Palmyra Hot Chocolate


Palmyra Hot Chocolate

3 oz. Ghiradelli 66% Cacao chocolate bar
1 cup sugar
8 cups whole milk
1/2 cup Hershey syrup

Melt chocolate bar and sugar together in a pot. Add milk 2 cups at a time, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add syrup and come to a low boil.

Brazilian Lemonade

Photo courtesy of Our Best Bites


My friend Andrea made this for us and it tastes so good!  The recipe sounds add--adding a whole lime into the blender--but trust me, this is so good and unique!  Tastes just like the drink from Tucano's!


Brazilian Lemonade
Recipe from Our Best Bites blog
4 juicy limes (try and find ones with thin, smooth skins; they’re the juiciest and the thin skin cuts down on the chance of your drink being bitter)
1 c. sugar
6 c. cold water
6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.
Wash limes thoroughly with soap (I just use hand-dishwashing soap or regular hand soap); you need the soap to get the wax and pesticides off of the limes because you’re using the WHOLE lime, baby. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths.
Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.
Add 1/2 of the sugar water, place the lid on your blender, and pulse 5 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Dump the pulp and stuff in the strainer into the trash. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk; DO NOT leave this step out unless you will die of a horrible sweetened condensed milk allergy because this is the secret ingredient! You may want to taste test it at this point; I used giant, thick-skinned limes tonight and didn’t test it and it came out a little bitter. If it’s bitter, just add some more sugar and maybe a little more milk.
Serve immediately over lots of ice. This does not keep well, so don’t make this in advance (although you can cut the limes, mix the sugar water, and measure the sweetened condensed milk in advance). Serves 4, although I can pretty much guarantee you that people will want more; I usually plan on 1 1/2 servings at LEAST per person.

Warm Vanilla Milk

I'm sure most of you already know about this, but its my favorite wintertime drink. I cannot even drink hot chocolate anymore! I love it and now that the Texas temps are dropping, this is exactly what I need. I love to drink it right before bed because I swear it makes me sleep better. And, if you don't have one already, you need to invest in a hot chocolate machine. Its worth it, especially for this. Enjoy!
picture courtesy google images

Warm Vanilla Milk
Rachel Crofts

1 1/2 cups milk (I use a fat free/1% combo)
2 Tbs. Vanilla Syrup *

Mix your milk and syrup in a hot chocolate machine or microwave until hot. You might need to adjust syrup proportions, based on your desire for flavor. I like a slight hint instead of being overpowered by the sweetness.
* Vanilla Syrup can be found in the coffee section of your grocery store. Brands are Torani or DaVinci and they are flavor syrups, not extracts used in baking!!