My Favorite Self-Help Stuff

Easy spiced hot chocolate is my latest guilty pleasure. I generally use the sugar-free hot chocolate mixes as a base, but it will work just as well with the sugar-containing ones.

I got the idea when I found a curried sugar-free hot chocolate mix on Ebay — it was so overpriced, though, that I didn’t order it — and when I finally decided to buy one just to try it, it had become unavailable

So one day, I decided to experiment…

I often have a mug of hot chocolate in the evening — generally I get the sugar-free version, and I mix it with half low-fat milk (cold) and half very hot water. Because I like my mugs huge, I usually need two packets to get the right flavor and consistency.

But one day, I decided to add some spice to my hot chocolate. I experimented with various combinations, and found that my favorite is a little (1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon?) Garam Masala powder and a little (same amount) Spice Hunter Curry Powder. If you want things spicier still, you can use more (or less) and/or add cayenne pepper to taste.

Pumpkin spice mix works nicely too (a slightly different effect though). The possibilities are endless.

Yumm. And you know what? I discovered I only need one hot chocolate mix packet when I add the spices.

If you’d like to try it yourself, you might want to experiment with different spices to taste. You can mix them with the hot chocolate powder first, then add water and finally the milk, especially if you don’t like things clumpy. Experiment and enjoy.

BTW, a few days ago, I read to my great amusement that “they” have discovered to their great surprise (!) that hot chocolate mixes taste MUCH better if you add milk. They had to do a study to figure this out???

Meanwhile, have a great day, enjoy your hot chocolate or whatever you’re having, and if you come across a particularly good combination, please let me know at supportATmyfavoriteselfhelpstuffDOTcom.

P.S.: I finally tracked down a bag of that high-priced mix that inspired the whole thing, and you know what? I liked it a lot, but I liked my own mix even better!

You may or may not. If you want to try the special fancy curried mix, you can find it at www.eSutras.com (and it’s quite a bit cheaper there than it used to be on Ebay, though it remains a pretty premium-priced product).

Chocolate? Melt-in-your-mouth creamy? Easy to make? Not particularly expensive?

I’m not really big on cooking, and so when there’s a potluck coming up, I generally just go to the store and grab something delicious-looking. But this year, I had a flash of sudden inspiration…

And I’m going to share it with you, what with the theme of the “edible gifts” book I’m giving away from now all the way through Christmas Eve as a bonus when you sign up for my e-musings and e-tips, also known as newsletters, though I have to say they’re sometimes kind of informal (surprise…)

(I’ll send you the link for the e-book by personal email AFTER you confirm your subscription)(unless I manage to get around to set up the automated thing).

So here goes my potluck story:

I happen to love those little mini cream puffs. I rarely buy them for myself, especially since I’m trying to stick to a mostly low-carb diet. So any excuse I can find… I’ve brought buckets of them to potluck functions over the years.

This year, though, would be different: What if I dipped them in chocolate?

I got a big bucket of the cream puffs at Sam’s Club (80 for less than 9 bucks). Then I stopped at my local grocery store to investigate what chocolate-y thing I could dip them in to make sure they had the right texture.

I actually asked the clerk, who pointed me to something that didn’t seem quite right. Then I headed to the produce section to see if maybe they had something. After all, the chocolate-dipped strawberries seem to be big these days. No luck!

Mercifully, a lady shopping nearby pointed me to the chocolate chips, which I could melt in the microwave oven. Yay!

They even had a sale on Hershey’s chips. And some of the chips had melting instructions on the back. So I was all set.

I got the mint chocolate ones, which turned out to be perfect. I even added a secret ingredient to give the chocolate a smoother texture: coconut oil. About a tablespoon per cup of chips. Yummm.

Then I dipped the cream puffs in the melted chocolate after sticking in toothpicks for easier handling, set them on plates covered with wax paper and let them cool in the fridge.

At the party, they all disappeared in a hurry, once word had gotten around. Somebody even told me she had never tasted anything this delicious, not a compliment I’m used to getting!

So all you need is a bucket of mini cream puffs, a bag of chocolate chips (mint work extremely well, but you may want to experiment with other flavors too — or even several different ones if you’re making a big batch.

And, well, coconut oil is really healthy they say! It goes incredibly well with chocolate, so you may want to spring for a jar and keep it around. It’s supposed to help fire up the old metabolism too, so imagine that: chocolate-covered cream puffs that help you lose weight! Is this a winning recipe or what?

I hope you’re enjoying the pre-holiday season and maybe a batch of those chocolate-dipped cream puffs or whatever yummy other dessert you’re making.

I’m going to go see the tacky light show in the next few days, and maybe I’ll post some pictures

Have an amazing day!

Elisabeth

Home