Merry Christmas!

Happy holidays everyone!  I wrote this post a few days ago so I could enjoy spending time with family today, but this illustration shows my secret wish of fancy hot cocoa packets appearing in my Christmas stocking.  I'll let you know if I lucked out.

Friend or Foe?

This is what happens when I walk our dog at 5 a.m....in my sleepy state I begin to think of odd things.  Today my mind wandered off to whether or not coffee and hot cocoa would be friends or foes? What do you think?  You can share your wisdom on my Facebook  or Twitter page too.

Iced Hot Cocoa

Not sure if it's the ice theme or my need to create, but I've been experimenting with a iced hot cocoa recipe. In its simplest form I just mix hot cocoa mix with water, then throw in a bunch of ice. I'm trying to take it to the next level with crushed ice, chocolate chips and whipped cream. I'll let you know when it's perfected. {print available}

The Tea Party

My daughter had a birthday tea party today complete with tea cups, sweets and savories. At eight years old you really don't want tea so we served hot cocoa instead. The sugar bowls were filled with marshmallows.

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Hot Cocoa with a Straw

My daughter has had a fetish with straws lately. The odd thing is that she particularily wants to sip her hot cocoa through them. I'll just wait for this to pass...

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The Snowman Mug

To make hot cocoa just a little neater serve it in a special mug. The favorite mug at our house is the snowman one. We love to top it off with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Hot Cocoa

I hate to disappoint many of you, but I'm not a coffee drinker. I like the idea of holding that symbolic mug, looking down at that dark liquid, and having steam roll out of it...but mine is always hot cocoa. For me its about getting that sugar kick (as small as it is) and most importantly, warming my insides when its cold. I don't drink hot cocoa in the summer, its just a chill-buster. Luckily there are more cold Iowa months than warm ones. {available}