Strawberries

Effie loves the strawberries… however, she is forever incapable of simply washing and then eating them like the rest of us. Instead, she puts each berry through a complicated ritual involving de-stemming, dicing and some strange macerating process while utilizing (possible hyperbole alert!) 1 sieve, 17 bowls, 3 knifes, 4 cutting boards and 8 drying towels. This leaves everything in the kitchen stained and me grumpy. I love her enthusiasm but, you know, self expression can be so darn messy!?! Then, the other night, she surprised everyone with a batch of meticulously prepared chocolate dipped smothered strawberries! In an instant she was once again our hero (though she did offer that the callebaut Belgian white chocolate she was forced to use was not quite up to snuff).