to my laptop and hook the laptop up to the TV. Usually it's just me since Hubs is often at work when they're on.

Hubs (on a Saturday afternoon): Are you going to stream the game?
Me: I really don't know. They're killing me this year.
Hubs: Let's watch, it's raining out, we're not doing anything else.

We watched and they won. Next day, same thing happened.

Me: I think you're their good luck charm.
Hubs: Maybe.

Later that week I text Hubs at work:

Me: Can you come home right now?
Hubs: What's wrong? Did the sump pump back up again? You locked out of the house again? Dead mouse in the garage again? What's going on?
Me: The Red Sox are playing a day game.

Yeah, he was thrilled with me.

So that Saturday when Hubs had first talked me into streaming the game, I'm sitting there watching it with him. 

Me: Oh my G-d. What the hell? That's not possible. Holy crap.
Hubs: What's the matter?
Me: Did you hear what the announcer just said about that player?
Hubs: What do you mean?
Me: The announcer said that he was activated off the IL (injured list) after the castrating he suffered in spring training.
Hubs (looking at me like I'm nuts, which is debatable): He was activated off the IL after the calf strain he suffered in spring training. Calf strain, not castrating.
Me (in my best Roseanne Rosannadanna voice): Never mind.

I've talked before about these "bot" comments left on my blog. Well, they try to, I have comment moderation so I delete them before they get there. It's aggravating though because they leave at least 15 of them a day in moderation for me to review and delete. Sometimes they make no sense as it's clear they aren't being written by anyone who speaks English. 

Sometimes, though, I wonder if they have a hidden camera in my home. The other day I was having a really bad day when I went into my comments awaiting moderation, and found this one:

"Keep functioning".

Ah, yeah, thanks, I needed that.

Poor PurDude innocently walked in the front door a few weeks ago and I, exhausted from lack of sleep, pounced the minute he made it in the door.

Me (angrily): You just about gave me a heart attack last night.
PurDude: What?
Me: Whenever my cell phone dings with a text between 1:00 am and 3:00 am, something is always really wrong with you . . . a broken leg, in the hospital, car broke down, frat chef died . . .
PurDude: And ?
Me: So when my cell dinged with a text last night at 1:40 am, I had a heart attack worrying what you were going to tell me now.
PurDude: But it wasn't me.
Me: I know, it was a friend back home, but I still had a heart attack worrying about you until I got my phone and got that message opened.
PurDude: Ummm . . . sorry?

Cookies and Creme Bars

You may be aware that it was Mother's Day a few weeks ago. My boys rarely buy cards, they're getting better at it, but it's rare. So I was surprised on Mother's Day, when College Boy handed me a card.

Me: You got me a card!
College Boy: I did.
Me (looking at the envelope, which looks a little worse for the wear): And you folded it up and rolled it in a ball. 
College Boy: Happy Mother's Day.
Me: I'm kidding. I'm grateful . . .  but I'm afraid to open it. Is it mean?
College Boy: Would I be mean to you, old woman?
Me: Well, yeah.

I open the card and it's actually a sweet card. And he even wrote a message inside: "You're my favorite Mom". Given the size of the field (one), I'm not sure that's as large a compliment as it seems, but I'll take what I can get.

I often share my autocorrect issues here in this post not just because they're funny (well, in an embarrassing way) but as a cautionary tale. Check those messages before you send them friends.

A friend had sent me a message the day after Mother's Day wishing me a happy Mother's Day and saying that she hoped I'd done something fun. 

I responded wishing her a happy Mother's Day as well and telling her that I hoped she had a nice day too. Unfortunately I sent the message before reread it. What I actually said was: "Happy Mother's Day. Hope you had a nude day too." 

Oy. Perfect.

Hubs: You know what I forgot to do yesterday?
Me: No.
Hubs: I remembered on my way to work.
Me: What.
Hubs: I forgot to shave. 
Me: Oh, well, it was casual Friday.
Hubs: Yeah, that may be taking casual Friday to a new level.
Me (looking at my legs): Well, it could be worse, my legs have been having casual Friday since last September.

 

I had the TV on last weekend and Joy Reid said something I just loved. I knew I was going to steal it and use it one day.

I was talking to a friend who has a toddler and that toddler was being a toddler. She was trying so hard to get through to him, stating the rules, explaining why it's for safety, and on and on. But he was defying her at every turn. 

Lisa: I'm trying so hard to be calm, consistent, I just can't get through to him. 
Me: Oh honey, that's because you're playing by the Marquess de Queensberry Rules and he's playing Whack a Mole (thank you Joy Reid).

Of course she laughed and I could tell some of the tension was relieved.

And I am so using that again. Every chance I get.

It's lilac season, and I adore lilacs. Each year I can't wait until mine bloom on the side of the house. I always bring some in to put in a vase on the kitchen counter. The whole family have allergies and the lilacs definitely make it a lot worse, but they're beautiful, and they're only out for a short time.

Me: It's lilac season, you know what that means right?
College Boy: You hate me.

Wasn't really what I was getting at . . .

Now click on the links below for a peek into some other homes:

Never Ever Give Up Hope  
Menopausal Mother 
Spatulas on Parade
Bookworm in the Kitchen
Follow Me Home 

Cookies and Creme Bars

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
4 oz butter, melted 
12 chocolate cookies (I use Dark Chocolate Fudge Stripe)
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 box Cookies and Creme pudding mix
1/2 cup milk

Whipped cream for serving

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 X 11 baking dish.
*Mix together the chocolate graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into the bottom of the baking dish.
*Crush the chocolate cookies to small chunks. Set about 1/3 of the chunks aside.
*Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, pudding mix and milk until well mixed. Add in 2/3 of the cookie crumbs. Pour into prepared crust.
*Bake for 25 minutes until set. Allow to cool completely. Cut in half lengthwise, then into bars (about 8 cuts along the width should give you a total of 18 bars). Refrigerate.
*Serve dotted with whipped cream and sprinkled with the remaining 1/3 of the cookie crumbs.

Irk me Twice

I always say "Irk me once, shame on you. Irk me twice, shame on me". Well, I don't always say it but I'm saying it now. Sometimes you just gotta get a few things off your chest and, well, today's one of those days. So I've made a list of the top things that irk me. I wouldn't be surprised if you see something that hits close to home for you too.

~ All drivers. Yes, all of them. And I give them all a piece of my mind, in the privacy of my own car. Like the ones doing 10 mph under the speed limit in the left lane to whom I advise "If you can't drive, stay home." Or the people (always the car in front of me) who don't move when the light turns green but give me the finger when I honk: "Yeah, give me the finger, then go back to kindergarten and learn your colors." 

~ I am the grammar police. I don't mind the newer, more relaxed and conversational way of writing, starting a sentence with "and" or "but", using colloquialisms, that kind of thing. But (see that?) I cannot read a story, post or meme (I even canceled my newspaper) if you can't spell, use an apostrophe, or if you put a comma after every third word just for the hell of it. It's just too distracting. You have something to say, now figure out how to say it. Please.

~ 7am lawn mowers. Why? Just . . . why? Were you not nurtured as a child?

~ People who think that rules not for them. At school pick up, there were 2 lanes between curbs. People waited in line for the right lane, which was where you picked up your kids once you reached the curb. You then you pulled out into the left lane to exit the school property. There were always people who decided that the line was not for them, drove up the left lane, then as someone was pulling out, shoved ahead of what should be the next car, always sticking partway out into the "drive away" lane. It always pissed me off. One day someone did that. I was at the head of the line and shot up the left lane and shoved in behind me, almost hitting my car. He was so close he couldn't pull out until I pulled forward. Well let me tell you, I let every single other car behind us get their kids, pull out and go by. Waved at them all while this guy honked at me, yelled at me, rolled his eyes. Nope, I wasn't moving. I think we were the last two to leave the school. And yes, I'm proud of myself.

Same thing with baking. Although I do believe in making small adjustments to a recipe to serve your tastes, if you have to change too much, chances are this recipe is not for you. A recipe, generally, is a rule. If you don't follow the rules, it may not come out. It's fine if you want to substitute lemon for lime, something like that, but it makes me crazy when someone says they tried my Blueberry Lime Bread but left out half the sugar (cutting back), only used the egg whites, skipped the baking powder cause they didn't have any and only baked it for 10 minutes because they had an appointment, then proceed to tell me that there must be something wrong with my recipe, it doesn't come out. Follow the rules, fool. Sheesh (rolling my eyes).

Blueberry Lime Bread

~ Waste. Even when I go to other people's houses I'll shut off lights in empty rooms. But my older son, he is the worst. He'll turn the TV and fan on in his room, turn the oven on in the kitchen, turn the light on in the basement, then go in the bathroom down there to take a 45 minute shower. Where were you raised anyway? Oh yeah.

~ Religion pushers. I am in the minority religiously and I feel that all the time. Religion serves a purpose in terms of behavior, setting moral parameters. But a lot of what we get from our religion is up to interpretation too. I have no problem with anyone living according to the tenets of their faith. I have every problem with the attitude that all must live according to their beliefs. If you want respect, be respectful.

~ Woodpeckers. Yes, this has become a big problem for me. They peck at the side of my house where the fireplace is, which reverberates through the house. Not only that, but they make holes in the damn siding. We just had to pay close to $1000 to have siding that looked like Swiss cheese pulled off the outside of our house and replaces. Apparently they make loud noises to attract mates, the louder ones get the cheerleaders or something, idk. Someone needs to teach these guys how to wolf whistle.

~ Strangers who call me Honey. It just comes off as so condescending. I always feel like I should tell them "Honey (get how I used that right back?), if you knew me, you'd know I aint nobody's (whoa, call the grammar police) Honey. Actually, I'm more like the bee".

What irks you?

Blueberry Lime Bread        
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries
1 TBSP flour
6 TBSP butter, softened 
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 TBSP lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
1 container (6 oz) lime yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 TBSP lime juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan.
*Rinse the blueberries and pat dry. Mix with the 1 TBSP flour.
*Cream the butter with the sugar. Beat in the eggs, 3 TBSP lime juice, lime zest, yogurt and sour cream.
*Mix in the flour, salt and baking powder, then finally gently fold in the blueberries.
*Spread into the loaf pan and bake for approximately 55 to 65 minutes, until the top springs back to the touch. Cool for 10 minutes in the loaf pan. Remove from the pan and cool completely.
*Wisk together the 2 TBSP lime juice with the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the bread.

Toilet Brush and Paperback Books: Use Your Words

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.
I'm using: robber ~ sunshine ~ pretty ~ books ~ every
They were submitted by Diane of On the Border.

                          
The first word on my list, robber, is what drove me to tell you this story. In fact, I hadn't thought about it for quite some time, but just seeing that word brought the memory to mind, and I had to smile.

I wasn't smiling at the time. In fact, I probably had to change my pants when all was said and done.

Before I tell you the story, let me just say that back in the day I did a pretty good job of constantly getting myself into sticky situations. Funny now, every one of them, but not at the time. In my very first Secret Subject Swap, all the way back in 2012, I tell one of these stories, about the time I locked myself out on the my third floor apartment deck in my pajamas. There are so many more stories. As I said I tended to get into it on a regular basis. Remind me to tell you about the time both of my boyfriends showed up at the apartment at the same time, or later when my then live-in boyfriend threw a pot plant off my balcony while I was in the process (I later found out from his father) of having an FBI file created on me . . .

Today's story is another one that happened at around the same time. Admittedly it never would have happened in the bright sunshine of daylight. I was living in the apartment and one day I looked out the window to see a furniture delivery truck and someone I recognized. My stepfather owned 2 furniture stores, one an Ethan Allen Gallery and the other nice furniture but not as high end and not as traditional. The person I had seen was my stepbrother delivering furniture to an apartment across the parking lot from mine. I went over there and walked in to see him. Two men about my age were moving in. I ended up becoming friends with them and later dated one of them off and on for many years.

When he and I would come home from work, we'd park our cars in the parking lot between our buildings and often if we saw the other's car or, when it was dark out, if we saw a light on in each other's windows, we'd stop by to say "hello" or to hang out. 

One night, he had gone out to dinner with friends and I was making myself a late dinner when I lost electricity.

Pistachio Crusted Cod

It was pitch black so I grabbed a flashlight and was finding my way to the door to open it to see if it was the whole building. Nope, of course not, it was just my apartment. Great. I left the door open for some minimal light and took the flashlight and went to find the phone number for the management company.

What I didn't know was that my friend had come home and looked up to see if I was around. He saw that no lights were on, but then realized that someone was walking around with a flashlight. Knowing that was just not right, you know what he did, don't you?

The police showed up, saw the moving flashlight in the dark apartment, somehow got in the main door and found my door open. That went well. 

Once I could breathe again, after I was able to prove I was not a robber and yes, once I changed my pants (guns are scary, friends), I went to talk to my friend. I was grateful he was looking out for me but really, I was a recent college graduate living in an apartment with barely a thing to my name. Some decent furniture, that's about it. "So what did you think?", I asked him, "someone was going to get away with my toilet brush and some well read paperback books?"

Here are links to all the other Use Your Words posts:

Wandering Web Designer 
Cognitive Script
The Bergham Chronicles  
On the Border 
 Southern Belle Charm
Bookworm in the Kitchen
Follow Me Home 
Part-time Working Hockey Mom 
Climaxed 

Pistachio Crusted Cod

                                                    ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 Cod fillets (about 3/4# total)
1 cup roasted shelled pistachios
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp lemon zest
1 egg
1 tsp lemon juice
3 TBSP oil

OPT: fresh sliced lemon or tartar sauce for serving

Directions:
*Place the pistachios in a food processor, chopping to coarsely fine crumbs. Place on a plate.

*Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder and lemon zest on a second plate.
*Whisk the egg with 1 tsp lemon juice in a bowl.
*Rinse and pat dry the Cod fillets. Dredge through the flour mixture, tapping off the excess, then dip in the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip off. Last, coat all sides with the pistachios. Place in the refrigerator for an hour.
*Heat the oil in a saute pan to medium heat. Add the Cod fillets and cook for about 5 minutes, until the nuts have browned. Gently flip over and cook the other side for another 3 to 5 minutes, reducing the heat slightly if the pistachios look like they're getting too dark. 
*Remove fish to a paper towel and check to be sure it's done. NOTE: Fish is done when it is opaque and flakes easily.

May Day Mayday: May Poetry

It's time to celebrate again,
through rhyming rhythmic prose.
Monthly Poetry Group considered,
and May Day's what we chose.

So we're here to share with you,
our poetry ruminations,
about a day that comes in spring,
that's all about celebrations!

May Day Mayday

May Day comes but once a year,

and we all celebrate.
Play outside, go for a walk,
get out that board and skate.

And it's a day for planting flowers,
sights and smells of spring. 
Of course you know that I'll end up,
with runny nose, cough, bee sting.
  At the may pole young 'uns dance,
round and round they pass.
My age, I think I'll sit it out,
Lest I land on my ass.


It's not a celebration without,
a delicious chocolate treat.
Freshly baked and always shared,
with everyone we meet.

Dark Chocolate Mocha Brownies


(going in the oven)

Voices raised we joyously,
together all do sing.
Joined together through song in our,
warm weather worshiping.

BUT . . .

 Like poem writing my crooning skills,
I bet that you can guess.
Are less May Day, let's celebrate,
More Mayday, S.O.S.

Before you go, click on these links to more poetry from some of my friends: 

Dawn of Cognitive Script shares May Day. 
Diane of On the Border shares My Mayday. 
Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares Mayday Mayhem.

Dark Chocolate Mocha Brownies

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 stick margarine
1/2 stick butter
1 TBSP instant coffee granules
1/4 cup French Vanilla flavored creamer
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup Coffee Nut M&Ms

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 TBSP chocolate syrup
1 TBSP French Vanilla creamer

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan
*Melt together the dark chocolate chips, margarine and butter in microwave. Once completely smooth, stir in the instant coffee granules and 1/4 cup of French Vanilla creamer.
*Whisk in the sugar, then the eggs and last the flour. Spread evenly into prepared baking pan. Dot the candies along the top.
*Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until the edges are hardened and the center has just set. Allow to cool to room temperature before topping. 
*Mix together the powdered sugar, chocolate syrup and remaining 1 TBSP French Vanilla creamer until smooth. Drizzle over the brownies, cut and serve.