Bena Mae’s Kitchen: If it weren’t for bad luck…

I’d have no luck at all.
It’s been like that all week. A repair truck with a company logo on its side  has been a common sight in front of my house every day this week.
It all began last Monday when my television had been on the fritz for three days. I had battled a scrambled screen that went to black about 5 minutes after a  program started. I could never see the end of some of my favorite shows. And it was beginning to hit on my last nerve. So the tech serviceman came out and twisted some wires and fixed the problem.
But that was only the beginning of my troubles. The next day the telephone went out. Same scenario as the day before. “Will you be at home between 3 and 5 p.m.” was the reply I got when I called tech support. Oh, yes, I thought as I grumbled goodbye. Never mind that his “between  3 and 5 p.m.” meant 5 o’clock on the dot while I was trying to get supper. Oh, well ya takes what you can get.
With a sigh that would be the end of these aggravations, I looked forward to Wednesday as a day free of disruptions.  But the biggie, the most devastating  and depressing catastrophe that can occur in a household, was lying in wait. I had a clogged drain, and I do mean clogged. All the water I was using was draining into my bathtub. I couldn’t use the washer, wash dishes, flush the toilet… my house smelled like a sewer. I used a whole bottle of Renuzit, and found their TV ads were deceptive. And by this time, I was wearing the cleanest of my dirty clothes.
A simple call to the utilities company was the answer to my prayer. They sent out 4 big strapping men (angels) who saved me from losing my sanity. In just a few minutes, they cleared the drain as though it were nothing to them. I offered them the deed to my house as well as my next grandchild as they packed up their gear and drove away.
This morning as I sat down to write this column, my computer flickered and died.  After adjusting a dozen or so wires, I soon realized the power in the whole house had gone off.  After about 2 hours with no heat, I was beginning to shiver under the throw I had wrapped around my body.. As I considered my options, I heard the blessed sound of the heat coming on.
Now I have to reset all the digital clocks in the house.
If this goes on much longer, I may have an exorcist come in and exorcise the demons stalking my house. I’m not a believer in the paranormal but I’m beginning to get paranoid. I used to be a skeptic, but now, not so much.

A day without chocolate is like a day without sunshine.

The Hotel Hershey’s Chocolate Cream Pie
from The Hotel Hershey

9-inch baked pastry shell
2 1/2 cups milk, divided
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
2 1/2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons butter
Shaved chocolate or Hershey’s Kisses for garnish

Heat 1 1/2 cups milk and sugar in 1-quart saucepan. Combine 1 cup milk with flour, cornstarch, salt and egg yolks. Temper by adding 1/3 of the hot sugar/milk mixture to the egg yolk mixture. Return mixture to the pot and bring to a boil. Stir one minute, then remove from heat.
Add chocolate and stir in until melted. Finish with vanilla and butter. Pour into pie shell and refrigerate. To serve, garnish with whipped cream and shaved chocolate or unwrapped Hershey’s Kisses.