Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Rain, sun, and hot chocolate

There's this stuff they have at the Golden Eagle, insta-mix hot chocolate, that is actually palatable when a bit of half and half is added along with the hot water. I'm not sure what sort it is and I don't think I really want to know.

Yesterday, after work, Hans and I quickly gobbled dinner and went down to the gazebo to sand the posts (him) and paint the boards (me). We stopped at Sami's place because we saw Denise there (gave her the form for the gazebo windows), and met baby Amaru for the first time. Incredibly cute fat baby cheeks on that cheerful little kid. Turns out that Chris had some leftover cedar sealer, according to Denise, so we went over to his and Dell's shop and got the ol' handpump w/leftover. So, of course, by the time we got to the gazebo it looked rather gray and cloudy. I get everything set up and begin painting, and sure enough, it starts, just barely, to rain. I hurried it up and used up all the sealer, and the rain steadily increased in strength from a faint sprinkle to a decent shower. So I went up to the saloon for some hot chocolate while Hans continued sanding (under that gazebo roof it stays nice and dry).

There I was informed that chocolate, cocoa, is GOOD for you. Now if that isn't welcome news, I don't know what is. Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants, can lower blood pressure, and will certainly produce that infamous mild euphoria that relaxes. Alas, the milk is not so good.

Nothing like hot cocoa on a rainy evening. Unless it's hot cocoa on a snowy one.

2 comments:

Alaskan Dave Down Under said...

I've loved dark chocolate since I was a wee little tyke. The bitterer, the better for you.

Have you thought about using pure cocoa powder and a bit of raw sugar in your coffee or "hot chocolate"?

Chatham - the chocolate guy said...

I love hot chocolate. But I own a chocolate shop so I love anything chocolate!!!

Couple of tricks you may not be aware of to enhance you hot chocolate experience.

Try using a good chocolate bar. Smash it or use a cheese grater than add hot milk and use a whisk to mix it.

You can also add chili, vanilla or other spices to make your own flavors!

Even though it's about 100 degrees here in Phoenix, I still find myself drinking a cup of hot chocolate at the end of the night.

Enjoy!