Friday, October 16, 2009

Enjoying

There are two main reasons I love to cook:
1. I love the effect food has on the senses. You know, how your mouth starts to water when you smell baking zucchini bread or see the steam rising from a bubbling pot of soup...
2. I love the look on people's faces (and yes, the compliments) when they truly enjoy eating something I made for them.
If I don't also love something I've made, I feel unaccomplished. But if someone says something is wrong with something I made them, that inspires me to try again and again until I get it right.
Such is the case with my special blend hot cocoa (sometimes affectionately dubbed "Auntie Shann's Cocoa," though this name came around before I was actually anyone's Aunt). I love to combine flavors and spices and different types of chocolate, and I usually love my combinations, but historically for others it's been hit-or-miss. And it's usually a miss. So I keep on trying. I think maybe the thing is that there are too many flavors and people just aren't looking for that in a cup of hot cocoa. So here's a super-simplified version you can make yourself (and let me know if you like it):
To a mug of hot milk add 3 tablespoons Ovaltine malted chocolate, 1/2 tablespoon (or more if you like it bitter) unsweetened cocoa powder, and nutmeg to taste (I add sort of a lot because I love the taste of nutmeg in my cocoa). If you added too much cocoa, add a pinch of sugar.

4 comments:

LP said...

That means I have to go buy malted chocolate. Can't I just use the regular malt flavor and add more cocoa?

Shannon said...

you could just do that, and perhaps add a little sugar free quick if you still use that stuff. only a little though. or maybe skip it. you like your hot cocoa more on the bitter side as I recall, so it shouldn't be a problem for you.

Jared and Megan said...

I wouldn't say no to a container of Auntie Shann's Cocoa for Christmas...

that picture makes me want to go make some, but we're out of cocoa.

sad face.

Shannon said...

now I know what to get you for christmas :)
except I think I have you guys for gift-giving, so I'll have to do better than that.
hm...speakinawich, what DO you guys want for christmas? (assuming I actually do have you this year)