Well, whether I'm ready for it or not, signs of spring are popping up all over the ranch. The pastures are getting greener by the day, trees are budding out and even some of the wildflowers are emerging to showoff their spring colors. Perhaps they're tired of being overshadowed by our favored Bluebonnets, which are still a good month away, so they decided to arrive early to claim some of the attention.
And there are these creatures.
Feral hogs are not limited to spring. Though it is when their piglets arrive. These pigs are a year-round nuisance for ranchers and land owners. They root around the ground, tearing up the land. This is about a third of the group we spotted over the weekend. Three sows and at least triple that number of piglets. Definitely a mess in the making.
This past weekend was also the Servant's Heart banquet at our church. Servant's Heart is a ministry to cancer patients, and every February they hold a banquet for patients and their caregivers in our region.
This year, I had the privilege of preparing the food for the banquet. It was a delightful menu with Braised Pork Loin, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, Roasted Green Beans and a decadent White Chocolate Mousse. Not only was the dessert decadent, it was easy to prepare.
Here's what you'll need:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 - 8 oz brick of cream cheese
- 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Salt
Beat the whipping cream in a medium to large bowl until stiff peaks form.
Three-time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com.
Set aside.
Now melt your chocolate. I simply set the bowl of chips over a simmering pot of water and stirred occasionally until smooth and thoroughly melted, but you can use whatever method you prefer.
In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and a good pinch of salt until smooth. Add in the melted chocolate mix until well combined.
Add the whipped cream to the white chocolate/cream cheese mixture...
And fold together.
At this point, it's ready to spoon into your serving dishes, but since I was planning to pipe the mousse into my serving cups, I put the bowl back on the mixer and beat the mixture on medium for a few seconds until it was nice and smooth. Then I spooned it into a piping bag and swirled it into the cups.
You can serve immediately or refrigerate up to two days. I made mine the day before the banquet. I found these cute little 5 inch tall, square plastic shot-glass-type cups that were perfect for a small-portion dessert, so piping the mousse into them was less messy than spooning.
When it was time to serve, they each received a small dollop of whipped cream along with a raspberry for a nice pop of color. Unfortunately, I failed to take any pictures. But judging by the number of requests I got for the recipe, the White Chocolate Mousse was a hit. And with it being so easy to make, it's perfect for almost any occasion.
So what do you think? White chocolate mousse, yay or nay? Wildflowers in February? And how would you feel about wild animals destroying your land?
Three-time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com. 