Ruby Red Stilettos

What do you get when you put four (single) female writers in one room with a few bottles of wine and an oversized batch of chocolate-covered strawberries? Answer: lots of estrogen, endorphins and laughs about problems of the pen to problems with men. Carrie Bradshaw couldn’t write our stories if she tried. 

A few nights ago, the fabulous Lisa Divirgilio, otherwise known as Dating Diva, hosted a Sex and the City wine night at her apartment. Two of my lovely grad school friends and I sat in her living room, where we sipped chianti, dished about our relationship sagas and feasted on the berries I brought over. I’ll keep our stories a secret, but I will share my hit chocolate-covered strawberry recipe. After the first bite, Dating Diva asked me, “How are you not married with children?”

Dark and decadent chocolate-covered strawberries

• 2-3 packages of fresh strawberries (anywhere from 24-36 medium-sized strawberries)
• 1 12 oz. bag of dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tbsp. rice milk, coconut milk or almond milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Wash your strawberries and set them aside.
2. Slowly melt the chocolate chips, cinnamon, vanilla and rice milk together over a double boiler (a.k.a. an oven-safe bowl over a small pot of boiling water), lowering or turning off the heat so that the chocolate doesn’t scorch. Stir the chocolate until it’s smooth and rich. 
3. Using either your fingers or a toothpick, dip each strawberry into the chocolate mixture. Lay the berries one by one on a sheet of wax paper. Let them dry completely before serving them.

The cinnamon and vanilla give the chocolate a unique, heavenly twist while the rice milk adds silkiness. People will ask you what makes these cocoa-dipped babies so delish. Do yourself a favor; don’t tell ‘em. Keep ‘em wondering.