Hot chocolate weather has arrived! Hurray!....mostly...with six hot chocolate lovers still at home that can be one expensive love affair. I tried many, many recipes and was never quite satisfied with the results. The flavor was not the big problem - the skim that would form on the top as the chocolate cooled THAT was the problem. Not just a problem but a BIG problem. Nothing turns kids off homemade like seeing "scum" floating on top of their drink.

Flavor is a factor too. After trying many different recipes with many different costs we have a winner. The following is very very basic - too good to be true basic.

Basic Hot Chocolate Mix

2 -3 cups of powdered milk

1/4 cup of cocoa powder (baking NOT instant)

1+ cups of sugar

That's it. 

Two or Three batches takes less than 10 minutes to make, store and clean up. Make as many batches as needed, store in an empty container - we use an old hot chocolate container for the kids to use and store the extra in a large empty hot chocolate container. Keep a tablespoon inside the container for measuring, about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons depending on preference and cup size. The goal is to not have powdered residue left on the bottom of the cup. Residue = wasted mix. The measuring spoon helps. 

The secret ingredient - mixing. This is the absolute secret to an excellent homemade hot chocolate mix. The sugar must be mixed to the consistency of powdered sugar. There are several ways to accomplish this important task.

If you are fortunate enough to be given an ancient vitamix that a bargain hunting father has given you then the task is easy. We are so blessed. Dad found a vintage 70s model at a yardsale for $3 and after using it a few times to can tomatoes with Sister C (sorry sis) he gave it to me. It works wonderfully though the vitamix company probably had higher aspirations for their product.

Next best or perhaps just as good - a good blend in the blender. It would be a good idea to mix the ingredients in a bowl first then process in the blender is two or three batches. Cookbooks commonly suggest blending sugar into powdered sugar in the blender so adding powdered milk should not be a problem.

Third use a food processor. Before the vitamix I used my food processor but did not know how long to mix. Sometimes we would have chocolate that had no skim but not consistently. Now that I know to blend until the sugar is as fine as possible. Remember sugar to powdered sugar.

Lastly - my friend sifts hers three times using a hand sifter. Sifting helps with the scum effect but not much. If we had to go back to hand powdered tools I would use powdered sugar, mix in a large bowl and then sift three times. In this instance the sifting is to make the milk powder finer and to throughly mix the ingredients.

If you are flush with cash or have a full pantry this recipe can be jazzed up. Here are a few ideas:

Many recipes call for powdered coffee creamer. This is something we rarely have any more. One reason is the cost but the main reason is our trying to avoid soy products due to their adverse effect on Little Missey's thyroid medicine.  Rarely does not mean never so in the back reaches of the cupboard I had a nearly empty container of French vanilla powdered creamer that needed to be used before it finished the process of petrification. After chiseling some loose I added about a teaspoon to my cup. Very, very good. The container is now empty. I didn't share.

Miss Maggie at her old "Hillbilly Housewife" site (now sold & not quite as good) suggests adding cheap pudding mix before blending for added richness. I don't really notice a difference.

Today I had a light bulb moment. The kids have been on a peppermint tea binge and had made their morning cups. While supervising my brain began whirling....hot tea is made with hot water....hot peppermint tea is hot water with mint flavor....what if hot chocolate were added....and the result is....

!!!WONDERFUL!!!

Hot mint chocolate cocoa...mmmmm....

For the frugal minded - used mint tea bags work great. (We are using Celestial Seasonings peppermint.)

During Sister C's visit (after Aunt Rose's funeral) she asked if making our own was really saving us money. That's a hard question to answer. Right now we are using boxes of powdered milk that were purchased over a year ago & stored in the deep freeze. The boxes are the large size and were purchased for approximately $7.00. The baking chocolate was also purchased in the past for .89. Based on these purchase prices - yes we are saving money.

Will making our own be as frugal in the future? The answer is not so straight forward. The basic ingredients have jumped in price - the price of powdered milk has increased so much that it is very hard to find the large boxes. The few times that I have seen the large size the price was about $18.00 (not at the cheapest store in town and not recently). Baking chocolate has doubled in price. I would have to find a large canister of hot chocolate mix (not easily found) and crunch the numbers. Dollarwise I just don't know.

Ingredient wise - what price is too much knowing the hot chocolate has only four ingredients: milk powder, cocoa, sugar and water (well water: no fluoride or chlorine)

Lastly - we drink a lot of hot chocolate. I don't mind this because if it weren't hot chocolate it would be plain milk. (yes it should be more water & less milk but it isn't) If we were to replace the powdered milk with liquid milk in a gallon container - that would be a whole different set of numbers for my poor brain to crunch.

Then there is the question of using milk powder from storage to make hot chocolate instead of keeping it for future use. I could call it rotation but the replacement cost being more than double means in a truly frugal world the kids would be drinking water and the milk powder would still be stored in the freezer.

Sooner or Later I'll get it all sorted out, until then there's a cup of mint chocolate cocoa calling my name...

This is for a friend & I thought maybe someone might also find it useful.

For canning: the easiest vegetable is tomatoes and fruit is apples. Now let me type you through doing something with those apples - if you screw up & they go bad you WILL know it because there will be mold.

1. Fill your canning kettle to the top line or just slightly below. It will be a heavy mother so be careful carrying it or use a pitcher. Put on the lid and turn on the fire. Use a back burner if possible - kids safety - but your stove & physical build might not make this possible. Do this first as it takes forever to get to a good boil and if it starts before you need it just add more water once in a while.

2. Have a dish washer? put your clean jars in & the rings. Either turn on now (if you have heat dry wait if not) OR put clean jars & rings in a cake pan (sides).

3. Put lids in a sauce pan with some water to cover them. Set on the other back burner.

4. Peel & core your apples for your recipe - applesauce is my suggestion because it's smashed apples & some sugar (if you choose) Much easier than jelly and a bit easier than jam.

5. Start cooking

6. Now turn on dishwasher or put the jars in the oven at 200F for at least 15 minutes  AND turn on saucepan with lids. According to the newest recommendations a clean jar that will be waterbath canned for at least 10 minutes does not need to be sterilized. I recommend heating the jars so it isn't hot food into cold jar which might mean a break (they just crack weird not explosively shatter). There is a good discussion at this site. www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=323599

7. Saucepan with lids boiling? Good turn off and leave until needed they are sterile and the hot water will keep the rubber soft.

8. Applesauce bubbly? Good turn off the heat.

9. Spread a tea towel on the counter to catch drips & as a pot holder for the jar bottoms. Set the jars on the towel and in one jar measure down a 1/2 inch. Look and see where that kinda is.

10. Dip your funnel in the boiling canning kettle for a minute. Put it on the closest jar & fill your jar. The 1/4 or 1/2 is more for fair competitions than an extreme safety thing. You want to get as much in a jar as possible without the food boiling out and possible messing up the seal during the water bath. SO fill to your previously measured line. For us & the old people in the family we stop close to where the spirals begin (unless it is a fair entry)

11. Jar full? Take the funnel out and set in next jar. Take that clear plastic thingy in the canning kit put it inside the jar next to the outside and go around the jar. This is to release air bubbles, I've used a metal butter knife but now have one of those thingies. Then with a damp rag wipe around the rim just in case any food got on the jar. Take the magnetic lid grabber and get a lid, set on top, get a ring and twist down but not muscle-guy tight, just on the jar.

12. All your jars full? set them in the canning rack. Don't be surprised if only 6-8 pints fit - it depends on the way the rack is made. Just one jar per section & one for the middle that way nothing touches. Now set the rack in the boiling water. Some tip over? Use the jar grabber to set upright. ummm...the curved end goes around the jar but it will work either direction, just saying.

13. Put the lid to the canner on - water about an inch over the top? Good, if not add some hot from the faucet and when everything is boiling like crazy again start the timer. If the lid makes the water boil over slide it over a bit as the lid really helps get that good boil going.

14. Timer finished? Turn the water off & replace the tea towel with a bath towel - not the spa type but a regular cheapie. Set the jars on the towel and leave them until cool - several hours at least. Hear the pings? That means they are sealing. When cool feel the top - it should not bounce up & down. Take the rings off and store jars in pantry, rings with canning stuff and put it all away. Set any that bounced up & down in the refrigerator

You can do this. See - it's even 14 steps - a good number any old day.

Applesauce varies in thinness/thickness due to growing conditions of the apples. If it is too thin for the kids use it in applesauce bread or cake.  I

If you decide to try a spread try a jam first as there is less hassle with straining juice. 

Gird up your loins and try at least once.

Your friend,
Steph

My mother in law was quite a determined lady and never so determined as when it came to having her picture taken. She had a few chosen gestures to capture forever her thoughts on the picture being taken. It leaves little for the grandchildren to look at & enjoy. From random blog hopping I found a link to a free photo tweaking site called Picnik. Using their tools I have been able to save pictures that would otherwise have been casualties of poor exposure - too dark to see anything. Better I have been able to crop & tweak to create some pictures of Grandma for the kids. Here are two of the results. Everyday Grandma...not a gesture in sight.