Category: Beverages

Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

My daughter, Fallon, and I made this peanut butter cup smoothie for lunch today. With it being January 2nd, I want to resolve to make more smoothies and healthy type foods throughout the year! That being said, the title to this recipe tells you where my heart truly is! This is quick, delicious, healthy (at least in my book), and totally yummy! Happy New Year!

3/4 cup whole milk
2 T. peanut butter
2 T. hot cocoa mix, I used Sillycow Farms Hot Chocolate
1 cup frozen banana chunks

Place all the ingredients into the blender, and blend until smooth.

COOKING THE BOOKS, YA’LL!

Whipped Hot Chocolate

With Santa about to arrive, and the very cold spell we have coming up next week in west Texas, hot chocolate is definitely on the brain around my house, as I’m sure it’s been on most everybody’s brain right about now! I’m still cooking out of Ina’s Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook this week and ran across her whipped hot chocolate recipe. It is soooo delicious! It’s like a Hershey Kiss in liquid form. As far as I know, I can’t think of a piece of chocolate that satisfies me quite as well as a good ol’ Hershey Kiss. Add creamy half and half, vanilla, and some coffee and you’ve really got something! And no worries if you don’t like coffee, it is used primarily just to bring out chocolate’s natural flavor. Let’s get to whipping up some, shall we?

2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups half and half
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped (I used Hershey’s…hence the kiss part.)
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. decaffeinated instant coffee powder

Garnish: spray whipped cream and mini chocolate chips

Heat the milk and half and half in a large saucepan over medium heat to just below the simmering point. (Just nice and hot.) Remove the pan from the heat and add both chocolates. When the chocolates are melted, stir in the sugar, vanilla, and coffee powder. Reheat gently.

To froth the hot chocolate, whip it in the sauce pan with an immersion blender. You could also carefully pour it into the jar of a blender with a tight seal and blend on high speed for about 30 seconds. (I use my immersion blender, as does Ina….if you don’t have one, I recommend it! They are great for soups as well!) And I don’t know why a simple kitchen whisk wouldn’t work if you wanted to try that instead of the other ideas to add a little froth. But Ina claims that this chocolate takes on a whole new flair when it’s really whipped!

Pour the chocolate into mugs and I like to serve mine with spray whipped cream and mini chocolate chips! Stay warm, friends! …..and by the way, Santa will like this too!

COOKING THE BOOKS, YA’LL!

Chocolate Sodas

I found this recipe at the check out line in the grocery store from a Pillsbury halloween magazine. So naturally, these turn into Mud Sodas on All Hallow’s Eve! But on regular days, when you need a little something to go with that grilled burger, these come highly recommended!

4 cups chocolate milk, chilled
4 cups rootbeer, chilled
1 pint (2 cups) chocolate ice-cream

In each of 8 tall glasses, place 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup root beer and stir gently to mix.

Top each serving with a 1/4 cup of ice cream.


And for the adults, a shot of chocolate vodka never hurt anything either!