Ladies Night - Old School

Last night I had the joy of hosting my second garden party of the year - Ladies Night with the original cast members! Having watched the sky with a weather eye (love that phrase from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies), I was pleased that the rain held off that evening. It was a bit humid but the steady breeze and light foods made for an enjoyable experience.

This time around I decide to try a couple different techniques, rather than just recipes. First up: pina coladas. After blending and tasting I could tell it wasn't quite right, but it was still drinkable and the ladies enjoyed it. Quite the refreshing beverage on a warm spring evening! Imagine my horror when I discovered about an hour later that the issue was not having stirred the pineapple juice! The layer of yummy pulp was clearly visible in the pitcher. Drat! You can bet I won't make that mistake again . . .

The second item had greater success. I'm not really a huge chocolate fan, though I adore dark chocolate when I'm in the mood. I scoured all my sources for recipes and came across this loveliness. I traded 1/2 cup of the milk for heavy cream and used a Ghiradelli 60% chocolate bar (the entire 4 ounces, not just 3.5). I love that there are bits of the chocolate bar that didn't melt so a chocolate chip effect happened. The picture doesn't do it justice - I should have photoed it in the service cups with a slight bit of melt. MMM.

For those of you in horror at the estimated calorie count - here's what I've found to be true in my life. If I cook/bake with good ingredients the food tastes incredible - which means I eat less of it. If I use so-so items, the calories taste different so I eat more of them. Its a total mental game - but it works for me!