Strawberry Mousse Cups

When I saw this mouse recipe in the summer, I fell in love with the color and knew this would make a festive dessert for the holidays! I thought putting it in these chocolate cups would make the perfect presentation and I  liked that I could make this ahead of time and freeze it.  The mousse was light and a nice change from the many chocolate desserts that I make every year.  The hardest part of this dessert was finding the already made chocolate cups!  I had looked everywhere and finally found them in a small gourmet Italian market in the neighboring town.

Merry Christmas!!!

Ingredients

1 quart fresh strawberries
1 package (1.4 ounces) 4 serving-size strawberry gelatin
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Whole strawberries and whipped cream for garnish

Directions

1. Wash and hull strawberries. Cut each in half and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, pour boiling water over gelatin and sugar. Stir until dissolved.
3. Pour pureed strawberries into gelatin and stir until combined. The mixture should be room temperature at this point. If not, refrigerate until cool.
4. Whip cream until stiff and fold into gelatin and strawberry mixture until well blended.
5. Spoon into individual serving dishes or keep in bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set.

MY TIP:  I left the chocolate in their original plastic holder which made it easier for piping in the mousse and made it convenient for freezing. 
MY OTHER TIP:  Garnish with whipped cream and strawberries right before serving.

Up 20

"Up 20" is Hamburg, Germany's most exclusive bar.  Numerous locals mentioned we should try this place for the best views of the Harbor. It is located at the Lundenbuchen stop on the S or the U train or make your way there by ferry. It is located on the top of the 22nd floor of the Empire Riverside Hotel.  It opens at 6 pm nightly, arrive early as there is always a line waiting to get in. It guarantees the most spectacular floor to ceiling views of the Elbe River and the Hamburg Harbor. The drinks are pricey but the view is worth it.  Although Hamburg is a very industrial city and the daytime views are such, at night the view becomes mesmerizing.

Chocolate Covered Pretzles

For my fall hostess gifts this year, I made chocolate covered pretzels.  I  melted good quality chocolate in a double boiler and then drizzled it on to the pretzels. I added a sugar leaf to the center to make them more fall- like, using chocolate as the glue.  Then I put them in a cellophane bags, added a tag (from Celebrations at Home's blog) and tied them with large bows in orange, lime green  with polka dots and yellow with white stripped ribbon.  I put them in baskets filled with raffia.


MY TIP:  Make sure you have the approximate number of pretzels for your gifts. I used Snyder's large Sourdough pretzels.  Although there are a pound of pretzels in each bag, I found that there were only 5 or 6 whole pretzels that could be used in each bag.  Since I made 6 of these up it took me 6 bags!

Kale Chips not to be confused with Real Chips!

So lately, my husband has been on a" health kick"--definitely an oxymoron but very good for him!  I have always prided myself in our family as the "healthy eater".  I never drink pop, (okay,  maybe once or even twice a year I will have half a glass); I rarely eat fast food (unless stranded on a highway being famished!); I rarely eat sweets (except for the right before Halloween (for some strange  reason I crave a candy bar) and I love, did I mention  LOVE veggies.  But as I mentioned my husband is on  some crazy "diet" that he frequently tells me is not a "diet" but a "lifestyle change".  Apparently he read an article on Bill Clinton (please note, he is a staunch, did I mention a staunch Republican who is agreeing with a Democrat, perhaps there is hope for our government!) diet change since his heart attack.  So I have been eating tons of quinoa, buckwheat, barley, hummus and lentils. Are you saying a collective YUM????  (And please do not stop looking at this blog!) So I decide to enter this field of cooking... as the good, supportive, loving  wife that I am...and I discovered a recipe that had great reviews----Kale Chips.  Now if you have read my blog before, you know that I don't like Kale, in fact my Kale salad recipe even omitted Kale!!.  But I believed the reviews.  They told me THESE  kale chips taste like potato chips.  I was in.....


 I read  200 reviews on how to make these with everyone's suggestions for the perfect chip.  So onward....

A very simple recipe  (YEAH!)

Kale well rinsed and well dried
A scarce bit of olive oil
Roasted on a baking sheet for 12 minute at 340 degrees.

Ahh, perhaps I have been eating too healthy lately and forgot how real chips tasted or perhaps 200 people were wrong and real chips taste crunchy, salty and oily in a good way. Sorry, but I will continue to eat real chips in a moderate. yet unhealthy way!

Grilled Pork Chops

Grilled pork chops are perfect for backyard bar-be-ques because they take so little time to cook, which means you have more time to spend with your guests!

Pork Chops (3/4 inch thick)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Basil to taste
Rosemary to taste

Marinade the pork chops over night in the oil and seasonings.  Grill on direct medium heat for 3-4 minutes each side.

MY TIP:  I use a timer.  It is extremely important to not overcook the pork, even just 1 or 2 extra minutes will make these tough.

Kale Salad minus the Kale

I know the following will sound like a really weird food combination, but for some strange reason these flavors work together.  There are no specific amounts of ingredients for this salad.  Just  throw together lima beans, yes I said lima beans, carrots, grape tomatoes sliced in half, blueberries, sunflower seeds and peanuts.  Then toss lightly with raspberry vinaigrette.  You can also add fresh kale, hence the name "Kale Salad", but I am not a fan of kale, the texture is too tough for me. I instead laid the salad on top of some lettuce, that my husband grew.  I did this for purely looks as I love salads and vegetables, just not lettuce.  I think you will find this to be, fresh and crunchy and definitely a different take on salad!

MY TIP:  You can find lima beans in the frozen food section.
MY OTHER TIP:  You can freeze the sunflower seeds for up to 6 months.

I love to entertain!  But I do agonize over the theme and type of food--there are so many choices!  I spend hours perusing cookbooks to find the perfect recipe, whether it's going to the library for cookbooks, or going though the too many books I own or stalking the internet for great reviewed recipes!  But my favorite part of entertaining  is setting the table.  I don't know why that is --perhaps, it the final part of my vision or just the excitement  that the event is final here.  For me I love putting the final touches on an event!  I want my guests to feel special.  It doesn't matter if it is for 300 guests or just four, the same consideration goes into both!

MY TIP:  I always set the table the night before, that way if I am not happy, I have a few hours before the event to make any necessary changes.

Mexican Dip

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!!  I love that this holiday is so festive!  But to me this holiday means summer is just around the corner!  My very favorite Mexican dip looks even better with won ton wrappers!. This is a great appetizer as that it not only looks good but taste fresh!  For the base--take won ton wrappers and spray a regular size muffin pan with pan and lay 2 wontons opposite each other, bake until golden. 

For the filling:

1 can Del Monte Corn (I use the small cans)
1 can Bush's black beans
! cup of FRESH salsa that you find in the produce department of your grocery (do not use jarred salsa!!)
cumin to taste
sour cream and cilantro to garnish

MY TIP:  You can make this as a dip without the wontons and serve tortilla chips instead.
MY OTHER TIP:  This is not a recipe to make ahead, as for some reason it does not taste fresh.  For best results make just before serving.  This is such a easy recipe it will not take time away from your guests!
MY OTHER TIP:  The wontons can be made in advanced and stored in an air tight tin.

Butter

My preferred style of entertaining is typically in the evening with drinks and appetizers or a summer BBQ outdoors or some themed event. But I recently hosted a weekend brunch.  I made a few recipes already in my blog--biscotti and frittatas.  I also served some fresh juice assortments, bacon, toast, muffins,  fruit, blueberry pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes and this very simple presentation for butter.

Seriously, this could not be simpler and can be made ahead, making them even more simple!.  Just soften butter and put into candy molds and freeze.  Unmold when ready to use.  (I have been doing this for years--Thanksgiving--turkey molds, Christmas--tree molds, Easter cross molds, well you get the idea!).  For some reason, people are really impressed with this very simple presentation.

MY TIP:  You may have to tap or even slam (well almost a slam) these to get them to release from the mold.

MY OTHER TIP: The colder these are, the easier they are to release. If they will not come out, put them back into the freeze to harden.

Pirogi Heaven

I love Chicago, any time of the year, even in the winter!  There is always so much to do!  On a spur of the moment trip, we took in a great lecture at the Cultural Center, spent hours at the Art Museum where we explored the Picasso exhibit and discovered an authentic Polish restaurant!  Chicago always has the unexpected!   I must prefix that we went to a very stylish, sophisticated, upscale looking Asian restaurant that had me at the first hello.  Unfortunately, the food was way to sweet for my taste, so I left hungry.  My daughter Google a restaurant near the Loop, which led us to Pirogi Heaven purely by accident. Definitely not upscale, but a simple, immaculate, authentic Polish restaurant that was wonderful and took me back to Krakow!

Sausage and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushroom

There is just something about mushrooms that I love.  I like them raw, sauteed and stuffed!  I have yet to met a stuffed mushroom that I don't like.  This one is very simple!

Remove mushroom caps
Cook 1/2 pound of sausage until no longer pink
Mix with cream cheese
Bake at 350 degrees until hot

MY TIP:  Use the reserved mushroom stems in an omelet the next morning!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

This is my youngest daughter's favorite appetizer recipe.  Simply chop chicken breast into 1 inch by 1 inch chunks and wrap them around one half strip of bacon and cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. These are so simple even my youngest daughter who did not inherit the "cooking gene" makes these.  (I do have great hope for her, since she told me that "chopping vegetables is relaxing".  I told her if that is the case she will end up being a really good cook someday!  Here's to her getting out of restaurants and Whole Food's Hot Bar and into her own  kitchen where the best food is prepared!

New Year's Resolutions

Yes, that's plural!   Although I don't have 2,013 of them, I do have a few.  That way, at the end of the year I can always say I achieved some of my resolution!  My first resolution is to blog at least once a month! (Did you notice the gap from November to now, apparently some of my friends did!!!)  Second, of course is to exercise at least 5 times a week.  And third,  is to eat healthy.  These should be fairly easy to keep!

Now to my house goals, which for some strange reason are harder for me to keep.  Don't get me wrong, I manage to update and redecorate each year, but they are not always the rooms I intended!  Again, this year I did not buy new light fixtures for the inside of my home, nor did I buy new rugs for the kitchen and dining area, and I did not reupholster my gathering room benches.  And I probably won't this year unless I find something that I truly love.
 
I did manage to take down the wallpaper in our master bedroom and sitting area and repaint.  I also painted the lower level bedroom and the multipurpose room.  Along with taking down the wallpaper in my daughters bedroom and having custom bedding, curtains and ponder area covers made.   I also found new  bedding for the second bedroom in the lower level that coordinates nicely with the bathroom, that I redecorated last year. 

I was hoping to do more to my house this year, but my big distraction was that we bought some rental properties.  We ended up tearing everything out of all three places.  I pretty much spent most of my time redecorating (flooring, ceramic tile, vanities, counter tops, paint, lighting, etc, etc and even the kitchen sink!!  I also (along with my husband) painted two entire houses!!!

So for this year, I plan to paint my daughters bedroom, put new ceramic tile in 3 out of 4 of my bathrooms (one has hardwood floors so I don't need to do that one,)  find new planters for the front of the house, since the one I bought last year broke (!).  And I hope to find lighting (don't quote me on the last one!)  But who knows what 2013 will bring???  So here's to being open minded!!!