Candace’s Thanksgiving Calamity

Posted by Candace Bowen Early on Nov 26, 2010 in Authors, Blog | 3 comments

Unlike most Thanksgivings, this year’s was going to top them all. No worrying in advance what and how many side dishes to make, the only thing my sister-in-law requested was a dessert. Brainiac that I am, instead of buying a dessert, I decided to get fancy. Now, it is no secret to those who know me that I am quite fond of chocolate, so what could be better than chocolate mousse served in chocolate cups? After all, Thanksgiving only comes once a year.

Long ago, I learned this nifty little trick to make chocolate cups. Melt chocolate, dip a small balloon into it to create a fluted bowl, stick it on wax paper and chill. After the chocolate sets, pop the balloon and voila a perfect bowl. Easy right? Wrong. In the time since I last made the cups, balloon makers snuck behind my back and cheapened the quality of their product. There I was with a self-satisfied smirk thinking how impressed everyone was going to be when poof, the chocolate covered balloon I was holding popped. As I stood there staring shell-shocked at my chocolate splattered kitchen wondering how I was going to get the chocolate off my textured ceiling, it occurred to me that I had better cool down the rest pronto. Sure enough, the tray was in my hand when another balloon popped. Now covered in chocolate streaks, I could only hope the doorbell would not ring. After wrapping the remaining balloons in wax paper, I left a trail of chocolate in my haste to reach the garbage can. A tub of Clorox wipes later, I wisely decided the mousse would look just as nice served in my Grandma’s antique crystal dessert cups.

Still feeling somewhat confident, I decide no one need know about my little kitchen catastrophe. Moving on, I figure nothing else could go wrong with a recipe consisting of only four ingredients. How wrong I was. While the melted chocolate cooled in ice for the next step, I decided to tidy up the kitchen. Holding the extra large bag of sugar with only two tablespoons missing, I turn for the fridge and failed to notice my newly adopted kitten Spur hanging by my feet. With one leg poised in the air, I overcompensated so as not to squish her. Yep, you guessed it. The bag tumbled from my hand raining sugar all over my kitten and kitchen floor. Spur was the smart one and made a beeline for the living room. Me? I wondered what I had done to turn the mousse Gods so against me.

After taking a break to gather my scattered wits, I had the mousse chilling in the fridge. All I had to do was to get the mousse from my house to my brother and sister-in-law’s house three blocks away. I had every faith in my ability to at least do that much. I mean really, what are the odds of something else happening? Do not answer that. Nestled securely in a flat-bottomed casserole dish, I slowly headed for the door when I realized I had forgotten my sister-in-law’s Hostess gift on the dining room table. As I turned back, my eyes flew wide in horror as one of my Granny’s treasured glasses tumbled over the side to smash on the tile floor.

Now you may be asking what I could possibly have to be thankful for this year. Well, I’ll tell you. I am thankful for my family and friends who made me laugh over the entire incident. I am thankful for the fact that now my dessert set is once again an even number after Granny broke a glass herself so many years ago. Most of all, I am thankful that I only made enough mousse for every guest present, because I would not have eaten any of that cursed concoction if it came with a winning lottery ticket. I heard it was good though.

I have decided to make fudge for Christmas. What could possibly go wrong with fudge?