I grew up in south Florida, so hot cocoa was not a "thing"...but, from time-to-time, it got "chilly" enough to enjoy it. Here's Mom's recipe for the yummy drink.
1 T cocoa (I use Hershey's unsweetened, nothing fancy, but really good!)
2 T sugar
1 T water
1 C milk
1/8 tsp vanilla
dash salt
*I use one "pinch" of espresso powder. It just adds "something" to the flavor!
Put cocoa, salt, water, espresso powder and sugar in a saucepan, stir and heat until a "chocolate roux" is formed. Slowly add milk and vanilla and heat until hot.
I make 5 or 6 cups at a time and keep it on the stove, but not too long. Well, it actually doesn't last long enough to spoil!
While I'm here, I'll share my Aunt Neoma's pancake recipe. Just let me tell you that the original recipe card was so beat up that I wrote another one and took it to Kinko's and laminated it (this was a while ago when it was still Kinko's and not FedEx Office!).
This is the best pancake recipe I've ever tried. It's consistently wonderful. I didn't get a lot of sleep when I ran the practice. It was 4-5 hours a night if I was lucky. In bed at 12 or 1 and up at 5:30 to make breakfast for The Kid and get him off to school.
I had to use every "hack" in the book to make life work. Frequently, I made the batter the night before. Now, I thought this would make for a "less than fluffy" pancake, but it didn't. Still fluffy and great. The batter is "sturdy" enough to tolerate being in the fridge overnight. So, without further adieu, here it is!
1 C Bisquick
1 C buttermilk (shake the carton vigorously to get all of the butter mixed into the milk!)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 T vegetable oil (olive oil makes a truly gross pancake-when you tired and grab the wrong oil bottle...yech)
2 eggs
Mix. There will be "lumps". Add a small bit of oil to your griddle or skillet. [I am a lucky girl. My husband had his mother's cast iron skillet and Dutch oven set when we married.] Wait until the edges look "firm" and there are multiple bubbles observed. Flip! Finishing cooking. Keep warm while you cook up the rest of the batter.
Serve with softened butter and warm real maple syrup (not that stuff that's high fructose corn syrup with maple flavoring). The real stuff is thin in viscosity, is easily absorbed by the pancakes, and is super sweet, so less is used than the "other stuff". Real maple syrup is expensive. Get it on sale! I ask my niece in New Hampshire for maple syrup for Christmas every year! Right about now, the supply is thin!
Enjoy!
Claudia
McCulloch family secret. I stack up the leftover pancakes, wrap them in foil, and put them in the fridge. Then I put one or two on a plate, "nuke" them twice for about 10-15 seconds, slather on a bit of butter, roll them up and dip them in warmed syrup. I'm usually on the run (just like you), so this is more nutritious than a handful of M & M's!
Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch
At drclaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and submit a question.
1 T cocoa (I use Hershey's unsweetened, nothing fancy, but really good!)
2 T sugar
1 T water
1 C milk
1/8 tsp vanilla
dash salt
*I use one "pinch" of espresso powder. It just adds "something" to the flavor!
Put cocoa, salt, water, espresso powder and sugar in a saucepan, stir and heat until a "chocolate roux" is formed. Slowly add milk and vanilla and heat until hot.
I make 5 or 6 cups at a time and keep it on the stove, but not too long. Well, it actually doesn't last long enough to spoil!
While I'm here, I'll share my Aunt Neoma's pancake recipe. Just let me tell you that the original recipe card was so beat up that I wrote another one and took it to Kinko's and laminated it (this was a while ago when it was still Kinko's and not FedEx Office!).
This is the best pancake recipe I've ever tried. It's consistently wonderful. I didn't get a lot of sleep when I ran the practice. It was 4-5 hours a night if I was lucky. In bed at 12 or 1 and up at 5:30 to make breakfast for The Kid and get him off to school.
I had to use every "hack" in the book to make life work. Frequently, I made the batter the night before. Now, I thought this would make for a "less than fluffy" pancake, but it didn't. Still fluffy and great. The batter is "sturdy" enough to tolerate being in the fridge overnight. So, without further adieu, here it is!
1 C Bisquick
1 C buttermilk (shake the carton vigorously to get all of the butter mixed into the milk!)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 T vegetable oil (olive oil makes a truly gross pancake-when you tired and grab the wrong oil bottle...yech)
2 eggs
Mix. There will be "lumps". Add a small bit of oil to your griddle or skillet. [I am a lucky girl. My husband had his mother's cast iron skillet and Dutch oven set when we married.] Wait until the edges look "firm" and there are multiple bubbles observed. Flip! Finishing cooking. Keep warm while you cook up the rest of the batter.
Serve with softened butter and warm real maple syrup (not that stuff that's high fructose corn syrup with maple flavoring). The real stuff is thin in viscosity, is easily absorbed by the pancakes, and is super sweet, so less is used than the "other stuff". Real maple syrup is expensive. Get it on sale! I ask my niece in New Hampshire for maple syrup for Christmas every year! Right about now, the supply is thin!
Enjoy!
Claudia
McCulloch family secret. I stack up the leftover pancakes, wrap them in foil, and put them in the fridge. Then I put one or two on a plate, "nuke" them twice for about 10-15 seconds, slather on a bit of butter, roll them up and dip them in warmed syrup. I'm usually on the run (just like you), so this is more nutritious than a handful of M & M's!
Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch
At drclaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and submit a question.
