August 22, 2018 – Lost and Found in two acts

ACT ONE

Several days ago, I am looking for my cheese knife.  Yes, that knife I’ve had since our first apartment.  It was part of a gift of assorted cheese from around the world from some business associate of my husband.  My Mom had never had one and I found it a wonderful thing.

         You can draw it across a block of hard cheese, like extra cedar, and get a paper thin slice that will actually melt into the nooks and crannies of a just out of the toaster English muffin.

         Or, when you don’t have soft butter, you can sliver refrigerated butter so that it immediately melts on warm toast.

         And, I have had much luck with creating butter curls for special occasions and also creating chocolate curls with it.  The chocolate curls are more difficult, the chocolate bar has to be the right temperature to get nice curls. But, after a bit of practice, I find I can accomplish elegant chocolate curls to sprinkle on top of a decadent dessert for guests. Curls create the “WOW” factor, especially on chocolate mousse – I’ve a very old recipe that is wickedly easy and tastes decadent considering the simple ingredients.  I will post it at the end of this blog.

         That morning I searched in the drawers and in the crockery of my upright kitchen tools and could not find my well-used and beloved cheese knife.  I asked myself mentally, when did I use it last?  How curious – I wonder where it is.  I remember last seeing it in the shorter crock that holds my assorted whisks.

         Since retirement, this household has been a bit of lost-and-found or out-of-place or not-in-the-right place drama on just about a daily basis.  I wash the dishes and put them in the drainer to dry when I am busy, and my husband, comes along and puts them away when they are dry.  In the past couple of years, I have temporarily lost the beloved granny fork the silicon tipped tongs, the colander, or find the pot holders in the most unusual places.  Yes, he is being helpful, but it is driving me crazy that we don’t agree on the designated places for these often used items.

         I start a second search in my tool crocks, drawers, then glance at the shelf pegged with eye hooks that holds my most used utensils and it is a case of NO FIND.  Then, I remember that I actually bought a new one, a stainless steel one on half price sale a few months back and stashed it with the items I don’t use often in a drawer in my desk in the kitchen. 

I dig through that and pull out the new one.  I haven’t even taken the price tag off it yet.  I remove the sticky tag, wash it and proceed on my way.  I am saddened, where is my old one? I actually like it better than the new one.  Silly of me, it is more a matter of sentimentality then sharpness or service.

         Then suddenly, a few days later my rosewood handle cheese knife shows up. From where?

ACT TWO

         “What have you done with the coffee scoop?”

         I hear my husband call from the kitchen.

“I haven’t done anything – it should be right where it always is, on the tray,” I answer.

On the tray which is beside his fake sugar and his jar of ground coffee near the toaster and coffee maker.  I remember seeing it yesterday while I was wiping down the countertop. 

That morning I actually resented his accusation, “what have you done with it” – as if it is always MY FAULT instead of him saying, “Where is it, I can’t find it.”  But, I use the same accusations on him as well. [Simply terrible – two Yankees calling it as we see it!  But, we are used to it.]

         “It’s gone!”

         I wander out to the kitchen and look in all the drawers, in the gadget bowls and crocks and I don’t find it either.  All the time I am thinking it is strange, I tell him to use a spoon – a tablespoon.  He is perturbed.

         I hear muttering under his breath and I wonder, is this going to be a daily occurrence; something missing every day, day in and day out? The new norm – it will be tiresome.

         Hours later, I am at my desk and reach for a pen.  As big as brass – the coffee scoop is there.  I must have had it in my hand when the telephone rang yesterday and I carried it with me to my desk and set it down. 

That got me to thinking.  Where is the little silver coffee scoop I had engraved with our initials I bought for an anniversary gift years ago.  The end of the handle was in the shape of an acorn.  HMMMMMM – that constantly needed polishing and I put it away.  I guess I’ll need to dig for that, polish it up and get it nearby so that when we can’t find one scoop we have a backup.

         And, here I was trying to downsize, get things leaner, with the theory LESS IS MORE – and now I am thinking of duplicating things so that we can function without crisis. 

         I must be crazy!

Chocolate Mint Mousse

2 containers Cool Whip, defrosted 1 hour

One semi-sweet dark chocolate bar – 1 pound size*

1 oz. peppermint schnapps

Fresh mint leaves

Andre’s chocolate mint as garnish – or chocolate curls* – you can steal about 1/8 the of the bar above for this.

Melt chocolate bar and pour into an unheated bowl. Add schnapps and stir well. Add 1 container of Cool Whip and whisk thoroughly. Then, gently fold the second container of Cool Whip until no white streaks are showing.  Spoon mixture into a soufflé dish.  Refrigerate minimum of 4 hours.  Before serving, decorate the top with Andre mints and fresh mint leaves and/or chocolate curls.

This is easy with a deceiving taste and texture – great for buffets.

[*Create chocolate curls onto wax paper and refrigerate so that they easily transfer to finished mousse.]