Milk Chocolate Mousse Cake with Hazelnut Crunch Crust

This recipe that I got from epicurious.com is very methodical but so worth it! You'll want to eat the whole thing yourself. The mousse is phenomenal and you'll get rave reviews from your guests!


Cake

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup sifted all purpose flour (sifted, then measured)
• 1/3 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process; sifted, then measured)
• 4 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar

Hazelnut crunch

• 5 ounces imported gianduja bars (hazelnut-flavored milk chocolate, such as Callebaut), chopped
• 1 cup crisp rice cereal
• 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, finely chopped*

Mousse

• 10 ounces imported gianduja bars (hazelnut-flavored milk chocolate, such as Callebaut), chopped

• 1 1/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
• 1/8 teaspoon (scant) salt
• 3 tablespoons water

• 3 tablespoons Tuaca (sweet citrus-flavored liqueur) or Frangelico (hazelnut-flavored liqueur)

• Additional unsweetened cocoa powder
• Powdered sugar

Ohhh, Those Fine Moments!

Last night as Moises was going to tuck Asher into bed he says to Asher, "I'll be right there, I just need to get changed."

As Moises gets up to put on his pajamas, Asher asks, "Papi, did you poop?"

"What?!" Moises says.

"You said you needed to get changed." Asher says.

Roarrr!

Perfecting their "roar" after watching the Lion King.

Fun Town

Last weekend, Camille, a classmate of Asher had a birthday party at "Fun Town". It's full of inflatable slides and trampolines. He had a blast and was completely exhausted by the time we left.

My Boys

Goof Balls

and "so GQ"

Set, Ready, Go!

Elie learned the "ready, set, go" thing from big brother. It cracks me up to see him say this and race across the room (by himself) or throw something. He is still working on the order of words like "set, ready, go!" (However, he consistently says "go" at the end.)

Balancing Act

Sledding at Kim's

When I told Asher we were going sledding at Kim's for playgroup he was so excited. He has never gotten himself dressed this fast before. He was even telling me, "Mommy, hurry we don't want to be late!"

Dear Ball Pit,

We are sad to see you go. The kids LOVED you but I, not so much... too much clean up and accident prone. We made some good memories with you and it will be a bittersweet goodbye.

Asher's art work

I have been meaning to post this picture that Asher drew at school for a few months. When I saw this I about died laughing. It's a truck pulling a string. Where do they get these ideas?

Three Buzzes!

Slap Happy

When Elie is in a slap-happy mood he laughs hysterically, makes all the silly sounds he can come up with as well as random hand gestures to get you to laugh. And in this case, dumps yogurt on his head.

Portabello with Creamy Spinach-Artichoke Filling

I got this recipe out of Fine Cooking magazine. These are so delicious and addictive. Moises normally doesn't like portabello mushrooms but he loved these!

3 Tbs. olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
4 medium portabello mushrooms, stemmed, gills removed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbs. mayonnaise
1-1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
9 to 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
9 oz. frozen artichokes, thawed, lightly squeezed dry, and chopped
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs or panko
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Tip: If you can’t find frozen artichoke hearts, substitute a 14-oz. can of artichoke hearts, drained and patted dry.

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Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F.

In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbs. of the oil and about two-thirds of the minced garlic. Brush the insides of the mushroom caps with the garlic oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Arrange the mushrooms oiled side up on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until just tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and 1/2 tsp. of the thyme with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the spinach and artichokes and season to taste with salt and pepper. In another medium bowl, combine the remaining garlic, 1 Tbs. oil, and 1 tsp. thyme with the breadcrumbs and cheese.

Spoon the artichoke mixture evenly into the mushroom caps and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until the crumbs are golden-brown and the filling is hot, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Elie loves his brocolli

It's crazy how much our boys love their veggies. The simpler they are, the more they like them, like steamed or roasted. I don't have to do all that stuff like hide them in pasta sauce or whatever.

That's my big funny smile

Asher's Playdate with Michael

Last month Michael came over for a play date. They had fun wrestling, rough housing, coloring and then finally sword fights with markers.

Elie's bathtime

This kid loves bath time. He doesn't even mind when you pour water over his head to rinse the shampoo.