#100 - Fragoloska

Well, here we are - recipe #100. And just in the nick of time too, only three hours left in 2011. Now we already brought some appetizers, but what New Year's Eve party is complete without some festive beverages?

Fragoloska

A Hungry Hundred Original Recipe #100 is a Hungry Hundred Original. It's a New Year's Eve drink, and since New Year's is Johnnys birthday, we knew it had to be a strawberry libation. So we took some inspiration from the Villa Cookbook, made a strawberry sauce, and went from there. And it was pretty good. It's our version of a Caipiroska - a deliciously fruity drink we used to have in Italy.

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Now, having completed our New Year's Resolution of 2011, you may be wondering what our plans are for 2012. Well, we're not going to be doing anything crazy like taking 365 pictures or making 100 new recipes, but after all the fun we've had with this project, Emily will be starting something new and exciting. She's starting a new baking business called BB Sweets. She'll be making cute desserts for birthday parties, bridal showers, weddings, or any other exciting event and she'll be making everything from cupcakes to cake pops to plated desserts. Check out her site on Facebook and become a fan!

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Happy New Year everybody!

Ingredients

• 1 pint strawberries, cut in half, keeping several for garnishing
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Lemon, juiced
• Orange juice
• Vodka

Preparation

1. In a food processor, puree the strawberries and sugar.
2. Add some of the freshly squeezed lemon juice into the mixture.
3. In a cocktail shaker, place two parts strawberry puree, one part vodka, and a splash of orange juice.
4. Shake to combine, and serve over ice with a strawberry for garnish.

#5 - Hot Chocolate

Well, it's winter in these parts and that means runny noses, snow days, mittens, and hot chocolate. And we're not talking of the Swiss Miss variety. Gone are the days of brown powder and dehydrated marshmallows. We've been trying to make more grown-up hot chocolates, and this recipe comes Café Mozart, a famous Viennese cafe - Austria, not Virginia, of course.

Hot Chocolate

From In Mama's Kitchen The Café Mozart hot chocolate recipe uses few ingredients, making it easy to make on a cold winter's night.Most people invest in a good coffee maker and a tea pot for their kitchens. While we have both of those, we've got one step forward. For Christmas last year, Johnny gave Emily the ultimate kitchen appliance- a hot chocolate maker from Bialetti. Instead of having to heat the milk and chocolate stove top like in the old days, we can just throw all the ingredients together, push a button, and get an amazing mug of frothed hot chocolate in a matter of minutes.
Both bitter and unsweetened chocolate were needed to make the hot chocolate. We decided to go all out and used Ghirardelli. If you're gonna make something rich, you might as well make it ridiculously rich. The quality of chocolate can definitely make hot chocolate even that much better.
The final mug was delicious! It was chocolatey, rich, thick, and frothy. We obviously topped our hot chocolate with whipped cream, which helped balance the richness of the chocolate. While it was so easy to make in our machine, you can use the same recipe on the stove as well.
Here's the hot chocolate recipe (Makes 1 Serving):

Ingredients

• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp confectioners' sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Whipped cream (optional)
  

Preparation

1. In a food processor, combine the chocolates, sugar, and salt. Process on high just until the chocolates are are finely ground.
2. Heat the milk over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan to just under a boil.
3. Add in the chocolate mixture, and continue cooking. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens slightly, for about 5 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
5. Pour into a mug, top with whipped cream, and serve immediately.

Or just buy a Bialetti hot chocolate maker!