My Grandma's Hot Chocolate Recipe Made by the Cup, Delicious, Easy, Inexpensive, and Versitle

I will admit to getting old insomuch as it would be quite impossible to deny at this point with children in their mid 40;s!  But further I do not mind it.  No, not at all really.  I think it is because I had such wonderful Grandparents and thought them the most wonderful and amazing people in the whole world! So they were beautiful to me.  I loved the snow white hair and the big smiles on softly wrinkles faces.

One of my favorite memories of my Mother's Mother was the hot chocolate she made us.  It makes me wonder why today people are buying mixes? They just must not know about this? The other beauty of this is that it is actually "warm" chocolate and not all that hot which works quite well for little ones who really do not like "hot" anything, but generally have to wait for things to cool before they can enjoy them fully.  Here is her pure and simple recipe.  You may tweak it for flavor intensity and sweetness. Heat in the microwave to warm it more and just generally enjoy!

Ingredients for Grandma's Hot Chocolate:

1 t. unsweetened cocoa powder (Grandma used Hershey's Cocoa Powder)
1 T. sugar
pinch of salt
1/3 C. very hot tap water or boiling water (Grandma used hot tap water)
1 1/2 C. whole milk ( Grandma used right from the refrigerator but you can warm it if desired)
marshmallows, optional

Place the first 3 ingredients in a 2 cup glass measuring cup or other large mug. Stir together and add the very hot water and stir until the dry ingredients are dissolved.  Stir in the milk and serve.
Garnish with marshmallows if desired.  Yield 2 cups.  Yummy!  May you never buy mix again!

Birthday Cookies

After cooling I made up a big sack of both snicker doodles and oatmeal cookies and placed them in a birthday gift bag adding tissue paper and a birthday card to finish the home made gift!

Our friends the Linton's often celebrate birthdays with us as my birthday and Mike Linton's are but a couple of days apart and we are the same age but yes, I get to be the older one.  Let it be known that Mike Linton is a COOKIE MONSTER from way back!  He is a very seasoned and capable heating and air expert and once upon fixing our furnace would only take my home made Snicker Doodles in payment!    thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2010/08/old-fashioned-snickerdoodles.html

A hot cup of coffee and a few snicker doodles hit the spot every time.

Mike and Mindy have often tasted other cookies that were here when they visited and if I remember correctly they also love Oatmeal Cookies.  So today was double batch baking day.  We are splitting a batch of each with them for a birthday gift.    thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2012/08/oatmeal-cookies-cinnamon-clove-pecans.html

Since I was making a batch of each I did a couple of time and trouble savers I'll call them helpful hints!   Also altered the oatmeal cookies by reducing the chopped pecans to 1/2 cup and adding 1 cup of cinnamon chips.  YUM!

My helpful hints are : 
When making two different cookie doughs in one day make the plainest one first then you can reuse the bowl, beaters, and utensils again for the second batch without washing.  Thus I made the snicker doodles first.

When using a scoop to dip up cookie batter as I did with the snicker doodles dip the scoop into a half cup of sugar between scoops.  The batter will not stick to the scoop. 

Use  the left over "scooping" sugar in the second batch of cookies as part of the sugar needed in the batter.  *I also used the leftover cinnamon and sugar mixture from rolling the dough balls in as part of the required sugar in the oatmeal cookies.  A little extra cinnamon never hurt an oatmeal cookie!

So, love in a cookie is always a welcome gift says Grandma Diane!  

Hubby Home and All is Well

Brian at Deaconess Hospital.

This has been a busy and eventful period and I am happy to report things are looking up and life may once again be "normal"!  After a bout with AFIB  and a 5 day hospital stay my husband is back at home and at his place of business and life may get back to it's every day routine.

This I felt I needed to share as an explanation of my absence from posting anything.  Please stand-by as we get back into our grove.  Happy Spring and thanks.