Homemade Hot Cocoa.

I'm a big lover of hot chocolate and whenever I get a strong sugar craving I'm apt to make this. It's very, very good, if a bit involved. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup Half and Half
  

I normally skip the half and half, as we never need it for anything else.

• Instructions
• Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

Now I always up the vanilla amount, normally at least a tablespoon to two tablespoons. This would also be fantastic with Bailey's Irish Cream.

Pineapple Punch

This recipe was picked up by my mother and her sisters in their university days, when they lived at Currie Hall, a student residence attached to the University of Western Australia. It's really simple, very refreshing and can be made alcoholic if you want it to be, although this version is non-alcoholic.

You can use any large serving (or even mixing!) bowl for this, but a proper punch bowl does add a nice touch.

Ingredients:

3 litres chilled pineapple juice
2 litres chilled lemonade (NOTE: this lemonade in the UK and Australian usage - the clear, fizzy, lemon-flavoured soda drink (for example, Sprite or 7Up) - not the drink made from lemons and sugar that is called lemonade in the US).
1 litre chilled non-alcoholic wine (I use a non-alcoholic white wine from the brand Maison; any will do, but obviously anything other than a white wine will change the colour of the punch from yellow to orange).
1 punnet strawberries

Method:

1. The night before you are having the punch, wash the strawberries, cut the ends off and place them in the freezer.

2. Pour the non-alcoholic wine, most of the lemonade and most of the pineapple juice into the punch bowl (I generally find that it can’t take all of these; your punch bowl may have the capacity to take all of the liquids. Go with your instinct, you really can’t go wrong lol).

3. Add the frozen strawberries to act as ice blocks.

4. Enjoy!

To make it alcoholic, you could use real wine instead of non-alcoholic wine, or you could use the original mixture and add vodka, white rum or another spirit to taste.

Mary's Hot Cocoa Mix

A friend of mine gave me this recipe. It's very easy and tastes really good, although it's not quite as sweet as store-bought mixes.

1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon hot milk*
Hot milk

Mix cocoa and sugar in a mug, then pour the tablespoon of milk into it. Mix it all into a thick syrup/paste. Fill the mug with the rest of the hot milk. Add more sugar if needed. It's great with a half-pinch of ceyenne pepper, too.

*You can use cow milk, goat milk, soy milk, rice milk, or even water.