Indulge In {Chocolate Mousse Shooters}

Hi friends! I typically like to share with you the perfect recipe for everyday or easy entertaining. But, every once in a awhile, I like to share something truly indulgent. We've been putting more and more effort recently into eating right, but the occasional craving for a sweet treat pops up every now and then. From doughnuts to cake to pie, I just want it all when these cravings hit. One of my favorite craving conquerors, though, are these rich chocolate mousse shooters. Layered with fudgey brownies, you really can't go wrong. Make a batch to serve up at your next get together or keep them stashed in the fridge for nightly treats. You could even add a little flair by mixing in fresh mint or citrus zest. Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients ::
1 Box Duncan Hines Brownie Mix, already made
9.35 oz Bittersweet (70% Cocoa) Chocolate, chopped
1 Cup Water
4 Tbsp Sugar
Splash Grand Marnier

:: Directions ::
1. Place a large mixing bowl atop a medium sized mixing bowl full of ice water. Set aside.
2. Combine chocolate, water, sugar, & Grand Marnier in a medium sauce pan. Stir continuously over medium high heat until chocolate is melted.
3. Pour chocolate into large mixing bowl and whisk continuously until thick. Be careful as to not over whisk as doing so will make mousse grainy. If mousse gets grainy, return to sauce pan and heat until half is melted.
4. If mousse does not become thick, refrigerate for one hour whisking occasionally.
5. Layer with brownie in shot glasses and serve.

The Happiest Hour {Dancing Flamingo...Round 1}

So there's this tradition in the Bahamas that I've been dying to bring back to the states for years. Every place you go has a signature house rum drink. Armed with names like The Blaster and The Guana Grabber, these cocktails can't be beat. It has been my mission lately to create our signature recipe. Something that we can whip up in big batches and serve by the pitcher at all gatherings. Creating the perfect recipe isn't something that happens in a single try though. I know the base, coconut rum, and some flavors I'd like to include, strawberry and orange. Everything else though is up in the air. Join us on the journey to creating the perfect house rum cocktail and whip up this first attempt. I'd love to hear your feedback! Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients ::
1.5 Parts Strawberry Juice
1.5 Parts Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
2 Lime Wedges
1 Part Coconut Rum
1/2 Part Grand Marnier

:: Directions ::
1. Combine strawberry juice, orange juice, coconut rum, and grand marnier in a shaker and shake to combine.
2. Squeeze lime wedge over ice and strain cocktail into glass. Garnish with an additional lime wedge and serve.

The Happiest Hour {Blood Orange Margarita}

If you tuned in yesterday you were able to catch the back story on my love of blood oranges. Ever since my first trip to Italy, the flavor was something I craved since finding the product here was close to impossible. Ever since that time, it has steadily become more available in specialty stores. Saturday morning though, when strolling through my local grocery store for breakfast ingredients, we stumbled upon blood orange juice made by no other than Tropicana. Almost unable to believe my eyes, I grabbed the bottle as fast as I could and my head stared realign with cocktail ideas. Since this week is all about my favorite things, I decided to create a drink combining two of my favorite things, margaritas and blood oranges. It's sweet and amazingly delicious! Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients ::
2 oz Clear Tequila
2 oz Blood Orange Juice
1 oz Sweet & Sour Mix
1 oz Grand Marnier
1/2 oz Grenadine
Lime Slices
Sugar (optional)

:: Directions ::
1. Combine tequila, blood orange juice, sweet & sour, Grand Marnier, and grenadine in a shaker.
2. Rim glass with sugar, pour margarita over ice, garnish with lime and enjoy!

Indulge In {Brownie Mouse Shooters}

Today's recipe truly is an indulgence. A chocolate lover's dream! This past weekend, I got this craving for some chocolate, decadent goodness. After finding a recipe for chocolate mouse, I decided to kick it up a notch by not only adding a splash of Grand Marnier, but layering it with dark chocolate fudgy brownies. Let me tell you, deciding to serve this in a shooter glass was the best decision I made all day. It's so rich and delicious that this small amount is all you need to enjoy the full flavor of this dessert. To play up the splash of Grand Marnier I added to the mouse, I zested a little orange peel on top for an extra pop of flavor. To make this, I made the mouse from scratch but used a simple Duncan Hines mix for the brownies. Here's the low down on the mouse...

:: Ingredients ::

{1} 9.35 ounces (265 grams) bittersweet (%70 cocoa solids) chocolate, chopped (preferably Valrhona Guanaja)

{2} 1 cup (240 ml) water

{3} 4 tbsp sugar

{4} Splash of Grand Marnier 

:: Directions ::

{1} Place a large mixing bowl on top of another slightly smaller one, filled with ice and cold water (the bottom of the large bowl should touch the ice). Set aside.

{2} Put chocolate and water (also sugar and/or liquor if you’re using) in a medium-sized pan and melt the chocolate over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

{3} Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl sitting on top of ice and water, and start whisking with a wire whisk (or an electrical hand-held mixer) until thick. Watch the texture as you whip and make sure not to over-whip as it will make the mousse grainy. If the mousse becomes grainy (which is possible at your first try), transfer it back into the pan, reheat until half of it is melted, pour it back to the mixing bowl and whisk again briefly.

{4} If it does not get thick, put in the refrigerator for about an hour whisking occasionally. 

{5} Layer with brownie in shooter glasses, garnish with orange zest and enjoy!