Chocolate Truffles

I usually feel "under the weather" the day after work. The house gets booby-trapped every Wednesday while I'm gone. There's one square of toilet paper left on the roll, 1 tablespoon of milk in the bottle, and nothing is in it's usual place in the kitchen. Last night, I started my "under the weather" early. Got home with body aches, chills and my throat felt like I'd swallowed chards of glass.

Clearly I will not be romancing this evening, and I certainly won't be anywhere near the kitchen. Five years ago I had similar symptoms on V-day. My daughter was a breast-feeding infant, and I wound up with mastitis. My husband was very kind and supportive that day. A few months later, though he let me know how upset he was that I didn't get him "so much as a pencil." So I compensated for his birthday.

The following is a recipe that thrills kids. They get gooey and messy and make something yummy. It's fun for the moms because you can let your imagination run wild and make this with whatever variety of chocolate or flavoring you like.

8 oz chocolate, cut up
1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons liqueur (frangelico, amaretto, grand marnier, framboise, etc)
OR 2 teaspoons vanilla, mint, orange, almond, or other flavoring (sold near the vanilla)
1/2 cup cocoa powder, and /or chopped nuts of your choice

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form at the edges. Pour the hot cream onto the chocolate pieces (which should be sitting in a bowl). Mix gently to melt the chocolate, then stir in the liqueur or flavoring, and then pour the mixture in a baking dish (about 1/2 - 1 inch layer). Chill for 2 hours until hard.

Using a melon baller or teaspoon, scoop up chilled chocolate mixture and form into a ball. Drop the newly formed ball onto a plate of cocoa and/or nuts. Shake to coat. You can keep these truffles in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator up to one week (if you can stop eating them).