Drinking Chocolate, Pure Indulgence

Ever have those moments when your soul is crying out for dark chocolate? Nothing else could sooth you more than having a deep, smokey layer of dark chocolate rolling over your tongue and filling your cheeks.  It can be the only thing to calm a hectic day or settle a highly hormonal day.

Drinking chocolate will make you swoon.  Get yourself in a quite spot without any distractions for 20 minutes and loose yourself in small cup.  Don't try to read; don't try to do anything but sip this warm, liquid heaven.  You will be transformed to a happy place and come out relaxed, yet energized.

I don't recommend drinking chocolate before bed; it can leave you with a little buzz.  Not like a caffeine buzz, not that strong.  Let me put this way, you won't be ready for bed.  My husband and I enjoy a cup after dinner, occasionally.  It's not something you want to take in everyday, either.  That would take the fun and specialness out of it.  Besides, I've tried having it a few nights in a row; it's too much.

I found this recipe from an old Hershey's recipe booklet.  It makes two perfect servings.  And yes, you'll want to share the chocolate.  It's too much for one person; trust me.  I've learned to add to the recipe, as all cooks do.  The addition of cinnamon and fresh ground pepper flakes comes from my love for spicy chocolate bars and Chipotle-Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds. *mouth watering*

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1-ounce square of Hershey's Unsweetened or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Premium Baking Bar
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• dash of salt
• 1/4 cup milk, warmed
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Finely chop the 1-ounce square of chocolate evenly.  Add the chocolate, hot water, sugar, and salt to a small bowl set over a pan of simmering water (double boiler.)  Stir to a smooth consistency until sugar is dissolved.

Stir in warm milk.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until hot.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into demitasse cups or very small cups that can hold 1/4 cup liquid.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy casually.

After you've learned how it tastes, try spicing it up and see which way you like it more.

TO SPICE IT UP

• one good twist fresh ground pepper flakes
• dash of fresh ground cinnamon
  

Add these two spices when adding the sugar and salt; the heat really wakes up the aroma and flavors.

The pepper flakes add a gentle heat to the back of the throat, completing the mouth-fill sensation from the deep chocolate.  The cinnamon fills the nose at the same time.  It's a wonderful way to wake up your senses.

Have a sip?

Simple Homemade Sangria

This simple homemade sangria recipe ROCKS!!!  Of all the sangria recipes I have tasted, this one is the BEST.  I believe the choice of red wine had a lot to do with it.  Since we are all different in our preferences to tastes, let me just say, use a sweet red that you enjoy already.  Even if you're not a sweet red wine drinker, then get as close as sweet as you wish to get.

Since we're Texans, we love supporting Texas wine makers.  Ste. Genevieve Winery in Fort Stockton, Texas makes our favorite Cabernet Sauvignon for everyday, but we used their Sweet Red for this hot summer's night drink.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• Ste. Genevieve Sweet Red Wine, the big  bottle
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 orange, cut into wedges
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 shot of Tito's Texas vodka
• 1 cup ginger ale, chilled
• 1 cup club soda, chilled

Pour wine into pitcher and squeeze the juice of fruit into wine add sugar and vodka.  Add ginger ale and club soda just before serving.  Pour over ice.

Refreshing Watermelon Water

The original recipe comes out of the July 2009 issue of Southern Living, page 16.  I found a yellow watermelon from a local grower and decided to give the recipe a spin around the block.  I'll tell you right now.  It was surprisingly refreshing, not sweet at all.  It was super easy to bring together.  However, you have to LOVE watermelon to really enjoy a pitcher of it.  Don't be fooled by the photo above.  This is not a fleshy or icey drink like a dacquiri or smoothie, it's water that tastes like watermelon.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 4 cups cubed seedless watermelon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups cold water

Process the watermelon and sugar in a blender, until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.  Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a pitcher, discarding the solids.  Stir in 2 cups cold water.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.  Serve over ice.  Makes about 5 cups.

Cook's notes: I started with a cold watermelon so I skipped the 'cover & chill' step.  And I didn't worry with the small white seeds in the watermelon; they were blended right into the mix.

The original recipe said we could use cantaloupe or honeydew melon, too.

Kelsey Kream Soda Recipe

• 3/4 cup of Big K Cream Soda
• 1 Cup of orange juice
• 1 Cup of ice

Simple Peach Smoothies

With all the sweet Texas Peaches coming into season, I helped myself to a few frozen peach smoothies.

THERE'S NOTHING TO IT

• 6 ripe peaches
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup orange juice or water

Peel peaches and cut into 1 inch pieces.  Place in a 1-quart freezer bag and freeze for at least 1 to 2 hours.

Transfer frozen peach pieces to a drink blender, start with 1/4 cup of orange juice or water, blend on high until smooth.  You may need to add the other 1/4 cup of juice or water if the consistency is too thick.

Pour into serving glasses and you're ready for a treat!

If you have popsicle molds, this recipe would be good for making peachy popsicles.  If you don't have popsicle molds, well then, IMPROVISE!

Get a small plastic cup, a spoon, and a little aluminum foil, enough to make a lid for the cup.  Fill the plastic cup with about 1/2 cup of peach smoothie.  Put the spoon down into the smoothie.  Push the foil down over the spoon handle so that the handle is in the center of the cup.  The foil keeps the spoon handle upright.  Place the cup in the freezer and freeze for at least one hour.  The homemade popsicle smoothie should pop right out with a little twist.  If it doesn't budge right away, then run the bottom of the cup under cold water to set it free.

Simple Texas Peach Tea

When you have tart peaches, make Iced Peach Tea!

I picked a peck of peaches...no, not really.  I picked up a quart of Texas Peaches from the Main Street Farmers' Market and discovered they were a little tart after I got them home.  I was too impatient to wait for them to ripen so I got the idea to let them soak in a batch of tea.
That was a thirst quenching idea that I can do over and over again.

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO

• 4 cups boiling water
• 3 to 5 (2g) tea bags, tied together
• 3 to 5 small peaches, seeds removed, cut into slices

Drop in the peach slices into a medium size container, add tea bags, then pour in boiling water.  Steep for 3 to 5 minutes.  Sweeten to taste THEN chill.

Totally refreshing!

Pineapple Banana Smoothie

One Serving

• 1/3 cup crushed ice
• 1 large rip banana
• 1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

Blend until smooth either in a blender or with a immersion blender (I love mine).

DRINK UP!

My kiddos naturally loved drinking my breakfast smoothie. I asked them before I got started if they wanted one. I was glad to make enough for everyone.

"No." They said.

"It's really yummy." I said.

"No thank you." They said.

"Ok, I'm only making enough for one." I said.

As soon as I had it poured into my glass, they descended on me. Sniffing around my glass, watching me drink it and giving me that look that says, "aren't you going to offer me any?"

Kids...sigh.

Strawberry Smoothie

I've been playing with my immersion blender again and I'm having smoothie cravings. Here's another recipe that turned out refreshing and filled my tummy. (This time, I made enough for EVERYBODY.)

• 1/2 cup crushed ice
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
• 6 to 8 ripe strawberries, cleaned & quartered

Blend until smooth in a drink blender or with an immersion blender.

DRINK UP!