“What’s going on in your world?” We can all make the world better one day at a time, one person at a time. I’ll let Marvin Gaye remind us.
Looking forward to the weekend! Happy Thursday and Happy Birthday to my great friend Barbara Kapp! You are one of the truly cool people holding it down in Big D.
This easy chocolate mousse recipe is perfect to make ahead and best served in your fun drink glasses.
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 2 mins
Ingredients
200ml (7oz) double cream
200g (7oz) milk chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp Grand Marnier (optional)
2 medium eggs, at room temperature
Shavings of white chocolate, to decorate
Method
Put cream into a pan and heat until almost boiling. Take off the heat, add the chocolate – don’t stir – and leave for 5min. Add Grand Marnier, if using, and stir until glossy. Pour into a large bowl and leave to cool until tepid.
Separate the eggs – it’s important not to get any yolk in the white or you won’t create volume when you whisk up. Using an electric hand-whisk, beat the yolks into the chocolate for 1 min until smooth. Wash and dry whisks thoroughly, then whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
Using a metal spoon, stir a spoonful of whisked egg white into the chocolate mixture – this will loosen it so it’s easier to fold in the rest. Gently fold in remaining egg white (taking care not to knock out air) until mixture has no white blobs.
Spoon the mousse into six glasses and chill until set. Serve after an hour if you like a soft set – mousse will keep in the fridge for 24 hours. Take out of the fridge an hour before serving, then decorate with white chocolate shavings.
As a writer with a marketing background, words are the foundation of my toolkit. I love words. I’ve studied their impact on messaging and their ability to affect people and evoke action or reaction.
This video was initially used by an ad agency to remind potential clients that messaging is critical to increasing sales. As the video went viral, its impact on humanity surfaced.
NOTE: Our words last beyond their intrinsic meanings. Choose them wisely.
Definitely worth reposting…
Irish Stout Cake with Bailey’s Ganache
I love that chocolate lovers share a universal flavor. This chocolate cake has become one of my favorites. Another “Chocolate On Steroids” recipe!
Ingredients
Irish Stout Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup unsalted butter
1 12oz bottle of Guinness Stout beer
3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s)
1 Tbsp espresso powder
Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting
6oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup shortening
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Bailey’s Irish Cream
Bailey’s Ganahe
6oz high quality white chocolate (not white chocolate chips)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
White chocolate shavings (garnish)
Instructions
Irish Stout Cake
Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Grease and flour 2 8in round cake pans. I also lined mine with parchment paper.
In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the beer, cocoa powder and espresso powder until smooth. Bring to a simmmer and let bubble 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool 5-10 minutes. While it’s cooling, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
In another large bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs and buttermilk. Once the chocolate mixture has slightly cooled, add 1-2 Tbsp of it to the eggs and milk and whisk until smooth. This is going to temper the eggs so they don’t scramble. Slowly pour the remaining chocolate in with the eggs and whisk until incorporated. Make a well in the flour and pour in the chocolate. Use a spatula to fold together until no more flour can be seen. It will still be clumpy at this point. With your whisk, quickly stir the batter 20 strokes. Do not over mix. The batter may still have a few lumps in it, but that’s okay.
Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans. (I got about 2 3/4 cup of batter into each pan.)
Bake at 375 F degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 F degrees and cook another 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake in the pans for 10 minutes until removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, trim the tops so that each cake is level and the same height. Wrap cake layers and freezer for several hours or over night.
Bailey’s Irish Cream Frosting
Using your stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter and shortening until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and beat on high for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated. Add the Bailey’s and salt and mix for 1 more minute.
Chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes or until firm and easily spreadable without being too soft.
Bailey’s Ganache
Run the white chocolate though the food processor until it is in very small, fine pieces. If you don’t have a food processor you can just chop the chocolate into very small, fine pieces. Place them in a medium glass bowl.
In a medium pot, bring the heavy cream, Bailey’s and butter to a simmer. DO NOT BOIL. Pour
cream over the chocolate and let it stand for 1 minute. Stir chocolate and cream slowly and smoothly until all the chocolate has melted. Do not over-stir the chocolate… you don’t want to create air bubbles. Place the bowl in a ice bath until it has come to room temperature. Cover and chill for 1 hour or until it has thickened.
Assembly
Place first layer of cold from the freezer cake on your cake stand, cut side up. Using all the cream cheese frosting, spread an even, flat layer across the top of the cake to the edges. Place the second layer of cake, cut side down on top of the frosting. Press down gently until the top is level. Put cake in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the cake from the freezer and spoon ganache on the top of the cake. Using an offset spatula, GENTLY AND SLOWLY spread the ganache to the sides of the cake. Add more ganache when needed to create an even layer. You’ll want the ganache to slightly drip off the sides, but most of it to remain on top. Pop any air bubbles with a toothpick.
Garnish the top of the cake with white chocolate shavings. Store cake in refrigerator until ready to serve. Remove 15-20 minutes before you want to cut the cake. Store in an air tight container up to 2 days.
I had to tell you off
To be free
I had to tell you off
To really find me
I had to tell you off
In your own place
I had to tell you off
To get you out of my space
I had to tell you off
To understand
That God is sufficient
over any man
I had to tell you off
To love you more
I had to tell you off
And continue to explore
My life that is sufficient
Over any man
I had to tell you off
To turn me on
to the truth and see my rites
I had to tell you off to take flight
I found this article refreshing and I agree with Ms. Biro. Show me a leader who is unemotional about their work and I am probably looking at a careless, empty shell of a leader. You simply cannot motivate others if you lack enthusiasm for the work, which provides an emotional compass towards leadership.
Reposted from Forbes Magazine
Meghan M. Biro, Contributor, LEADERSHIP | 12/15/2013 @ Leadership Is About Emotion
Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Make a list of the 5 leaders you most admire. They can be from business, social media, politics, technology, the sciences, any field. Now ask yourself why you admire them. The chances are high that your admiration is based on more than their accomplishments, impressive as those may be. I’ll bet that everyone on your list reaches you on an emotional level.
This ability to reach people in a way that transcends the intellectual and rational is the mark of a great leader. They all have it. They inspire us. It’s a simple as that. And when we’re inspired we tap into our best selves and deliver amazing work.
So, can this ability to touch and inspire people be learned? No and yes. The truth is that not everyone can lead, and there is no substitute for natural talent. Honestly, I’m more convinced of this now – I’m in reality about the world of work and employee engagement. But for those who fall somewhat short of being a natural born star (which is pretty much MANY of us), leadership skills can be acquired, honed and perfected.
Second chances are gems of rarity
Whose value is reaped by those
Who acknowledge their coming
Second chances are answers
To the desperate prayers
Third chances are hooks
In the pond
Fishing out repetitive fools
Welcome warmth on a chilly day, and if you are in the US, that’s just about everywhere this weekend. Easy to make and oh so good!
Serves: 6 Edit
Yields: 1 litre (1¾ pint)
Ingredients
1 litre (1¾ pint) semi-skimmed milk
(75g (3oz)) cocoa powder
75g (3oz) caster sugar
½-1tsp ground cinnamon
2 large pinches cayenne pepper
Method
Gently heat semi-skimmed milk until nearly boiling. In a bowl, mix cocoa powder, caster sugar, ground cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Add a little of the milk, mix until smooth, then put into pan, stirring, to reheat.
Top with whipped cream and mini marshmallows.
Matthew 17:20
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. “ Read the rest of this entry
So nice, I thought I’d do it twice. For my #chocolate lovers, this is for you. It may not work for any #chocolate lover wannabe’s. Believe me, the CHOCOLATE GODS will know if you’re faking… Enjoy!
Preparation time : 20 minutes Freezing time : 12 hours
Ingredients
1 tin NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2½ cups whipped cream
2 bars KIT KAT® CHUNKY
1½ tablespoons NESCAFÉ Instant Coffee, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
Preparation
Combine NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk and whipped cream in an electric mixer. Beat until thick and creamy.
Pour half of the mixture into foil lined 9in x 5in loaf pan. Place KIT KAT® CHUNKY bars in the middle and freeze for ½ an hour.
Add NESCAFÉ Instant Coffee to the remaining cream mixture and mix until combined.
Take out the cake from the freezer. Spoon over the NESCAFÉ mixture, cover with cling film and freeze for at least 12 hours until set.
Cut into slices to serve.
Egos & Buffaloes 