Jan 31, 2010 | Recipes, Sweets, Uncategorized
Hot Cocoa Recipe
- Take a small saucepan and cover the bottom with turbinado sugar (you can use regular but I just like the taste of raw sugar.)
- Add about 2-3 Tablespoons of cocoa. (I use Penzey’s High Fat Content Natural Cocoa.) If you use Hershey’s or such you’ll need to add a Tablespoon or so more and also add a Tablespoon or two of butter. Also put in cinnamon if you’d like (I sprinkle a bit of Penzey’s Korinjite Cinnamon.)
- Stir the cocoa and sugar and water to cover, about a 1/2 a cup or so.
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat and immediately pour in milk to fill up pan (about 4 cups.)
- Add about 2 teaspoons of vanilla and heat til warm and stir with a whisk occasionally.
- Serve with whatever you like- a dollop of whipped cream, sprinkle of cinnamon, marshmallows, (shot of Bailey’s or Kahlua for you stressed out folks!)
FY.I.
There are so many different hot cocoa recipes and variations.
If you use shaved or chopped up chocolate instead of cocoa it’s then called “hot chocolate!” Also good but I like the way the cocoa totally dissolves myself.
Did you know that “real” hot cocoa originated with the Aztecs? Some say it actually had chicken broth, wine, and hot peppers in it! I made it once to see what it was like and it was good, but different.
The Kuna indians in Panama drink 5 or more cups of hot cocoa a day! (They make it from fresh cocoa beans though…)
Cocoa
(There are small beans inside covered with a yummy white fruit- we used to love to get these as kids in Panama!)
I made these delicious cinnamon rolls this morning that my mom gave me the recipe for. So yummy!
Served with hot cocoa, just about perfect on a cold day!
Jan 31, 2010 | Uncategorized
What are you slightly addicted to?
For me it would have to be hot cocoa. Good, homemade hot cocoa mind you, NOT the packaged stuff or mixes. My daughter cracked me up once when she was tiny. We went to IHOP and she ordered hot cocoa. She took a sip and said, “Mommy, I don’t think this is hot cocoa.” (You can definitely tell the difference!) Dr. Weil says that hot cocoa is actually good for you, so I don’t feel as guilty as I once did!
Here’s what I do…
Hot Cocoa Recipe
- Take a small saucepan and cover the bottom with turbinado sugar (you can use regular but I just like the taste of raw sugar.)
- Add about 2-3 Tablespoons of cocoa. (I use Penzey’s High Fat Content Natural Cocoa.) If you use Hershey’s or such you’ll need to add a Tablespoon or so more and also add a Tablespoon or two of butter. Also put in cinnamon if you’d like (I sprinkle a bit of Penzey’s Korinjite Cinnamon.)
- Stir the cocoa and sugar and water to cover, about a 1/2 a cup or so.
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat and immediately pour in milk to fill up pan (about 4 cups.)
- Add about 2 teaspoons of vanilla and heat til warm and stir with a whisk occasionally.
- Serve with whatever you like- a dollop of whipped cream, sprinkle of cinnamon, marshmallows, (shot of Bailey’s or Kahlua for you stressed out folks!)
FY.I.
There are so many different hot cocoa recipes and variations.
If you use shaved or chopped up chocolate instead of cocoa it’s then called “hot chocolate!” Also good but I like the way the cocoa totally dissolves myself.
Did you know that “real” hot cocoa originated with the Aztecs? Some say it actually had chicken broth, wine, and hot peppers in it! I made it once to see what it was like and it was good, but different.
The Kuna indians in Panama drink 5 or more cups of hot cocoa a day! (They make it from fresh cocoa beans though…)
Cocoa
(There are small beans inside covered with a yummy white fruit- we used to love to get these as kids in Panama!)
I made these delicious cinnamon rolls this morning that my mom gave me the recipe for. So yummy!
Served with hot cocoa, just about perfect on a cold day!
*I had such a great response to Monday’s Green Housekeeping post that I decided to make it a weekly thing. Not sure what day yet but I think it will be a Mr. Linky type thing and we can share Green living tips! I have to figure out how to make a button and such first. If you have any suggestions please let me know!
Jan 30, 2010 | Motherhood, Uncategorized
View up the street
The kids were so happy to finally have a “snow day” yesterday. We had about 2 or 3 inches of sleet then last night had some snow start and got maybe an inch. Talk about happy kids! I don’t think we had any last year. Haven’t had much for five years I know- the year Jac was born.
Don’t get me wrong, I like snow, but am SOOO glad I don’t live somewhere cold where we’d have it everyday. I couldn’t handle the wet little feet prints and 20 pairs of socks from changing every time they go in/out all the time.
My dog especially loves it and wanted to spend the entire night in the snow! Nut.
Our dog Cole and his buddy Bucky
Crazy Cold-Toed Kid
Yesterday I took advantage of my homebound boredom (and small burst of energy) and broke out my new sewing machine!
I have been wanting to make the boys a closet door/ puppet theater since I took off their closet door. (They kept banging it against their other door and making huge dents in it.) I saw this great one in Pottery Barn Kids book Kid’s Rooms awhile ago and have had the page bookmarked! I used a curtain I’d gotten on sale at Land’s End for $4 made of navy canvas and cut it in half and used the second half for bits and pieces I needed.
Pottery Barn’s Version
My version
I have to get a curtain rod still (thinking an expandable spring rod,) but this is what I came up with! The boys want me to applique some things on it, we’ll see!
Inside Pocket for Finger Puppets
Jan 25, 2010 | Uncategorized
Not much exciting happened this weekend to write about, so I decided to give you some of my green house-keeping hints and participate in 11th Heaven’s Homemaker Monday. (I love her blog! She always has the best recipes!)
Some things I do:
- Make my own cleaning products! Cheaper, easier, greener, (and did I mention cheaper?) So far I make my own laundry detergent, glass/general purpose cleaner, tub scrub. I haven’t perfected an automatic dishwashing soap yet. I use either Seventh Generation or try and find the lowest phosphorus content brand at the grocery store. Does anyone have a good recipe? Also, I can’t figure out what to use on the hardwoods that is all-natural and not store-bought. Now I use Method’s Good for Wood, supposed to be natural but the smell bothers my hubby to no end. (It is pretty strong smelling.) I am saving SO much money on laundry detergent alone. One bottle of my old standby, All Free, costs the same as the ten or so I get from this recipe! I use hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach in the whites. (Safer and cheaper!) The other recipes are cheap too, just buy big bags and bottles of rubbing alcohol, borax, baking soda at discount stores and you’ll be set! Pure rubbing alcohol works wonders on stainless steel!
- Compost! (I’ve composted for a long time, but starting to get more serious. My honey bought a cool rotating composter last summer and we’ve been composting more- all table scraps, leftovers (with no meat,) bread that is moldy, egg shells, peelings, leaf cuttings, yard waste… I am hoping I get something good out of the composter this spring! (It’s getting very full!)
- Recycle! We are lucky. Our town has curbside recycling for almost everything. (paper, plastics up to #7, aluminum, tin, cardboard, even yard waste!) Makes life easier. Also recycle all those things you don’t use anymore or the kids have grown out of by donating them to your favorite local charity!
- Eliminate the unnecessaries! We don’t buy paper towels (although before I party I have been known to get a roll or two, and just found a new brand that is 100% recycled.) We use rags instead. Don’t buy paper napkins either (cloth are prettier anyway!) Do you really need all those new dust gadgets they keep coming out with? A good microfiber cloth is nice though, I must admit.
If you have any good tips, please comment and leave them for us!
Jan 25, 2010 | Green Living, In-Edibles, Uncategorized
Tub Scrub (I love this!)
In a mixing bowl pour about equal amounts of baking soda and borax.
(Maybe 2 cups each?)
Pour in some True Lemon powder (you can use True Orange or Lime also!)
just enough to scent the mix.
To use: Wet bathtub or sink. Sprinkle tub scrub in tub. Watch the fun! It bubbles when it gets wet!
Scrub and watch the sparkles! This smells yummy too.
Glass & General Purpose Cleaner
Both of these are subjective recipes too. (Sorry!)
I have some spray bottles I bought at Sam’s Club in a three pack.
I fill one up about two inches with vinegar (disinfectant,) then add about an inch of rubbing alcohol (disinfectant and makes it dry faster,) then add a few drops of tea tree oil and fill the rest to the line with water. To make it more of a general cleaner I add a tablespoon of Borax and let dissolve (makes icky stuff come off counters better.) To be just a glass cleaner you can actually use all vinegar, but I like the mix of the alcohol and vinegar- just think it works better.
This works great on almost every surface (except nice wood.)
Hope you like these as much as I do! If you have some good ones to share please comment!
