Oh, the weather outside is frightful, and the holidays are long over. North Carolina winters have turned cruel since we moved here nine years ago. I long ago ditched my quilted parka and moon boots that carried me through many winters in Minneapolis, Madison, and Chicago. I was happy to throw on a sweater or fleece jacket and never endure hat head once we moved here. All that has changed. Now I find myself coveting Uggs just to keep my tootsies warm when I walk the dog, but I haven’t shelled out the money yet since those things are too ugly and utilitarian to warrant the price tag. I have a basket full of knit caps and have yet to find gloves warm enough to keep my fingers from going numb. I wear a scarf everyday and snuggle under a blanket pretty much all the time, except while at the dinner table. Mac Daddy used to laugh at me for even buying flannel sheets for North Carolina but now he melts into the coziness. His blood has quickly forgotten its Wisconsin roots.
There are no badges for enduring the cold, my friends. I don’t think you people are brave or cut from stock heartier than mine; I think you are nuts. There are places on this planet where icicles don’t hang October – May. Admittedly, we thought North Carolina was one of those places and have been proven wrong of late. Nonetheless, I can’t help but weep when I think about my friend Shan’s sons sitting outside their Minneapolis home with a hot chocolate stand set up. In June. June! Granted, I give them credit for being industrious, and well, when life gives you lemons… Nevermind.
While the skies are sunny today, a nice change from the icy gloom of earlier in the week, it is still colder than a witch’s you-know-what. I’m just about this close to wearing those silly looking fingerless gloves while I type. I’ve even been known to wear long johns in the morning when I walk Lark. I sport several layers and pay no mind to the fact that I look a tish like a miniature Stay Puft Marshmallow girl. I have never been a looks above comfort kind of girl, which makes me rethink those Uggs…
Well, I am downright tired of being cold. I need something to warm me up, and since a long weekend jaunt to Atlantis isn’t in the cards (despite Bird’s incessant pleas to go there), I’ll have to settle for this. Cozy and warm without the pressure of squeezing into a swimsuit.
Cocoa Cozy
Scharffen Berger Semisweet Chocolate Baking Bar
3 Tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
2 cups milk
1 cup brewed coffee
2 ounces Stoli Vanil
2 ounces Kahlua
homemade whipped cream and cinnamon (optional)
In a stainless steel sauce pan (I’m partial to my All Clad.), melt three squares of Scharffen Berger chocolate over low heat. Add sugar and milk. Stir gently until sugar dissolves. Pour in coffee and heat thoroughly. While the mixture heats, divide vodka and Kahlua into two mugs (I mean, who drinks alone?!). Top with hot cocoa/coffee concoction. Stir ever so gently. You can add a dollop of homemade whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon, but I’m going to pass on that. That cream reminds me too much of a snow drift.
Cheers to the warmth of a hot drink, a comforting meal, a cozy home, and loving people.
Considering that it is 75 degrees here today, I’ll pass on this one. But I have extra coffee to maybe I’ll just do the coffee part after dinner. Thanks for the idea.