...a weather rant and recipe

I judge how cold it is outside by what I have to wear inside to stay warm. Today was a hooded sweatshirt and wool socks day. Yesterday was a parka and gloves day. (And, mind you, I wear these items while keeping the thermostat set at 75 degrees.) Today, my teeth were chattering and my fingers were too frozen to type, so I took my daily warm-my-hands-over-the-stovetop break. I know something is wrong with me because while I am chattering away, my kids are in their t-shirt and shorts sweating. Hmm....

I live near the Rocky Mountains. We have the ultimate in stinky springs. We get a few days that tease us by gifting us beautiful weather and budding flowers...and then it snows for a few days. This pattern usually continues every other week from March until the end of May. Some people were fooled this year and packed away their winter clothes. Not me. I am all too aware of the Utah's ruthless winter-to-spring transition.

Some days, the only way to get warm is to heat myself from the inside out. This is one of my favorite hot chocolate recipes: Enjoy!

CREAMY HOT CHOCOLATE

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half cream

Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

Recipe via allrecipes.com.