Lexalex Holiday Sale

Mocha Pomegranate Mousse

One of the desserts I made for Thanksgiving was this lovely Mocha Pomegranate Mousse! It turned out   very pretty and flavorful so I decided to share my recipe. If you aren't a huge pomegranate lover, no worries! You can easily substitute the pomegranate with almost any other fruit/ flavor. For example, you could try this recipe using raspberries, blackberries, lemon, peach, peppermint, or even eggnog! 

Mocha Pomegranate Mousse Recipe

Mocha Mousse Layer

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 

4 ounces milk chocolate

4 ounces coffee chocolate

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

3 tablespoons water 

2 tablespoons sugar

3 egg yolks, room temperature

1) Melt all the chocolate in a double boiler and set aside to cool

2) Crack three eggs and separate the yolks into a bowl. Set aside

3) Put the water and sugar in a small sauce pan. Stir on medium heat until it starts to bubble and become like syrup

4) Add the simple syrup (while still hot) to the egg yolks while constantly stirring 

5) Add the syrup and yolks to the chocolate and mix all together

6) Whip the heavy cream until peaks form

7) Carefully fold all the chocolate into cream until mixed together 

8) Pipe or spoon the mousse into cups/bowls and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes 

Pomegranate Mousse Layer

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 tablespoon sugar
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream 

1) Put the water and gelatin in a bowl and set aside (allow gelatin to bloom)

2) Put the pomegranate juice and sugar in a small sauce pan and stir on medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the juice becomes more concentrated (once the juice starts to bubble, continue to stir on heat for around 5 minutes). 

3) Put the bloomed gelatin in the pomegranate juice and stir

4) mix the chopped white chocolate into the pomegranate juice. The hot juice should melt the chocolate

5) Whip the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. 

6) fold the pomegranate juice into the whipped cream

7) Pipe/spoon the pomegranate mousse onto the chilled mocha mousse

8) Put the mousse back into the fridge for at least and hour

Before Serving

1/2 cup of fresh pomegranate seeds

1/4 cup of chopped/shaved white chocolate 

1) Sprinkle the seeds and chocolate onto the cups of mousse right before serving 

Knit Bunting

I've been working on some knit bunting for a customer. This is my first time trying it and I love how it's turned out.

Drawstring Christmas Bag

I knit this adorable little Christmas bag the other day. It only took me an hour to knit!

Here's how I did it:

I used a round needles (US15) and cast on using thick red and green yarn. I knit about half of it and then began to decrease a few stitches. In the end it was pretty much a square that got narrower at the top (it was just a little longer than the width). I then sewed the bottom half together. I braided the yarn for my drawstring. With a needle I pulled the braid through every 4 stitches.

If you have any questions about how I knit it, feel free to ask.

Tips for Knitters: Knit Gift Wrapping

With Christmas approaching quickly, I thought I would do a post on knit gift wrapping. Last year I did a post on knit gifts for the holidays which you can find here: http://lexalex-lexa.blogspot.com/2012

I love giving knit gifts but you can only give so many knit gifts. Sometimes you want to give someone cookies, or shoes for a change. Just because you aren't actually knitting a gift doesn't mean you can't use your knitting skills to beautifully wrap your gifts. Here are some creative ways to incorporate knitting with your gift wrapping!

1) Knit Clutch

This little bag is great for small gifts. You can stick some simple things in here like candy or nail polish. I sewed a button on the inside so it can snap shut like a purse. This is not only gift wrapping but it doubles as a clutch/wallet. 

 2) Knit Gift Bag

This knit bag is so easy to knit. The one in the picture only took my an hour to knit and sew. You can stick almost anything in here. I particularly like to use these bags for giving coffee or tea as a gift. 

3) Knit Jar Cozy

Giving something in a jar as a gift? Knit a cozy for it! I decorated mine with lace and buttons. You could also fill an empty jar with things like candy canes or pencils.

4) Knit Bow Garland

I used this bow garland in place of ribbon. It looks lovely on gifts and can be reused for many things. 

5) Knit 'Wrapping Paper'

It may seem like a strange idea but it actually works perfect for wrapping breakable items. In the picture below, I wrapped a little glass cup in knit 'wrapping paper'. 

6) Knit Bow Ornaments

I've used this idea in other posts. You can wrap little boxes with bows and they can double as ornaments or hair bows. You could knit any kind of ornament and use it to wrap another gift. (Some other ornament ideas include round ornaments, mini santa hats, knit snowmen, etc.)

Do you have any cool holiday knitting tips you'd like to share?

Knit Ornament Pattern

My Knit Ornament Pattern is now available on Etsy! :) I loved making this pattern. These ornaments are not only easy to knit, they make great Christmas gifts. 

You can purchase the pattern here: Lexalex Ornament Knitting Pattern

Here are the pictures that are included when you buy my pattern on Etsy. If you get lost, the pictures help you stay on track. 

Knit Ornaments

My knit ornaments are now on Etsy! I absolutely love how they all turned out and I can't wait to knit some for my own Christmas tree! :)