Sobriquetless: Secret Subject Swap

Welcome a Secret Subject Swap. This month 7 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

My subject is: Do you have a nickname? If so, where did it come from? If not, what do you think it should be and why?
It was submitted by: Donna of Our Prime Years.

I've had a few, nothing that ever stuck for any length of time. Some worth mentioning, some I'd just as soon forget. But for the most part, I've been sobriquetless. I don't have one of those names that comes with a built in nickname. Like, you know, Bob for Robert or Cathy for Catherine. Karen just isn't one of those names. I guess it's short and to the point. I mean, what are you going to call me "Ka" or "Ren"? Nothing really works naturally.

When I was little, my dad put my initials together, they were "K" "B" and "L" and called me Kibble for a while. It was endearing but only, as I said, for a while. Then some dog food company came out with a product called Kibbles and Bits and the nickname sort of lost all of its magic. I mean, a dog food nickname. That's just great. Everyone wants to be called dog food, right?

Later, in high school, a close friend of mine raced stock cars. At one point he had "sweet cheeks" painted on the back quarter panel. He said it was for me. I guess you can have a nickname whether you know it or not. Fortunately that car is long gone. As is the size my cheeks had been, but I may be getting a little off topic . . .

I've been called a few things between then and adulthood. Not all worth mentioning. Like Roseanne Rosannadana when it's humid out (unfortunately the similarity still exists in that weather). And a high school teacher used to call me Mona Lisa because he said I had the same smile. Still not sure what to make of that.

As an adult, I've been called Martha Stewart of the Midwest (not really a compliment since she ended up in jail), and Neighborhood Pied Piper, I bake and all the kids come (better).

Creme de Menthe Cheesecake Brownies

My mom, my husband, my sister, my friends, most everyone just calls me Karen. My kids, now that's another story. We joke around a lot (at least I hope we're kidding), they like to called me "mean old lady". To which I respond "you better be nice to me or I'll have my mother beat up your mother".

But through all the years and all the names and all the jokes, by far the best thing I've ever been called (especially with all I went through to have children), though not technically a nickname, is Mom.

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Wandering Web Designer 
Spatulas on Parade
The Bergham Chronicles   
Part-time Working Hockey Mom 
Our Prime Years 
Climaxed 

Creme de Menthe Cheesecake Brownies    

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
12 TBSP butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup Andes baking chips

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP sour cream
1 egg
1/2 cup Andes baking chips

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.
*Melt the semisweet chocolate chips and butter in the microwave until completely smooth when stirred. 
*Whisk in 1 1/4 cups of sugar and the brown sugar, then the eggs. Mix in the flour and salt, then the 1/3 cup Andes baking chips. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
*Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and sour cream until smooth. Beat in the egg, then mix in the remaining Andes baking chips.
*Dollop the cream cheese mixture carefully onto the brownie mixture in the pan. Using a toothpick, gently swirl the cream cheese mixture just barely into the brownie mixture.
*Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the sides are brown and crusty and the center is just set.
*Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold before slicing. Store in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature for serving.