Dark Chocolate Mousse

Modeled after that chocolate mousse shooter dessert at Applebees. I think it turned out pretty good, but it's very rich!

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/3 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pint cold whipping cream

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl; let sit 2 minutes to soften. Add boiling water and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved, set aside and let sit until slightly warm or room temperature.

Meanwhile, in large bowl stir together cocoa and sugar. Add whipping cream and vanilla and beat on medium heat until thickened and stiff peaks--scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally throughout. Pour gelatin mixture into cream and beat until well blended. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

For serving:
Take 1 oreo cookie and scrape the filling out (not with your teeth, ha) and crumble it into the bottom of a small cup or bowl. Add a spoonful of the mousse and a dollup of whipped cream.

Makes 10-12 servings, depending on how big your spoonful is

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon chips

This is so yummy and perfect for summer! I am omitting the white sugar it asks for because it is plenty sweet after using the brown sugar, fruit preserves, and then the chips being sugary as well. (You could even omit the brown sugar, but leave the preserves, it gives it great taste!) Also, you can use any fruit you want--last time I made this I used nectarines instead of raspberries, and I've used blueberries in it before and it's yummy too.

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor (i used apricot)
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
*1-2 cups cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray. (I like use a pastry brush and put butter on both sides instead of the cooking spray, cut into wedges with a pizza cutter and then put them in a zip top bag with the cinnamon/sugar mix and shake. Then I spread them out on the baking sheet).
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

*You can buy this at the store, but it's ridiculously expensive, and it's very easy to make at home. For every 1/4 cup sugar I use 1 Tablespoon cinnamon... so for 1 cup sugar = 4 Tablespoons, 2 cups = 8 tablespoons, etc.

Fresh Salsa

This is my absolute favorite salsa recipe, and even better that you don't have to cook it! All of the ingredients in it are somewhat mild so they don't completely overpower when you take a bite.

4 large tomatoes and
1 serrano pepper (add another if you want more heat)
together blended VERY WELL in the blender--no one wants a huge bite of one of these peppers, they are HOT!

4 large tomatoes, chopped
2 bunches green onions, finely chopped
1 small can diced green chili's
juice of 1 lemon
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
garlic salt, salt, and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients; chill.

This recipe is also very versatile--sometimes I like to add black beans and corn, and sometimes I add some chopped mango for a little sweetness. You can play with the amounts if you want as well-I don't always add the whole amount of onion and cilantro. If you want to be extra-fancy you can use orange and yellow tomatoes along with red....makes it very pretty!

Do make sure that you use garlic salt and not fresh minced garlic-the raw garlic taste would be too much! And last but not least, don't worry if when you first taste it that it doesn't seem hot enough because the longer it sits, the hotter it gets!

Fall fruit salad

I have to admit I wasn't sure if I would like this... but it's actually pretty good, and since you don't put the vinegar all over the salad (just everything but the greens) it keeps pretty well in the fridge and doesn't wilt.

Fall Fruit Salad
Ingredients:

* 1 Large Apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I didn't peel it-I used Granny Smith)
* 1 Ripe Pear, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
* 1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries (I used about a half cup)
* 1/4 Cup Walnuts
* 4 Ounces Firm Blue Cheese, crumbled (I used feta)
* 1/2 Red Onion, sliced thin (I used a little less)
* 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
* Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
* Mixed greens-optional (I used baby spinach + red leaf lettuce)

Preparation:
Place the walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove, let cool, and roughly chop. In a large bowl, toss together all the ingredients. Serve plain or on a bed of mixed greens.