#MEwx Hot and muggy again with a few bad-for-you cold drinks

Good Morning Augusta.

Remember, we're under a heat advisory between 11 A.M. and 8 P.M. this evening. Take it seriously folks, and for Pete's sake don't neglect your pets!

This morning we have partly sunny skies and hot with highs in the lower 90s. Northwest winds around 10 mph and darn, darn muggy.

Tonight we'll have partly cloudy conditions with a slight chance for showers after midnight. Humid with lows around 70°F. Light and variable winds.  Heat index values in the lower 90s early in the evening.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Our outdoor temperature is 79.4°F, the humidity is 76%, the Dew point is 70.5°F with a heat index of 82.0°F.

The wind direction is Northwest between 0.0 MPH and 0.1 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 30.04, the Absolute pressure is 29.84 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun and clouds.

We didn't receive any rain here over the past 24 hours.

If you want to see real-time instrument readings from my personal weather station in my North field click Here. That will take you directly to my weather station.

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers with High and thin overcast with sun again today.

The UV rating is 2 out of 16, The moon is  73.7% illuminated, the moon phase is Waning Gibbous, Sunrise is 4:58 am↑ 56° Northeast, sunset is 8:27 pm↑ 304° Northwest, Moonrise is XXX, Moonset is 10:17 am↑ 253° West and we'll have 15 hours 29 minutes of daylight today.

It's another scorcher out there today, so consider what "rich folks" have to keep cool with.

There's more than one down there so enjoy.

This one is From the Sept. 13 New York Times

The composition of this sundae is classic.  There's ice cream – the flavors of your choice in whatever quantities you want; sauce –homemade hot fudge sauce based on dark chocolate (not chips, please); fresh whipped cream; and two different add-ins, toasted slivered almonds and chopped chocolate bits.  It's the bits that are the big surprise – they're bittersweet chocolate and salt, melted together, frozen and then cut into morsels. 

INGREDIENTS

FOR SALTED CHOCOLATE BITS:

·         8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not chips), finely chopped

·         ¾ teaspoon fleur de sel (or 1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt)

FOR HOT-FUDGE SAUCE:

·         6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not chips), finely chopped

·         ¾ cup heavy cream

·         3 tablespoons light corn syrup

·         2 tablespoons sugar

FOR THE SUNDAE:

·          About 3/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

·         1 pint coffee (or favorite flavor) ice cream

·         1 pint vanilla (or favorite flavor) ice cream

·          Lightly sweetened whipped cream

PREPARATION

1.   To make the bits: Line a pie plate with plastic wrap. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or on low power in a microwave. Add the salt, stir to blend and then, using a spatula, spread the chocolate on the plastic, making a layer that's 1/8-inch thick (shape doesn't matter). Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and freeze for at least 45 minutes. When you're ready to make the sundaes, chop the chocolate into bite-size bits.

2.   To make the sauce: Put the chocolate, cream, corn syrup and sugar in a medium pan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate melts and comes to a light simmer, about 5 minutes. Still stirring, let it burble for a minute or two, then scrape it into a heatproof container. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate until needed.

3.   To make the sundaes: If necessary, warm the fudge sauce in a double boiler, or microwave on low. For each sundae, sprinkle some salted chocolate bits and almonds in the bottom of a bowl, snifter or sundae glass. Top with a scoop or two of coffee ice cream, some hot fudge sauce, almonds and bits. Finish with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, fudge sauce, whipped cream, almonds and chocolate bits. Serve immediately with a long spoon.

 

 

This is the Brownie Extraordinaire, a mere  $1,000:

You can try this dessert next time you're on the East Coast of the U.S.- if you're willing to dish out $1,000. The Brownie Extraordinaire is sold at Brule, a restaurant in the Tropicana Resort located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. But, this isn't just any brownie. It's made out of dark chocolate that is then covered with Italian hazelnuts and served with a scoop of ice cream. Along with the sweet dessert, customers are also given a very rare and highly expensive port wine, Quinta do Novel Nicional, from Portugal. The wine is poured and served in a St. Louis Crystal atomizer. Although a brownie may not seem like a very lavish dessert, adding the rare glass of wine most definitely spices things up. And, if you're a really big spender, you can choose to spend $15,000 on a Valentine's Day package at Tropicana Resorts, which includes a hotel stay, romantic dinners, and of course the Brownie Extraordinaire.