Addicted To Love

I'm addicted to those smiles that I talked about yesterday...the ones from your kids that say, I love you mom...you're the best! Gotta get me some more of those. Here's the ticket... After a hard day of plowin and playin in knee deep snow, greet them with a mug of hot chocolate when they walk in the door. Again I was jammin on the allrecipes.com web site when I stumbled upon this hot cocoa mix. I remembered it while I was shopping at Aldis...I had to call home (one of those moments that I was happy I had a cell) to my sick boy and have him get online to the site and read me the ingredient list that I forgot to jot down. Good news! They had it all...even the mini marshmallows...so I'm making it on the cheap! I reduced the 45 serving recipe to 10 because I wanted to make sure we liked it. Makes sense, right? Already making a second batch...it was that good...and that easy. Whisk all the ingredients together and store it in pretty jars...Valentine's gifts!

Of course I have my personal stash for when the boys come in from the cold...might as well face it I'm addicted to love.

Here's the recipe for 10 servings with a few alterations I made (in parentheses) after reading the reviews...

Hot Cocoa Mix

2 1/4 c dry milk

1 c + 1T (+3T) confectioners sugar

1/3 c + 1T (+3 T) unsweetened cocoa

1/3 c + 1T powdered non-dairy creamer

In a big bowl combine sifted confectioners sugar and sifted cocoa to dry milk and non-dairy creamer. Whisk it together. Store in air tight containers. For individual servings combine 1/3 cup of mix with 3/4 C boiling water. Top with marshmallows or whipped topping.

Now if you're feeling daring...spice it up. This recipe is rumored to be the one that Johnny Depp (another guilty pleasure) claimed was his favorite in Chocolat. I recommend viewing it this upcoming week in celebration of Love...and Lent.

Easy Mexican Hot Chocolate

3 T cocoa mix

1T chocolate syrup

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1 pinch of chili powder

1/4 c milk

3/4 C boiling water

Zap your water in the micro until boiling...add milk and the rest of the ingredients.

Prepare yourself for a taste explosion!

Now sit back, pop in the movie, and get ready to smile.