Tag: follow Jesus

Christmas, Food

Hot Chocolate Bombs

meghanewhite

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Hot chocolate bombs are the bomb. Pun intended. These gorgeous spheres of hot cocoa goodness explode with marshmallows and chocolate when hot milk is poured over them. It’s satisfying to watch the chocolate melt and reveal all the deliciousness from inside the bomb. 

I’m late to the game with this fun treat. Hot chocolate bombs are so 2020. I say better late than never. I love trying new things, and I was determined to make these bombs. It was trial and error for me. I made some mistakes with my first batch, and improved my technique with my second go round.

I am not an expert on making hot chocolate bombs. I am a complete novice. If I can make them, you can make them too! The one thing you absolutely need is a silicone mold. I got mine from Amazon. There are ways to make bombs without molds, but I don’t have experience with that. I’m sharing the simple way I made them.

Hot chocolate bombs are delicious. The milk makes the cocoa extra creamy and flavorful. They make lovely homemade gifts. Who wouldn’t enjoy a ball of chocolate filled with hot cocoa and marshmallows that you made for them? Hot chocolate bombs are a fun unique treat to make and share. Make some today!

Happy Eating!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4

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Hot Chocolate Bombs

Yield: 3 hot chocolate bombs (2 ½ inch sized)

Equipment

silicone 2 ½ inch semi sphere mold

parchment paper

pastry brush 

latex gloves (optional)

saucepan

heat proof bowl

cupcake liners

rubber spatula 

measuring cups

measuring spoons 

Ingredients

6 ounces chocolate almond bark

3 tablespoons hot cocoa mix

¾ cup mini marshmallows

sprinkles, crushed candy canes, chocolate chips (for filling)

3 cups hot milk for serving

Instructions

  1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, or use a double boiler. 
  2. Add one tablespoon of the melted chocolate to each silicone sphere. Use the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate evenly in each mold, or use a small brush to paint the chocolate in the mold. Another method is to take the silicone mold with the melted chocolate and rotate it around until each sphere is evenly coated. Then place the mold upside down on parchment to let the excess chocolate run out. 
  3. Place the chocolate filled molds in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
  4. Repeat the process with one more layer of melted chocolate. Place in the refrigerator for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. 
  5. Carefully remove each sphere from the silicone mold.
  6. Heat a small teflon coated pan over medium heat for a couple minutes. Take the pan off the heat. Place each sphere on the surface of the warmed pan for a few seconds to smooth out the edges. This will help when you seal up your bombs.
  7. Using a measuring cup, place one chocolate sphere on top to hold it in place as you fill it. Add 1 tablespoon of hot chocolate mix in the sphere. Then add about ¼ cup of mini marshmallows. You can also add crushed candy canes, or sprinkles. Just keep the edges clear so you can seal up your bomb.
  8. To seal the hot chocolate bomb heat the small frying pan again, just enough to warm it. Place the chocolate sphere in the pan for a few seconds and then carefully place it on top of the filled sphere. Gently press down to seal the edges. Put the completed bomb on the backside of a muffin pan to let it set up. Muffin pans turned over are great holders for hot chocolate bombs.
  9. Decorate with drizzled chocolate and sprinkles.
  10. Heat 1 cup of milk just until hot, not boiling. Place one bomb in a large mug. Pour hot milk over the top of your hot chocolate bomb and watch it open up with marshmallows. Stir and enjoy!

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Storage of Hot Chocolate Bombs

Keep your bombs in an airtight container at room temperature. They last for several weeks.

Use Gloves

To keep fingerprints off your chocolate use latex gloves when handling your chocolate bombs.

Tips on Chocolate

Baking chocolate bars, and chips can be used. These will need to be tempered.

The easiest chocolate to use is compound chocolate (almond bark, chocolate candy melts). You just melt the compound chocolate in the microwave, or in a double boiler and it’s ready. No tempering. 

How to Temper Chocolate

Microwave the chocolate for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between. Do this several times. It should be mostly melted, but there will still be pieces that are unmelted. Take it out of the microwave and stir until smooth and melted. To test if your chocolate is tempered pour a small amount of chocolate on a piece of parchment and place in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. If it’s shiny and breaks in half easily, it’s tempered. If it’s soft or dull it’s not tempered. To fix this, add a bit more chocolate and stir until it’s melted, or re-heat for a few seconds in the microwave until melted and smooth.

How to Use a Double Boiler

Place a small heatproof bowl filled with chocolate over a simmering pot of water. The bowl should not touch the water, but fit over the opening of the pot. The steam will melt the chocolate beautifully. Stir as the chocolate begins to melt until smooth. 

I hope you make these fun, yummy hot chocolate bombs. 

Merry Christmas!

All photos by Meghan E. White. 

Faith

Shake It Off

meghanewhite

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Over the summer I was at the right place at the right time to capture this bee and butterfly. I’m always on the lookout for butterflies when I’m working in the garden. This scene got my attention in a different way. The beautiful monarch was eating nectar, and the bees would not leave it alone. Bees kept landing on the butterfly’s wings. The monarch was undeterred as it would shake it’s wings and get right back to business.

This pattern kept repeating. Happy monarch eating nectar, busy bees landing on it’s wings. The monarch would flutter it’s wings every time a bee landed on them. This was one determined butterfly. Nothing was going to stop the butterfly from it’s purpose of gathering nectar, not even some very stubborn bees.

We get distracted from our purpose. The enemy loves to get us off course, and stop us dead in our tracks from our Kingdom purposes. He dive bombs us every day with all sorts of things to take our eyes off of Jesus. That’s the last place he wants us looking. Oh no, we can’t have our focus on Christ. Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Some days the distractions are small, and some days the distractions are big. So big that they take our joy away, and steal our hope. We get weighed down, and get hurt. Then we are so busy focusing on the pain and annoyances in life that we have completely forgotten about our victory in Jesus Christ.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57, NIV 

Those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior have victory over death and sin. Sin has no hold on us. Death has no sting. The same Jesus who took our sin away also gives us victory over every challenge and problem in this life. We don’t always win every battle, and we will take some losses along the way, but we are winners in the end through Jesus. He already took care of it for us.

Those bees will keep coming. They will try their hardest to land on our wings, and stop us. We will keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. And when we get stung, He will help us, and heal us, and we will start again.

Shake off the distractions. Eyes on Jesus. We have victory through Him.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2, Berean Study Bible

Love you all,

Meghan

Father God,

Thank you for your perfect love and grace. Thank you for Jesus. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. When we get distracted, help get our focus back on the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. Thank you for the victory we have in Jesus in every circumstance, and every trial. We belong to You, and You always take care of your children.

Amen

Authors

Eyes on Jesus is available NOW! —

meghanewhite

My new book, Eyes on Jesus: A 90-Day Discernment Devotional, is available now. See what other Christian leaders are saying about the book.

Eyes on Jesus is available NOW! —

Check out this new devotional by author, blogger, and podcaster, Tim Ferrara. He has a great blog called Discerning Dad. Give him a follow, and consider ordering his devotional. This would make a great gift.

Click on the link for all the details. 

God bless you,

Meghan 

Marriage

26 Years and Counting

meghanewhite

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Twenty-six years sure flies by fast. So many memories. So many adventures, trials, heartaches, joys, and triumphs. The part of the wedding vows where it says “in sickness and in health” is no joke. We were put to the test this past six months with Tom’s health. An emergency hospitalization involving kidney failure, blood transfusions, and far too many questions forced us to rely on our faith in God and each other.

Did we pass the test? Only God knows for sure. I can say in all honesty that God carried us through the trial. There were many downs, and some ups too, during months of tests, and surgeries and a whole lot of physical pain. We are still here by the grace of God. We still love each other. We still believe that with God all things really are possible.

Marriage is a journey. But you journey together. And if you add Jesus to the mix, you have a recipe for success. Not easy, but solid. Because Jesus Christ is the solid Rock. He is the foundation for our marriage. We are not perfect, we are normal people. It’s all Jesus. He gets the glory.

Happy anniversary to us. It hasn’t been all romance these many months. It’s been taking it one day at a time. One doctor’s appointment at a time. Being grateful for good health care, and excellent doctors. Being grateful for the amazing gift of life. Being grateful for today.

Here’s to twenty-six wonderful years with my sweet husband Tom. You have endured so much. What an incredible example you have been to our sons of perseverance, faith, endurance, and strength. You are my hero.

Love,

Meghan

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Food, mustard seed sentinel

Key Lime Pie

meghanewhite

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There is something so delightful about a key lime pie. Maybe because it has the perfect amount of tart and sweet. I love all things citrus and key lime pie takes the cake. I mean it takes the pie. What I’m trying to say is that key lime pie is fantastic and this recipe is easy and amazingly good. 

I have been making this mouth-watering dessert for years and it always brings smiles. That makes me happy, which makes me smile too. It fills me up to know that I brought a little joy to someone in the form of a delicious piece of pie. You can’t be angry when you are enjoying a yummy treat. We all just need to eat more desserts.

No key limes are required to make this key lime pie. I have used key limes before and they are not the easiest fruit to work with since they are very small. Also, key limes are not always available at the grocery store. Regular limes work great. 

Make this delectable pie and bring some happiness to your world.

 

Happy Eating!

 

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11dsc00538

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Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

8 egg yolks 

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

The juice of 5 limes (approximately ½ cup) 

Zest of 5 limes (about 1 tablespoon)

For the crust

2 sleeves of graham crackers

14 tablespoons of melted butter

 

    1. Preheat oven to 325°
    2. Place graham crackers in a food processor and process until finely ground. You can also place graham crackers in a zip lock bag and pound them with a rolling pin until you get fine crumbs. Put the graham cracker crumbs in a large mixing bowl.
    3. Add melted butter to the graham cracker crumbs. Mix until combined. 
    4. Press the graham cracker/butter mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Use the back of a measuring cup to firmly press the crust in place. 
    5. Bake the crust for 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely.
    6. Reduce oven temperature to 300°
    7. Add egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and lime zest to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment and mix on medium to medium high until everything is thoroughly combined. 
    8. Pour the pie filling into the pie crust. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
    9. The pie is done when the filling is firm but slightly soft. It won’t be wiggly and it won’t be brown. 
    10. Let the pie cool completely. Wait at least 4 to 6 hours before serving. Refrigerate overnight for the best flavor.

 

Notes

*If you can find key limes, use a few more than what the recipe calls for since they are small.

*Make this pie a day ahead for the best flavor.

* Buy extra limes to use for garnish. 

* Top with whipped cream.

 

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For this recipe and more go to the link. I write a monthly article for Mustard Seed Sentinel,  Meghan’s Corner. 

https://www.mustardseedsentinel.com/post/meghan-s-corner-key-lime-pie