A hot cocoa find

Chewy the cat, is showing you our new find from Costco - Starbucks Hot Cocoa Classic.

I'm extremely picky about chocolate flavors and I love this one.

Most sweetened cocoa mixes are way too sweet for me. This one is just about perfect. However, I do cut back slightly on the recommended 2 tablespoons of cocoa mix and I add a small spoonful of my Sharffen Berger cocoa.

It's quite dark so if you like it more like milk chocolate, just add less cocoa mix.

Starbucks caramel apple cider

The perfect warm drink for fall days - and it's so simple!

Just warm up apple cider or juice. If desired, spice it up with cinnamon and cloves (or cinnamon syrup). Then squirt whipped cream on the top and drizzle with caramel syrup.

This is almost as good as my hot cocoa (but not quite).

5 beauty-juice drinks

This is to balance out all the chocolate recipes I've been posting lately.

From today's Daily Candy email:

Super Eight
Loaded with chlorophyll, enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids, the veggies-only juice is a serious feast.
1 kale leaf
1 collard leaf
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
½ red pepper
1 tomato
1 broccoli floret
1 handful parsley

Brighten Up
Do away with dull skin glass by antioxidant-packed glass.
4 carrots
1 handful parsley
1 handful spinach
½ apple

All Clear
Calm irritated skin with a swig of a bromelain-rich, anti-inflammatory cooler.
1 c. pineapple
½ cucumber
½ apple

Beat the Sweets
Stave off the sugar munchies with a satisfying sip packed with vitamin C and a little zing.
4 carrots
½ apple
Ginger to taste

Mrs. Clean
The fruit-and-veg liquid powerhouse not only flushes toxins from your system but curbs salt cravings as well. Pick the variation that’s right for you based on your personal taste and experience in the juicing department.

Level One
4 celery stalks
1/3 cucumber
1 bunch parsley
1 apple
1 lemon
Ginger to taste

Level Two
4 celery stalks
1 bunch parsley
2 handfuls spinach
2 carrots
1 apple
1 bunch cilantro
1 lemon
Ginger to taste

Level Three
4 celery stalks
1 bunch parsley
2 handfuls spinach
1/3 cucumber
2 carrots
1 beet
1 kale leaf
1 lemon
Ginger to taste


Let me know if you try any of these

Spanish hot chocolate

This is from our mission, posted Feb 28, 2009.





















We had Elder Vinas, first counselor in our area presidency, staying with us.

He told me about the the thick, rich hot chocolate he loves from his home in Spain so I found a recipe and made it today.

It was yummy!

It's almost like drinking warm chocolate pudding. Actually - it is best for dipping churros in - or in our case, european break and fruit.

Here's a recipe so you can try it

Serves 6

1/2 cup (55 g) unsweetened powdered cocoa (must be good quality)
1 cup (200 g) sugar
7 tsp (25 g) cornstarch (cornflour)
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
4 cups (1 l) milk

1 Mix the cocoa and sugar together.
2 Dissolve the cornstarch (cornflour) in the water and combine with the cocoa-sugar mixture in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir this until it is a smooth paste.
3 Begin heating this mixture, continuously stirring it with a whisk. Gradually pour in the milk. Continue stirring as you bring it to a simmer.
4Simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. The cocoa is ready when it thickens and is glossy and smooth.

The consistency of the finished product should resemble chocolate pudding that didn't quite set. If you halve this recipe, you'll get just the right amount for two large mug-fulls. This cocoa is especially fantastic when you dip churros into it (a churro is a sugary, deep-fried, doughnut-like stick, and if anyone wants to send out a recipe, I'd be most grateful).

There are other recipes you can find in the internet that use melted chocolate

Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Try this cocoa variation if you dare!

A recipe from my mission in the Caribbean (posted March 19, 2008 in Trinidad)

My hot chocolate recipes have been evolving lately. Here is what I had this morning and it was great:

1 cup soy milk (or regular milk)
fresh juice from one small orange (mine was actually a 'portugal' - a tangerine like fruit that is in season here in Trinidad right now)
2 heaping teaspoons good quality cocoa powder
1 tsp raw sugar (adjust this according to taste and the sweetness of the soy milk)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp (or less) cayenne pepper
light whipped cream for topping

Heat milk and OJ in microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Combine hot milk and the other ingredients except for whipped cream in a blender (or better yet - vitamix) and blend until frothy. Top with cream and, for a special occasion, shaved chocolate.

Why try this???

Cinnamon, Cayenne, and Cocoa (3 C's?) are supposed to be very good for you. Of course you can leave out, decrease, or increase the Cayenne according to you tolerance.

So try it!

Seminary Drink!

3 cups sugar
4 cups water
1 (12 oz) can of Orange Juice
1 1/2 cups lemon
1 T almond
2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t cloves
all spice (a bit)
4 quarts water

This is the infamous seminary drink. It is great to serve at a winter gathering and is quick to make.

A chocolate snob's hot cocoa recipe

I am a chocolate snob

I love it - but it's got to be top quality

Can you believe this? Before we even left the mission field to come home, I had already put in an order for Sharffen Berger unsweetened cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate (professional size) to be delivered and waiting for me?

(you can buy it online here)

Here's a little of my food philosophy:

• I don't need lots, but it has to taste fabulous
• I want to slowly savor every bite
• A little extra effort is worth it
• Simple quality foods taste best

Now to the hot cocoa

My husband and I have been enjoying regular "put your feet up, relax and chat" hot cocoa breaks for years. I am convinced this has cured me of dessert cravings. Who needs rich dessert after slowly sipping fabulous chocolate. And the great thing is - this is a very low calorie treat! On top of that it's extremely good for you (scroll to the bottom to read a quote).

First - you must get quality cocoa powder. It's worth it, believe me. Sorry Hersheys, but even your Special Dark doesn't work for me. Most good grocery stores carry some quality brands. Here are two reasonably priced brands I like:

Cadbury


Van Houten


Of course you can also buy top quality expensive brands like Valrhona, Green and Blacks, or Dagoba at specialty stores. Why not treat yourself and collect a few? You only need a couple of teaspoonfuls per cup of cocoa so it goes a long way.

Here's my current collection (sure to grow)


Each one tastes a little different - I use more than one brand sometimes for variety.

The very simple Hot Cocoa recipe:

• Choose your favorite mug(s) and fill about 3/4 full with milk. Skim is delicious but you can up the fat level if you want a richer treat.
• Heat it in the microwave - about 1 1/2 minutes per mug.
• Meanwhile add about 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder and 1-2 teaspoons of sugar per cup of milk plus a pinch of salt to a blender (vitamix preferred). You will have to play with the proportions here. If you have a sweet tooth you may need more sugar at first but try to decrease it over time. Some cocoa powders are stronger than others so amounts will vary. You can always add more cocoa or sugar after blending and tasting. Be sure to make it plenty chocolaty!
• Add hot milk to blender and mix on high a few seconds until frothy. Be careful when using most blenders because they can leak and spray! You may want to hold a paper towel over the top and increase speed gradually. I use a vitamix and the top seals nicely.
• I like to top my cocoa with canned whipping cream and it's fun, on special occasions, to sprinkle a little shaved or grated chocolate on top. Nutmeg or cinnamon is nice too. In the West Indies, all I could get was boxed milk. It tasted so bad that I usually added a pinch of cinnamon with the cocoa powder - it was great!

Hot Cocoa recipe summary

• 1 cup hot milk
• 1-2 tsp cocoa poweder (to taste)
• 1-2 tsp sugar (to taste)
• pinch of salt
• Blend until frothy

You can try spice variations - add cinnamon, nutmeg, or a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Now - I need to find time to write a post on the health benefits of chocolate. Here's one quick article link and quote:

"Cup of cocoa may keep the doctor away"

"Dr Chang Yong Lee and colleagues at Cornell University in New York carried out tests to measure antioxidants levels in tea, red wine and cocoa. A cup of cocoa came out on top. Their study found it was twice as rich in antioxidants as a glass of red wine, up to three times richer than a cup of green tea and up to five times richer than black tea."