Cooking for Seven

Yesterday, I had a completely new experience: homemade hot chocolate. Not the kind made with cocoa powder and sugar. No. The Kind made with REAL chocolate.

Oh my. It was like drinking chocolate pudding; it was so rich I couldn’t finish it in one sitting!

Notes: I used maple syrup for the added sweetener and bittersweet chocolate chips for the chocolate. I also added a bit of cream to the milk. Perhaps next time I will use only milk as it was so rich.
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Homemade Hot Chocolate

Adapted from Elise Bauer

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces chocolate, preferably dark
• 3 teaspoons maple syrup or natural sweetener of choice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1) Chop the chocolate very finely.

2) In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a low simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally.

3) Add the chocolate, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Whisk vigorously until all of the chocolate has melted. Cook for an additional 4 minutes, whisking constantly.

4) Serve with maple whipped cream (recipe follows) if desired.

Serves 4 generously

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Maple Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup (more if you like your whipped cream very sweet)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat until stiff.

And now for the Frigidaire Accessories winner:

Commenter #90: Diana!

Congratulations!

I have contacted Diana and sent her the coupon code.

Thank you all for participating in the giveaway!

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Using random.org, I have selected the winner:

Hannah and Esther: We like COFFEE! But we also like tea. I love the Rooibos tea with a little milk. Yummy!

Congratulations, Hannah and Esther!

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Just for fun, I tallied up how many people like to drink what. Here are the results:

#1 Tea (52%)

#2 Coffee or Undecided (both 16%)

#3 Cocoa (10%)

#4 Cider (6%)

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Thank you to all who entered my giveaway! Merry Christmas!

In case you have never heard of it, Rooibos (pronounced “roy-boss”) is a tisane (herbal tea) made from the needle-like leaves of a bush which is native to Africa. It contains antioxidants, and is caffeine free. It became popular in the West during World War II when black tea from Asia was difficult to get.

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The little Tea & Gift Shoppe in town sells many varieties of this delicious tea. Yesterday, I braved the below-zero temperature to obtain two varieties of Rooibos - Caramel Creme and Vanilla. Today, I would like to share some Vanilla Rooibos with you!

Here’s How to Enter:

Leave a comment on this post telling me which hot drink you like best: tea, hot chocolate, coffee, hot cider, etc. Make sure to correctly fill out your email address in the comment form.

For another chance to win, blog about my giveaway. Come back and leave another comment on this post with a link to your post.

For another chance, twitter about my giveaway. Come back and leave another comment on this post.

For another chance to win, post about my giveaway on Facebook. Come back and leave another comment on this post.

No entries after 10 p.m. CST next Wednesday will be considered.

Next Thursday, using random.org, I will select one winner.

Good luck!

This contest has now ended.