Chocolate Covered Strawberries

In the words of an inspirational quote, sometimes what we are searching for is right in front of us. Sometimes, happiness is right there, and we just have to reach out and grab it.

And so it is with this recipe for chocolate covered strawberries - happiness is within your grasp. All you need are two ingredients and twenty minutes, and you too can achieve the kind of joy that can only be reached through delicious chocolate-covered fruit.

Want To Live Longer? Put On Your Happy Face

I have two embarrassing confessions to make. First: many years ago I was on a business trip to Houston. I was at a restaurant with all male colleagues, and after dinner we were ordering dessert. Chocolate covered strawberries were featured on the dessert menu, so I chose that. The waitress asked me how many I would like. I was a bit puzzled at the question, and shrugged. "I don't know," I said. "Five?"

I did not realize the truth of that saying, "Everything is bigger in Texas." This seemed especially true for strawberries. I suddenly understood the waitress' startled expression when she brought me a bowl of enormous, juicy, five inch long strawberries, each with what seemed to be an entire chocolate bar wrapped around it.

I never lived that down. For years afterwards, I would walk into a meeting with one of those men, and they would say "Do you want any strawberries, Nicole? How about five of them?"

My second embarrassing confession is that until recently I had no idea how easy it is to make chocolate covered strawberries at home. If you have chocolate and you have strawberries, you can make these delectable, deceptively easy treats. You don't need any fancy equipment - you don't even need any cooking skills. Make these for your next girl's night, or maybe for a romantic evening at home, and bask in the glory that comes from making something so wonderful - and no one needs to know how easy they are. It will be our happy little secret.

Ingredients

1 pound strawberries

6 ounces good quality chocolate (about 1 1/4 cup chopped)

Directions

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Wash strawberries and pat dry. The fruit MUST be dry for the chocolate to adhere properly.

In a double-boiler or microwave, slowly melt the chocolate, stirring often.

Dip strawberries in the melted chocolate, then transfer to the waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Set in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, until chocolate has hardened.

Try this with other fruits - pineapple is particularly delicious!