Saturday Snippets…3rd April 2021…

Welcome to Saturday Snippets where I indulge my whimsy and my passions… maybe a tune or two…something which has caught my eye this last week…just anything out of the ordinary or extraordinary…No rants this week I was just so angry and disappointed but I have calmed down and will write about this docu over the next few weeks …I hope those of you who celebrate Easter have a lovely Easter holiday…

I have been busy this week planting seeds and seedlings which is all in yesterdays post…it has also been extra hot and humid so I have spent as little time in the kitchen as possible…no new recipes this week apart from Simnel Cake and  BBQ Sauce…

Today is also National Chocolate Mousse Day...The word mousse is French and translates as “froth” or “foam.” they are often poured into decorative glasses and garnished with fruit, sweet sauces, or whipped cream…maybe in the absence of any form of Easter Egg I should make chocolate mousse…

The first written record of chocolate mousse in the United States comes from a Food Exposition held at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1892…my favourite chocolate mousse is one with chilli…Chilli and chocolate is for me a marriage made in culinary heaven…

This week my chocolate habanero seedling arrived maybe when those beautiful chocolate coloured fruits start appearing a mousse would be a good idea…

Are we talking chocolate mousse?

Chocolate mousse… it could be milk chocolate, dark, chocolate, white chocolate or a combination of all 3…It could be mint chocolate…It could be just 2 ingredients or you could go the whole caboodle and make the most decadent mouse containing whipped egg whites, whipped cream, or both, and flavoured with one or more of types of chocolate, coffee, caramel, puréed fruits, or various herbs and spices, such as mint or vanilla and not forgetting even chilli… I mean chilli and chocolate…heavenly…

chocolate-mousse-2003019_640

The combinations are endless…I am not in favour of using uncooked eggs …I have tried chocolate mousse with avocado..once was enough and never to be repeated…If I want chocolate mousse I will stick with Nigella I mean she loves to cook and eat with no thought to anything especially calories…

Serves: 4-6

  • 150 grams mini marshmallows
  • 50 grams of soft butter
  • 250 grams good dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids) chopped into small pieces
  • 60 ml hot water (from a recently boiled kettle)
  • 284 ml double cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Put the marshmallows, butter, chocolate, and water in a heavy-based saucepan.

Put the saucepan on the hob, over low heat, though keep it fairly gentle, to melt the contents, stirring every now and again. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, whip the cream with the vanilla extract until thick, and then fold into the cooling chocolate mixture until you have a smooth, mixture.

Pour or scrape into 4 glasses or ramekins, about 175ml / ¾ cup each., or 6 smaller (125ml / ½ cup) ones, and chill until you want to eat.

Enjoy!

Now for some Hot Chocolate…and Emma…

Conservation Corner…Chocolate Eggs…

Easter Eggs…The good news…

Easter egg packaging has often hit the headlines in the past because of its inability to be easily recycled. However Which? reports that industry improvements have been made, and now almost all packaging from the eggs in the study is recyclable…

Green Pawed Sea Otters and Kelp Forests…

Sea otters are a ‘keystone species’: they play a disproportionately important role in their ecosystem, influencing the populations of the plants and animals that live there. In particular, they protect kelp forests by preying on sea urchins.

Further info on how it is important to protect sea otters…Nothing works in isolation everything depends on others…Sea otters are part of the chain...

Quote!

You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.”
—Jane Goodall

A year on it is still with us...still not under complete control…Vaccines seem to be working are they the answer…I do wonder what this year will bring…

https://www.unicef.org/peru/en/stories/Peru-the-sun-helps-vaccines-keep-their-cool

Did you know?

#1… Of course, one of the most well-known dates of April is April Fools’ Day on the 1st of the month. No one is sure where this originated from, but some believe it to be inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer’s story in “Canterbury Tales” called “Nun’s Priest’s Tale.”

#2...1722 – On Easter Sunday, Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovered a Polynesian Island 1400 miles from the coast of South America and named it Easter Island.

#3…The English poet William Wordsworth was born April 7, 1770, and one of his best-known poems is perfect for April in the northern hemisphere: “I wandered lonely as a cloud,” which he first published in 1807. Here’s a little snippet for an April day:

I wandered lonely as a cloud, that floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

I can’t go without mentioning a dear blogging friend Sue Vincent…I have never witnessed such pure acceptance of what was to be or seen such passion to depart this life on her terms… There must have been times of great angst and recriminations of why…to us, she just showed such a passion for life and worked to leave a legacy for her family and us… she made memories for those she was leaving behind… my admiration of Sue’s bravery has no bounds…she looked all that was happening in the face and seemed to say… do what you may but these are my terms of how I will live and die…R.I.P dear Sue my condolence to her sons and grandchildren, to you Stuart for sharing this and little Ani…how sad she must be wondering where her 2 legs has gone x

https://scvincent.com/2021/03/31/swift-passage/

That’s all for today thank you for dropping in I hope you enjoyed my whimsy… I would love to hear from you in comments as you know how I love to chat…Love Carol xx

 

30 thoughts on “Saturday Snippets…3rd April 2021…”

  3. OIKOS™-Editorial

    Thank you for also remembering on Sue, our really great loss. I am sure she will always have an eye on us.
    This mousse keeps my hips growing only by watching the image. Lol
    Also thank you for the great news about saving our nature. Its very important to do, as we can see nature has the possibility striking back. ;-( Michael

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…28th March-3rd April 2021…#Recipes, Whimsy, Music and Lifestyle Changes | Retired? No one told me!

  5. petespringerauthor

    Thanks for your added words to the tribute about Sue, Carol.

    Chocolate mousse—I love it, but I’ve never tried making it. No more excuses for me.

    I love the Jane Goodall quote! I feel like we all have a responsibility to leave the world in a better place when we leave.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Some people just touch your soul and Sue was one of them, Pete.. I don’t make it often, Jim just sometimes only chocolate will do and this is one of those weeks.. sigh.. I love that quote and yes we do need to take some responsibility.. Have a great week, Jim x

      Like

  7. Clive

    I didn’t know Sue or her blog but have seen many tributes to her, so I understand how important she was to people. A sad loss.

    Hot Chocolate for Easter is a good choice. My favourite of theirs is still their first – Love Is Life. I don’t think they ever bettered it 😊

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Clive

        I don’t think I’ve ever heard it tbh. I know it was just before Love Is Life but I don’t remember it ever getting any airplay here. Probably explains why it wasn’t a hit!

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Jim Borden

    enjoyed the sea otter video – that’s a lot time spent grooming themselves…

    and beautiful words about Sue, she was an amazing woman. her final month or two of posts were quite inspirational…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Thank you, Darlene I hope you have a nice Easter weekend..Yes when I was writing about chocolate mousse it triggered Hot Chocolate and their songs I had a grip down memory lane..Sue will indeed be sorely missed by many… such a sad loss but she left us such a special gift …words …xxx

      Like

  10. lssattitudeofgratitude

    Your post is full of wisdom as well as joy and sadness. Jane Goodall is my hero in the world of science. Sue was my hero in the world of blogging. Chocolate is my hero in the world food. Recycling is my hero in the ability to lesson our footprint here on earth. Thank you

    Liked by 2 people

  11. beetleypete

    Lovely tribute to Sue.
    Nigella is the only TV chef I ever bother to watch. I met her a couple of times when I was in the Ambulance Service, and she is a genuinely lovely woman.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Thank you, Pete.. I like Nigellas recipes they normally turn out well many recipes online are put on but not tested and I can normally tell by reading a recipe if it will be ok.. I like her programmes as you say she seems genuine.. X

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Liz Gauffreau

    You had me at chocolate! I haven’t heard Hot Chocolate in decades. It’s been so interesting (and a little disconcerting) to see video of the songs that I heard so many times growing up.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I know that feeling Liz..it was talking about chocolate which made think of Hot Chocolate was going to post… you sexy thing but I like Emma as well and it suited my mood 🙂 x

      Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Thank you for dropping in and reading the post, Robbie..yes it is hopeful that packaging is getting better especially things like Easter Eggs as there must be a lot of packaging discarded at Easter…I Had to say something like many others and the post Stewart shared was just beautiful and yes I needed tissues x

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