Cup of Love

I realize that it has been a mild winter so far. And while last week people enjoyed the 60 degree weather enough to wear short skirts, flip-flops, and even tank tops (ridiculous), the weather forecast predicts this week to drop back down into the 30's and 40's. Like a real winter.
But don't lament! In fact, there are definite perks that come with chilly weather that we haven't been able to appreciate this year. First: Vail and other ski resorts might actually get enough snow to keep more than half of their runs open (yay skiers). Second: you can finally take out the adorable scarves, mittens, and beanie hats that help make winter, well, fuzzy. Third: everyone can move out of that uncomfortable gray area in terms of coats (ie: it's warm enough to not wear the giant parka but too cold to go jacket-less. Solution: wear a sweat jacket. Result? BURR!). Fourth: it's time for winter beverages!
Everyone has their favorite frost-time fix--so here are some of mine!
APPLE CIDER

Is this not the best picture of apple cider ever?

Apple cider is a wonderful winter drink because it traverses the gap between winter and fall quite nicely, and also because the distinct smell of it has a consistent ability to make us feel warm, cozy, and festive!
In my house, we heat natural apple juice mixed with a bit of water (if the juice is too sweet) until a few minutes before it boils, and soak it in mulling spices as it heats. Then, remove the mulling spices and ladle the cider into cups for all to share! As you can see in this picture, some people also prefer to season the cider with extra cinnamon, clove, and anise. Be creative and find your perfect winter-time apple cider recipe!
HOT CHOCOLATE

I absolutely love hot chocolate. In fact, I love it to the extent that I doubt that I could be objective about it, even if I tried (and, mind you, I am trying--I'm just warning you in advance). However, my love of hot chocolate (which seems to be genetic, considering how we all love it in my family...) has had excellent benefits; this winter, I've been quite pleased with the hot chocolate selections, we've discovered the best hot chocolates, and, courtesy of my mother, we've established a few helpful ways to make hot chocolate a healthful, delicious treat!

These are pictures of my four favorite kinds of hot chocolate. To the far left is a type of hot chocolate that we discovered in San Sebastian, Spain at a coffee shop. The brand is called Barrenetxe (a Basque name, if you are curious) and the rest of the title reads "Chocolate para Hacer". The hot chocolate from this powder was absolutely delicious, and if you are looking for a very rich, thick hot chocolate, definitely put this one on your list! If you're interested in this hot cocoa and if you're not daunted by a website that is entirely in Spanish, then visit the website http://www.barrenetxe.es/ for a fun test.

The second hot chocolate is slightly more well known (Who'd have thought?). I like to mix the Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder with the Ghirardelli sweetened powder, and I recommend it if you are looking to control the amount of sugar going into your cocoa. This "recipe" is delicious and you can tailor it to your taste! The best part? When you're making cocoa for more than one person, and each person, let's say, has different preferences, this is the perfect solution to satisfy everyone, regardless of how bittersweet or sugary anyone likes it.

Finally, to the far right, is Silly Cow Farms Hot Chocolate. We got this at Whole Foods, and in all honesty I'm pretty sure that the cute packaging was a major incentive to buy it. The best surprise? This hot chocolate holds true to the rule: good packaging generally leads to good products. This cocoa is also best mixed with unsweetened cocoa because it's a bit sweet, but it's definitely delicious! It even has a little milk cap on top :) .

So here, in short, is your survival kit for winter afternoons, evenings, mornings, social gatherings, lazy-times, and for those cold snowy days when you want nothing more than to curl up with a blanket and a nice warm cup of something yummy.

2 glass mugs (minimum number)

a package of mulling spices

one jug of unsweetened apple juice

skim milk

1-2 types of your favorite hot chocolate powders

a ladle

marshmallows

friends and family

a blanket!

Wishing you a warm, delicious, and cozy winter!