It’s not a Groundhog but it is a Moose! We saw our first Moose in Colville this past Sunday. We were very excited!
Wednesday’s Hodgepodge Groundhog version is today! Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond for asking the questions!
1. The Wednesday Hodgepodge landing on Groundhog’s Day sounds about right. Besides the Hodgepodge what else lands on your calendar just once a week? Is it as much fun as the Hodgepodge-ha!?
The weekly regulars for me land on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Most every Sunday we meet with our church body for Sunday School and Morning Worship. On Monday evenings we have a Bible Study in a friend’s home. On Wednesday mornings we have a women’s prayer time at our church. They are worthwhile, encouraging and enlightening times with one on one, face to face communication happening. That’s the one thing the Hodgepodge lacks. Wouldn’t it be fun to do Hodgepodge around a table with coffee and treats, face to face!?
2. The Winter Olympics begin on Friday, surrounded by much controversy. Will you be watching? Why or why not? Have you ever been to China?
We haven’t discussed whether we’ll watch or not. The conditions surrounding the event seem oppressive. I have never been to China. Our oldest son and daughter-in-law have been a couple times.
Speaking of China…The Lunar New Year rang in yesterday, celebrated by millions in China and elsewhere! It is the year of the Tiger for them. A few years ago we decided to host a Chinese meal on Lunar New Year and this was the table I set for our meal. Dear had a conference in San Francisco in January of that year and a Russian/Chinese friend of mine gave me a tour of China Town in San Francisco where I bought some of the items to set the table. I found other things at Goodwill to round things out.
3. Something in your life lately that has felt a bit like an ‘Olympic event’?
Walking to our garage and back has been like a Winter Olympic Event on Ice! I landed on my backside once and Dear landed on his backside and hit his head, too, sliding off the icy steps! Thankfully we both did not get hurt badly. We walk like penguins very carefully.
4. Do you like fondue? Sweet or savory? Restaurant only or do you own your own fondue set?
Yes, we do enjoy a good fondue. Mostly Savory but Sweet is good, too. We do own a couple fondue sets. I’ve been to the Melting Pot once with my sisters several years ago. I’m attaching a recipe in the random thought area for a Valentine’s day fondueish dessert you can make without a fondue set. This was a post I shared on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook Blog back in February of 2012.
5. Give us five short (2-3 word) phrases to sum up your January.
Happy New Year!
Happy Birthday X3!
Let it Snow!
Slipping on Ice!
Fun with Grands!
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Chocolate Hazelnut Fondue
- 1-1/2 cups half and half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1-1/2 pounds bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped. (I used 2 bags of semisweet chocolate chips that I didn’t need to chop)
- 1/4 cup Frangelico liqueur (If you do not want to use this you can substitute 1/4 cup of strong brewed coffee)
- 1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (as always you can omit the nuts if you’d prefer)
Method:
- Place the half and half and heavy cream in a double boiler.
- Heat the creams until they bubble.
- Reduce the heat and gradually stir in the chocolate chips 1/2 cup at a time whisking while adding. When the chocolate is completely blended in, add the liqueur.
- Keep warm and sprinkle with hazelnuts just before serving.
- You can divide the chocolate into individual dipping bowls and serve with dipping fruit and other items or you can put the chocolate into a fondue pot at this time, too, to keep it warm.
Some dipping suggestions: cookies, biscotti, cubes of cake, dried apricots, pineapple, fresh berries, sliced pears, orange slices, and marshmallows.
This recipe easily served 8 people with leftovers. If you are serving a smaller group half the recipe.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 