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This is rambling.  And long. Bear with me.  I’m 30.

About a week after JJ was born, we went over to visit our good friends Charlie and Becky.  Overwhelmed with the first trip out of the house, we packed a full diaper bag, 2 changes of clothes, several diapers, blankets, etc., for a sleeping baby, all for a 20 second walk down the street.  Relaxing (as much as nervous new parents can) in their kitchen a few minutes later, Charlie asked “So, has the mom guilt kicked in yet?”

I knew exactly what he meant, immediately.  The mom guilt had kicked in.  Usually not in the forefront of my mind, but somewhere in there, there is always a laundry list of offences that I have committed.  I hadn’t noticed the jaundice quickly enough, he lost too much weight in the first few days, I put him to sleep in his own room so I could selfishly get a couple hours sleep myself, etc.  Mom guilt.

5 months later, there is even more to be guilty about.  I felt guilty when I spent a lot of money up front on cloth diapers (even though they’ve already saved us more than they cost), and I felt even more guilty (environmentally and financially) when we had to switch to disposables for a whole month while we tried to clear up a yeast rash.  I feel guilty when he outgrows gifts because I forgot to put them on him and snap a picture.  I feel guilty when I have to go out during nap time and disrupt his whole day.

I felt guilty when at 4 months he had hardly gained any weight from 2 months.  I felt guilty when he tried to eat for an hour and was still hungry.  I felt guilty when I stopped breastfeeding at 5 months (I was going to make it to a year, no matter what) after trying so hard, even though he is a much happier and healthier baby now that he is getting enough to eat and his mama isn’t crazy.

I feel guilty for going to work part time, even though no matter how we crunch the numbers we need my income. And I feel guilty for liking work and enjoying adult conversation because I should be missing my baby all the time (which I am, in the back of my mind).  I feel guilty that my husband cooks dinner most nights, and that I haven’t lost all the baby weight (or the pre-baby weight).

The more I think about it, the more I realize that although motherhood has given me endless excuses for guilt, it isn’t a new thing.  Something in me LIKES to feel guilty.  Like I should have it all together.  Like I should be better, thinner, smarter, more successful, more nurturing, more disciplined, and more perfect.  I should be an absolute, straight A student at life.

It’s like I’m still waiting for a report card where I get top marks in everything. Except they don’t give report cards to 30 year old moms.

Last night, in a desperate attempt to keep JJ occupied for another 20 minutes so his prevacid (guilt-reflux is my fault) could kick in before the bedtime bottle (guilt-it should be the breast), I got out my guitar to play and sing (guilt motivation keeping me from putting Baby Einstein on for another consecutive night).

As I began to play and sing, JJ (and Paul) absolutely beamed at me.  The house was still.  The guitar was out of tune, I missed a ton of chords, and my voice was raw from lack of use, but we began to worship together as a family.  (It’s been too long.  Another post about worship soon). As I got to the song “Everything” by Chris Tomlin, I choked up at these words:

God in my living, there in my breathing
God in my waking, God in my sleeping
God in my resting, there in my working
God in my thinking, God in my speaking

and then later…

Christ in me, Christ in me, Christ in me, the hope of glory, be my everything

Full stop.  Wait.  How does all this guilt fit with that?  How do tears over things I beat myself up for that I can’t even control fit with “Christ in me, the hope of glory?”  They don’t.

I turned 30 today.  A real-live grownup.  Reflecting on what I hope for my 30′s, the thing I hope for most is a whole lot more of “Christ in me” and a whole lot less guilt.  I would like to be comfortable in my skin.  Sure, there are things I need to work on, but guilt isn’t helping.  Maybe this should be my song

God in my “being a good wife”, God in my mothering,
God in my working, God in my laundry,
God in my weight-loss, God in changing diapers
God in wiping noses, God in teaching day-care

etc….

Christ in me, the hope of glory.

I plan to enjoy my 30′s.

8–The number of weeks that Joshua has been here as of today.

7–The number of wet cloth diaper shells drying overnight–we’re trying to switch to doing diaper laundry every other day instead of daily. I hope he doesn’t blow out the 3 he has left during the night.

6–The number of hours I dream of sleeping in a row. Uninterrupted sleep would be the best gift ever.

5–The number of hours it takes for me to get my teeth brushed most mornings. Probably not the best thing to admit on a blog, but there it is.

4–The number of burp cloths I try to have with me when I feed Joshua. One to put under him as he eats (he’s messy), two to spit up on, and one extra just in case. Sometimes it’s not enough.

3–The time that Paul gets home from teaching most days, causing Joshua and me both to grin ridiculously. Watching JJ follow Paul with his eyes, mimic his facial expressions, and smile at his Papi is my favorite thing ever.

2–Apparently, the minimum number of times I cry each day. At least once out of frustration, and at least once out of joy.

1–Tired, happy Mama.

Infinity?–How much I love my family.

WARNING! This post is sleep deprived, unorganized, and not food related.  If you don’t mind that, keep reading.

Ok, first thing, the name of my blog will be changing soon, to something that includes a little more than just food issues.  Maybe I’ll have a contest and all three of my readers can try to name my blog.

I definitely owe you an explanation for why I haven’t blogged in so long, so here it is: I got pregnant, food was gross to me for a few months, then I was sleepy all the time and didn’t feel like blogging, and then a month ago I had a baby.  So honestly food isn’t at the top of my list right now. Except Nutella, which is at the very top of my list, and  I’m so thankful it’s gluten free!

Did I mention I had a baby?  Here he is!

JJ was born on January 9th.  He’s pretty cute, for about 23 hours a day.  And then there’s the one hour (usually between 3 and 5 a.m.) that he pees on everything, poops 2 or 3 times, spits up on everything he can reach (and some things I was sure he couldn’t reach), and then does it all over again as soon as he’s changed.  And then at the end he makes another cute face just to set things right again.  I think one of the reasons God made babies cute is so that we’d put up with all the gross things they do.

Ok, maybe he’s gross for more than an hour. It depends on the day.  I still love him .

We have a lot of names for JJ:

Ranita (little frog in Spanish)

Tito (short for “contentito” because he’s pretty content most of the time)

MIlkface

Drunkface (we’ll probably have to stop that one soon so it doesn’t come up in therapy later)

Thunder butt (he has woken himself up on several occasions)

Muffle butt (the cloth diapers cut down on the noise a little)

Poops McGee (are you catching a theme here?  All I have to say is the kid must be getting enough to eat!)

Grumpy Old Man

The Atomic Diapern (although seriously, no more diaper pics.  I don’t want the kid to develop a complex this early! So here’s a nice pic)

I’m a Mama now.  Holy crap, right?  Crap, I’m going to have to quit saying crap so much.

So here is my apology if for the next little while the blog is a little baby-heavy, incoherent, sleep deprived, or way TMI about bodily functions of a tiny human being (how can something so tiny and sweet create something so foul?).  One day when I feel like cooking actual food I’ll come up with new recipes again, I promise.

Any ideas for a new blog name?  Something that is just me, where I can write about food, celiac disease issues, babies, random thoughts in my head, theological ramblings if my brain ever starts working again, etc.  Help me out here, people!

Gotta run…the Atomic Diaper is calling. Read the rest of this entry »

Celiac Disease has definitely made me a more healthy eater.  It has helped me learn to enjoy slow food–to take my time in preparation and in enjoying a really good meal.  It has made me appreciate color on my plate and all those other healthy things I was supposed to be thinking about anyway.

But you know what?  Everybody still needs their own version of mac and cheese. Of ramen noodles.  Of something quick, easy, and delicious.  Not every day, but once in a while we all need a 5 minute meal that is very little work and easy enjoyment.  I was reminded of this the other day when talking to a newly diagnosed (and new friend) 22 year old who misses an easy meal once in a while.

And so I bring you…(drumroll please)….breakfast burritos!  Not the healthiest of meals (but not the worst), probably too much salt, and not enough veggies. But it takes 5 minutes, and when you’ve had a lousy day and are super tired and all you want to do is collapse and eat some comfort food while you watch “Chuck,” nothing beats it.

You need:

•Corn Tortillas (Mision brand at Kroger is gluten free–not all are, so be sure to read the label well)
•scrambled eggs
•refried beans (we get Rosarita brand.  It’s from ConAgra foods, which has good allergy warnings)
•shredded cheese of choice
•salsa (if you want it.  Paul does, I don’t)
•sour cream

I guess they are more tacos than burritos, but “breakfast tacos” doesn’t sound as cool.

When we go through really busy seasons, we do breakfast burritos for dinner one night during the week.  It’s our new comfort food.

So now it’s your turn, all you gluten-free people.  (all 5 of you who read my blog and will probably post on Facebook rather than here anyway) What new, quick comfort foods have you found?

My favorite things in the kitchen usually come about when I think “What would happen….?”  My husband and I were in Spain and had just gotten some great strawberries from the market.  We wanted to make whipped cream (so much better than what comes in the can–and cheaper!) to go with them, so I used the whisk attachment on the immersion blender.  It worked amazingly.  I added sugar–it was wonderful.  Then I thought, “What if I threw in some cocoa powder for the heck of it?”  And then I whisked it a little too long.  Just a few seconds.  And it was suddenly too thick for whipped cream.  But it tasted wonderful–less like whipped cream and more like—chocolate mousse!!!  So that’s my accidental recipe.

DISCLAIMER #1!!!!! I apologize if you read this blog and feel like your intelligence is insulted.  Maybe everyone else already knew that if you whipped cream really fast it turned into mousse.  But it was new to me! If you are smarter than me and can only respond to this post with a resounding “Well, DUH!” then please spare my ego and don’t comment.

DISCLAIMER # 2!!!!! Any proportions listed in this recipe are mostly arbitrary.  The recipe only has three ingredients–the whisking is what makes the mousse–everything else depends on your taste.  Here’s my guess as to what proportions I like:

•1 cup heavy cream
•1 tablespoon agave nectar (more if you like it really sweet–less if not)
•1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder, depending on how chocolatey you like it (I know I use more than 1)

If you don’t have agave nectar, powdered sugar works as well.  I haven’t tried it with granulated sugar, but I’m guessing it would be too heavy.

Dump all the ingredients in a tall container.  When it is whipped fast, it will come up really high in the container, so make sure that it’s tall enough.  Otherwise, you’ll be cleaning up chocolate mousse from your hair, the wall, the stove on the other side of the kitchen, the cutlery drawer that happened to be open, etc.  Also, be sure to hold on tightly to whatever container you’re mixing in, or you will have even more mousse everywhere, and your husband will stand there looking at you like you’ve lost your mind while you clean enough chocolate off of your glasses to look for the paper towels.  You’ll need a whole roll.  Trust me.

Our immersion blender only has one speed–if yours has multiple, use the fastest.  Use the whisk attachment and whip for 10 second intervals, stopping to check and see how thick it is.  After the first time, taste the batter to make sure it’s sweet/chocolatey enough.  That way you can add more in before it’s too stiff.  (This might be a “Well, DUH!” moment)

It usually only takes 4-5 rounds of 10 seconds each to reach a good thickness.  And then you serve.

Dessert in 2 minutes–I love it!  It’s tasty, light-textured for summer, and really impresses dinner guests .  Here’s the final product!

If your mouth is not watering, I guess I have nothing more to say to you.  Good night.

Paul and I have been cooking with the wok a lot lately.  He got one for his birthday (I was in class all day, so actually I texted him and said “Go buy yourself a wok.’), and somehow I think I’ve used it twice as much as him. I love it. Oops.  Selfish birthday present.  I’m not using his new beard trimmer, though, so that makes me halfway unselfish, right?

What I love about our wok is that there is a lid and a steaming rack.  Meaning I can steam the veggies while I cook the meat, and they stay crisp and colorful. See?

My favorite thing to cook in the wok (especially for company) is Thai Green Curry.  I love the heat (just hot enough, not overpowering), the mix of great spices, and the sweetness of coconut milk.  Definitely a favorite in our household.

This is a good sized meal for 4 with leftovers or 6 without. Here are the ingredients you need:

*Chicken (2 large or 3 small boneless, skinless breasts)
*1/2 large red or yellow onion (I like the taste of red better)
*2-3 cloves garlic, minced
*1 green and 1 red bell pepper
*1 zucchini (or 1/2 eggplant)
*cumin
*ginger
*sweet curry powder
*1 jar green curry paste
*1 can coconut milk
*basmati rice

I think having good spices and curry paste are important for this.  Here are my favorites:

I don’t really have a brand preference for coconut milk–this is just what they sell here.  The Thai Kitchen brand green curry paste says “gluten free” on the jar, and I think it tastes great.  And you can’t beat Penzey’s spices.  They’re actually cheaper than McCormick if you buy the bags instead of jars (use your old jars–recycle!), and you can freeze the extra until you’re ready to use it.  I also like that I know they’re gluten free (except a couple of their soup bases–they have a list in the store). They supposedly stay fresh longer than grocery store spices, although I go through spices so quickly that I haven’t tested this one out yet.  We’re lucky enough in Memphis to have a Penzey’s location, but if you don’t, you can order online by clicking here.

But I digress…back to the recipe.

I sautee the onion and garlic in butter over medium heat for a couple minutes, adding a generous amount of sweet curry powder, a tiny pinch of ginger, and a dash of cumin.  Add the chicken and then the same seasonings again so that the meat is coated on both sides. I think it works best to cook the chicken whole and then cut it up or shred it later.  It keeps the meat from drying out so much.  I spread the veggies out on the steaming rack and put a lid on all of it (it’s ok if the veggies make the lid stick up a litte–it still works). Add a pinch of salt.  Lower the heat and let the chicken cook for about 10 minutes, and then turn the heat up to medium-high for 1-2 minutes to get a good browning on the outside of the meat.  Flip the meat and do the same thing.

Once the chicken is cooked through, shred the meat or cut it into bite-size pieces.  Shredded is probably more “authentic,” but I’m lazy so I usually end up stabbing the chicken with a fork and holding it up in the air while I cut chunks off with scissors.  It’s all very scientific. Keep the heat low, dump the veggies from the steaming rack into the wok, and add in the whole jar of curry paste.  Stir it in until everything is covered and then add and stir in the can of coconut milk.  Add a pinch of salt, another dash of curry powder, and some fresh basil and cilantro if you have it on hand (no picture because I did not, in fact, have it on hand). Heat on low for 5-10 minutes, until the sauce is hot. It will be a little soupy:

I usually serve it with basmati rice (my favorite!) and have sour cream on hand that people can add if it’s too hot for them. Last night we discovered (with great friends who brought wine) that this meal goes especially well with a Yellow Tail Chardonnay.

Here’s the finished product:

For dessert, we had a homemade, low glycemic index chocolate mousse that took about 3 minutes to make.  Recipe coming soon.

I know, I know, it’s been forever.  I have a ridiculously long list of recipes to post, most of them needing yummy pictures to go with them.

This month marks a whole year that I have been gluten free.  I’m not sure of the exact date, but I know it was in April.  A year on, I can honestly say that while I’m not exactly overjoyed that I have Celiac Disease, I’m so thankful for my gluten-free life.  I have learned a ton, but if I had to reduce it into a few basic things, here they are:

1) Just because I’m with people doesn’t mean I have to eat. Food is for nutrition, not socialization. This sounds crazy, since I enjoy cooking and food so much, but it has been really important for me to remember.  Why?  It helps me give myself a break.  On those days that everyone goes out to a restaurant where I can eat nothing, I can still go and sip my tea in peace.  I can eat later and just go for the social time.  Spending time with friends does not mean I have to put food in my mouth.  Remembering that life doesn’t have to revolve around food helps me put things into perspective–people are more important than food. I also think it helps me be a better listener over dinner while I’m not eating!

2) If you want to participate in community with food, share! We’ve been in a new town almost a year now, and every time a new friend invites us over for dinner, I dread having to make the choice of either telling them I can’t eat their food, not telling and picking out what I think will be ok (knowing full well that I’ll probably regret it in a few hours), or trying to explain just how careful they need to be if they want me to eat there.  No one likes to be the “high maintenance” friend.  In the end, I’ve found a happy middle ground.  My normal spiel goes something like this: “We’d love to come to dinner, but I should probably tell you up front that I have some crazy food intolerance issues.  Go ahead and fix whatever you want and Paul will love it, and I’ll bring something to share with you guys.”  So far, this has worked really well!  Once we actually establish more of a friendship, many of my friends want to learn more about cooking gluten free, and then we can work from there!  Sharing my own food as a side for everyone else allows me to eat, which is nice.  The host doesn’t feel intimidated or overrun in his/her own kitchen, and we can move on with making friends instead of obsessing about food.  My goal is to keep myself from being the center of attention at every meal, so if what I have on my plate is just another side dish on everyone else’s, it helps.

3) Go with the season. I learned this one in Spain, actually, several years ago.  It was easy to tell what was in season in the market, because the market overflowed with it, and it was dirt cheap.  Strawberries, nectarines, and cherries were my favorites.  I remember one summer actually eating so many meals of nothing but cherries because it was so hot!  After a year or so there, I actually found myself starting to crave certain fruits or vegetables right before they came in season!  If grapes are in season, have grapes around the house for a snack.  Put them on a homemade pizza (I promise you it’s delicious), or in a broccoli salad!

Working with whatever we find in season has A) saved us money, and B) helped us come up with some pretty creative recipes!

4) Gluten free does not equal calorie free. I have learned this the hard way.  Several pounds the hard way, actually.  When I first went gluten free I lost a few pounds and thought “This is going to be great! It’s like being on the South Beach diet forever!”  Boy, was I wrong!  Come to find out, it just takes a few months to learn new comfort foods. Going to food too often for comfort is still a bad idea.  Seconds are still probably a bad idea, sugar is still sugar, and butter and cream have just as much fat in a gluten free recipe as any other.  Oops.  Lesson learned.  The word for year two–moderation!

5) Make new favorites, not imitations of old favorites. I tried for months to make a decent pancake.  Soy flour, rice flour, flour blends–all yuck.  Too dense, too heavy, too grainy.  In reality most of them probably weren’t bad, they just weren’t pancakes.  But one day I was missing some ingredients, and I accidentally made the batter way too thin.  It covered the entire bottom of the pan and was paper thin, and…wonderful!  I accidentally made some of the best crepes I’ve ever had!  Now crepes are a weekend favorite in our household (recipe to come).  A wonderful crepe is better than a mediocre pancake!

6) Read labels. Not just for wheat, barley, or rye.  REALLY read them.  Count ingredients-it shouldn’t have many.  If I can’t pronounce it or it sounds like it came out of a science fiction movie, I probably don’t want to put it in my body.

7) I WILL make mistakes. Or someone else will.  A spoon in the wrong place, a label misread, it’s going to happen.  And it’s not the end of the world.  It hurts, it makes me sick, but the bigger deal I make out of it, the worse I feel.  I can reduce the risk as close to zero as possible, but it happens.  Life goes on.  Maybe this just happens naturally with time, but I’m learning not to react so emotionally to whatever is happening physically.

Be thankful. For health, for life, and for good, real food.  For a husband that loves to cook and has wholeheartedly embraced this whole gluten free lifestyle.  For an excuse to eat real food when the temptation is all around to eat over-processed junk.  For no more migraines.  And once in a while, for the Chocolate Thunder from Outback Steakhouse .

A year in, I wouldn’t go back.  I like feeling good.  I like knowing what I’m putting in my body. I like learning new recipes and feeling free to experiment in the kitchen.  Hard as it is, I like my life better now than before.

More recipes to come soon.  I promise.

As always, pics to come soon.  I eat this stuff or give it away to fast to get a picture of it.

Anyone who has to be or chooses to be on a gluten free diet knows that the gluten free grocery budget is atrocious.  Monstrously atrocious.  Like if you want to eat well you’ll pay almost as much for groceries as rent atrocious (granted, Memphis is pretty cheap for rent, so if you’re paying as much as rent for groceries in Manhattan, God help you).

And cereals are the worst.  In my short experience, I’ve seen a few options:

•Chex are the cheapest, come in varieties and flavors, and are by far the most accesible gluten free cereal. That’s the pro.  The con is that you’re hungry again in 2 hours.

•A zillion nature-y brands that make the nastiest fake cheerios I’ve ever put in my mouth.  I apologize if you liked them, but seriously folks.  I gagged.

•Gluten free hot cereals can be good, but I haven’t tried much.  I got polenta once and tried to make grits and it came out the consistency of dried out play doh.  And tasted worse.  (I ate play-doh in Kindergarten and remember it tasting pretty good, or at least edible).  Again, I gagged.

•Gluten free granolas in 10-12 oz packages that look really yummy, but I can’t bring myself to pay that much for something my husband will eat 3/4 of in one sitting.

And then I stumbled across this little gem at  Hey, that tastes good. Granola!  Real, homemade granola that you can make a bunch of and looks amazing!  Seriously, you guys should check out that blog anyway.  Everything on there looks amazing, and everything I’ve tried to make is amazing.    Her granola is no exception.  I did make a few changes to fit my tastes, though.
I like my granola a little drier, and I have different nuts available here, and I hate coconut.  It makes me gag (are we seeing a theme here?).  So I tweaked the recipe somewhat.  Here’s my version:

Kelly’s Granola

•5 cups GF oats (I use Bob’s red mill–about 1/2 bag)
•1 cup each walnuts, pecans, and almonds, chopped
•1/2 cup cashews, chopped
•3/4 cup light brown sugar
•3/4 cup extra version olive oil
•1/2 tsp salt (ish.  I never actually measure)
•1/4 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Mix the dry ingredients and then add the oil and honey, or the brown sugar will clump. Spread the mix evenly in a large cake pan or casserole dish, and bake 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Stir it every few minutes while cooling as well.

It’s good dry, with milk, or with yogurt.  Or if you want to make it into an absolutely heavenly dessert (in the words of my dear friend Christine–snog your plate good), add a handful of chocolate chips to a bowl while it’s still hot, mix until the chocolate melts, and put a dollop of cool whip on top.  Sure, you might go into a sugar coma, but what a way to go!

I gave this granola to pretty much my whole Christmas list and everyone loved it.  We make it on Sunday afternoons at our house and have a good, filling breakfast for the whole week.

Enjoy!

I know, I know, it’s been forever. I’ll try to do better–maybe that’ll be my New Year’s resolution. I have 10 or so recipes that are ready to go, and I have no excuse except laziness.

But here’s one to hold you over, since I have a couple minutes of downtime:

You’ll need:
•one package (wheel? circle? what do you call it?) Camambert cheese (if it’s real it’s gluten free)
•some really good jam or preserves (I used homemade blackberry preserves)

Preheat the oven to 360?. Unwrap the cheese (duh). Place it in an oven safe dish, and cover generously with your jam of choice. Don’t be afraid of overdoing it. You won’t.

Bake for 10 minutes, just long enough for the cheese to get warm, but not long enough for it to melt and go everywhere.

Serve warm for absolute delicousness.

My friend Marianna used to make this at parties in Spain years ago, and I remembered it yesterday while shopping for cheese for snacks tonight.

I wasn’t sure whether it would be liked or not–maybe my tastes are too weird. So I only put half of the cheese circle in the oven and left the other half out, un-messed with.

30 minutes later, the second half went in the oven with jam as well.

Try it. I promise you, you’ll love it. It’s super super easy, and it makes people think you’re the best chef ever. You can’t mess this up.

Pictures soon.

Here are a few facts about me that you need to know if we are going to be friends (or bloggies, or whatever).

•I HATE being cold
•I LOVE hot cocoa, especially the kind you could get in Spain–not too sweet, super thick and creamy, and dark dark chocolate
•I am suspicious of anything that comes pre-mixed or in a little packet.  There just seems to be too much chance for something to get in there that is NOT supposed to be there. Therefore, I never have anything like hot cocoa mix in the house.  I don’t know if there are gluten-free options.  I haven’t even tried.

It is currently 67? F  (that’s below 20? C for all my European readers ) in my apartment.  That’s COLD, people, considering that 2 weeks ago my thermostat was at 78 and the air conditioning was running almost constantly!  It’s only the beginning of October!  This does not bode well.  I refuse to turn the heat on before November–especially if it’s just a cold spell.

So here are my quick fixes:
1—I boiled a kettle of water, took the cap off so it would stop screaming, and then turned it down to low so it would keep steaming.  I’d rather live in a sauna than a freezer.

2–I made my own hot cocoa!  Without a mix!  (snicker if you will, but every time I do something new without a mix, I celebrate)

Here’s what I did:

•In a small saucepan, mix 1.5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1.5 Tbsp agave nectar or white sugar (probably a little more if you use white sugar since agave is sweeter), and a splash of milk.  Stir until it makes a moderately lumpy gross looking paste.

•Add a cup of milk, and heat while stirring over a medium-low heat.  You have to stir constantly and not let it boil, or it will go from yummy to disgusting in about 2 seconds.

That’s pretty much it.  Not rocket science, I know, but seriously, I had no idea it was so easy to make great cocoa from scratch!

Now I’m warning you–if you’re used to a swiss miss mix, this is less sweet and more chocolatey (and therefore infinitely more wonderful).  Add sugar (or agave nectar) to taste.

I would have taken a picture, but I drank it.  It hit the spot–I can almost feel my toes!  I’ll make more soon and put up a picture of me enjoying chocolatey wonderfulness.