Can you say strawberries!

I've wanted to post these pictures since Valentine's Day, but since I've been on a blogging diet ( I know, I know, wrong kind of diet for me,) I haven't really taken the time to post them. Dipping strawberries this year was actually quite fun. I feel like every year I have more control and can manage this small, seasonal business better and better. I wasn't too overwhelmed and the strawberries this year were HUGE to begin with. It's hard to go wrong when the berries are gigantic.

I wish I had taken better pictures so I could demonstrate how chocolate covered strawberries can be a yummy treat and great gift. Dipping is pretty self-explanatory and the drizzling just takes a little of practice. Many people ask me for my Chocolate Recipe and so here it is:

For every 24 oz. of dipping bark you need 23 oz. of Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate. That is, for every block of bark you need 2 bags of chips.

This same combination goes for white chocolate ( which is really not chocolate at all.) Ghirardelli

white is the best if you can find it. So it Guittard, but you got to shell out some bucks!

Milk chocolate is just a personal preference of mine but you can use whatever you would like. I also like to add Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips ( about 1 cup) to my melted chocolate. This gives an added richness and disguises the use of bark. All though bark is not very tasty and wax like, it does offer some advantages. First, bark has a higher heat tolerance and will stay melted longer, it's also not as thick, and relatively inexpensive. So I have to say bark comes in handy when dipping over 600 strawberries:)

I like to melt my chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave, beginning with 1-2 minute increments, depending on the amount of chocolate your melting. As the chocolate starts to melt you want to take your heating time down to 30 second intervals. If your chocolate looks melted with just a couple small lumps left, just let it sit on the counter for a minute. Don't put it back in the microwave. The heat of the chocolate will melt the remaining lumps. A good stir will also assist in melting small lumps. I run my bark through a food processor and so it is in fine shavings, allowing it to easily melt.

Chocolate will seize and separate if brought to too high of heat... especially white. You can also try the double boiler method, but be careful because any bit of water will make your chocolate seize. Combinations I like are white chocolate and coconut, milk chocolate and SALTED almonds, tuxedo's, a milk chocolate with dark drizzle. Be creative and do whatever you like!

The best way to drizzle is to put your chocolate in a heavy Ziplock (freezer bag so the seams wont pop) and snip a very small corner off the bag to create a small stream of chocolate. Hold your hand diagonally across the strawberry and with a controlled squeeze move your hand back and forth. Like I said you'll become more comfortable with it the more you do it. To create a Tuxedo strawberry, dip the front of your berry in white and let harden. Then dip corners in chocolate and let harden. To create the bow, make a sideways figure 8 ( again, chocolate in your Ziploc bag) and fill it in. I'm sure you can figure out the buttons. Remember, good strawberries are seasonal, so the best time to find them is between Feb. and early June.

Someone once asked me why I like to do all these extra little "projects" in my life and my thought was that sometimes it's hard to just stay home and be a mom. I wish I could find pure satisfaction in that responsibility, as huge as it is, but the reality is that I sometimes don't. I guess it's the right brain and the left hand in me that loves to be creative. It's very satisfying for me to create something I love, earn a few extra bucks, and feel personally enriched!