Snow Days, Old Fashioned Homemade Hot Cocoa Recipe & Welcoming 2018

Hi All,

Winter Greetings and Happy New Year! Today I will be talking about Snow Days, an Old Fashioned Homemade Hot Cocoa Recipe and looking forward in 2018.

2018 has began with a giant snowstorm here in Eastern North Carolina that has left me housebound for the past couple of days. Snow is a rare occasion here in my neck of the woods. Today the mercury is expected to rise to a mere 31 degrees and will stay there through the weekend. BRRRR.

Here on the coast we are not equipped with the salters, sanders and snow plows those up North are blessed with. Everything shuts down and is at a standstill when a winter storm hits here. The roads have been a sheet of snow and ice since yesterday and it has just been too cold for anything to melt! The kids are loving sleeping in and lounging around all day. My husband and I were able to slowly trek to a local grocery store to get a few staples. They were actually open. Thank goodness! As you can see it looks like a ghost town around here.

A Crazy Christmas Season

I know I haven’t posted in a while. Late November greeted me with an onslaught of Christmas orders that had me working very long hours and no time to post! I had a few Christmas posts in mind but they will have to wait until next year. I am so grateful for such a successful Christmas season this year. It was insane but I made it through and created many happy customers this year.

Among other Christmas orders these adorable critters kept me very very busy…

I love making these Custom Made Pet Photo Pillows and my customers loved them! They make wonderful gifts.

Cold Outside? Warm Up Your Insides With Homemade Hot Cocoa!

When it is cold outside I get the itch to bake or make something yummy. What is better than a nice cup of homemade hot cocoa when there’s snow and ice outside? Many of us have a box of  instant, quick and easy hot cocoa hiding in our pantries but we can  do better then that.  Here’s a delicious recipe for Old Fashioned Homemade Hot Cocoa pulled right  from one of the pages of a vintage Betty Crocker’s Good And Easy Cook Book…

Betty Crocker’s Homemade Hot Cocoa Recipe 

You will need:

• 1 Cup of Water
• 2 Squares of Unsweetened Chocolate (2 ounces)
• Pinch Of Salt
• 3-4 Tablespoons of Sugar
• 3 Cups of Milk

Directions:

Heat water and chocolate together over low heat, stirring until chocolate melts. Stir in salt and sugar. Boil 4 minutes, stirring continuously. Slowly stir in milk, heat until scalded. Do not boil. Just before serving beat with rotary beater until smooth. Serve Hot topped with whip cream. Serves 6.

Tips: You can also add a dash of vanilla or cinnamon just before serving or drop a large marshmallow to the bottom of the cup before pouring in the cocoa. 

I absolutely adore vintage cook books. I love flipping through them and love to even make a recipe from time to time. They make me feel nostalgic.

Looking Forward

So, now that the dust has settled and things are back to normal I plan on blogging more. I have a lot of projects to share. Here’s just a taste of what’s to come….

I will also be sharing crafty projects, pretty places to visit and more!

Thanks so much for visiting today. Stay warm!

~Lisa