snow in bisbee

This morning I woke up to snow. Living in sunny Arizona, this happens maybe once a year, if we're lucky. The first thing I did was turn on Channel 2 (our very sophisticated local channel), sat through the many frames of obituaries, real estate ads, and the annual Ladies' Luncheon to be held at a local church... and finally, there it was- the announcement that Bisbee Schools are closed for the day due to the snow! Yay! That was 6 am. Now it is 11 am and the snow has melted.

This morning while there was still snow on the ground, my children and I enjoyed some delicious Mexican Hot Cocoa:

Ingredients:

2 cups reduced-fat (2 percent) evaporated milk
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup chocolate liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
10 cinnamon sticks
1 dried red chile
2 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Preparation:

Whisk evaporated milk, whole milk, liqueur, vanilla, sugar, cocoa, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and chili powder in a heavy saucepan. Add 2 of the cinnamon sticks and chile and cook gently over medium-low heat until warm. Add chocolate and cook, whisking until melted. Gently bring to a high simmer; reduce heat and simmer until liquid thickens and reduces slightly, whisking often, 10 minutes. Combine heavy cream with remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and beat until peaks form. Ladle 1/3 cup hot cocoa into each of 8 teacups; top with 1 tablespoon whipped cream and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Source: www.epicurious.com

Or, you can do as I do: get a canister of pre-mixed MEXICOCOA DRINKING CHOCOLATE from World Market. It's much easier.

But use milk instead of water- it makes a big difference and gives it that "homemade" taste.