Chocolate Covered Oranges

This interesting treat is delicious and creative. You will need . . .

Fresh Oranges Peeled and Segmented
Two bags of chocolate chips

1. Place a piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat on a tray or cookie sheet.
2. Peel the oranges and divide them into segments. Carefully clean off any strings or white pith so you have a beautiful clean segment.
3. Melt the chocolate chips slowly in a double boiler, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until they are just melted.
4. Remove the chocolate from the heat and dip each orange segment halfway into the chocolate, leaving the other half uncoated.
5. Place the dipped segment on the tray.
6. Once all the segments are dipped, place the tray in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes so the chocolate will cool and harden. I like to double dip them to ensure a nice thick coating.

Strawberry Chocolate Mousse Cake

Strawberry Chocolate Mousse Cake

Yield: 12 servings.

1 cup (about 5 ounces) chocolate cookie or chocolate graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
2 pint baskets California strawberries, stemmed and halved
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided
1 tablespoon sugar

n bowl, mix crumbs and butter to blend thoroughly. Press evenly onto bottom of 9-inch springform or cheesecake pan. Stand strawberry halves, touching, side-by-side, pointed ends up with cuts sides against side of pan. Set aside.

Place chocolate chips in blender container. In small saucepan over medium heat, mix water and corn syrup; bring to boil and simmer 1 minute. Immediately pour over chocolate chips and blend until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in large mixer bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups of the cream to form stiff peaks. With rubber spatula, fold cooled chocolate into whipped cream to blend thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan; level top. (Points of strawberries might extend above chocolate mixture.) Cover and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours.

Up to 2 hours before serving, in medium mixer bowl, beat remaining one cup cream to form soft peaks. Add sugar; beat to form stiff peaks. Remove side of pan; place cake on serving plate. Using a Pastry Bag with a star tip pipe or dollop whipped cream onto top of cake. Arrange remaining halved strawberries on whipped cream. To serve, cut into wedges with knife, wiping blade between cuts.

Iced Chocolate

As I sit here in my family room with a fire burning in the fireplace and my husband refusing the admit its way to damn hot in here these iced chocolate drinks look really tasty.

Makes 4

4 teaspoons thick chocolate desert sauce
600ml skim milk
1/4 cup chocolate flavouring
12 ice cubes
4 scoops light vanilla icecream

Put thick chocolate dessert sauce on the end of a teaspoon and make chocolate dots on the sides of 4 tall glasses. In a blender or food processor, pour 600ml skim milk, 1/4 cup of chocolate flavouring and the ice from 1 tray of ice cubes. Process until crushed and smooth. Pour milkshake into glasses, top with a scoop of light vanilla ice cream and serve.