Hot Chocolate!

So, I’ve been without A/C for 2 1/2 months. Yes that’s right, in the middle of a National Heat Advisory for 110 degrees, my A/C goes out and my warranty company has seriously messed up every step of the way toward restoring peace in my home.

I get VERY grouchy when I’m hot. To get an idea of exactly how grouchy I’ve been add 10 degrees (for being inside a house) to the outside temp so the equation looks something like this 10+100+LA = Hell on earth.

It’s an internal hell though, because I’m very good at not showing how I really feel. So, my family just thinks I’m fine with it all. That is until one of them happens to mistake upon one of my cardinal sins like leaving the compost on the kitchen counter or not putting the toilet seat down, or eating the last Chocolate Rice Dream knowing that I haven’t had one yet! And then the monster emerges and people run screaming from the room or back away slowly with an OMG! Where the heck did that come from? look in their wide eyes.

We’ll yesterday they actually came out and fixed it, not like before when they came out and charged $525 Out-Of-Pocket and it still blew hot air instead of cold. So, now that my body has acclimated to the heat and my blood has thinned, 72 degrees feels like Christmas snow and frost has landed in my home and I find myself wrapped in a blanket with my Uggs on and Hot cocoa on my mind.

Which brings me to the subject of this blog, How to Make the Perfect Cup of Hot Cocoa. See recipe below. You may want to turn you’re A/C to 55 degrees to achieve the full effect, since we are in the hottest month in the year! Enjoy!

2 cups Milk

1 cup Sugar or Agave Nectar

¼ tsp Salt (Himalayan preferably, Hy-vee has the best deal on it in the Natural food section)

½ cup Cocoa (I prefer Mayan Super Food Raw Cacao from Whole Foods or Fox Fire Herbals)

1 Chocolate baking square (or you can substitiute 2 tbsp chocolate chips)

1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

½ cup Heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Nutmeg

Place a small sauce pan over low heat and whisk in butter, milk, sugar, cocoa and salt.

In a medium bowl with mixer whip the heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until peaked and set aside.  

Raise heat under pan to medium and whisk until steam rises. Remove from heat and whisk in Chocolate square until completely melted, then fold in ¼ cup of the whipped cream mixture. Pour into mug, add a dollop of whipped cream and add a sprinkle of cocoa dust! Mmm, mmm, mmm, delicious!