Posted in entertain, Entertaining at Home, tagged hospitality on May 3, 2010| 1 Comment »
Word of the Week: hospitality
[hos-pi-tal-i-tee]
Posted in Desserts, Easy Recipes, entertain, tagged bombes, butterflies, Chocolate Cake, chocolate dessert, fancy dessert on April 30, 2010| 2 Comments »
The Bombe
Have you ever wanted to create a dessert that was so beautiful, so amazing, so delicious that your guests dropped their jaws and fell all over themselves telling you what a fabulous thing you have done? Me too. I’m sure I will find that dessert someday but in the meantime this Chocolate Bombe comes pretty close!
Although I normally would avoid any recipe with this many ingredients and steps, this dessert is worth every bit of the sweat and tears that goes into making it. Let me warn you that it takes a little time and many mixing bowls, but give it a try. You’ll be so glad you did! If you have any chocolate addicts in your life, they will thank you, too!
Here are the steps followed by the recipe.
The Ingredients
Plastic wrap the inside of the bowl and leave plenty hanging out. Yep, that is a pink bowl MWH bought me and I love it!
First layer in the bowl. Gently press it down to the bottom.
Put in half the filling over the first cake layer.
Gently press down the layers. I promise I washed my hands first!
Cover it tightly with the plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
When you are ready to serve, uncover the top and invert on a platter. Then remove the remaining plastic wrap.
Pattern for the chocolate butterflies. Mine is a little freaky, so draw your own if you like.
Trace the chocolate over the pattern onto waxed or parchment paper.
Make as many butterflies as you like!
Chocolate Butterflies - look good enough to eat!
Frost with whipping cream, drizzle with chocolate frosting, top with butterflies and a berry. Ta-Da!
A peek inside the cake. Just look at all that yummy chocolate and strawberry sweet goodness.
Chocolate Bombe
1 Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge cake mix (18-ounce box)
1 1/3 cups water
1 /2 cup oil
3 eggs
1 quart fresh strawberries, divided
2 envelopes unflavored Knox gelatin (1 ounce)
1/2 cup frozen strawberry juice concentrate, thawed
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. oil
2 tbsp. prepared chocolate frosting
Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Divide evenly in the three pans and bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Reserve a few strawberries for garnish. Pureé enough of the remaining strawberries to measure 1 cup and set aside. In a small micro-wave safe bowl, sprinkle gelatin over juice concentrate; let stand for five minutes. Microwave on high power one minute. Stir until gelatin dissolves; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, beat 1 cup of the heavy cream until stiff.
In another mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla; mix well. Blend in strawberry pureé. Gradually add gelatin mixture and blend until smooth. Whisk in whipped cream; set aside.
Line a 12-cup capacity bowl with 2-3 long sheets of plastic wrap, allowing ends of plastic wrap to hang over the sides of the bowl by at least 6 inches.
Gently press one cake layer into the bottom of the bowl. Spoon about one-half of the filling over the cake layer then top with another layer of cake. Spread remaining filling over the second layer of the cake; top with the third layer of cake. Gently press down. Cover with loose ends of plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour (you can refrigerate over night as well).
Line a baking sheet with a piece of waxed paper or baking parchment. Place the butterfly pattern under the paper. Mix chocolate chips and oil in micro-wave safe bowl, microwave on high in 10-15 second intervals, stirring until chocolate is smooth and melted. Spoon into a pastry bag or a resealable plastic sandwich bag with the tip of a corner snipped. Trace the butterfly pattern with the chocolate. Move the pattern around the pan, tracing as many butterflies as you’d like to make. When finished, place in the freezer for at least an hour until chocolate has hardened.
When ready to serve, mix the confectioners sugar with the remaining cream until stiff. Uncover top of the bombe. Invert onto a serving platter; remove and discard plastic wrap. Frost with sweetened whipped cream.
Put prepared chocolate frosting in a microwave safe bowl and warm on high for about 15 seconds. Using a knife, drizzle chocolate over the cake in a swirling pattern. Top with chocolate butterflies and add a berry on top for garnish. Don’t let the butterflies set out of the freezer for too long before you add them to the cake as they softened quickly.
Stand back and be prepared for your guests to be dazzled by your creative culinary talents!
Happy Entertaining!
Posted in entertain, Musings, tagged Chocolate, Clearance Sales, Cute Shoes on April 29, 2010| 13 Comments »
Years ago, when I was first getting to know my Most Wonderful Hubby’s mom, I heard her use the phrase “It speaks to me.” I’ve heard her say it many, many times since and let me tell you, if something doesn’t speak to her, she is not interested in it at all. On the flip side, if something should happen to speak to her, watch out, she is all over it! In the past, fly fishing, pontoon boating, snowmobiling, cross stitching, quilting and bicycling have all spoken to her.
So being a good daughter-in-law, I adopted the phrase as my own. There are many things that do not “speak to me” like laundry, housecleaning, ironing, being outside in freezing temperatures, cranky people, ironing, bad food, howling wind, ironing, calendulas, screaming children, horrid smells, ironing, and heinous cats.
I do have some favorite things that seem to not only speak to me, but sometimes scream loudly.
Cute shoes speak to me. Sometimes they even call to me in my sleep.
I try to not neglect the calling.
Roses speak to me. Their lovely blossoms, their fragrant smells.
They whisper to me on summer breezes.
These kiddos speak to me. They make me smile and give me sticky kisses.
Chocolate speaks to me. Sometimes with a megaphone. The darker the better.
Clearance sales speak to me.
They make my heart flutter and lure me in with promised treasures.
And this big guy – he speaks to me.
He speaks to my heart and makes me laugh.
(He also speaks at me… like when I can’t avoid the call of cute shoes and come home with nine pairs, but that is a story for another day).
What speaks to you? Makes you smile? I’d love to know!
Posted in entertain, Referrals, tagged amazing photos, photographer, wedding photographer on April 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »
My shout out for this week goes to a friend who is also one of the best photographers I’ve ever seen – Greg Lehman.
He has the unique talent of capturing the emotion and feeling of his subjects and it makes for some absolutely amazing photographs, particularly for weddings.
On top of all his wonderful talent, Greg is just an all-around nice guy. I have worked with him on several projects and he is always kind, thoughtful, creative and professional.
If you know anyone looking for a fantastic photographer, especially a wedding photographer, tell them to talk to Greg!
Check out his website here!
Savvy Entertaining 