Winter Ladies and Gentlemen!

It's hard to believe that it took until now to see some snow this winter! No snow in December, no white Christmas, and when everybody got really and truly fed up with the omnipresent colour gray - surprise! The snow had arrived. Finally we've got the evenings with white flakes dancing outside the windows, and mornings with the whole world covered with white fluff. There's always been something magical about snow for me. I've always loved wrapping myself in a warm blanket and sipping hot cocoa or chocolate while looking at the white painted world outside.

Speaking of hot choccy, I've got a great recipe for a winter cuppa for two, or two servings for one, since it's that good! It really is dead easy to prepare and there's no way to spoil it, no matter how much of a cooking klutz one might be! Better still - I've hear that not only is it delicious, but apparently there's something about the way the fats from chocolate and milk combine in this mixture that makes it incredibly healthy! Could one ask for more? :-)

We need:

1 bar of dark chocolate (should be at least 70%)

0.5 litre of milk

Some honey to taste (1 or 2 table spoons is enough for me, and I have a really sweet tooth! )

Optionally you might add a pinch of any spices to your liking: cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, orange zest, or even a mixture of those. If you enjoy unusual tastes you may want to try adding some chili or green pepper (careful with the amount here :)

Break the chocolate bar into small pieces (you may chop it or put it in a plastic bag and smash it with a mullet a bit). Dilute the chocolate in 1 cup of milk (at this stage you can stir in the spices of your choice), and bring the rest of milk to boil.

When it boils, take it off the stove and pour the diluted chocolate in. Stir well so as it blends. Simmer it for about 3 minutes, but don't allow it to boil.

Now the mixture needs to be cooled - you can put the pan into cold water (be careful not to let the water get into the chocolate mix, though! :) This way, the drink will begin to thicken. Depending how thick you want your drink to be, you need to repeat the heating and cooling procedure a few times.

When you decide it's as thick as you want it to, or that you don't want to wait any longer :) stir in some honey, if you want it sweet, pour the chocolate into cups and enjoy your drink!

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