Winter and Hot Cocoa: An Ode
Everyone who knows me well in the winter knows I have a hot cocoa habit. I make it, drink it while I read or do work or take a bath, and read recipes online. Ok, I know you probably stopped at the part where I read recipes online and thought, wait what? Or, doesn’t she have better things to read about? Or, wait, there are really recipes for something as easy as hot cocoa? Or even: Christ, get a packet of Swiss Miss and call it a day, lady! To which I will respond, fine. I understand. But please, hear when I say that hot cocoa gives me immense comfort and helps me survive northern Illinois’ brutal, frosty winters. Let the warmth of our woodburning stove and the warm, fragrant steam of a cup of hot cocoa send me to my happy place.
I know people who take comfort in the same way with seasonal Starbucks drinks. This year, year of the red cup, I saw many carrying their gingerbread lattes or peppermint mochas. Though I am not a Starbucks woman, my sister is, and is one of those people who does get excited about the seasonal drinks when the weather dips. (She will even read Starbucks blogs, which I had no idea were a thing, but I somehow find very interesting that they are out there.) There were times last year where I thought, I want to be excited and festive too! I want to be one of those cute hand drawn cartoons I see every now and then, in magazine ads and what not, with a bought cup of seasonal coffee in my hand, a flowing scarf around my neck, a cute button-down coat and cartoon swirls of wind around my head!
One day last year I did try. My sister had talked me into it. After one of my more exhausting days, with farm paperwork and kids making me crazy, and after expressing my desire to be a hand-drawn cartoon, she texted me: “You should treat yourself on the way to do your wholesale deliveries! Get a Starbucks on the way! Peppermint Mocha!” She’s right, I thought! I wanted a treat, my life has been hell today, I deserved a treat! So, I went for it. (I did not have a cute button down coat, but my incredibly practical Northface coat had to do). I went to a drive-thru Starbucks in town. I ordered a peppermint mocha and left, sipping my drink through its white plastic top. First, a mouthful of whipped cream followed by hot, sweet liquid that barely tasted like coffee. I grimaced. This non-enjoyment was partly psychological, I knew: being a crazy health nut and conscious food-eater, I knew I was drinking nonorganic milk, corn syrup, lots of flavor chemicals, and coffee that was likely not fair trade or organic. I was also put off by my landfill-bound plastic and paper cup. Nonetheless, this drink didn’t even taste good. It didn’t even warm me up, since it was so sweet, making it hard to drink except in extremely tiny sips. Annoyed, I texted my sister at a stoplight: “This is disgusting! How do you drink this?!” How did anyone drink this, I thought? I wanted to be that hand-drawn cartoon, but maybe minus the to-go cup. I imagined that cartoon in pajamas and a glass mug instead. The glass mug of hot cocoa, of course, that I made myself.
As my salute to winter, here is my “recipe” for hot cocoa:
Raw milk OR Coconut Milk (Note: I use both, or alternate. Just be sure to get the can of coconut milk instead of the cartons, which contain a bunch of other things. My favorite brand is Native Forest, and their “simple” one contains nothing else but coconut and water.)
Raw Honey or Maple Syrup
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Cinnamon
Raw Cacao powder (a few teaspoons, depending on how chocolatey you like it).
Ok, I know that recipe has no measurements….but who has time to measure? I have two kids, a farm to run and a house to clean! Just figure it out! And skip the Starbucks!