leavin' for boot camp party

a good friend of ours is leaving for boot camp on tuesday after the 4th. we decided to send her off with a surprise party.




we had all sorts of decorations, streamers, posters, etc.


we had food, drink and dessert (below)...chocolate jello. it made a great backdrop for our little army guys and it tasted wonderful.




here's the recipe...

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons gelatin
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

1. pour 1/2 cup of water into a bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top.
2. in a saucepan, whisk together the remaining water, heavy cream, sugar, and cocoa.
3. bring just to a boil, stirring gently. (mixture will thicken as it boils)
4. remove from heat and pour into gelatin mixture.
5. stir gently until combined.
6. pour into desired containers.
7. chill for at least 3 hours. (recommended to cover with plastic wrap, but i did not and there was a slight "skim" over the top, much like homemade pudding)

the recipe i found came with an espresso sauce recipe which i intend to make next time. here's the recipe if you're interested.

• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (i will be 1 oz. using real espresso and subtracting from the milk)

1. whisk the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of sugar until well combined.
2. bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
3. pour 1/3 of the milk mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
4. return this new yolk mixture to the pan and cook over moderate heat stirring constantly until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
5. in a saucepan, mix together the milk, remaining sugar and espresso.
6. pour through mesh strainer and cool to room temperature.
7. cover and chill.
8. after gelatin and sauce are both well chilled, spoon sauce over gelatin and serve.