HOMECOOKINGCHRONICLES
A cup of Christmas joy
Hot chocolate, the slow
and satisfying way
After years of resisting, I gave in and
bought a faux Christmas tree. An artifi cial
tree always seemed like it produced 22%
less Christmas joy and cheer to me. How-
ever, not driving around with an evergreen
lassoed to the top of my car made it seem
worthwhile. I took the plunge.
And what happened? My new faux
Christmas tree electrocuted me.
When the middle section of the pre-lit
tree did not light, I assumed it was a loose
bulb. I checked each tiny bulb and that’s
when it occurred. Due to a manufacturing
fl aw, two bare electrical wires were hid-
den in the foliage waiting to strike. And
zap, a bolt of hand tingling electricity shot
through my body. Mother Nature would
not do this to me.
I now believe an artifi cial tree produces
88% less Christmas joy and cheer. Let’s be
clear, if your artifi cial tree sparks Christ-
mas joy, stick with it. I assume, though,
that it has never treated you to a galvanic
jolt.
My “simpler” faux tree resulted in hours
on the phone and eating an entire pint of
ice cream to soothe my frayed nerves.
Holiday life is complicated and hec-
tic. What I thought would be easy and
quick was not, and I missed out on a slow-
er-paced holiday ritual. This happens in
the kitchen as well. We’ve all passed over
slower step-by-step, everything-by-hand
cooking in favor of pre made and eff ortless.
One of my favorite holiday splurges is
hot chocolate. I’ve opened many Swiss
Miss packets (for the record, it isn’t even
Swiss!), but when I’m feeling extravagant,
I rip into a Ghirardelli Peppermint Hot
Cocoa mix. Sure, it’s deli-
cious and quick, but it’s like
my artifi cial tree. I miss out
on the ceremony, the satis-
faction and the ritual of the
real thing.
Since my replacement
faux tree has already arrived,
I’m all-in on real, home-
made hot chocolate this sea-
son. It’s a few more steps
than ripping open a package,
but the anticipation of slowly
stirring the components,
rather than waiting for the
microwave to ding, brings a
sense of cozy homeliness .
There’s always something
unexpected that happens
during the holiday. When
Christmas calamity strikes
(like for instance, your
Christmas tree turns on you),
savor the pleasure of sneak-
ing away for a homemade
cup of real hot chocolate.
ened cocoa powder
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (more or
less to taste)
Directions
In a saucepan, mix the chocolate, cocoa
powder and 1/2 of the milk over low heat.
Stir continuously until the chocolate is melted.
Add the rest of the milk and the salt. Stir
and heat the milk through.
Stir in the sugar (to taste) and warm for
another 1 to 2 minutes. Pour into a mug and
top with softly whipped cream, if desired.
Brian Medford is the owner of Idlewild
Biscuits and Bakes in Astoria. He teaches
cooking classes at The Pantry in Seattle. Con-
tact him at blmedford@gmail.com.
CrosswordAnswers
A
C
L
U
T
O
O
N
C
O
B
S
O
R
A
L
O
U
N
C
E
C
A
T
C
H
U
R
B
A
N
I
N
A
N
E
O
R
C
S
M
T A L
A
A L O
K S M I T
E A T
R
M W A H
P E
M O B
O
N O
G G A G E H
O U G H
O
S L U E D
T P A T I E
I S
T O M
C
O N E
K E D
N
S N A R E D
T R E E
V I L E N G
O R A K
R
T E
I C A
E T
N A V
D Y
G R E
E
M
T
A
H
M
E N A
L A B
D I
S I R
A N D
D E
A
N T C
C A T
A M
A I L
O
W I S
I N E
E A L
N S O
I E S
E C E
A
R
O
U
S
E
S
C
U
L
P
T
L
A
L
O
E
X
P
O
S
T
R
E
E
T
T
E
A
R
O
B
E
S
H
A
S
T
E
U P
N A
E R
T
C I
P E
F I R
R
I L S
A C A
R D I
S L
S
O
C H N
T E
V A N
P O
R
P
A S E
G O T
E W S
V
A
L
E
T
T
O
O
D
L
E
O
O
N
A
V
I
B
A
S
I
C
S
R E
O E
C O
F
F
A
D
L
A
I
R
O
A
D
S
T
R
Y
S
T
P
O
L
Y
T
H
E
I
S
T
A
L
I
T
O
L
E
P
E
R
D
A
T
A
O
N
Y
X
T
A
L
L
I
C
E
E
C
H
E
X
Homemade Hot Cocoa
Ingredients
Serves 2
Brian Medford • 2 ounces semisweet or
Homemade hot chocolate provides a sense of calm amid the
dark chocolate
holiday rush.
• 2 tablespoons unsweet-
facebook.com/CoastWeekend
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021 // 15