i wouldn’t joke about such a serious subject.

i don’t claim to be an expert on many things. there are definitely things i enjoy, things i’m maybe even good at…but an authority? no.

there are two areas, however, in which i consider myself to be fairly well versed, and neither of them actually involve sewing. those that know me personally will find themselves unsurprised to hear they are macaroni and cheese and chocolate mousse.

as to the first: i can make a mean macaroni and cheese with whatever i have on hand. there is no set recipe in this house—it’s flexible and adaptable to the whims of our respective palates. sometimes it’s classic—elbows with a smooth bland and creamy sauce. sometimes it’s adventurous—campanelles with a five-cheese sauce and a hint of a bleu cheese bite. i even have a lighter, healthier version using silken tofu that would shock you.

but today it’s the second item on my list i need to discuss with you. my husband well knows that on perusing any dessert menu i remain completely unmoved until i hear the magic words: chocolate mousse. and i’m not talking some fake chocolate pudding thing. no no no bleh pffft hack hack spit spit. save that for your diner salad bars and school kids lunches, no offense bill cosby. i’m talking a real, dark, fluffy chocolate mousse. the kind that manages to be both light and whippy yet dense and heavy at the same time like some kind of magic trick. the kind where the chocolate flavor is so deep and rich you need a smidgen of real heavy lightly sweetened whipped cream to cut every spoonful.

yeah.

mousse like this:

mousse that’s all don’t be greedy, because you won’t be able to finish me if you take too much. i’m that good.

this is that mousse.

the recipe is called chocolate of the gods, and i found it because i was searching for a dessert to use our newest balsamic vinegar with.

dark chocolate balsamic…yummmm. have you ever been oil and vinegar tasting? a wine tasting would truly be a waste of my time. the only kind of wine i drink comes from the refrigerated section of the store and gets laughed at by true connoisseurs. but these gourmet vinegars are incredible—the flavor so smooth that you can sip them straight and you won’t believe the swill you’ve been putting on your salad up ‘til now. an 18 year aged balsamic bears as much relation to the grocery store stuff as a ford fiesta does to an aston martin. whoa hey you don’t come here for car metaphors, right? i’m forgetting my audience…ummm, it’s like comparing a pair of dollar store scissors to a sharp and shiny new set of ginghers, lovingly nestled in their velvet lined box. yeah. like that.

anyway, this mousse recipe does call for balsamic, i used the dark chocolate because, why not?

but what would you think if i told you that the main, number one, first ingredient in this recipe starts the way a good guacamole recipe would?

with two ripe avocados.

it’s a simple recipe. but there was a moment, as i pureed those avocados and got ready to drop in the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce WHAT? yes, SOY SAUCE.

i thought maybe, just maybe, i was the victim of an internet joke? nah. can’t be. everything you read on the internet is true.

avocados, in. balsamic, soy sauce, agave nectar (the original recipe calls for maple syrup, which i didn’t have. i sub’d agave nectar), a tablespoon of sugar, a splash of vanilla.

puree.

this is not a joke, right?

add one cup of cocoa powder.

and that’s when it started to look like something.

it was dense and heavy, which two of the only three (!) reviews mentioned, so i took the added step of folding in some heavy cream i whipped.

and that’s when the magic happened. this. this is is real, dark, fluffy but dense, deep chocolatey flavored mousse.

this pagan mousse has made a believer out of me.

chocolate of the gods

recipe adapted from food.com here

ingredients
+ 2 large ripe avocados
+ 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp agave nectar
+ 2 tbsp sugar
+ 1 tsp vanilla extract
+ 2 tsp. dark chocolate balsamic vinegar, or 1 tsp. good quality balsamic vinegar
+ 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
+ 1 cup cocoa powder
+ 3/4 cup heavy cream

peel and chop avocado into chunks. put first 6 ingredients (up to and including soy sauce) in food processor and process until smooth. add cocoa powder and process until blended. whip up heavy cream and fold into chocolate/avocado mixture.
delicious right away, even better after a day in the refrigerator. trust me.

market dress

i took these photos under duress. not my own personal duress, but the duress of my children. they wanted absolutely no parts of dressing up and brushing hair and taking pictures on this particular day.

i made them do it anyway. i pleaded and cajoled and handed out lollipops.

that night they both came down with fevers, and gigi ended up with the flu for the next week.

that’s Spectacular Parenting, for the win.

all the photos looked like garbage.

that’s paybacks, or just desserts, or whatever.

:/

that stupid emoticon does not sufficiently represent the face i’m making as i explain all this, but you get the gist, right?

it’s like this:

(that’s a gift, from me to you)

anyway…initially i rejected all the pics and figured i’d reshoot later. here we are 3 weeks later and i lack the desire or initiative to go through the entire process again. my sparse posting of late is the effect of busy weeks full of, well, busy-ness leaving me with a total lack of desire to blog—or truthfully, do anything not absolutely necessary. the upcoming week is looking to be just as crazy as i temporarily become the mother of eight, versus my normal five. (!) i’m so out of the rhythm that i even considered a vlog, just so i didn’t have to type. but i’m unshowered (another thing i don’t feel like doing), and i can’t remember the last time i brushed my teeth, so i’ll spare you that.

so you get unworthy market dress pictures, attitude crazy soon-to-be-very-sick eyes and all.

i’ve been holding on to this fabric for a while. it was an impulse buy, irresistable with it’s cute little animals heading to market. the muted colors are soft and pretty.

i bought plain seafoam green cotton for the base and made a simple dress—full skirted with some pintucks on the bottom.

i do love me some pintucks.

grey and white buttons adorn the apron top and the two big pockets on the skirt.

the back—which i apparently completely neglected to photograph—closes with a button placket. i didn’t extend it quite far enough down, so it’s a bit of a squeeze getting it on. oops. ;)

together i think the dress is cute, but maybe lacking a little something? i’m not sure. i do like the non-traditional color, and the little faux apron effect is cute.

another thing to note: why yes, she is standing on our new dining room table. the face for that statement is different than the one above. it’s more a cheese grin, thusly:

:D

also known as the “don’t be mad husband, look at what a good backdrop it makes!” face.

linking up here:

also: carmen sandiego.

you know those times when you like…i don’t know, go on vacation or have a baby or something, and you don’t drive for a week or two? and then you get back behind the wheel of a car and you’re all whoa how do i start this thing? i turn the big wheel and push the pedals to go?

that’s the best analogy i can come up with for what’s happening here. i’m sitting in front of my computer to write a blog post and i’m all
c://
READY
10: write “hello googiemomma readers!”
20: goto 10
RUN

(that’s BASIC for all you youngsters. what we rocked on our commodore 64’s WHATWHAT back in the day when computers were large and in charge!)
(p.s. you have died of dysentery)

anyway i’m still here and still planning on blogging. it’s been a whopper of a winter so far—flu (ugh) hit us. twice now elliot has gotten sick with a fever for one day and passed it on to gigi, who then ran a wicked high fever for 5 days straight. we’re starting to think it might be a conspiracy—sibling rivalry by way of biological warfare. the stomach flu (double ugh) hit us. harrison was quarantined in his room for 4 days straight (i didn’t need a repeat of Puke Fest ‘12).

the doctor visit where they said yup, she has the flu. have a nice day. thanks for that.

throw in some random fevers, sniffles and coughs, a trip to ohio to visit family (not quite as epic as this one, but yes there was an excessive amount of bodily fluids involved on the drive there and i’ll leave it at that)(unless you follow me on instagram and then you know the story) (okay, elliot puked. and puked. and puked. it was as awesome as it sounds.) so yeah, i know i’m not alone on all that.

covered in towels we stopped to buy, and finally sleeping.

i’m also still actively gym-ing. i don’t lose weight easily—i struggle and fight for every.single.ounce. if i breath in too hard near a bakery i’ll gain back all i’ve lost for the week.
but i’m determined, and i’m seeing results, so i refuse to give up.

and i’ve actually been doing quite a few projects that i can’t share at the moment for one reason or another. (gifts for people not-yet-given, upcoming series, really lousy photos i need to redo, etc…)

my hands are in everything right now.

i’m easily distracted and require a change of pace and/or scenery often. (SQUIRREL!) i rush through things, multitasking like a BOSS...at least that’s how i see it. my husband wouldn’t have the same view, i believe. and it occurred to me this morning as i poured my coffee with one hand and AT THE SAME TIME poured my creamer in with the other hand (really. who does that?) that i need
TO.

s t o p .

well, actually it’s something i’ve been brooding over for a few weeks now. i’ve seen a lot of bloggers pick their Word of the Year. and i won’t go so far as that, but i was (haha, here comes the irony…wait for it…) thinking about it and what my word would be be as i did 4.6 million other things the other day and it occurred to me:

f o c u s .

there it is, summed up in that one word.

stop, breath, focus.

BE.
be intent on what i’m doing—whether that be time with children, time with husband, making dinner, writing a blog post, exercising, sewing, reading—don’t let a hundred other things crowd into my brain and thoughts and actions. set down the phone, walk away from the google and just…focus.

as a matter of fact, in the time i’ve written this blog post i’ve also half quilted a blanket, played a battle round on the voice app with gigi (starships were meant to flyyyyy hands up, and touch the skyyyyyy), talked to my mom on the phone, and thought about dinner.

focus, shannon. f o c u s .

so there it is. one big excuse of a post. but hang on tight, i’ll be back.

and i’ll be better than ever. ;)