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My head is spinning after today

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MAy 5th, 2011 – Oof-da!  What a day I had in the kitchen.  I played with chocolate, I wore chocolate, I licked chocolate, I wiped it off the floor, the cell phone, the wall….you name it… all day long!  I started the day started off knowing that I had a simple task at hand.  I just needed to complete my Raw Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake that I was making for a friend’s dinner party tonight.  I made the cheesecake last night and today I just had to decorate it.  It sounds so simple…that simple project took 5 hours!  Oof-da mira!

I went through 4 batches of chocolate TRYING to get it right.  All’s I had to do was make the chocolate art forms, allow them to harden and then decorate the cake.

Batch #1 – looked gorgeous but it didn’t harden.   That chocolate went into a bowl and out of vision.  I would deal with that later.  Batch #2 – Oooooh fiddlesticks, I didn’t have enough for batch #2.  After several stores later I found some Raw Cacao Butter.  Ok back to Batch #2 – Instantly it gelled up and then separated.  *throws hands up in the air*  “What in tarnation, I say, What in Tarnation!”  That went into the bowl, I would deal with that later as well.  Batch #3 – new recipe, looked beautiful, I was feeling good about this batch.  I made my forms on the pan and popped them in the freezer.

After my 3rd batch of dishwashing, I pulled my chocolate art out of the freezer.  Looking good, it’s firm…I think we have a winner here!  I started placing them.  I needed 12 of them, 1 broke but that’s ok…I made a few extra.  Another broke, still ok, another broke *beads of chocolate are starting to form on my forehead*  ANOTHER broke, now I am in trouble.  I have to make another batch now.  I am not sure what was more disheartening, the fact that I had to use MORE ingredients or the fact that I that I was going to have to do dishes AGAIN.

Batch #4 – Same recipe, different technique… You don’t mind if I take a quick side note, do you?  Great, thanks.  A few years ago my husband and I took a chocolatier course.  It was hard work and I learned to have a great deal of respect for those in that industry.  It is a true art form.  What I am coming to learn now is that the same goes for raw chocolate.  It’s a true art form and takes time and patience to learn it.  The bad part was that I was running short on time and running short on patience.

Raw-Chocolate-Chips99As I was buzzing around the kitchen, watching the time slip by, I knew I had to really pick up my pace.  That is when I accidentally hit the edge of the measuring cup holding the Agave syrup.

Oh, you know what is coming now don’t you?!  It was in slow motion as I watched the golden amber colored, silky, shiny, threads of sticky gooeyness, sail through the air.  I saw every bounce that the sturdy plastic measuring cup made on the floor.

One bounce – it sprayed the oven, second bounce – it splattered the fridge.  Bounce #3-5 peppered the floor with such force that it decorated the cabinets, my left shoe and left a Cindy Crawford amber colored mole on my left cheek.  Yep, that is JUST what I needed to deal with. lol

So Batch #4 – (after the kitchen hose down) started out beautifully,  it was blending, forming, holding shape…it quickly went into the freezer.  I still had some chocolate left in my piping bag so I tilted my head back and squeezed every last drop into my mouth…NOT, was tempting but I held onto my willpower!  It was starting to thicken, time was my enemy…”What to do, what to do with it?”  Chocolate Chips!  Look at my army of yumminess!

I did dishes AGAIN and then took my chocolate art forms out of the freezer.  They looked perfect!  I was so relieved.  I brought the cheesecake back out to complete the job.  I had made six forms.  The first one went on perfect.  The second one broke…gulp.  The last two went on just right.  Shew,  I let out a huge sigh of relief.  I needed a drink!  I walked across the floor (each step made that “sticky theater floor” sound)  I didn’t care, I was done!  I sipped my tea and ate my little bowl of chlorella nuts for a snack.  (you’ll see why I shared that with you soon enough)  I wiped my brow and smiled….so glad that was o….v….e…..rrrrr.

My thoughts fell off the radar as I looked at the cheesecake, ooh no…what was happening??  The first chocolate forms that I had made are falling over as they warmed to room temperature.  Say it isn’t so!!  I didn’t have any extra forms… My heart was crushed.   The more I tried to save them, the more they gave up the ghost.  I looked at the clock, I didn’t have enough time to make Batch #5.  What was I to do?  I was forced to shift gears.  I gently removed all the chocolate and put it in a bowl. lol My collection of chocolate globs was growing but I set it aside, I didn’t have time to deal with it just yet.

I loaded the top of the cake with strawberries.  I had dipped 3 strawberries in chocolate, back when I “thought” I had some extra chocolate to have as a snack a bit later.  No snack for you!  They saved my biscuits and became the center stage of the decor.

Raw Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake

It’s a far cry from what it was supposed to look like, but sometimes things just HAPPEN!

By the time I was done, my feet were sore, my hands were dried out and pruned up from washing so many darn dishes all day and my brain was numb.  I walked past the mirror, stopped to brush the hair out of my eyes and guess what was looking back at me?  A face with that Cindy Crawford golden agave mole on my cheek, a smear of chocolate on my forehead,  3 chocolate dots that splattered me at some point, a dab of chocolate on my chin and a ring of green all my lips from chewing up those chlorella nuts. lol  I was a site for sore eyes.  I almost took a self-portrait picture for you of it but I didn’t have the energy.

I apologize for having such a winded post here, it appears I had a lot to say about my adventure today and needed to vent it out.  Before I hit the send button, some of you may be asking what I did I do with all that chocolate that went south on me.  Well, this is what I did.  Back in March, I had made some Chocolate Banana Wraps.  I had them sealed up really well and they are still wonderful tasting to this very day.  So I look the wrap and laid it out.

I then took all the chocolate and placed it in the food processor.  I added raw oats, 1 tsp salt and about 1 cup of raw almond butter.  Oh yum!  I then took the batter and spread it out on the chocolate wrap. Then proceeded to roll it up. I wrapped it in plastic and chilled it in the fridge. When chilled and firm,  I sliced them into pinwheels.  You can decorate these however you wish.  They are soooo yummy!

So once again, no ingredients went into the compost pile!  I love raw foods!  You can have your “cake and eat too!” when you incorporate healthy desserts into your raw food diet.

So, that was my day…. have you ever had a day like this?

11 thoughts on “My head is spinning after today

  1. Jami says:

    Holy Moly Girlfriend…..not sure which one looks better, the cheescake or the pinwheels. I hope you enjoyed your dinner party :)

    • amie-sue says:

      lol….I hope to bring those pinwheels into the office today. :) Unfortunately, I didn’t get any cheesecake, it was for a paying client…for “their” dinner party. But being the dish washer and all, I did sneak a lick off the spatula before it went into the soapy water! Score for the chef! haha

  2. amie-sue says:

    Well, the cheesecake was a hit. I got an email from the gal who hosted the party. She said in a an email…”Dessert ever AmieSue!

    The dinner gathering was great, the Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake… AMAZING!

    Everyone thrilled. Taste and texture amazing, flavors spot on! So glad Eric recommended you for this event!

    Thank you thank you thank you,

    Your link is going out to everyone this am.

    Blessings and prosperity be yours!”

  3. shannonmarie says:

    Hi Amie Sue (you have such a cute name, BTW). I replied back to you on my blog, but since it’s in the old blogger comments, I wasn’t sure if you’d get a notification.

    So, yes, of course you can use the recipe. I really appreciate you asking first. Most people don’t these days. Can you believe someone once ran my entire post with personal text, pictures and all (not a single word of the entire post was theirs)? I only knew about it due to a Google alert, but I never confronted them on it. That’s just me.

    Love your site. The food and photos are gorgeous. I’m adding you to my blogroll (something I haven’t updated in ages, but I think you belong there). Thanks for stopping by my blog :-)

    • amie-sue says:

      Thank you Shannonmarie. :) I am going to do a post on your chocolate donuts. It is only right to give create to the designer! I enjoy catching up your site as well. Thank you for adding me to your blogroll. Have a blessed day, amie sue

  4. nancy says:

    Your site is just awesome. i am not a techy and do not spend hours on the computer, but it seems that i find myself pouring over your spot. Now a question: i have some leftover sprouted almonds which have been in the fridge a couple of weeks and have now sat on my counter to dry more, over night… are they good still? No salmonella or other dreaded bacteria growing? They smell fine.

    • amie-sue says:

      Good evening Nancy…

      Hmmm, I need more info. The left over sprouted nuts… were they soaking in water in the fridge (some people do that) or had you soaked and dehydrated them, then stored in the fridge? Lets start there… let me know. :) amie sue

  5. Laura says:

    Hi Amie-Sue, I love this post! That was one crazy escapade in the kitchen! The cheesecake looks absolutely fabulous and so do the pinwheels. Your photos are beautiful. I am curious about the type of camera you use. Thanks for sharing and have an awesome day! :)

    • amie-sue says:

      Good evening Laura.

      Thank you very much :) It was a crazy day in the kitchen that day but you know, I love days like those. Adventure! hehe I use my iPhone 5 for all my photos. lol I appreciate you sharing and keep in touch. amie sue

  6. pphoughton says:

    I’m exhausted just reading about your day😱
    We all have them, but you must have needed a nap 😆,unless you use a dictating machine,after just writing down all of the riotous events let alone experiencing them😉
    When will u b posting Shannonmaries chocolate donuts recipe…yum😘?
    We’ll return to FL in @ a week and I’ll b in Heaven getting my kitchen to try lots of your recipies👏🏻👏🏻
    Thank you and all good things for your creativity,
    🖊

    • amie-sue says:

      lol Penny… that post was from 2011. :) I see that they program isn’t putting a date stamp on the postings. I will have to look into that. :) But in all honesty, that is a template of my life in general. Always busy busy busy. hehe Safe travels home… I will keep the kitchen “light” on for you. Blessings, amie sue

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