We got out the scarves and gloves, and bundled ourselves and Johnny up to resemble Randy in A Christmas Story, who could not put his arms down. In an effort to make being out in the cold a little more bearable, I decided to make some hot chocolate to take in a thermos. And before I whipped out the Swiss Miss packets, I remembered that my mom used to make homemade hot cocoa mix every winter, and keep it in a giant tupperware bin in our laundry room. It was so good, I used to sneak in there and eat the mix dry.

The parade, for us, was an epic fail. We got there a little late and missed half of it, not that it mattered – Johnny was out there for about three and a half minutes before he decided he hated the whole project, horses be damned. We were outta there. There’s no crying at the Christmas parade.

But the cocoa? It was extra good. I doctored ours up with some Kaluha and Bailey’s, so it really didn’t have a chance to be bad.

The beauty of homemade cocoa mix is that it contains fewer “unknown” things and that you can add whatever little extras you want to satisfy your personal tastes. You could add cinnamon, peppermint, or, in my case, cayenne pepper, which really does add a little something special to a chocolate drink.

Megan’s Hot Cocoa Mix

2 C powdered milk
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
3/4 C cocoa
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 block unsweetened baker’s chocolate, grated
handful of chocolate chips, best if they are the “mini” kind.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2010/dec/5/203905/

I used a parmesan cheese grater to make the baker’s chocolate really fine.

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When you’re ready to drink it, use approximately 1/3 C of mix to 3/4 C hot water. (Although to be honest, I probably make mine stronger than that.) And, of course, loads of marshmallows.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2010/dec/5/203900/

Another little trick to making a super-special hot drink is to boil a can of sweetened condensed milk. It takes about an hour and a half, but the result is amazing, come-to-mama, creamy heaven in a can. Dulce de leche. Oh, be still my heart.

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Just take the label off the can, bring enough water to cover the top to a boil, and drop that sucker in there. You might have to add water once or twice to make sure it’s covered completely. The longer you leave it in, the thicker and darker your dulce de leche will be.

I made some on Saturday, with plans for Sunday. And what a Sunday morning it makes. If you are into breakfast, which I am, I think you should have a drink deserving of your incredible brunch. It’s so easy, it’s stupid. And, you can, of course, spike it, or top it with whipped cream, or any little thing your heart desires. Me? I’m a purist, and just spooned a heaping tablespoon of the stuff into my steaming cup of joe.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2010/dec/5/203904/