Outliers: Food for Thought with Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs

Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs with Chocolate

I recently read the book, Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell.  I'd read The Tipping Point before, and thought Gladwell was a fairly insightful writer.  In a nut shell, the book is about why certain people, or groups of people are successful.  He identifies trends to help explain why certain people get the "lucky" breaks, and certain don't.  His 10,000 hour theory is interesting - while timing and luck are critical, those who get the lucky break, all had practiced for 10,000 + hours in their field, whether it be hockey, violin, or golf.  A thought provoking read - or at least a little "food for thought."  You can find out more about the book at: http://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017922/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303617473&sr=8-1

Along the lines of "food for thought," I thought I would make a "brain food" on this post.  I found a site about the Top 5 Brain Health Foods and 2 of them include Chocolate and Berries.  Chocolate, strawberries, in addition to blueberries and acai berries, are very high in antioxidants. The "darker" the chocolate, the better it is for you.

I decided to make Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs!

Ingredients:
2 containers of strawberries
1 container of Baker's Dipping Chocolate - (Dark Chocolate)
1 vanilla creme cake, cubed
Bamboo Skewers

1) Purchase bamboo skewers (found near the grilling supplies at the grocery store)
2) Cut the tops off the strawberries and hull (take a knife to take out the little hard inside of the strawberry)
3) I purchased a pre-made vanilla creme cake from the bakery section at Publix and cut into large cubes about the same size of a large strawberry
* Note: You could also use the pre-made strawberry shortcake molds or pound cake
4) Alternate strawberries and cake (about 4 strawberries and 3 cubes of cake) onto each skewer
5) Melt the chocolate in the microwave. (Following directions on the container of chocolate - you basically microwave 30 seconds, mix, 30 seconds, mix, 30 seconds, mix well)
6) Pour melted chocolate into a zip lock bag
7) Cut a small end of the bottom corner of the bag and squeeze the chocolate over the kabobs for easy drizzling
8) Chill to harden and until ready to serve

These have a great presentation, are light, and you get your antioxidants in (food for thought!) in with the chocolate and strawberries!