Our Mother's Day was low key this year since Nick and family have moved away. Our numbers have dwindled down to three of us now. Lauren came over for dinner and Bruce barbecued everyone's favorite Teriyaki Flank Steak and I made some festive chocolate covered strawberries.
I am feeling a little bit of my lonely-grandma-self but I suppose it's human nature after the past three years of being spoiled with my whole family here. I keep thinking of my own mom who I would normally turn to for comfort at a time like this. This is when I miss her the most, especially on Mother's Day. Her motherhood wasn't all that easy, always saying goodbye to her children and grandkids, too. She must have felt lonely much of the time just like I do now. We do what we have to do when you don't live near your loved ones. She rarely lived near her seven children once we all finished high school. We all couldn't wait to move out and get on our own. I was probably the one who stuck around the longest since it took me awhile to figure out what to do with myself.
I think about my mom when I play my ukulele because certain songs remind me of her. She would love listening to my music. When I play Edelweiss I know she would love it because she loved the Sound of Music. When I play Let It Be, I know she would love that one, too, because she loved the Beatles. Plus, I know the song is about Paul McCartney's mom coming to him in a dream and telling him everything will be O.K., so just Let It Be. It brings tears to my eyes sometimes playing that song and thinking about my own mom coming to me and saying everything will be alright, just Let It Be. When you play music and actually sing the words, it affects you a lot more. It may be a song you liked before, but when you actually play the music and sing the words, it has a much bigger affect on you. I know deep down everything will be fine and I need to just Let It Be. But I still miss my grandkids. Their absence looms in the background so this year I decided to occupy my mind and do what I always do to comfort myself...go to the kitchen and make something. This time, it was Chocolate Covered Strawberries.
They are pretty simple to make and I'm surprised I've never made them before. Or if I did, I didn't write it down. Probably because they are so simple to make...Anyway, there are a few things to know. Since there are only two ingredients (chocolate and strawberries) you want to make sure to use high quality of both of these. Our local grocery store has had a special on a 4 pound container of big strawberries that have been flying off the shelf. So, I decided to buy some, too, even though I wasn't sure we could eat that many.
Well, we ate them, no problem. They not only looked beautiful but they were sweet, too. They were definitely good quality. Then our neighbor had a high school graduation party for their daughter who pet-sits for us. (Fortunately, she also has a younger brother who has taken over the duties.) Amongst their refreshments were chocolate covered strawberries. I'm embarrassed to say that I could not stop eating them. It was a fun gathering with all our neighbors and I was busy talking to everyone but I simply could not stop eating those chocolate covered strawberries! They were just perfect. Sweet strawberries, delicious chocolate and easy to eat. The chocolate did not crack and fall apart onto the floor like so many chocolate covered strawberries. (I hate that.) I started going into the kitchen to get the fresh tray of them that they hadn't put out yet so all the ones on the table didn't disappear from me eating them all. Then I started looking for the biggest ones to eat. I was obsessed! After that party, I haven't been able to stop thinking about those strawberries. It was after that when I saw them at the grocery store and I though "OMG, there they are!" It's been a long winter, what can I say, when a person gets that obsessed about strawberries. I always have really good quality chocolate at home because that's what I eat for my sugar cravings.
I started just melting the chocolate in the microwave and drizzling it over the strawberries which is actually just as good. While I was grocery shopping this week, I decided to buy more chocolate just for the purpose of making chocolate covered strawberries for Mother's Day so I bought these:
This chocolate didn't last very long since I probably covered 3 pounds of the strawberries so I also used some of my 72% dark chocolate for the rest of them. I melted the white chocolate for drizzling over the strawberries and I also got out my Valentine's cookie/cake decorations for additional sprinkles. They were really fun to make and turned out gorgeous.
Too pretty to eat? Not a chance. Now, I can eat to my heart's content in the comforts of my own home with nobody watching. Happy Mother's Day to me.
2 dozen large strawberries, stems attached
8-10 oz. good quality chocolate, such as Ghirardelli baking chips, or Baker's Baking Chocolate (use about 8 ounces of chocolate to 1 pound of strawberries.)
1 cup white chocolate for decorating, if desired
various small cake/cookie sprinkles such as nonpareils, for additional decorations
1. Wash strawberries and dry them VERY well. If they are the least bit wet, the chocolate will not stick. It also works best if they are at room temperature. Lay them out on paper towels or clean kitchen towel and let them air dry. I left them out most the morning until I was ready to make them.
2. Melt the chocolate in a double-broiler or microwave until chocolate is melted. It's best to temper the chocolate for the best chocolate consistency.
Bring a saucepan with 2 inches of water to a simmer. Place a metal bowl containing 2/3 of the chocolate over the water in the saucepan; stir until the chocolate melts.
3. Immediately remove the bowl from the saucepan, add the remaining chocolate and stir vigorously.
4. Reheat the chocolate briefly by placing the bowl back over the saucepan. Now the strawberries are ready to dip.
3. Dip strawberries in melted chocolate, holding by the stem, twist slightly and lift. You can stick a toothpick into the top of the strawberry to hold it for ease of dipping.
4. Drizzle with white chocolate, if desired, using a fork for drizzling. Also, sprinkle with various decorations, if desired.
5. Place strawberries on parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. 
6. These are best eaten at room temperature (so the chocolate doesn’t crack and fall on the floor when you bite into them.) The chocolate will set without chilling unless it’s a very hot day.
If you do make them ahead of time and chill in the fridge, let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. If you have any leftover, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the fridge for 2-3 days. Enjoy!
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