Mexican Hot Chocolate

I unveiled this new (to me) drink at today's book club, and it was a huge hit. We met at my house, and since it's October and our book was originally written in Spanish, I decided to go with a Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) theme. It's a Central American/Mexican tradition that, unlike Halloween, isn't all about the creepy and the gouls and the ghosts. It's about celebrating the lives of your loved ones who have passed away.

There are several traditional foods that are served on Dia del los Muertos, and I'll be posting the ones I made in the next few days. The first one I'm posting is because of popular demand. Seriously, everyone who was here today wanted the recipe, so ... Sonia, Melanie, Elli, Lisa, and Esther, this is for y'all!!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

2 c boiling water
1 chile pepper, stem and seeds removed (or 1 t cayenne pepper)
4 c milk
1 c cream*
1 vanilla bean, split**
1-2 cinnamon sticks, halved
8 oz bittersweet chocolate***
2 T sugar
whipped cream****

In a small saucepan, add chile or pepper to water and reduce to a quick simmer. Reduce to 1 cup of liquid and strain and discard the solids, reserving the liquid.

Over low heat in a larger saucepan, combine the milk and cream, vanilla bean, and cinnamon sticks, stirring frequently for 20 minutes. DO NOT BOIL!! Add the chocolate and cinnamon, stirring with a whisk until the chocolate has completely melted. Remove the cinnamon and vanilla and turn off the heat. Add the chile-infused water little by little, according to taste.

Serve immediately (this drink separates and settles very quickly) with whipped cream on top. Enjoy!

*I use 5 cups of 2% milk. I mean, seriously, it's already a pretty rich drink without the cream.
**If you cheat like me and use a high-quality liquid vanilla (mine comes in a wine bottle-sized bottle from Mexico), don't add it until you stir in the chile water. Vanilla becomes bitter if you leave it in the heat for too long.
***I found a dark chocolate that was in between semi-sweet and bitter sweet. I think it had 64% cocoa? Anyway, it tasted great, and I didn't have to add any of the sugar. And let's talk chocolate for a minute. If you buy a cheapo chocolate, your drink will taste like it has a cheapo chocolate in it. For a recipe like this, splurge, and buy the good stuff. You'll thank me, I promise.
****Don't make me come over there and slap you because you decided to use nasty-ass faux horrid whipped cream from a can, or even worse, Cool Whip. I will come after you and show you the error of your ways. You don't want that. Make the real stuff.

:)

Simple Cornbread Muffins

Mmm ... a fav around here. We have this at least twice a week, especially with soup, beans, and bar-b-que. And since whole wheat flour is used, you can enjoy that second one guilt-free!!


Cornbread Muffins
by Brea!

1 c cornmeal
1 c whole wheat flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 large egg
1 c milk
3 T oil
4 T honey


Preheat oven to 440. Generously grease muffin tin.

Mix first four ingredients together in a mixing bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, beat egg, milk, and honey together. Mix into dry mixture, until just combined, then add oil and mix in. Spoon into muffin tin, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until edges of muffins are brown. Remove from oven, let cool for 3-4 minutes, and turn out of tin. Top with butter or dip into soup, and enjoy!!

If you like corn muffins that are slightly sweeter, like I do, then you can add an extra tablespoon or two of honey. :)

Tomato Sauce

This is another recipe that I always have on hand, because it freezes and cans so well! It's all by taste, so play around with it to make it your own.

Tomato Sauce
by Brea!

½ c olive oil
½ c extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced
¼ t salt
5-8 cloves garlic, minced
2 T dried basil
3 T brown sugar
1 #10 can crushed tomatoes (available at SAM’S or Wal-Mart)

Heat olive oil in large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt, and cook until onion is translucent and brown around the edges. Add tomatoes, sugar, extra-virgin olive oil, and basil, reducing heat to low. Let everything warm through, and serve immediately.

Keeps in the fridge for 3 days, freezes for 6 months in an airtight zip bag. (Do not fill bag all the way full if you are going to freeze!)

If your family doesn’t like to eat chunks of onion, like me, then use a smoothie blender (or regular blender) after everything is combined to make this a very smooth sauce. The canned tomatoes have salt added, so taste before adding extra salt. In the summer, I dice up all my really ripe garden tomatoes that are about to go bad and cook them with the sauce, which adds a very fresh taste.

Homemade Honey Butter

A staple around our house! Great on toast, rolls, or whatever.

Homemade Honey Butter
by Brea!

2 c (1 pound) salted butter, softened
1 c canola or light olive oil
2 t vanilla
2/3 c honey

Mix all ingredients on high until completely combined. Divide and freeze or chill. Serve straight from fridge, and do not let sit at room temp for too long. Because of the oil in this recipe, this will spread on bread when it it still cold, but turns very mushy, almost runny, if left at room temp for too long.

For a fun twist, add 2 T cinnamon for a nice wintery treat!