Autumn in a cup

Even though our weather has been really wet and chilly off and on recently, I still haven't felt that little intangible bit of crispness in the air that makes me realize it's officially autumn. All the signs are there, of course. The kids are a month into school, soccer is in full swing and there are pots of mums sitting out in front of my local grocery store.


There are piles of pumpkins, too, leading me to my annual question of who buys pumpkins the middle of September? What must they look like by Halloween? We all love pumpkin, and I cook with it a lot, especially this time of year, but decorative pumpkins six weeks ahead of the fact always puzzles me.


But in our house there's one thing that is always a sure indicator that Fall is right around the corner. It's when I make up a huge bag of hot cocoa mix and stock up on mini-marshmallows. And that's exactly what I did today. (All three of the kids requested it within about twelve hours of each other. Interestingly, I already had the ingredients on my shopping list. Clearly, we're related).


Here's the basic mix that's been around for a zillion years:


25 5/8 ounces nonfat dry milk powder
6 ounces powdered non-dairy creamer
2 cups powdered sugar
16 ounce container instant chocolate drink mix


Everything gets mixed up in a (really big) plastic bag. (I use the same three gallon ziplocs that I keep knitting projects in. This recipe makes a lot). Once it's all ready, throw a couple of tablespoons of the mix into a cup of hot water and you have cocoa in less than a minute. Even better, the kids have been able to do it themselves for years, which makes me pretty happy, too.


There are as many variations on this recipe as there are cooks, and I'm guilty of customizing my mix, too. The original isn't chocolately enough for us, so I mess with it. Here's how I tweak it:


I use a nice, high quality dark chocolate instant chocolate drink mix.


I add a fair amount of plain old cocoa powder to the mix.


Sometimes I use a french vanilla flavored dry creamer.


And I add a bunch of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg.


I've even made it with Splenda instead of sugar, and it works perfectly.


When we're actually adding the mix to the water, sometimes we put in a drop of mint, orange or vanilla extract, or some mini chocolate chips (mint chips are good). Mini-marshmallows are mandatory, and if there happens to be a little cool whip in the house, no one says no. Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top if the mood strikes.


And drink to Fall. My very favorite season.

The Thursday Three

Maybe it’s the change of seasons, maybe it’s my (grr) teenager or maybe I’m just old. Whatever the reason I’ve had comfort on my mind lately. I’ve been thinking about

Simple Pleasures

We all have things that make us feel happy even if there are wolves howling at the door and teenagers baying at the fridge. Little rituals or routines or even habits that lift the spirit and improve the mood. For this list let’s talk about the simple ones. You don’t have to go to some exotic island to feel good. (Although I wouldn’t shake a stick at it). You just have to know what you like.

#1. Hot beverages. Mostly I’m a coffee drinker, but I consume my share of hot tea as well. I’m not fit for human company until I’ve had at least one cup of coffee in the morning. Throw in a little milk, bypass the sugar – I’m a happy camper. For some reason that I’ve never been able to figure out, in the Fall I like flavored coffees or creamers, although the rest of the year I avoid them like the plague. Go figure.

However, I really only drink coffee in the morning, so from then on it’s tea for me. Sometimes I make cardamom tea because it reminds me of my dad, but mostly I just drink black tea with milk and sugar. Or Earl Grey or Constant Comment, both of which I love. When I was sick when I was little my mom would make me Constant Comment and float orange slices in it. Aaahhh….

#2. Squishy socks. I absolutely, completely adore thick, soft socks. I’m not as crazy about scratchy ones, even when they’re warm, but I’ll still wear them. I can’t even honestly say that my feet are always cold, because they aren’t. I just love socks. Maybe I’m related to Albus Dumbledore and have a familial sock fetish.

On days I work I have my lucky socks. They’re plain old white athletic socks from Costco but they make me wiggle my toes with happiness all day. They are the best athletic socks ever. I always wear my battered black Crocs at work and the combination of squishy socks and comfy crocs rocks.

My world anyway.

#3. A Clean House. At heart I’m really a tidy, organized
person. I just happen to live in a home full of rabid sloths. I love a clean house. I don’t even mind doing the cleaning, to tell the truth. What demoralizes me is how fast all my work gets undone. Between the kids and the dogs, I don’t have a chance.

This starts a vicious cycle. I get disgusted because the house is a sty, so I stop even trying to keep up with it. On one hand this eliminates the problem of having my work trashed, but then eventually I turn into bitch woman because I hate living in a filthy house. Ultimately one day I get so angry that I go on a furious cleaning spree and I feel good. Until it gets destroyed again.

But it sure does feel good while it lasts.

Tag. You’re It.

The Thursday Three

Today let's talk about...

My Three Favorite Comfort Foods

Now normally I'm more of a cold weather comfort food eater, but things have been stressful around here lately, and I find myself reaching out for my trusty stand-bys. It's funny, because no matter how "grown up" my taste buds have become, my most beloved comfort foods haven't changed in years. You could even call all three of them "kid foods" if you wanted to. Maybe that's part of the comfort appeal. Whatever it is, they usually do the trick.

#1. Mashed Potatoes. I like them kind of lumpy and with butter, salt and pepper. No gravy. If you're feeling especially in need of comforting you can even play with them for a while before you eat them. Gotta do something to cool them down, right? I don't make mashed potatoes a lot, to tell the truth, and when I do they've usually got something else in them, like roasted garlic or cheese. But I order them often whenever I'm eating at any restaurant that has diner-like tendencies. The cafeteria at work usually has pretty good mashed potatoes, and sometimes during a really insane day I'll run down for a quick take out and a sanity break. It usually fixes me right up.

#2. Peanut Butter. I could write a love poem to peanut butter. I love it that much. I prefer chunky, but I don't play favorites. We have a split household on chunky/creamy, so we always have both on hand. Sometimes if I can't make up my mind I put chunky on one side of the bread and creamy on the other and just slap 'em together. No jelly, just PB, although I do adore it with apple or pumpkin butter. The bread is absolutely non-essential too. Apple slices and bananas always taste better with a little smear. I have been known to just grab a tablespoon and get to business with the jar. If I'm really in the dumps and have some chocolate chips on hand I load up the spoon with PB and then dip it in the chocolate chips. Repeat as needed.

#3. Popcorn. The longest years of my life were when I had braces and couldn't eat popcorn, because this is my most favorite comfort food. No contest. I'm a purist, though. I'll eat microwave popcorn in a crisis, but I'd really rather not. I like it made in a real pot, with oil. I always intentionally scorch the bottom a little bit so there are some slighly burned kernels. Sprinke with seasoning salt (or red salt, as my kids call it) and eat the whole bowl. I don't like butter on popcorn and don't see the point of air popped. Lately, I've been lightly dusting it with chipotle powder and garlic powder and it's out of this world if you like spicy. When I'm home alone this is my lunch more days than not, and I can feel my blood pressure go down with the first handful. Never fails.

Does anyone else notice that this list appears to have been brought to you by the letter P? Strange, huh? So in keeping with the P theme...

People Please Publish Personal Preferences. Or as we say in non P-ville, let's hear about your favorite comfort foods...please?