Eggnog Pancakes with Eggnong Syrup

I asked my Dessert Club colleagues if anyone would like to help me try, and write up, recipes for Pancake Week.  I got a range of responses - some silent, some saying they have no good pancake recipes, and some saying, "Heck, yeah, sounds like fun!"  My friend Shanna in particular really embraced the challenge of Pancake Week, gathering and testing numerous recipes on her family of seven, and I think we've all come out winners because of it.

She said these eggnog pancakes and eggnog syrup really taste deliciously like eggnog, amazingly so.  But, she said, in the future, she would probably have the pancakes with a maple or buttermilk syrup, and serve the eggnog syrup over plain pancakes.  Together, they were too much.  But each with a simpler partner, perfection.

Eggnog Pancakes (print recipe)

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 T sugar
1 cup eggnog
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
1/4 cup milk, optional

1.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  In another small bowl, mix eggnog, egg, and oil.  Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until blended.  (At this point, you may need to add the milk, depending on how thick or runny you want your pancakes to be.  I like mine thinner.) 

2.  Preheat griddle to medium high and grease with oil or butter.  Pour approximately 1/4 cup batter on hot griddle for each pancake.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until bubbles begin to form and edges are set.  Flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on other side, until golden and center is no longer runny.

Eggnog Syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup eggnog
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
2 T corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped topping, optional

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, eggnog, milk, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda.  Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Pour warm syrup over hot pancakes and top with whipped topping.

Recipe from High Heels and Grills, tested by Shanna Stratton

And as a BONUS, hello, I am giving you Shanna's own recipe for homemade eggnog, in case you want to make these during the other eleven months, when eggnog is harder to come by.  This eggnog is amazing and delicious and makes the whole fridge smell like heaven!

Shanna's Homemade Eggnog
Makes a ton

6 eggs

3/4 cup cream or evaporated milk

1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding

1/2 cup sugar

8 cups milk

1 tsp rum extract

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Beat eggs for 5 minutes (I use an immersion blender).  Add cream and pudding.  Mix well.  Add sugar, 4 cups milk, vanilla, rum flavoring and nutmeg.  Mix for 3 minutes.  Add remaining 4 cups milk.  Mix another 3-5 minutes.  Best if made a day ahead!

  

Hot Chocolate Stir Sticks

Let's start 2013 off with a recipe I may have made more than any other in 2012. 

I made about 200 of these for our church's Christmas party in December, then helped stir and ladle hot milk from the stove all night, so everyone could have made-to-order hot chocolate.  When you put me in charge of the cocoa bar, you're not going to get Swiss Miss. 

Cutest mug ever, right? 

I didn't invent the whole idea, but it did evolve.  First, I thought of those chocolate-covered spoons you stir into coffee, but I didn't think it would be enough chocolate for a good 8-oz. cup of cocoa.  I hunted around food blogs for awhile, and came up with a few renditions to try - the first was just chocolate, but it bloomed within hours, and I needed something that could keep.  (And there was no way I was tempering chocolate for this quantity.)  The next one I tried was too fudgy, and fell off the stick at room temperature (but still made good hot chocolate.)  We drank a lot of cocoa at our house those first weeks of December.  Our counter became lined with Tupperware of chocolate experiments, and Poppy came to ask regularly if she could taste one of my "speriments." 

 Eventually I settled on a simple ganache, with half the cream, so it would stay just solid at room temperature, but still melt into a creamy mug.  Don't mind if I say so myself, they were the hit of the party.

 

Hot Chocolate Stir Sticks (print recipe)
Makes 12

12 oz. chocolate chips or other semisweet/dark chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 T cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
12 lollipop sticks
Cooking spray

1.  Melt chocolate and cream in microwave, for 20-30 seconds at a time, until chocolate is just melted; stir until smooth.  Add cocoa powder and stir in.  Add any flavorings you want, like 1/2 tsp peppermint extract or 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon.  Or leave plain chocolate.

2.  Spray a 12-well ice cube tray with cooking spray and dust thoroughly with cocoa powder.  Scoop chocolate mixture into a piping bag or gallon Ziploc and snip off the corner.  Pipe chocolate into the tray cups.  Stick a lollipop stick into the center of each one, giving it a twist as it goes in, to make sure the chocolate attaches.  Sprinkle anything on top that you want, like jimmies, nonpareils, coarse sugar, etc.  Or leave plain chocolate.  Chill for a at least 1 hour in the fridge.

3.  To remove chocolate from ice cube tray, twist the tray a bit like when you are getting ice out.  Place upright and gently wiggle sticks out.  If they don't come easily, run the underside of the tray under hot water for a few seconds and try again.  They should come out easily after that.  Store in refrigerator for a few days or at room temperature for a few hours.

4.  To make hot chocolate, heat 8 ounces milk in microwave or on stovetop, until steaming but not boiling.  It needs to be pretty hot.  Place stir stick in, and stir until chocolate dissolves to make one freaking decadent cup of cocoa.  Top with nutmeg, cinnamon, whipped cream, and/or marshmallows. 

Variations: 
- To make peppermint stir sticks, I added 1/2 tsp peppermint extract and a handful of crushed candy canes to the chocolate after it was melted but before piping into the molds. 
- To make salted caramel, I piped a big blob of dulce de leche on top of each chocolate cube, and sprinkled with a pinch of flaked salt just before serving. 


1 year ago:  Easy Pretzel Fudge
2 years ago:  Gearing Up for 2011
3 years ago:  Yeasted Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with Nutmeg Butter

BONUS Steamy Sip #8: Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

I just couldn't leave out this Steamy Sip.  It took me four stores to track down dulce de leche, then Christmas happened, but once I finally made this, Ed and I let out audible "aaaah"'s and I HAD to post it. 

As you know, salted caramel is all the rage now.  Salt brings out the flavor and balances the over-sweetness of caramel.  Sometimes, though, salt seems to be just in the name.  Not in this Steamy Sip.  The salt-to-other-stuff ratio is PERFECT.  You can taste it, but it's just right.  And lots of caramel and chocolate make it the perfect indulgent sip. 

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate (print recipe)
4 T dulce de leche
1 1/4 cups milk
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp coarse salt
Whipped cream, toffee bits and mini chocolate chips, for garnish

In a small pot over medium heat, warm the dulce de leche.  Whisk in the milk, cocoa powder, and salt until smooth.  Heat until warmed and serve immediately, topped with whipped cream.

Steamy Sip #7: Warm Grapefruit Cider

First of all, Happy Christmas.  That said, I know no one is probably checking blogs today.  That's as it should be.

But I hope that doesn't mean this amazing Steamy Sip will be ignored.

I realize this week I'm using terms like "tea", "cappuccino", and now "cider" very loosely.  I didn't look them up to ensure proper usage.  There just aren't that many terms for warm beverages so I'm just calling them what I want.  In this case, "warm juice" neither sounds right nor does this unique spicy nectar justice.

When she saw I was doing Steamy Sips week, my friend Marna sent me this recipe.  Here is what she said:

I love this time of year for many reasons.  All the yummy citrus is one of the great things.  I love grapefruit, but not all of my family does, and I am not one who can eat grapefruit for breakfast day after day.  I bought a big bag of Texas grapefruits, because the price was good.  I have been wondering how to use them all before they spoil.  This warm "tea" was just the answer I was looking for.

 Warm Grapefruit Cider (print recipe)
2 cups fresh ruby red grapefruit juice (about 4 medium)
2 to 4 T honey (raw, if you have it)
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp allspice berries

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients with 1/2 cup water.  Bring to a boil over high heat; strain and discard solids.  Serve with a grapefruit segment or a strip of zest. 

Recipe from the Martha Stewart Show, Jan 2008 via my friend Marna

Steamy Sip #6: Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate

 

Now, remember, I'm picky about pumpkin.  Too much, and I won't consume it.  So I was curious to try this, and I am here to tell you, it's just enough, not too much.  Delicious, really.  Hot, spicy, sweet, very cold-weather-y.  Which is ironic and annoying, it being in the 60's just two days before Christmas.  But that won't stop me from having some Steamy Sips!

I had a friend and her kids over for dinner.  Six hungry kids sat moaning and restless at the table while I quickly took these shots before the whipped cream melted.  Just explaining why I didn't get out the photo light and all that.  Of course, if I had a good camera, it wouldn't be such an issue.  Just saying.  A last-ditch hint to Santa.  But anyway.

Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate (print recipe)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of ground cloves
2 ounces white chocolate, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish if desired
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of sea salt

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, pumpkin and spices.  Cook, stirring constantly, until just simmering.  Remove from heat and add chocolate, vanilla and salt.  Pour into two mugs.  Just before serving, top each mug with a generous amount of whipped cream, a few shavings of white chocolate, and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.  Serve immediately.  Makes 2 servings.

Steamy Sip #5: Nutella Hot Chocolate

 This one is as easy as, if not easier than, any cocoa-from-a-mix you are used to making.  Melt Nutella into hot milk.  Done.  Very chocolately and Nutella-y. So awesome.  And, luckily, brief.  Because I don't know about you, but we are in full Christmas-prep gear around here and I don't have time for frivolity.  Just good hot chocolate.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I stop capitalizing or punctuating in the next few posts, just to save a little time (and see if you are paying attention.)

Nutella Hot Chocolate (print recipe)
2 cups milk
3 T Nutella

Pour milk and Nutella in a small saucepan.  Stir over medium heat until Nutella and milk are completely blended and begin to boil.  Pour into two mugs and garnish with marshmallows or whipped cream.  Drink while warm.  Makes 2 servings.

Cinnamon Nutella Hot Chocolate: add 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick to milk and Nutella while heating.

As a note, this is also really good with Trader Joe's cocoa-almond spread which is nearly the same as Nutella, just almond instead of hazelnut.  Totally good.

Steamy Sip #4: Cranberry Tea

Just look at that color.  That, my friends, is the kind of Steamy Sip you get from fresh cranberries.  Dry, tart, and spicy, this is.  It was so clean and energizing when we drank it warm.  And when I drank it the next morning for breakfast, cold and spicy, it was beyond description.  Probably the only Steamy Sip I will promote as even better cold.  I just might freeze up some cranberries to make this next summer. 

Cranberry Tea (print recipe)
2 cups fresh cranberries
8 cups water
2 T raw honey
1 lemon, juiced
10 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick

In a pot, combine water and cranberries and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add honey, lemon juice, cloves and cinnamon stick.  Turn off heat, cover and steep for 1 hour.  Strain out cranberries, cloves and cinnamon stick.  Drink right away or store in a pitcher in the fridge for a few days.  When serving, add more honey, to taste.  Serve hot or cold.  Makes 8 cups.

Steamy Sip #3: Almond Capuccino

Hello, this Steamy Sip is sooo amazing.  If you're a regular milk drinker like me, maybe you've never had thought or reason to try almond milk.  This is a good one.

Shall I give you my version or Brian's first?  Brian is super-gourmet-foodie husband of my friend Juli (the one I went to New York with), and he's the one that first made this for me.  It was UH-mazing, so I asked him for the recipe.  But I should have known.  I should have known it would involve no less than two gadgets  and at least two ingredients I didn't have.  Even so.  I made myself a simpler, "grocery store," version, and it was still warm, flavorful, comforting and delicious.  Worthy of Steamy Sips Week.  So I'll give you that one first. 

Almond Capuccino (print recipe)
2 cups original or vanilla almond milk
2/3 cup cream
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Whipped cream & cinnamon sugar, for garnish

Warm the almond milk, cream and cinnamon in a saucepan until very warm and steamy.  If you have an immersion blender, use it to combine well.  Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream and cinnamon sugar.  Allow the cream to melt a bit and stir it into the drink.  Serve hot.  Makes 2 servings.

You could even make your own whipped cream, with a little almond extract or almond syrup to enhance the flavor.

That said, Brian says the entire secret to this recipe is in the whipped cream.  Which he makes himself in a fancy whipper thing like this.  So if you happen to have one, here's what you do.  Eight ounces heavy cream, 2 ounces amaretto, 1 ounce Torani toasted marshmallow syrup.  I know.  He says the syrup and amaretto change the cream to make it denser and more foamy, and he serves this in small cups half full of the milk, with the whipped cream filling the cup the rest of the way.  Like I said, so amazing.  (Brian took the top photo.)

So.  If you really like my blog, or are my friend in any way, you will get me one of these whippers for Christmas.  Or my birthday is February 2.  I can wait.

Steamy Sip #2: Hot Caramel Apple Cider

 

There are so many things I already love about Steamy Sips Week.  Naturally, one is that it's a bunch of warm delicious beverages I don't normally go out of  my way to make for myself.  But I should because they're amazing and I deserve it.  

But right now, as I squeeze in writing time this busy week before Christmas with all the kids home from school, I love that the recipes are super short and simple, both to make and to write.  Small effort, big payoff.  

This one, for example - two ingredients.  Three or four if you count the whipped cream and cinnamon garnish.  But probably all things you have around, or could easily pick up on your next trip.  

And.  Not that this helps you, but a friend just brought me a jar of homemade cinnamon-toffee sauce for a Christmas gift.  I expect Ed and I will be having some hot cinnamon-toffee apple cider soon, maybe even tonight.  Mmm, steamy.

 Hot Caramel Apple Cider (print recipe)
2 cups apple cider
3 to 4 T caramel ice cream topping
Whipped cream
Cinnamon sticks, for garnish

In a small saucepan, stir together apple cider and caramel ice cream topping.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often.  Remove from heat and pour into heat-proof mugs.  Top with whipped cream, a sprinkling of cinnamon and a cinnamon stick for garnish.  Makes 2 servings

Steamy Sip #1: Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

 

About five years ago, I tried to make hot cocoa mix as my give-away to friends and neighbors.  Unfortunately I made it up as I went along, and the result was rather unpalatable.  Which I discovered after I'd given it away.  So sorry to all those people I gave it to, if you're reading.  

Two lessons came out of that experience you only have to learn once:  1) start with some kind of recipe, and 2) taste before you give.  

This time I found a great recipe, and I give it to you here, unaltered.  We made it, we had some test cups, and it is creamy, flavorful and fabulous.  It helps that there is creamer, not just powdered milk, in the mix, and you make it with real milk, not just water.  The French vanilla mentioned here is awesome, but you could of course make this with any flavor creamer that suits you - I made a second batch with hazelnut, hello!  

 Hot Cocoa Mix (print recipe)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup French vanilla coffee creamer (or any flavor you like)
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk

Whisk or sift together the ingredients and package in jars or bags; decorate however you like.  Makes 5 cups of mix (about 26 servings)

Instructions for making the cocoa:
Stir together 3 T cocoa mix and 1 T water in a mug.  Stir in 1 cup skim milk.  Microwave on HIGH for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until hot. 

It's Steamy Sips Week!

I guess it's kind of a tradition in December, to do some kind of "WEEK" - in 2008 it was surprise fillings - wow, so fun.  Last year we did Minty Week and was that ever refreshing!  This year I've been enjoying an eclectic variety of mugged drinks and thought I'd share.  Don't get me wrong - classic hot cocoa is always right.  But for people like me, who don't drink coffee, tea or alcohol, there are still more choices than you might think.  It just takes a little thinking outside the box.  And usually a generous topping of whipped cream. 

But as an intro, I have to give props to my favorite hot chocolate mix of all time: Lake Champlain's Aztec Spicy Hot Chocolate.  The ingredients read: sugar, Dutched cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla and cayenne pepper.  All my favorite things!  It's not that spicy, just wonderfully flavored.  Sometimes I can find it at Whole Foods but usually I just order two cans from Lake Champlain each winter and they get me through the whole year.

So if that's my "everyday" cocoa, then Jacques Torres' Classic Hot Chocolate is my special occasion sip.  It's more expensive, it's much more intense and rich, and it is...to DIE for.  JT does a Wicked hot choc, too, similar to Aztec, but I find it a little too spicy and it overwhelms the chocolate so I prefer his classic.  The mix has big chocolate chunks in it and the mixing ratio is 1/4 cup mix to 1/2 cup milk...so like I said, it's intense but sooo delicious and perfect.  JT has outrageous shipping but luckily I grabbed a can on my trip to NY in November, phew!

I also love peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks, and I saw McDonald's serves some now too - I haven't tried it but I am dubious. 

Have you ever gotten a "steamer" at Starbucks?  It's just hot frothy milk with a flavor in it, no chocolate.  I love Irish cream - amazing! - and I recently tried gingerbread which was pretty good, too.  So comforting and warming.  But if that ain't your thing, this is the best time of year for other flavor drinks - case in point, this refrigerator case at Target.  There are eggnog, gingerbread, sugar cookie and peppermint creamers.  Plus red velvet and chocolate mint flavored milks, and lots of eggnog. 

OK so I don't have them all decided yet, but a few sips you have to look forward to this week include: hot caramel apple cider, Nutella hot chocolate, cranberry tea, the best homemade hot cocoa mix I've ever had...and more!

One final note - I only have one kind of clear mug, and like I said many of the drinks have whipped cream on top, so many of them actually look quite similar.  Just bear with me and read the recipes; I hope they speak for themselves!

Strawberry Lemonade

Alrighty. How are you liking LEMONADE WEEK? It's time to talk a little lemonade, shall we?

How do you like it? Mouth-puckering tart? Sugary-sweet? Fizzy? Frozen? Speaking of, go back and remember my Mint Lemonade from last summer. Man that stuff is good; worth a revisit.

Have you noticed lemonades popping up more on menus? I mean things you drive by. McDonald's, for example, has a new "Frozen Strawberry Lemonade." Have you tried it? I had to, you know, for research. Grody. Artificial-tasting, very strong, very sour. A friend of mine thought the same thing. She thought it might have been flukey - how can something that sounds so good taste so bad? - so she tried it again when visiting another state. Same badness. That's three data points so you know it's reliable.

On the other hand, Wendy's has a new Wild Berry Lemonade that is super good. Very refreshing. Thumbs up.

I know Cafe Rio is not nationwide yet, but it's big in Utah and we recently got a couple out this way. I have to say, I don't love the food. But next to their self-serve soda spigots are three or four kinds of fresh lemonade that are to die for. Worth the trip just for them. I can't remember the others because I was hook-line-sinker addicted to a combo of southwest lemonade (which contains something floral/herbal - hibiscus?) and mint lemonade after one sip. Seriously, I would drive the hour just for the drink!!!

But when I don't have an hour, I'm still OK because there is a Starbucks on every single corner in Arlington. (Don't believe me? Watch this.) Maybe every other corner. And my very favorite summer beverage (that I don't make myself) is Starbucks' Passion Tea Lemonade. Oh, thrill of my taste buds, there are no words for the refreshment thou hast brought me, summer after summer!

Sooo...how do you lemonade?

Oh, yes. There is a recipe in this post. Straight-up fresh strawberry lemonade. Not pretend strawberry lemonade like some places make. Very delicious, and you can make it thick or thin, depending on how thoroughly you choose to strain the berry puree. Just be warned! The seeds sink to the bottom so careful about sipping them all up through a straw. I wish I'd had a video camera...
Strawberry Lemonade (print recipe)
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice (from 6 lemons) plus 1 lemon, sliced, for serving
1 pound strawberries (3 cups), hulled and halved
16 ounces seltzer, chilled
Mint sprigs, for serving

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water and sugar to a boil over medium-high. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, 2 minutes. Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until cool, about 45 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir to combine.

2. In a blender, puree strawberries until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into pitcher with lemon syrup, pressing on solids. Stir well to combine.

3. To serve, stir in seltzer and divide among ice-filled glasses. Top with lemon slices and mint. Serves 4 to 6

Recipe from Everyday Food, June 2011

Blueberry Lemonade with Ginger and Basil

About a month ago The Washington Post FOOD section (the main reason I subscribe) did a feature on blueberries. They wrote about two local blueberry growers, one organic, one not - their entire life stories plus all the details of their garden/farm/plot? What is a big blueberry patch called? Anyway, as always, it was a mouthwatering article (here, if you want to read it) that ended in a number of totally creative blueberry recipes - like Blueberry Fritters with Honey Cream and Summer Couscous Pudding with Blueberries.

And this lemonade.

Which I made immediately, especially since we had just gone blueberry picking. And which I made again for Dessert Club. And with which I have decided to start LEMONADE WEEK!

It is AMAZING. If you like the contributing flavors. Because you can taste each one. So if you're not an herbal person maybe it's not for you. But for those with a more sophisticated palette, like myself of course, this is about the most refreshing thing you could toss back in the heat of summer. After you blend up the hot base, remove the lid and hold your face over the concoction - breathe deeply for an herbal sinus cleanse and facial steam. Then after you add the lemon juice and water, chill thoroughly, at least overnight, for the most delicious purple beverage you could ever hope to drink. Then you can die happy.Blueberry Lemonade with Ginger and Basil
1 pint blueberries, stemmed and rinsed, plus more for optional garnish
1 cup sugar or sweetener of your choice
1 cup plus 1 quart water
1/2 cup basil leaves, packed, plus more for optional garnish
Two-inch piece peeled ginger root, cut crosswise into thin slices
Finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 3 or 4 lemons

1. Combine the blueberries, sugar and 1 cup of the water in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved and the berries just begin to burst.

2. Transfer to the blender*, along with the basil, ginger and lemon zest. Puree until smooth, then strain into a pitcher, pushing on the solids with a rubber spatula to extract all of the liquid. Discard the solids.

3. Add the remaining quart of water and the lemon juice to the base mixture. Serve over ice. Garnish with blueberries and basil leaves, if desired.

*Careful! Blending hot liquid may literally cause the blender to blow its top. If your lid has a removable center, take it out and loosely hold a paper towel over the hole so steam can escape but it doesn't splatter. If not, leave the whole lid off and do the paper towel thing.

Seriously Real Instant Hot Chocolate

It's too bad that somewhere along the way, "instant" has come to mean "powdered." Right? Soup, oatmeal and definitely hot chocolate. I'm not one to turn down Swiss Miss when that's all there is, but I really love a good hot chocolate. In order, my favorites are 1 - Jacques Torres Classic, 2 - Lake Champlain Aztec, 3 - Starbucks (non-fat, no whipped cream, nutmeg sprinkled on. OK, maybe whipped cream sometimes.)

And now I have a new favorite, I think maybe it can volley back and forth between the #1 and #2 spots. Diane Unger, who developed this recipe for Cook's Country, is in my opinion quite the clever little vixen. OF COURSE a big ball of chocolate ganache would make the perfect hot chocolate, just add milk! Why oh why is everyone out there trying to make their own hot chocolate mix with things like dry milk and non-dairy creamer when there is this? Even Ed, who sometimes can't handle the good stuff, loved it and asked for a second cup. Because it's real. Seriously real.

Seriously Real Instant Hot Chocolate
1 (12-ounce) bag (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips OR 12 ounces high quality dark chocolate, uniformly chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt

1. Microwave chocolate, cream and salt in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

2. Roll 3 tablespoons chilled chocolate mixture into ten 2-inch balls. Individually wrap balls in plastic wrap and transfer to zipper-lock bag. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
3. To make 1 cup of hot chocolate, combine 1 unwrapped chocolate ball and 1 cup whole or low-fat milk in large mug. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Serve. You know it.Recipe from Cook's Country, Oct/Nov 2010

Click here for printable recipe

Mint Lemonade

Whoo-ee, it's gettin' hot! The days of steaming in my own clothes are back, and as I watch my children's cheeks grow pink, then fuschia, then maroon as they play outside, all I can think of is something tall, sweet and VERY COLD to drink. Some baking is still taking place, but these days I have my mind more on the freezer than the oven, and this drink is the perfect answer to my hot, sticky, sweaty family.

I like my lemonade sweet. Luckily, unlike baking, drink recipes have lots and lots of wiggle room. The measurements here are what I like, but obviously adjust the sweet-tart-intensity to suit yourself. It's also nice if you have a mint source. It grows like a freaking weed and yet those of us without gardens still pay $2.99 for a little package at the grocery store. Unjust.

Mint Lemonade
1 cup sugar
20 fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 5 to 6 lemons)
16 ice cubes, plus more for the glasses
1 liter seltzer (I used lime flavor), chilled
Lemon wedges or mint leaves for garnish

1. In a blender or food processor, blend the sugar and mint leaves on high for several seconds. Add the lemon juice and blend again. Add the ice cubes and blend again, until most of the ice is crushed.

2. Pour lemon mixture into a 2-quart pitcher. Add the seltzer and stir. Pour into glasses over ice and garnish with lemon or mint.

Recipe from David Younce

Pineapple-Ginger Syrup

I came across this recipe when I was doing my research for pancake week. It wasn't right as a topping for any of the ones I was making right then, but I kept it on file to make for something, sometime.

We actually buy fresh pineapple often. Pull the spikes off, rest it upside down on a dish on the counter until ripe, then peel, core, slice and eat. Fabulous. Now, the beauty of this recipes is that it utilizes pineapple rind. So the next time we had pineapple I just saved all the stuff we didn't eat and made this awesome, versatile syrup. Simmering for awhile, it made the house smell awesome. And it tasted great, too. We mixed it with seltzer water - what a refreshing drink, but you can also drizzle over yogurt, pancakes or ice cream. YUM! (Here's Ed and my sister enjoying a glass...)Pineapple-Ginger Syrup
1 large pineapple, washed and dried
1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
4 cups water

1. With a sharp knife, slice off top and bottom of pineapple. Holding fruit upright on cutting board, slice off peel in strips; reserve peel. Cut flesh into 8 wedges. Remove core; reserve. Refrigerate wedges for another use.

2. Cut reserved peel and core into 1-inch pieces; place in a medium saucepan with ginger, sugar and water. Boil until reduced to 1 cup, 25 to 30 minutes. Strain, discarding solids; chill.

Recipe from Everyday Food, March 2004

Cinnamon-Candy Cider

One of my great childhood memories is making "cinnamon tea" at Grandma's house. My grandma kept a yellow sugar pot in her pantry - always within kids' reach - full of red hot candies. She smiled and looked the other way whenever a grandchild needed to sneak a few, and the pot always came out when we had dress-up tea parties. We filled a plastic teapot with water and a few spoonfuls of red hots, then stirred and waited for the candies to dissolve and the "tea" to turn pink. Then we would pour and drink; it was a little girl's dream.

Which is why I was thrilled to come across this slightly more grown-up version. It struck a deep chord in me, especially as I think of Grandma this time of year (she passed away 4 years ago last week.) Also, it's perfect for Valentine's because this is the best time of year to buy red hots. I think you can find them year-round if you look hard, but in February they're in every store. They turn your cider a deep rosy color and add just a hint of sweet-n-spicy heat to your morning cup.My kids don't generally like hot/warm drinks but my 4-year-old saw me drinking this and wanted a sip. She sipped and smiled, "Mmm, delicious! Can I have my own cup?" Nothing could have made me happier.

Cinnamon-Candy Cider
1 quart apple cider
1/4 cup red hot cinnamon candies

Heat apple cider and cinnamon candies in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until heated through and candies have melted completely, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.Recipe from Martha Stewart Kids