Keeping It Steamy

Don't give up on me yet, dear readers. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I've been missing all my blogging buddies so much! But I've met my match in this baby of mine. If there's anyone who can reduce me to a distracted, dysfunctional mess, it's this little one! He was even able to keep me from my blog for weeks - something DH conspired to do for a long time, but never succeeded. Of course, if I was more organized, I would've written a bunch of blog posts in advance of my delivery and simply published them every few days. So there, that's a good suggestion for all you expectant food bloggers out there - pencil this into your list of things to do before you head off to the hospital.

All right. Enough baby talk.

Ok, maybe just one last thing ...

Teehehehehehe - my poofy snowball! He's hilarious.

Ok! Now I mean it! Done with the baby talk for one post!

On to yummier prospects. It's silly to even ask what I did on Valentine's. DH got off easy this year. He is a complete non-believer in Valentine's Day, but usually gets last minute guilt and buys me lovely flowers anyway! This year all I got was a massive headache from lack of sleep and fatigue. And all he got was a cranky bitch of a wife. Pretty fair, me thinks.

Still, it's been more than a week since that day, and it's amazing how things have gotten dramatically better. We're having actual adult conversations again. We've almost caught up with our favorite TV shows that we used to watch, snuggled together on the couch. And although fickle Father Winter has limited us in where we can go with B, we're actually planning a date night later this week - leaving B with grandma at home. I'm soooooo ready for that! I might even make this decadent hot chocolate for him tonight, to get him in "the mood" before our date (although, let's face it, right now both of us don't need too much motivation - just a window of opportunity would be nice!).

Decadent Hot Chocolate For Two (thanks Lisa of I Must Have A Lot Of Time On My Hands for this recipe!)

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
2.5 oz semi-sweet / bittersweet chocolate (approx. 70% cocoa)
2 cups milk
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
Pinch of salt

Method: Combine everything, except the milk, in a pot, over low heat, until the spices combine with the melted chocolate to make a paste. Add the milk slowly, whisking continuously, bringing the whole thing to just under a boil. Remember to make sure the mixture is completely smooth before serving with a dollop of whipped cream on top, or ice-cream, or a few mini marshmallows (the big, fat one I used looks adorable, but doesn't make for an elegant mouthful!).


Verdict: This is the closest I can get to that hot chocolate you see in the final scene of one of my favorite movies - Chocolat. Oh dear gawd, pairing chocolate and Johnny Depp together was my version of heaven! There's something sensual and luscious and slightly kinky about the way really creamy, thick hot chocolate slips down your throat. Drink this while gazing into your loved one's eyes, and who knows, you may be in for one steamy night!