Devastating news.

A couple of weeks ago, I fumbled while doing dishes and broke my coveted Loyola College mug.

I know I’ve mentioned several times that I’m a tremendous weirdo/creature of habit, and the green mug was one of my habits. I drank my coffee out of that mug every day for over 5 years. If I forgot to run the dishwasher, I would pull it out and wash it by hand rather than choosing another one.

When it broke, I stared at the pieces for a while, grieving. Then I decided it was worth trying to fix it. After super-gluing both the mug and several of my fingers together, I put it through the dishwasher and hoped for the best. It survived the dishwasher, so I was sure that it was resurrected.

Not so lucky. I later whined to the GS “Gluing my mug together was a failure, it leaked.”

“Oh, you tested it out with water?”

Yes, I definitely tested it out with water, over the sink, rather than pouring coffee into it and carrying it over to the couch.

Where it dripped all over my Loyola College sweatpants.

Do I need to move on from college?

I’m redirecting my misery to enjoying coffee in a whole new way.

Dark Chocolate & Espresso Mousse

slightly adapted from Bon Appetit

1 cup heavy cream, divided

4 egg yolks

5 tbs sugar, divided

2 tsp instant espresso powder

1/4 cup boiling water

3/4 cup dark chocolate morsels (or semi-sweet)

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

Start by combining 1/4 cup boiling water with 2 tsp of espresso powder. Set in the fridge to cool.

Whip 1/2 cup of heavy cream until you have stiff peaks. Cover, and put it in the fridge.

Place 4 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, and your espresso into a stainless steel bowl. I started with a glass bowl, but had a little mishap. What is it with me and broken dishes?!

Place the bowl over a pot of lightly simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should NOT touch the water. Continuously whisk the ingredients for 3-4 minutes. It will lighten in color and approximately double in volume.

Remove from heat, and whisk in your chocolate. I would actually recommend switching to a spatula here, because almost all of my chocolate got stuck inside the whisk. Stir until the chocolate is fully melted, and let it come to room temperature.

Whip 2 egg whites in a medium bowl, slowly adding 1 tablespoon of sugar while the mixer is running, until you have stiff peaks. In two batches, gently fold the egg whites into your chocolate mixture.

Once this is combined, fold in your whipped cream from earlier.

Separate into 4-6 ramekins or small bowls, and set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Whip another 1/2 cup of heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Serve on top of the mousse. I also added some chopped dark chocolate to the top.

Even though mousse is a little high maintenance, it is SO worth it. I want to make a gigantic batch and put it inside an Oreo pie crust.

And have it for breakfast with my morning coffee.