Robb + Jessie Married & in the Badger State
They say it’s your birthday
A happy birthday to you!
If you look carefully in the background, that is Robb’s new MacBook Pro. His ‘real’ birthday gift, but I did surprise him with a new mug boasting our favourite font, Helvetica.
Warm Brown Drinks
Tonight we had to make a decision between coffee and hot cocoa.
What made it tough is that both of them sounded so good.
OK, I know what you are thinking: You guys live in Madison, it’s still summer, and therefore it’s still hot. Sadly, we put our down comforter back on the bed a week ago and we wore wool socks this weekend. And tonight’s low is 41ºF. Burr! Now that the stage is set, you understand why we were in the mood for some warm beverages.
So instead of deciding, I made both and mixed. After putting our kettle on to boil and measuring out the decaf French roast from Trader Joes in our French Press, I went about making my favourite, but simple, hot cocoa recipe.
Hot Chocolate
by Ellie Krieger
1 cup lowfat milk
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons water
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Dark chocolate, as a garnishHeat the milk and the cinnamon stick until just simmering. In a mug, combine the cocoa powder, sugar and water and stir to make a paste. Remove the cinnamon stick from the milk. Pour the milk into the mug and stir to mix well. Add the vanilla extract and stir. Grate a little dark chocolate on top for garnish.
I love Ellie Krieger’s recipes because they are so simple, natural and healthy. She, after all, is Food Network’s in house dietitian. A profession I nearly went into. I am thankful, though, that I can still appreciate the dietetic sciences while doing what I most enjoy – playing with food!
So, try out my favourite recipe this autumn and let me know what you think!