rosiest hot chocolate

It's a bit of an optical illusion, what you see is not only what you get. It's a bit unexpected. Finally, it is snowing outside today, and it's snowing furiously. Oh no, not just a couple flakes, but as if St. Nick himself was on the way this very night. It could be quite perfect, except that I fear I must stave off every attempt to become too festive. I am certain that I could go full force, with holiday spices, herbs, and dishes, especially baking, up until Santa's reindeer are prancing upon the roof, then I will be finished. And then how would I stay up all night, to greet the man in the red suit when he comes down the chimney? But I am in a wintery mood, and do need hot chocolate to keep warm. How else will I get through without something to subdue my anticipation? Rose hot chocolate. It's like the perfect drink for delicate palates. Nothing too heavy or overwhelmingly rich. It's lovely, and incredibly simple to make to warm up those rosy noses and cheeks. The hardest part might be sourcing rose water, which is often available at Middle Eastern specialty shops, but is often readily available in many chain grocery stores as well. I chopped 70% dark chocolate with a knife. It doesn't have to be perfect, just easily meltable. Rosiest Hot Chocolate (serves 1-2) 1/2 cup whole milk 2 slightly heaping tablespoons chopped dark chocolate (70%) 1 tsp agave nectar 1 tsp rose water 1. In a small saucepan on medium-low heat, warm the milk until steaming, and little bubbles have formed around the perimeter. 2. Whisk in the chocolate, and combine until evenly melted. 3. Add in the agave nectar. 4. Remove from heat, and add the rose water. Serve immediately.
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glorious cinnamon hot chocolate

Either I am in love with winter, or perhaps just the idea of it. I am certifiably nuts over hot chocolate. It's not something I can totally control either. It just starts with a craving, and develops into something more. It's like eating chocolate, but better; you don't have to wait for it to melt on the tongue to be able to savour it's beauty. In the next while, I'm going to feature, well, virtually endless varieties of hot chocolate. It's not that cold out yet, but we can all use a head-start on deliciousness to keep our wits about us. It's fairly simple to prepare, doesn't require hours of time, or overtly expensive ingredients. It can be humble, and still thrill us to no end. Cinnamon is an intriguing flavour to me. It has been demanded for hundreds of years, and is used in virtually every type of dish, from dessert to liqueur. And why not? It is sweet and spicy, an undeniably versatile and delicious spice. In this recipe, I used ground cinnamon, and the stick form, to ensure a thorough cinnamon luxuriousness. Cinnamon and chocolate paired together, makes me think of something very earthy, but also something exotic. Aztecs meet Silk Road. Cinnamon Hot Chocolate (Serves 2) 1 cup whole milk 1 10 cm cinnamon stick 2 tbsp best quality cocoa 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp, 70% dark chocolate (20g, chopped) 1 tsp best quality vanilla extract 1. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, cinnamon stick, cocoa, and the ground cinnamon. Whisk constantly. Bring to a boil, and immediately reduce heat to low. Continue to whisk and heat on low for three minutes. 2. Still using a whisk, add the dark chocolate, honey, and vanilla extract to the heated mixture. 3. Once all the ingredients are silky smooth, pour into warmed cups. Garnish with a small cinnamon stick for each serving.
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cocoa-gingered apple & orange salad

It is amazing to believe that my Baba's generation rarely had the luxury of enjoying fresh fruit, when in her youthful glory. Certainly in the summer there were berries on the farm, but citrus fruit was only featured on a rare and special occasion. She remembers fresh mandarin oranges around Christmas time, and little else. Today we are spoiled rotten, with the wide-availability of fruits and vegetables available to meet our every whim and fancy. But yet, we are so accustomed to a varied selection of plump and juicy tomatoes, perfectly glossy apples, and seedless watermelons. Many times we take it for granted, moaning when produce is less than perfect, and not every variety of heirloom fig is available. So apples and oranges it is. Luxurious items 60 years ago, in the Canadian prairies, but today are commonplace market staples. But still we get bored. As a university student, I can count endless numbers of bags of apples and oranges I purchased, since they were relatively inexpensive, convenient, and healthful. I also consumed countless combinations of apple and orange salad. Red delicious apples, green apples, honey, no honey, mandarin oranges, navel oranges, fresh lemon, no lemon. Then recently, I discovered a nice batch of candied ginger. Jeff loves candied ginger, especially chocolate covered candied ginger. It's alright, but I think I prefer the ginger in smaller doses. It is however, especially nice when literally pulverized, and used to enhance other ingredients, like oranges and chocolate. Wanting to do something a little bit different for a late breakfast one Saturday morning, I decided it would be nice to include the candied ginger. Cocoa-gingered apple & orange salad For the topping: 3 tsp cocoa nibs 6 cubes candied ginger 1 tbsp sliced almonds 1 tbsp raw hempseed 1 apple and one navel orange, per person 1. Toast the almonds in a medium-high heat sauté pan. 2. Using a coffee grinder, combine the almonds, and other topping ingredients and crush. (lasts in the fridge up to one week). 3. Wash and chop fruit, and place into large bowls. Drizzle with lemon juice if not consuming immediately. 4. Sprinkle the cocoa-ginger topping evenly over the fruit. Enjoy!
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