Happy sights of the day
August 19, 2012 § 2 Comments
1. A birthday cake (flavor-of-the-week) ice cream cone from Leo’s. Two scoops.
2. Yarns, yarns, yarns, and three ladies watching me sort through skeins and books and then inviting me to their Thursday knitting nights. The textures and colors in that little store just ask for you to take the stuff in your hands and make something of it.
3. An old honey tin, the size of a paint can, advertising an apiary from Thorp, Wisconsin – the very town where our family van broke down on this summer’s vacation. (I laughed, and bought it.)
4. A Corgi named Tillie.
5. A man in a striped shirt guiding a young, merry sounding couple in a gondola down the St. Croix River.
6. Two bi-planes gliding low over that same river, nearly skimming the surface before I lost sight of them.
7. A young man with black hair and a camera case, walking in front of me easy as can be, by himself this Sunday evening. When I stopped walking, turned around, and crouched down to peer under the bridge to where the planes had gone, I looked back to see him, 20 yards away, doing the same thing.
8. Twelve flowers in a glass on the kitchen counter. Zinnias and black-eyed Susans leftover from yesterday’s event. Such cheerful faces.
Beekeeper
June 7, 2012 § 3 Comments
I do not usually love pictures of myself. But this one that my sister snapped a few weekends ago may be a new favorite. It is evidence of an idea that has become a reality. How lucky is that?
Honey cinnamon hot chocolate
December 4, 2011 § Leave a comment
With the piles of gorgeous white snow and the single-digit temperatures outside, a person can’t help reaching for something warm to drink. And it is the Christmas season, to boot. What does that mean? Setting aside the more recent, grown-up trend towards Pumpkin Spice Lattes, everyone knows it’s time for hot chocolate.
And the good news? I have discovered the most delicious way to make it! To my chagrin, in the past few years I have almost never been able to finish my mug of this favorite beverage. I liked the idea of hot chocolate, but in actuality, not so much the taste – it was too sweet and too bland. I began opting for mochas instead.
Then, while Google searching as part of my (newish) quest to find ways to replace sugar with honey, I stumbled across a recipe that does just that with hot chocolate. Though the recipe I found was a bit too rich for me, I made my own changes and was perfectly pleased. I’ve found myself frequently making – and finishing! – this healthier, more flavorful version of hot chocolate.
Here’s how you make it:
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons honey (more or less, to taste)
cinnamon
Directions:
Heat the milk; do not let it reach a simmer. When steam rises from the pot, stir in the cocoa powder and honey. Add three dashes of cinnamon. Stir until the cocoa powder is completely dissolved into the milk. Pour and enjoy!
Variations:
You could add a teaspoon of vanilla for a slightly more complex flavor. Or drop in a cinnamon stick. You might also whip some heavy whipping cream (with or without sugar and vanilla added to it) and dollop that on top with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Sip carefully! No one wants a scalded tongue!
Kinds of Honey 