A Perfectly Imperfect Life

Friday Cooking -Super Simple Creamy Chocolate Strawberries

I was shopping at Sam's Club this morning, and trying to decide what to make for dinner tonight. In the produce section they had these really nice strawberries, knowing that I should be able to make a half decent dessert out of them.  I didn't want to do te typical pie, so I scoured my cookbooks and came up with a frosting that I could modify into a creamy chocolate filling.

At first I was just going to fill the strawberries, but I decided I wanted the finished product to be a little more substantial.  I grabbed some phylo shells that I had in the freezer to use as a base. The rest was super simple, and the end result made kept me wanting more.

 Ingredients:

1 Dozen Strawberries

6 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 Tbsp. whipping cream

1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa

In a mixer beat cream cheese and sugar together until mixture is light and creamy.

In a double boiler (I used a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water) add chocolate chips and whipping cream. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Then add chocolate mixture to the sugar and cream cheese, mix for another minute. If you are like me and decide you like a deeper chocolate taste add the 1 tsp. of unsweetened cocoa.

 Take a food storage bag with the corner cut off ,and filled it with the chocolate filling. Now you are ready to pipe it into the phylo shells. For the final step slice some of the strawberries and add them to the top of the chocolate filled phylo shells. Keep in fridge until time to eat.

I did have some strawberries left, so I just used a small melon baller to cut out a core. I then filled each strawberry with the chocolate filling. These made a great snack later that evening.

Crazy Thinking

  This is my neighbors house,  he recently passed away and his kids have just placed it on the market.  I was thinking since home prices in our area are so low, my husband should buy it for me.  I even have some valid reasons why I need it. In our home we have three daughters, who are 9, 10, and 19, can anyone say HORMONES. Between the three their is always someone hysterically happy one moment, and crying like their dog died the next.

It would be the perfect Anniversary or Mother's Day gift. A place of my very own, with doors that lock and I have the only key. Privacy and solitude my idea of heaven.

It is a three bedroom home and the back of the house has southern exposure. I already have the plans in my head, there is nothing like a blank canvas to get my mind going in overdrive. I could use the living room as a photography studio, one of the bedrooms could be used as a sewing room, another as a scrapbook room, the other I would use as a reading room. I would keep the kitchen a kitchen of course, I love to eat. The back yard with its elevation and southern exposure would make a great garden.

I even know how I would decorate it, I see cheery yellows, sky blues and clean whites. Furniture and decor from estate sales, flea markets, and yard sales.

Over a romantic dinner I told my husband my idea, and he lovingly he told me I was thinking crazy. Maybe I should have offered him the garage.

Estate Sale Find Of the Week

I love estate sales, flea markets, and yard sales.  I don't always find a vintage masterpiece, but I always manage to find something. So, I decided to post what I manage to scoop up each week.

This weeks sale took place in Port Huron, when you arrive at the house you are never sure what type of home it will be, but I always am happy to see an older home.

Part of my fascination with estate sales is glimpsing into the lives of other people.  This weeks sale took place in a home that had not been touched since probably 1970.  There was so much stuff crammed into a tiny space, but after some digging there were some real treasures.

I found a couple of little things, a magazine rack that needs a new coat of paint, a flour sifter and this little milk glass dish.

This little jar was so filthy that I hated to touch it when I had to pick it up, but for four dollars I decided it was worth it. With a little soaking in soap and water it came out quite nice. Happily I had a space in my bedroom that needed it.
  

 

Culinary Journeys

One of the things I have in common with my husband is our love of eating out.  I prefer to eat at non-chain restaurants.  Don't get me wrong I love Outback's cheese fries, but I love eating at local restaurants.

This weekend it was the White Horse Inn in Metamora. Metamora is horse country in Michigan, so there is a definate equestirian feel to the restaurant. During holidays, and on the weekend during the winter they offer dinner and sleigh rides.

Each entree comes with a salad, and the house Fox Hunt salad is sweet and tangy. You can't go wrong with gorgonzola cheese, bacon and red onions. This is one of my favorite salads.

My entree was an onion topped fillet which rested on a portabello mushroom. A burst of flavor with each bite. I loved their garlic smashed potatoes, and as far as I'm concerned the broccoli is just for color.

This was great night out for our biweekly date night.

Let's Swim

Lucy's moment on the big stage.

It's amazing to me that at 10 years old she is able to have laser focus on her goals.

  In my mind she is still a little girl, but to watch the strength she has as she explodes from the blocks wakes me up to the reality she is truly a strong confident person.

Spending this time with her as she takes her journey to greater things is makes it worth delaying my journey.

Friday Cooking Project -Pretty Pavlova

When I asked my nine year old Ethel what she wanted to help me make for dessert tonight she told me "something pretty."  After some internet and cookbook searches we decided on Pavlovas. Originally named after the ballerina Anna Pavlova,these are a dessert that are light in texture, and not too sweet.

To make these you will need the following:

4 egg whites from large eggs at room temperature

1 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp white vinegar

Preheat oven at 250 degrees. Place eggs in your mixer using a wire whisk attachment, beat eggs at a mediun speed until soft peaks form. Next gradually add the sugar a 1/4 cup at a time, continue to beat at a high speed until meringue is shiny and holds stiff peaks. To test that the sugar has fully dissolved rub mixture between two fingers it should not feel gritty, if it is not smooth continue to mix for another minute or two. Next beat in the vanilla.

Remove bowl from mixer and gently fold in cornstarch and vinegar.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper, and place the meringue into a large circle or into six smaller circles. Bake 55-70 minutes, you will know its done when the shell of the meringue feels dry and crisp. Completely cool meringue.

Topping:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Assorted fruits

Using the wire attachment on your electric mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form, add sugar and vanilla extract.

I wanted my fruit to have a syrup to it so I heated raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries with a tablespoon of water in a saucepan over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Serve over cool meringues.

 

Lincoln Park

Our decision to go to Lincoln Park was made on the spur of the moment. We had a couple of hours before dinner and were looking for something to do, and saw the bus that said Lincoln Park Zoo. After a 5 minute ride we were at the zoo entrance.

It is amazing that a place like this is found in downtown Chicago and that its FREE! We spent a couple of hours touring this well kept zoo. We will definitely be back on our next trip.

DIY Wednesday Fun Mirror Project

I found this mirror, but could not figure out what to do with it.  It had some chips in it and I hated the frame, but I hate to throw things out. I was at Target and inspiration struck.

At the end of one of isles on clearance they had these vinyl wall letters. I love this quote and new it would be perfect.

I hated the frame so I popped the mirror out, and flipped the frame to the back side.  The back was a little beat up and looked like it had been around for awhile, which is the look I love.

Of course in its original form the size of the quote was to large for the mirror, so with some scissors and patience, I managed to fit it on.  The application was easy, just place it where you want it and rub.

I could not be happier with the results.

Jeni's Secret

Don't you love it when you find a hidden gem in a city you are visiting.  We were in search of Panera and found Jeni's down the street.
Jeni's was not only a treat for the taste buds but also for the eyes. The decor was traditional ice cream shop, which I swear makes the ice cream taste better. The service was knowledgeable and friendly, even when their was a line out the door.
The ice cream was heavenly. With flavors like violet meringue, lavender wildberry, and salted caramel swirl it was hard to decide which I wanted. The do have a solution for the undecided though, little samples of ice cream given at your request.

We were in Columbus for two days and I will confess we stopped by each day.  The only downside was there wasn't time for me to try each flavor.

 

Room Redo

I had possibly the ugliest bedroom in the world, and had had it for 10 years. This year I finally decided to tackle it.

At first I thought of painting my room beige, but while I was in Lowes I was feeling like light grey.  Unable to decide  I asked my Ethel my 8 year old which she liked.  She decided grey, I like to tell myself that she really liked the grey, nut in reality she was probably in a hurry to leave the store.

Before I could paint though, our walls had one of those textured faux plaster finishes, so there was lots of sanding and mudding to be done.

The carpet that we previously had was beige, and stained beyond repair.  We went with wood because of our two dogs, and three kids who still like to sleep with us when their sick.

The next huge decision was furniture, since we tossed ours. We wanted new furniture, and we wanted solid wood, typical of a Pottery Barn catalog.  However we were on a Big Lots budget, so the answer for us was used furniture from a store in our area that specializes in old furniture that needs a little love.

Our bed lacks a headboard and there really isn't space for one where our bed is positioned, so I found this was my answer.  An old frame painted white framing some small black and white photos.

Every thing else was found at either IKEA or local estate sales.