Hot White (Christmas) Chocolate

Who remembers playing outside in the snow as a kid?  Sledding?  Making Snowmen?  Snowball fights?  Just staying outside in the crisp, cold weather crunching through the snow until your cheeks were pink and your nose was froze?  When it was finally time to go inside the perfect way to warm up was a steaming mug of Hot Chocolate.  How did you top yours?  Marshmallows?  Whipped Cream?  Or were you a purist, and drank yours with no garnish at all? 

Growing up we had a really good homemade Hot Chocolate Mix.  My mom had the recipe in an old church cookbook.  It might have been my dad’s mom’s church cookbook, but I’m really not sure.  I just remember that it was delicious.  I made it a couple of years ago, and it was still good.  But not as good as I remember.  So I decided to create a new, easy, amazing Hot Chocolate. 

I don’t know about you, but as an adult Hot Chocolate is a pretty big treat.  My hot drinks tend to stay on the sensible side- coffee or tea.  And if I’m craving Hot Chocolate, sometimes the powdered packet is just fine… but let’s face it, even the best powdered mixes aren’t that good.  So, if you are going to have Hot Chocolate do yourself a favor, and make it a real treat.  A rich, creamy, decadent (SPIKED) treat. 

I love this recipe because it’s a little different.  It features White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder.  You get all of these delicious layers of chocolate and it’s not too sweet.  It’s amazing on its own, but even better if you spike it with a little smoethin’ somethin’ it’s even better.    

  • Hot White (Christmas) Chocolate
  • 1 bag (11oz) High Quality White Chocolate Chips
  • 1 ½ Tablespoon Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
  • 8 cups 1% Milk
  • 1/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
  • A couple of drops of Vanilla Extract
  • Pinch of Kosher Salt

In a heavy bottomed pot combine the heavy cream, about half the milk, the cocoa powder, and whisk well to combine.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir often and keep an eye on the heat, you don’t want to scald the milk.  Once the chips are melted and everything is heated through, give it a taste test.  Add more cocoa powder, milk, or vanilla as needed. 

You can also make this in a crockpot.  Follow the same directions, but over low heat stirring every 30 minutes.  Once hot, switch to the warm setting.

Serve with marshmallows, whipped cream, or nothing at all in your favorite mug!

This is amazing and child friendly, as is.  Now let’s make it adult friendly.  Some of my favorite additions are – Candy Cane Infused Vodka (as made in a previous post), Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey (who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate?), Fireball (cinnamon and chocolate for a little extra spice), your favorite bourbon (bourbon and chocolate pair so well together), Rum Chata (for a more mild, extra creamy addition), Kahlua (for a mocha-type drink)….. the possibilities are really endless.  Let me know what your favorite is!

My favorite? LOTS of marshmallows and a healthy glug of Maker’s Mark.

Agave and Rye

Agave and Rye has been a staple in Covington for many years now.  And for years I’ve been reading about the amazing food menu and the top notch cocktail list.  However Covington isn’t exactly close to me and when I do find myself in that part of the city it’s usually for a specific reason.  So alas, I have yet to make it to the original Agave and Rye…. BUT lucky, LUCKY me!  Agave and Rye opened a location in Liberty Center, which is just up the road from my Partner in Crime which made it PERFECT for a #SundaysareforResearch outing.

Last Sunday was cold and damp.  And did I cold?  We had big plans to adventure up to Dayton or Hamilton.  But waking up Sunday to the damp and the cold, we decided to stay close.  So Agave and Rye it was.They took over the former Cantina Laredo space in Liberty Center and completely transformed the space.  The white bar top and tables provide a perfect setting for the murals that cover the walls.  There is a definite urban flare to the art, which keeps the space feeling hip and edgy but still comfortable and approachable.  Even though the capacity was increased by approximately 30 covers the space feels cozier than it used to.  

The menu is daunting.  Not because of the huge selections (but they have that, too) but because EVERYTHING sounds SO GOOD!  We decided to start with the chips and queso- who doesn’t like queso?  The homemade chips were light and crisp but held up to the thick, goey, spiced queso.  It was delicious.My Partner in Crime decided on the Snitch- a Jerk Mahi-Mahi Taco and I went with the Shrimp and Crab Empanada.  His taco was ginormous!  It was overflowing with garlic rice and grilled pineapple and a very generous portion of Mahi-Mahi.  My empanadas were so good- the crust was fried a perfect golden brown, and very light.  They were topped with avocado and a corn salad and even more crab!  So much crab and shrimp!  Very well seasoned.  Absolutely delicious!  

This couldn’t be a true #research outing if I didn’t indulge in a fabulous cocktail.  I was tempted by so many things… from there proudly perfected frozen margaritas to a traditional marg to something a bit more adventerous.  I finally decided on a Sangria because I love a good Sangria and a good one is very hard to find.  And this was pretty good.  It had all of the rich flavors that I look for in addition to a nice tequila kick.  

Next visit to Agave and Rye it will be hard to convince myself to not order the Crab and Shrimp Empanadas again- they were so darn good.  My Partner in Crime already knows exactly what he’ll be ordering next time.  And as far as cocktails go- I think next time I’m going to try one of their famous margaritas