Brrrr.

Brrrr. That is the word of the day. Last night a huge cold front blew in and it was the real kind, not the kind that periodically comes through Texas. It dropped below 40 degrees in .2 seconds. This morning not much had changed, so I threw on my ear warmer and a sweater and got to work. I decided to once again make the soup that made me famous. You know the one...corn, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, jalapenos, etc... all in a delicious creamy broth. The only difference is that this time I made a whole lot. Aaaaand once again it was delicious! Seriously my favorite soup, ever. Andrew has a half day on Thursdays, so he was super pumped to come home to a giant bowl of magic soup. Then, to really rule the day, I decided to make hot chocolate from scratch. That's right - no packets, no squeeze bottle of Hershey's, I am talking about legit Hot Cocoa. One might ask, how on earth were you able to accomplish this? Enter my Great Auntie Jane. Not only is the woman the best Great Auntie ever, she is also the best gift giver. She sent Andrew and I the most amazing array of spices and seasonings from around the world. And to top it off, they came in the most amazing raw wooden box. It's like the Narnia of spice boxes! The box is also the "wedding selection", meaning it came with special spices that specifically signify the tradition of marriage. For instance, a whole nutmeg, a star anise, and whole rosemary. Take a look and be jealous:

Uhhh, can you tell I have been using the cocoa...? I have been looking up recipes designed around the spices in the box. There are some really unique flavors and I cannot wait to delve a little deeper.

Now, back to the Hot Cocoa. First I tossed a couple of tablespoons of cocoa, water, and sugar into the saucepan. I kept the temp super low and stirred it until it turned into a delicious chocolate goo. I also added a splash of my new vanilla extract. Then I added a few cups up almond milk and a couple of shakes of cinnamon and continued stirring on a low temp until it was all blended and hot. Take a look at the finished product! YUM!

Needless to say, today was a success in the world of all things delicious. Tomorrow I am going to make a butternut squash, apple, and pear soup. Stay tuned!

xoxo