I’m not a fan of cold weather at all. I’d even go as far as to say I hate it. Yesterday we had quite a bit of snowfall, and I had some things to do. So I put on my galoshes and winter gear and headed out. To be honest it wasn’t bad. The snow was gently falling and the wind was mild. It was kind of peaceful walking through the snow. I had a smile on my face. I sympathized with the song “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland”. No, winter is not all bad. Really the only thing I hate is below zero temperatures and icy roads.
There is even one thing I love about winter, and that is hot cocoa in the morning. As a child I would boil up some water put the hot chocolate mix in a mug and stir it up. I’d let the warm mug would heat up my cold hands wrapped around it. Sometimes I’d stand outside on the porch because I loved the contrast of hot and cold together. When the cocoa had cooled down to a drinkable temperature I’d sip it slowly. I still like to do this to this day, though now I know quite a bit more about how to make a good mug of hot cocoa.
I prefer my hot chocolate with cream, but therein is a certain debate. Should the cocoa mix be flavored? Or should the cream be flavored? Certainly not both. I don’t want my cocoa to be to rich, and if there are too many flavors none of them will be enjoyed. No, it has to be either strictly chocolate flavored cocoa or plain cream. In general I prefer the cream to be flavored.
I have a special “hot cocoa mug”. It’s got a snowman on it. I don’t use it for anything other than hot cocoa. There are several drinks for this time of year, including eggnog and wassail, but for me hot cocoa will always be my favorite.