Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Something Sweet: Hot Chocolate Ice Cubes

Something Sweet: Hot Chocolate Ice Cubes

Have you ever burned your tongue on hot chocolate or coffee? Stupid question, right?

Patience is a virtue, but when I’m handed a steaming-hot cup of cocoa, being patient is pretty much the last thing on my mind. I want to drink that. Now. When I was a kid, my mom would sometimes drop an ice cube or two into my hot chocolate, just so I could drink it sooner without burning myself. The only problem here is that when ice melts it becomes water (say whaaaaat?!!), so ice waters down hot chocolate (who woulda guessed?!)

Enter hot chocolate ice cubes. Perfect for when it's too cold for regular iced coffee.

Magic, right? Here’s the cherry on top: peppermint hot chocolate ice cubes.

I assume nobody needs a recipe for this, but just in case... Here’s how I did it. I made a cup of hot chocolate – I just used a mix, not anything fancy. I waited until the cocoa-y goodness cooled to room temperature, and then poured it into an ice tray. I sprinkled peppermint shavings into the tray, and let ‘em freze overnight.

Just a little addition to make your hot chocolate and/or coffee experience a little sweeter!

Cheers to no more polar vortexes!

Keeping Christmas Green

artsyfartsy, closet, etc.

Christmas is coming! If you're like me, you've bought about 2 gifts so far, and you're getting ready to start the marathon shop-til-you-drop-and-wrap-a-bunch-of-presents challenge. I recently learned that wrapping paper, ribbon, and shopping bags account for about 4 billion tons of trash each year in the U.S. 4 billion tons! Here's my idea on how to keep Christmas green:

I wrapped these gifts in vintage scarves. The bonus here is not only do you have a pretty, uniquely wrapped gift, but it's a 2-fer for another present! This idea is great for any friend who drives a Prius or carries a reusable shopping bag to Whole Foods.
...Or anybody who likes scarves. So, basically everyone.

Each of these presents are books (gasp! I'm sure you never could have guessed that.) Scarves are good shapes for wrapping books or other small items. If you're wrapping an item that's larger than a scarf (like a Swiffer or something), you could reuse anything (e.g., yesterday's newspaper) for a recyclable gift-wrap. Other ideas include: leftover tinfoil or saran wrap.

Okay, just kidding about those last two. Happy gifting!

Kalee's Bridal Shower

etc.

My dearest friend Kalee is getting married (ahh!) in just a few short weeks, and my mom and I had the pleasure of hosting her bridal shower. Kalee and her fiancé, Sfen, have been rockin' it as a couple since 2009, so this wedding has been a long time in the making!

Here's what I learned: love is precious, and chocolate melts better when you put vegetable oil in it. Who knew?