Three years and counting – Happy Blogiversary to me!

Yeah, three cheers for me!!  I was just notified that Safari of the Mind turned 3 a couple weeks ago.  Wow, how did that happen so quickly?  I’m pretty chuffed with myself as I did not think it would last this long.  I can still remember the very first post on the site.  We had just returned from a 3 week trip to Brazil, I had taken a ton of pictures like every tourist does, together with some notes on the various places visited.  So the light bulb went on, maybe I could start a blog?  I wanted one of the categories on the blog to feature travel, the other gardening, and probably the most popular one today is, cooking!   So how did it all come about?  Why a blog?  Why those 3 different categories?

I guess I had always wanted to keep my recipes that were tried and tested online, I also wanted my girls to be able to access some family favorites when I was no longer around (morbid I know).  I wanted to share with family and friends, so blogging was a great way to be able to accomplish all of the above.  It has given me a sense of discipline, a curiosity to explore and be challenged.   It was to be a hobby after I retired, a past time of sorts, something to keep the grey cells active.

When I first started, I knew nothing about blogging, in fact there was absolutely no method to my madness.  Three years later and I can’t tell you how fulfilling blogging has been for me.  It takes a lot of work to put a post together, there’s research, photography, content, set-up, styling techniques, plating, etc.  When the post has been published, it does not end there, there are comments to answer, there are other blogs to visit and comment on.   My cooking repertoire has blown out of proportion, I think outside the box now.  I love it when friends and family tell me they’ve tried a recipe from the blog, it is very satisfying.  In the gardening arena, I enjoy following people from around the world and learn new and innovative ways to make my garden thrive.  Travel blogs have always been near and dear to me too.  I wanted other categories to be featured on the blog as I get bored with just one subject.  🙂 I do like to view the stats page to find out the countries my blog is reaching.  A map indicates that Safari of the Mind is being read in some remote corners of the world, I love it 🙂

I’d say the most rewarding and gratifying part, are the relationships I’ve forged via this medium.  Some of these altruistic  and wonderful people, feel like old and cherished friends.  They are warmhearted, caring and tender people.  We all share common goals in the blogging world and support one another in our endeavors.  Thank you all so very much for making this all happen on Safari of the Mind.  I wanted to celebrate the blog’s 3rd year anniversary  by presenting something sweet.  You’d be  surprised and bowled over if you knew the secret ingredient to these beautiful little chocolate mousse cups.  Go on, take a guess?

Would you believe it if I told you it was chickpea liquid, also known as Aquafaba?  So often we drain the liquid down the sink and just use the chickpeas.

Well the next time, think again, you’ll want to drain that lovely liquid into a bowl and make these delicious mousse cups with less calories.  I promise you would not know the difference 🙂

How tempting do these look with the fresh strawberries and blueberries?

Aquafaba (chickpea liquid) when mixed, slowly turns into a white fluffy mass, very much like egg whites.  Check out the simple and quick recipe below which makes 3 servings.  Go on, impress your guests.  Now stay tuned for the next surprise when you find out what I’ve made with the chickpeas I saved  🙂

Chocolate Mousse with a surprise ingredient

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients

• 1 can reserved chickpea liquid (roughly one cup)
• 1 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Melt your chocolate in a bowl placed over simmering hot water (or in a microwave).
2. Add vanilla and maple syrup to cooled chocolate.
3. Mix the liquid of the chickpeas with a blender or electric whisk until stiff peaks form.
4. Gently fold in the chocolate with a spatula stirring very slightly.
5. Pour into bowls and refrigerate.
6. The mousse is ready to eat in an hour.