Strawberry Hot Cocoa Mix

 

Most of the year I am not much of a hot drink lover.  I know lots of people can't live without their tea or coffee, or hot chocolate, but its just not something I crave every day.  I used to own my own coffee shop when my kids were small,  and I confess . . . . I did drink a lot of coffee back then.

 

But vanity caused me to stop drinking it about 30 years or so ago.  I didn't like the way it stained the teeth, tea as well, and I couldn't afford to go to the Dentist very often, and so I just stopped drinking it. Then of course I joined the Church of Jesus Christ in the year 1999, and we have a health law called the Word of Wisdom and we don't drink tea or coffee as a part of that anyways.   

 

  

Latter Day Saints do love their hot chocolate however, but as a person who has never liked chocolate milk or hot chocolate, that doesn't do it for me either!  I have the occasional one, but its not something I go out of my way for.

   

Long about this time of year however, I start craving this Strawberry Hot Cocoa.  It is a homemade mix .  I got the recipe from a Gooseberry Patch book quite a number of years ago now called Autumn in the Country and is attributed to Tammy Moody from Thomasville, GA.  

 

I just love the Gooseberry Patch Recipe books. Each one is like sitting down with an old friend.  All the recipes in them are pretty good. I've never tried one I didn't fall in love with and this is one of those!  

 

Its very easy to make and so delicious, using only 4 basic ingredients.  Non-dairy coffee creamer, strawberry drink mix, powdered milk and sugar.  It does make quite a bit, but that's no problem as we gobble it up during these colder months.

 

I like it so much more than not cocoa, firstly because its not chocolate, and secondly because it melts instantly into the boiling water in your mug. It doesn't clump or leave any powdery residue.  In short its perfection!

 

Of course sometimes as an additional treat, and when I need an extra pick me up, I will top each serving with a small handful of pink and white mini marshmallows.

 

So lovely and indulgent  . . .  so simple . . .  perfect for biscuit dunking!

 

I really do love it.  It has a nice mild strawberry flavour and beautiful consistency.

 

It is also perfect for this time of year to make as gifts for friends and family.  You can mix it up pronto and divide it into clean jars for giving.

 

Always adding of course a tag which give instructions on how to use it.  You can make it a gift on it's own or you can pop it into a basket with a few other goodies for giving.

  

Perhaps a really festive Christmas mug, filled with a bag of marsh mallows, a cute tin of shortbread biscuits, a nice plaque that they can hang on the wall, etc.  Anything festive goes.  You can let your gift-giving imagination go wild here!

Strawberry Hot Cocoa Mix

Yield: About 6 cups of milk

Author: Marie Rayner

This is my absolute favourite hot drink in the winter. I keep it in a tightly covered jar near my kettle so that it is ready to hand when I am craving something creamy and hot.  It also makes a nice gift for the holidays, neighbours, hostess gift, etc.

ingredients:

• 725g powdered milk (25.6 oz pkg.)
• 455g powdered strawberry drink mix (16 oz pkg.)
• 170g powdered non-dairy coffee creamer (6 oz jar)
• 195g caster sugar (1 cup)
• mini marshmallows to serve (optional)

instructions:

How to cook Strawberry Hot Cocoa Mix

1. Whisk all of the ingredients together until well combined.  Store in a covered airtight container.  To use place 240ml/1 cup of boiling water in a mug and stir in 3 to 4 heaped TBS of the mix. Delicious!  Marshmallows on top are optional but very nice!

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

Oh I do so love this time of year when I can begin digging out all of my festive dishes and decorations!!  Don't you?  I confess to being especially fond of festive salt and pepper shakers!  I have about 4 different sets!!

Read more

Pecan Crunch Snack Mix

 

I wish you could all smell my house right now!  It smells like heaven, all cinnamony and sweet!  That's because I have been busy making a Hostess Gift today!

 

Whenever we are invited to someones house for a meal I like to bring a Hostess Gift along as a thank you!  We are going to our friend's Tina and Tony's for lunch today and so I thought I would make something special for them to enjoy. 

 

The last time we went I took along a loaf of my Irish Tea Brack.  Oh, I know I could bring some After 8 Mints or some such, but I think a homemade gift is so much more personal!

 

I was going through my Big Blue Binder and this recipe for Pecan Crunch Snack Mix caught my eye and I happened to have everything in the house to make it.  For those of you who don't know my Big Blue Binder is a recipe binder that I have been collecting recipes in throughout my life, since I was a small girl.

 

It is bulging with recipes gleaned from magazines, family and friends throughout the years and it has travelled all around the world with me.  It is filled with the best of the best, and this is one of those recipes!

 

A few are clippings, but most are handwritten.  I used to have beautiful handwriting. Not so much anymore. I have gotten out of practise.  This is one of the hand written ones!

 

I have not noted the source of the recipe, but strongly suspect it was taken from an add for Shreddies breakfast cereal!

 

It makes for the perfect snack mixture and Hostess Gift.  Sweet and salty  . . .

 

Crisp and crunchy  . . .  with plenty of sugared pecans, toasted cereal and sweet stick dried cranberries . . .

 

And throughout the scent and flavour of cinnamon and honey . . .  tantalisingly rich and wonderful  . . .

 

It makes enough for two jars to give away and a small container to keep and is as easy as stirring together some cereal, nuts, cinnamon and cranberries . . .

  

and cooking a sweet concoction to toss them with, prior to spreading it all out on a baking sheet and toasting it in the oven for about half an hour.  Easy Peasy!

Yield: 6 1/2 cups

Author: Marie Rayner

Pecan Crunch Snack Mix

One from my big blue binder. I am sure I copied it from an ad in a magazine for Shreddies cereal.  Delicious addictive!  This makes great hostess gifts as well.

ingredients:

• 520g shreddies cereal (4 cups)
• 120g coarsely broken pecan nuts
• 50g dried cranberries (1/2 cup)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 50g soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
• 60g butter (1/4 cup)
• 60ml corn syrup, golden syrup or honey (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

instructions:

How to cook Pecan Crunch Snack Mix

1. Preheat the oven to 120*C/250*F/ gas mark 2. Butter a large baking sheet with a rim really well. Measure the cereal, pecans and cinnamon into a bowl and toss together.
2. Combine the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly over medium high heat. Once it comes to the boil. allow it to boil for 2 minutes without stirring. Take off heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda. It will foam up. Pour this over the cereal mixture in the bowl and toss to coat using a spoon. (The mixture will be very hot so don't touch it with your hands!!) Spread out on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring it every 8 to 10 minutes until crisp and lightly coated. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

This is so good I am glad that I am giving most of it away. Its far too dangerous to have around for very long!  I hope that Tina and Tony enjoy it!

Up Tomorrow:  Maple & Spice Corn Bread

Read more

Melted Snowman and Rudolf Chocolate Barks

 

I wanted to make something special for the children of our Ministering brothers (father and son, church thing)  for Christmas.  They are always so good at visiting us.  When Todd 

 had his cancer and was going through treatments, the children came over to us one night and had made him cards and had some cookies they had baked for him along with some cards they had made. 

 

They are a lovely family.  Their dad was coming over yesterday to pick up our tropical fish which we have re-homed with them and so I thought I would make them some goodies to enjoy over the holidays as well.

 

I had seen melted snowmen bark all over the internet and so decided to make some for them.  It was really simple to make. You just melt white chocolate and spread it out on a prepped pan . . .  I used Dr Oetker white chocolate for bakers, broken into squares. (Melted in the microwave according to the package directions.)

 

Add halved mini peanut butter cups for the hats . . .  some googly eyes . . .

 

Black candy balls for the buttons. (I picked out the dark balls from the Dr Oetker Midnight magic cake decs)

 

Yellow and orange candy strands (Again I picked them out of a bottle of mixed candy strands from Dr Oetker) for the noses  .  .  .

 

And broken pretzel sticks for the arms.  In between I scattered white snowflake candies, then popped the tray in the fridge to chill. 

 

For the Rudolf bark, I used Dr Oetker milk chocolate for bakers, broken up  . . .  which I melted in the microwave and spread out on the prepped pan. (Make sure you don't overheat your chocolate or it will seize. I do it for one minute, then let it sit, stir, and if it needs more then reheat at 10 second intervals. Just what the package says.

 

For the antlers I used white chocolate coated smallish pretzels.  You can easily cut them in half without breaking them by using a sharp knife and carefully sawing down through the centres.

 

I put the googly candy eyes on first . . .  and then I placed the antlers above, trying to place them with the cut edges outwards, rounded edges in the middle/bottom . . .  (don't look too closely as I messed up a few by putting them on backwards, lol)

 

I used red smarties for the noses.  I actually bought  tube of "Rudolf noses" to use for this.  They worked perfectly, but you could use any kind of red candy that you can find so long as it is size appropriate. 

 

Once again, in between I scattered some candy snowflakes, which really added a lovely festive touch and a bit of contrast with the darkness of the chocolate.

  

Altogether they turned out really nicely.  I think they did at any rate, and the children's father was oohing over them when he came to pick up the fish.  I really think that the children will love them.  I can't imagine any child not enjoying something like this! 

Yield: 2 different kindsAuthor: Marie Rayner

Chocolate Christmas Bark

Children love this. Its fun to make together.  There are two kinds.  Melting snowman using white chocolate and Rudolf using milk chocolate.  This also makes fabulous gifts!

ingredients:

For the Melting Snowmen:

300g white chocolate, created for bakers (26% cocoa butter) (10 1/2 ounces)

6 mini Reese's peanut butter cups, carefully cut in half

24 candy eyes

Orange or yellow sugar strands

(you will need to pick them out of a container of mixed strands)

36 small dark navy candy ball decs

Pretzel sticks

small candy snowflake decs

For the Rudolf:

300g milk chocolate for bakers ( with 35% cocoa solids) (10 1/2 ounces)

24 candy eyes

12 white chocolate covered pretzels, carefully cut in half through the middle

12 red smarties

small candy snowflake decs

instructions:

Line two separate baking trays with baking paper or
waxed paper or aluminium foil.  I like to make one batch first and then
the other batch after.

Melt the white chocolate
 for the snowmen in the microwave according to the package directions,
in a microwave appropriate bowl.  Pour onto one of the baking sheets and
 spread out to a 1/3 inch thick layer.   Place all of the snowman parts
onto the chocolate spreading them out and building one at a time.  The
half peanut butter cup is the hat, then the candy eyes, a sugar strand
nose, navy candy ball buttons and broken pretzel sticks for the arms.
Repeat until you have used them all up. Scatter snowflakes in between. 
Place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the other one.

Melt
 the milk chocolate for the reindeer in the microwave according to the
package directions, in a microwave appropriate bowl.  Pour onto the
other prepared baking sheet and spread out to a 1/3 inch thick layer. 
Build your Rudolf's as follows and one at a time.  Put the googly eyes
on, followed by a red smarties nose just below.  Place two pretzel halves
 (rounded side in and loop towards the eyes) on top to resemble
antlers.  Repeat until you have used all the ingredients.  Scatter small
 snowflakes in between.  Place in the refrigerator to chill.

Carefully
 break into pieces, using a knife to guide the breaks.  If you are
giving as gifts, leave whole and present on a board wrapped in
cellophane and tied with a ribbon.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

If you are keeping this you can break it up.  I find it best to mark lines with a sharp knife first and then break it on the lines.  If you are gifting this, pop it onto a small cutting board, wrap in cellophane and tie up with some coloured ribbons.  Very festive! 

Read more