last dinner party of the year!

What could possibly be better than homemade whipped cream?  Homemade whipped cream with instant coffee added to it.  OMG I can't stop thinking about how good it is.

Tonight Andy and I had two of our neighbors over for dinner.  I made garlic parmesan chicken with sour cream and chive mashed potatoes and my fav. green beans (see recipe in previous post).  I was so pleased with how everything turned out and enjoyed wowing them with my dessert: rich chocolate cake with french vanilla whipped cream.  I made two round cakes and layered the whipped cream in between and on top.  It was out of control.

Homemade whipped cream is super easy. I whipped a pint of heavy whipping cream with 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. You can stop there and it's fabulous, but I wanted to try a coffee flavor.  I boiled 4 tablespoons of water, added 4 tablespoons of instant french vanilla coffee, stirred and let it cool.  Then I whipped it into the cream until it was evenly distributed.  Absolutely amazing. 

BIG NEWS: Andy's sister Melissa is having a baby!  She is three months pregnant and has kept it a secret all this time.  I can't wait to see her on Christmas and hear all about it!