Stage Soup!

Allow me to take a minute to plug an awesome program in Brookline Village:

At Stage Soup we will play all of the fun and crazy theater games that we don’t always have a lot of time for at play rehearsals.

Bing Bang Boom, Viking/Bunny, “Darling,
I Love You,” Hitchhiker, Zippers, and
Fairy-Tale Movies are just a few of the games we will play. 

They’re fun and also help you develop skills like confidence, quick-thinking, and creativity.

Whether you find yourself lying on the ground imitating a crocodile head, brushing your teeth while jumping up and down, or acting out a Kung Fu version of The Wizard of Oz, you’ll definitely laugh, make new friends, and find out that no two days are ever the same.

Attend the following FREE SESSIONS to get your first taste of the Soup…

Thursday March 31:
3:00-4:20 (ages 7-11) or
4:30-5:50 (teen)

LOCATION: Inner Space Annex
                     17 Station Street
                     Brookline, MA 02445
                     (across from Brookline Village T)

After that, all classes will be $15 each and you can either register in advance or just drop-in when you want. (pending space availability.)

Contact Ryan@stagesoup.com, or call 617-735-5664 today if you would like more details on either SPRING or SUMMER programs.

Best Chocolate Mousse for a Camper's Homecoming

My 11 year old daughter returns from summer camp today.  This was her first foray into sleep-away camp, and I believe it was a huge success - at least from her end.  From my end, I missed her somethin' awful.  Pined for her, in fact.  I didn't completely lose it with the sad, sitting-on-her-bed-staring-at-her-empty room thing, that's so MTV 80's video.   No....instead, I just wrote her a letter everyday, sent her random stuff, and checked the camp website for any evidence of her face.

But before she left, I asked her what sort of homecoming she would like.  She responded with two requests, "w a g a m a m a" (a family fave in Harvard Sq.) and "homemade chocolate mousse".

or mousse au chocolat, as they say.  I can do that.  Seems easy enough - dangerously so, as a matter of fact.  And since I don't own an electric mixer, this was made old school-style- my hand whipping, like a fury.  Pretty funny, actually.  Couldn't talk to a soul while I was concentrating so hard on this ridiculously simple recipe.

Handmade, homemade mousse au chocolat

(from la tartine gourmand)

Ingredients:

• 150 g dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup (100 ml) cold heavy cream
• 10 g sugar
• 5 egg whites

Steps:

• Melt your chocolate using the bain-marie technique, or double boiler.
• Heat the cream until boiling.
• Add the cream to the melted chocolate and mix well together. It should thicken.
• Beat your egg whites firm.
• Before they are fully firm, gradually add the sugar and continue to mix.
• Then very carefully, add the egg whites to the preparation, making sure you do not “break” the eggs. Use a wooden spoon for best results.
• Place in individual cups or a large bowl.
• Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

(image from epicurious)