Hot Cocoa Ho-ness

Hot cocoa is a Cheek chilly weather ritual recently renewed. Had an "aha" moment when I first scrounged a few years back to whip up a cup from Hershey's cocoa powder, and recognized it as my Grandma's hot chocolate. A strong, provocative memory - as she died when I was six.

I believe I've perfected the ritual of assembling hot cocoa goodness. Follow these steps for a single cup:

1. Select your cocoa with care. I choose a powdered mix for convenience, as I ain't gonna get all Martha Stewart-y and select solid chocolate. Good on ya if that's your druther. Pick a powder of substance. No individual packages. And if you call Swiss Miss good stuff, stop reading now and get a life. Darker is better. Free trade if you can find it. Shown here is Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate.

2. Put a cup of milk (8 ounces, or 1/4 litre for you metric types) in a 2-cup glass measuring cup and nuke on high in the microwave for 2 min 45 sec, or until it bubbles up. Be vigilant until you know your machine's time for boiling milk, as cleaning up the boiled over mess is a pain in the a**. Use at least 1 percent milk - skim milk is not worthy.

3. While the milk is cookin', measure out the recommended powder into an oversized cup. If the 'structions call for less than a cup o' milk, do the math and increase the ratio of powder to balance with 1 cup o' milk. Yes, you may have to deal with fractions for the first time since high school. Build a bridge and get over it.

4. Poor enough of the pipin' hot milk to just cover the powder, then mix thoroughly.


5. Slowly pour the rest of the milk into the cup, stirring constantly.

6. Add copious amounts of whipped cream, and top with your sprinkle of choice (mine is nutmeg).


The goal is to mitigate the hot cocoa suck factor of wasted goodness at the bottom of the cup. When made as directed above, your quaffing will yield no suck factor.


The fickle Atlanta spring has me guessing as to which day will bring the season's last hot cocoa experience, but the blooms about town hint that it will be soon.

Easter Peeps

SmashAsh gracefully hosted Easter supper and put out a righteous southern spread ... baked ham, fried okra, squash and tomato casserole (a Cheek fave!), creamed corn, baked sweet potatoes, and scalloped taters brought by JackolAsh. Young KK slaved 'til the wee hours over a layerlicious yellow cake with yummy fudge icing - effort much appreciated. The kids' Easter baskets were filled with peeps of many colors - SmashAsh was particularly pleased to have found purple ones this year.

Her urchins struck poses for this year's Easter photos - such 'tudes! You'd never know they were all goosebumply - real troopers for the family photo cause.


SmashAsh's brood are quite photogenic. Their spring famdamily photos were snapped last Easter in the back yard chez Swede - and dang, these urchins are cute.


Easter weekend was quite chilly in Atlanta - the last gasp of winter found many with their grump on, but it was a serendipitous thang chez Cheek. It afforded wonderful fires Friday night for dinner with Kimplicated, and again last night for just me and the not so wee chats.


Thought I'd retired the hot cocoa for the season as well, but the free trade stuff from Trader Joe's came back out of the cupboard - how fortunate that a bit o' Redi Whip was still in the fridge! Ah, quaffing cocoa by the fire, catching up with peeps southern and Canuckian, chillin' with the kitties. A fine Easter Sunday's night.