hot chocolate

When I tell people where I work how we travel, they all think we are crazy.  Pack the mattresses I have made in the back of the Suburban.  Add blankets and pillows.  Add a stove and tools.  Food.  Monkey backpack full of books for Small Mister.  Go.  Do not stop excepting for refueling (vehicle or bellies) or bathroom breaks until we get there.  This last trip, because of sick people, we actually spent a night in a hotel on the way home.  The bathtub was fabulous and not to smell like vomit for a bit was also fabulous.  

But the way we do this is audio books.  I can stay awake for an audiobook just like when I am reading a hardcopy book.  I cannot stop.  When I do get very tired, I find they are easier to sleep to then music and much less surreal.  Lately, the audiobooks we have chosen seem to have a lot of tea and hot chocolate in them.  We actually bought instant hot chocolate so my Beloved could fill his hot chocolate needs on the road.

I was taught to make hot chocolate by my Father.  He is a bit older and did not grow up with instant.  My Grandmother or the hired girl made it for him.  From scratch.  Which is how he taught me, especially after I read all the Little House books.  I made hot chocolate for my Beloved this evening from scratch.  He is still under the weather and we do have instant.  But this is a little bit more special and a little bit of love in a cup.  His eyes went very wide when he tasted from scratch hot chocolate.

Please remember, the hot chocolate is only as good as the cocoa you use.  You can also control how rich it is by how much cocoa you use.  I like a one to one proportion to cocoa and sugar but if you want it to taste more like instant, make sure to use more sugar.  My Beloved thinks he wants to try is with half the cocoa and sugar next time

hot chocolate

Note:  This is for one serving.  Adjust for quantity and how you wish it to taste.

2 soup spoons of cocoa (I use Valrhona because it is in the bulk section.  Yes, I buy bulk cocoa)

2 soup spoons of cane sugar (we do like the organic type)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

8 ounces of milk

Put the sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and about a third of the milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil mixing the whole time with a whisk.  You are working the clumps out (you can sift the cocoa if you do not wish to work so hard).  Once this mixture has come to a boil, let boil for about thirty to sixty seconds.  Turn the heat off.  Add the rest of the milk and whisk well.  

Pour into a china cup and enjoy.  

A hug in a cup.  Love in a cup.  A bit of relaxation in a cup.  A bit of soothing.  What we all need at times. 

mango salsa

I have been enjoying a mango salsa vinagrette that our local grocery store has.  My thought was, "I can make this."  It was really about making a mango salsa.  The salsa turned out well.  I really do not need to make it into a vinagrette but instead of a basic vinagrette, I am thinking about putting some honey and mustard into it.  Or maybe a few pinches of ancho and chipolte.  It just needs something.  But we have been eating the salsa on everything.

Our salads recently have been tostadas without the tortilla.  Lettuce, beans, salsa.  Sometimes cheese.  Sometimes a dressing.  They are actually very simple but this salsa add a nice complexity.  I really like fruit salsas.  The Tall Short Person does not.  My Beloved likes this when I mix a small teaspoon of ghost pepper salsa through it.  Talk about a kick!  The funny thing is I am going to have to make some more soon and the recipe will probably change just because!

mango salsa

two mangos, peeled, pitted, and sliced into small bits

two large tomatoes or four fist size, sliced into about the same size as the mango

one jalopeno pepper, seeded, cored, and diced

half onion, peeled, and chopped

half a head of garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning.

I keep it in a quart jar in the refrigerator and use by very large tablespoons.

rye crisps

I have to laugh.  How many of my posts start out with dough in a bowl?  I bake a lot.  I found when we were traveling this last time that I really wanted some cracker type of thing to go with us.  We had sliced cheese and meats in the truck and crackers would have been nice.  I am of Norwegian heritage and I grew up in a city of strong Scandinavian influences.  We always had rye crisps in the cupboard.  I do admit that I liked them but never thought to buy them.

I checked out a Nordic baking book from the library, Home Baked.  I actually ordered it for my home library.  There is a nice recipe for a rye crisp in it.  A bit different from store bought but quite lovely.  I am going to have to bake a batch this weekend for our trip next week.

rye crisp

Note:  My main change is to use sourdough starter.  It always changes the flour amounts.

sourdough starter

3/4 cup water

150 grams whole wheat flour (a large cup flour

125 g sifted rye flour (yes, I really sifted it and weighed.  very slow process, especially with "help.")

125 g rye flour

10 grams salt

25 grams (1 large tablespoon) barley malt syrup

2 grams (2 teaspoons) ground caraway seeds

50 grams butter, room temperature

~65 grams water

The night or morning before, mix the starter, 3/4 cup water, and whole what flour in a large bowl.  Cover and let sit at least eight hours.  Take a couple of tablespoons out for next time.

Mix everything else into the starter in the bowl.  It will be a bit sticky.  You may need to use your hands.  Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Divde the dough into 75 gram pieces or roughly the size of a golf ball.  Dust a work surface with flour.  Roll the dough out thin (.08 inches).  Cut a hole in the middle and prick all over with a fork.

Place on baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.  Bake for 6 minutes or until golden.

Lovely with a bit of cheese or meat.  Or just by themselves.

an odd experiment that turned out fabulous!

I was looking through pinterest recently and came across an entry for taco pizza.  I thought how odd but I figured why not.  I put together a bit of taco meat, mango salsa, and cheese on a sourdough crust.  Baked for a bit.  Added a bit of sour cream and lettuce on top after.  My Beloved and I could not believe how good this was!  One of those so good that we both considered having another piece, which would made our tummies feel MUCH too full.  I know what my Beloved is having for lunch tomorrow!  

taco pizza

1/2 a pizza dough recipe (enough for 1 pizza)

1/4 a recipe of taco meat (use 1/2 pound meat)

1 cup of mango salso with a bit of heat or a salsa to your taste

4 ounces of a nice medium cheddar like Tillamook

sour cream for topping

lettuce for topping

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Press the dough out into a circle shape.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Pull out the crust.  Top with the taco meat.  Top next with the salsa.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake for another 8 minutes or until cheese is very bubbly but not browned.

Slice into 8 pieces. 

Top with a bit of sour cream (if you like) and a bit of shredded lettuce.

It is really lovely, especially with everything made from scratch.  It was very hard for me to stop just at two pieces.  But I did.  More for my Beloved's lunch tomorrow.

turtle dark chocolate brownie torte

I have a tendency to read books where there is a lot of stress baking and tea drinking.  I do not know why but that is what seems to happen.  My Beloved and I have been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately.  It is easy to do with the library.   We occasionally buy and audiobook but the library really is where we find most of them.

We were listening to an audiobook and brownie baking came up.  My Beloved looked at me and said, "Brownies?"  This is what came from that.  A dark chocolate torte made with almond flour and a put sliced homemade turtles on top.  These did not last 24 hours.  Yes, that good.

turtle dark chocolate brownie torte

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

2 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

A pinch of salt

2 tablespoons almond flour

10 small turtle candies (carmel, pecan, and milk chocolate) cut into thin slices

Preheat 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Butter and "flour" an 8 inch pan.

Melt 3/4 cup chocolate and butter in a saucepan until chocolate is melted.  Mix in the sugar, vanilla, egg, and flour.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Put the sliced turtles on top.  Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until a knife poked in comes out clean.

These are lovely with tea.