Raw eggs

Let's talk about raw eggs. I know I need to get over my fear of putting raw eggs into things like frosting but I can't! I want to make this frosting for tommorrow night but it calls for a raw egg. Uh!!!! I don't know what to do. I guess I'll keep looking for a different recipe. Ok just had to vent.

Mocha Mousse or is it pudding?

Let me start out by saying I don't measure. Sorry about that. Half the fun in cooking for me sometimes is just going in the kitchen and throwing things together. That is something that I would encourage anyone who happens to run across my blog to do.



So I was watching Nigella Express a few weeks ago and she made a Ameretto Silibob for a friend. So that got me thinking. We aren't big Ameretto fans but we do love our chocolate and coffee and what better way to deliver them than through heavy cream?

I took some instant coffee (ok I don't drink it I had it leftover from another recipe) and made it 3x stronger than it said to on the package. I thought that would make it taste more like espresso and would give me more flavor with less liquid. Then I added in some ice cubes to make it cool so it wouldn't destroy all my hard whipping work.

I took 1/2 cup of heavy cream (don't cheat and try to use something else because it won't come out as well) and wisked that until soft peaks formed. I added one heaping tablespoon of confectioner's sugar and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. I did not sift them but you should and I will next time. Then I added in about three tablespoons of the super strong instant coffee and I wisked again until it was light and fluffy. I had some chocolate biscotti so I put one in a baggie and beat it with my rolling pin until it was crumbly and put half in the bottom of each ramekin and then spooned the mousse on top. Couldn't be easier. I think from start to finish (not counting boiling the water to make the coffee) it took about 5 minutes. If you were going to make this for a dinner or a party you could easily make the coffee in advance.

This made two servings and all mesurements are guesstimates.

Must Try Porkchops!

We have never met a porkchop that we haven't liked so when I saw this recipe I knew that I had to give it a try. I had planned to make corn fritters to go along with it but unfortunately my corn got freezer burn. Instead I made rice and for the first time I made it entirely with chicken broth and that turned out really well and was the perfect side for this. I thought Michael was going to faint he loved this meal so much. It really was delicious with the sauce drizzled on top.

Here is the link to her blog (Oct11bride03):
http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/2007/10/tennessee-whiskey-pork-chops.html

Here is her original posting of it:
http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/tennessee-whiskey-pork-chops-and.html

Here is the corn fritters recipe in case you want it (it looks super good):
http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/farmstand-corn-fritters.html

When I posted the recipe rave on the cooking website I frequent someone said that her husband didn't like porkchops (gasp! How is that possible?!?) and asked for another suggestion. Like most recipes involving pork, chicken can easily be substituted. You would, of course, have to figure out cooking times but just look at another recipe or dig out a cookbook.

Thanks for the recipe and I can't wait to make it again! :)