Hot Cocoa

It was the first snowstorm of the season. The winds raged and beat against the house, the snow swirled and covered our windows so we couldn't see outside, and my husband put on his coat, hat, boots, gloves, and went out to shovel the snow.

He'd been out for over an hour when I peaked out the door (because the windows were useless) and saw he was shovelling the neighbor's driveway. He already done ours, but the wind blew the snow back and covered everything again with 2 inches of snow.

I knew my husband would need some hot chocolate when he came in. Just then I remembered that we were out of instant hot chocolate mix! What was I going to do?

Well, if you ever find yourself in this situation, fear not. With a few simple ingredients, you can have delicious hot chocolate.

Milk
Water
Cocoa powder
Sugar

Optional:
Creamer (powdered or dairy)
Cinnamon

In a small saucepan, heat milk over medium-low heat. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. In a separate bowl, mix a few tablespoons of cocoa powder and a few tablespoons of sugar. Use a 3:2 ratio (3 tablespoons cocoa to 2 tablespoons of sugar) first. You can add more sugar later if you need.

When the milk is warm, not boiling, add a tablespoon to your cocoa mixture. Stir using a spoon and mash out any clumps. When your cocoa paste is all moist and clump free, add it to the warm milk and stir.

Voila. Hot cocoa! It is a little strong and slightly bitter, like dark chocolate compared to milk. Add creamer to cut the strong cocoa flavor. Add more sugar if desired.

I put in a dash of a cinnamon/sugar blend and it was SO good! In some ways this is better than store bought because it has a distinct flavor, however it is not as sweet. You just have to try it and see which you like better, but it's always good to know you can make hot cocoa even if you run out of mix.

Happy Holidays! Pin It

Spanish Rice

1 1/2 cups rice (raw)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup plain tomato sauce
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/4 of a medium onion
2 TBSP oil
4 heaping tablespoons of finely chopped parsley (optional)

In a medium sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add he fresh garlic and onion. Saute for 1 - 2 minutes until softened. Add in dry rice. Stir for about 4 minutes until rice becomes golden brown color.

Add broth and tomato sauce (slowly into rice, not directly onto hot pan!). Add in the parsley if you're using it. Stir it up and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat to low and cover. Let it simmer for 20 minutes and fluff with a fork.

*D: So in my family they make Spanish rice, and it's a little different from this...but I have yet to get the recipe. So I had to make due with a recipe I did have, and I think it's quite tasty. Make sure you use the called for amount of broth and tomato sauce. If not, you will have crunchy rice. Here's a tip: 1 can of broth is not enough! I made this a few weeks ago and didn't realize I was only adding 1 1/2 cups of broth instead of two. The rice was too crunchy to enjoy. Don't make that mistake. Second time around I soaked my rice for about 10 minutes, but if you follow the recipe, you shouldn't have to do that either.


Variations: you can add chopped cooked chicken to make it a little more substantial. I've read of people who had a small can of chilies or instead of regular tomato sauce they had a spiced tomato sauce with chilies.


You can use this recipe (as it is) as a side dish or as a filling in burritos. The possibilities are endless! OK, not endless, but there are a lot of them. Pin It

Horchata

1 cup uncooked white long-grain rice
5 cups water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup white sugar


Pour the rice and water into the bowl of a blender; blend until the rice just begins to break up, about 1 minute. Let rice and water stand at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours.

Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice. Stir the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar into the rice water. Chill and stir before serving over ice.

I LOVE horchata! (Pronounced or-CHA-ta) It's a Mexican rice drink, and it tastes like rice pudding. I don't love rice pudding...in fact I hate rice pudding. But I love horchata. This is a very easy drink, and very festive (sorry I'm late on the Cinco de Mayo post).


Changes to the recipe: cinnamon. That is a LOT of cinnamon! I had to add another half a cup of milk and a few tablespoons of sugar to cut through the cinnamon, and it still didn't work. I even scraped off the excess cinnamon floating on the top. So I'd cut it down to about a teaspoon. Ground cinnamon will float to the top or sink to the bottom. That's the nature of the beast. So if you'd like, you can soak 2 cinnamon sticks in the rice water for three hours, and that should give you a nice flavor. Or you can just use the ground cinnamon and stir your drink before serving.


I love horchata. Who needs Bajio's when you can make horchata at home? Now if I could only figure out how to make their lime chicken... Pin It

Toffee Butter Crunch

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup finely shopped pecans or almonds

1. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan; set pan aside.

2. Butter sides of a 2-quart heavy saucepan. In saucepan melt butter; add sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Reduce heat to medium;; continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate, stirring frequently until thermometer registers 290 degrees F, soft crack stage. Watch carefully after 280 degrees F to prevent scorching. Remove saucepan from heat; remove thermometer. Pour candy into the prepared pan, spreading quickly.

3. Let candy stand about 2 minutes or until set; sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes. When chocolate has softened, spread over candy. Sprinkle with nuts. Chill about 20 minutes or until firm. When firm, use foil to lift it out of pan; break into pieces. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

I followed this to a t and it still scorched a little. However, instead of chocolate chips, I took a Hershey's bar and broke it up, sprinkling the squares across the toffee. It worked too. The heated toffee melts the chocolate. Don't be afraid to spread it. By that point the toffee will be firm enough that you won't be misshaping it.


Enjoy! Pin It

Pin Wheels

Caramel:

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup karo syrup
1/4 lb butter
1/2 cup canned milk (evaporated)
1/4 tsp salt

(triple to make a double batch) Cook caramel until firm ball (between 230 and 232 degrees). Whip slightly and pour in buttered cookie sheet. Once cool, put on wax paper on counter. Roll out melted marshmallows on top until they reach the edges. Marshmallow layer is on top of caramel layer, roll like a jelly roll. Slice and enjoy.

Marshmallow:

20 big marshmallows
powdered sugar: enough to make it a consistency that you can roll out

Put marshmallows in a glass bowl and microwave for ten seconds. Stir until they are a little gooey. Put in for ten more seconds and stir again. Repeat until marshmallows are melted. Add powdered sugar and mix with a wooden spoon until you have a good consistency. You may knead the marshmallow with your hands if desired. Don't overcook the marshmallow or they will go hard and brittle. Pin It