Mocha Madness

Quote of the Day:
"You know you have a problem when you drive by Starbucks, and your three-year old child starts violently flailing her arms and legs and yells 'Coffee!!! I need coffee MMMMOOOOMMMMYYYY!!!!!' " ~ Me
Got caffeine?

Since we're covering the basics, and no coffee establishment goes without serving hot chocolate (or mocha. By the way, have you tried Starbucks' new cocoa cappucino? It is simply to die for! I highly recommend the venti size. Ahem. Nevermind, just forget I said anything. We'll talk later...;)

You'll need this syrup for both many of the coffee and hot chocolate recipes. As recovering Starbucks mommy addicts, we absolutely cannot get through those days when our kids (who by the way are old enough to know better) draw their masterpieces with red crayons over our newly painted white walls, without a steaming hot mug of hot chocolate or better yet, mocha. Yes...it is in those moments where we need to maintain our sanity, and this cannot be accomplished without large amounts of caffeine. :) Not that this happened to me mind you. My kids are perfect angels.

Brittany's Fabulous Chocolate Syrup Recipe:
1. 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
2. 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar (depends on how sweet you want it to be; I prefer closer to two tablespoons, but you be the judge)
3. 3 tablespoons of water
4. 2 teaspoons of vanilla

Stir these ingredients together in a pot on the stove, until the syrup thickens and comes to a slight boil. For a basic hot chocolate, add as much milk as you like, a dash of cinnamon, and return the mixture to a light boil. You'll know it's ready when that milk starts foamin' and steamin'. Another little gadget that I HIGHLY recommend is a hand-held milk frother. Besides making pretty foam on the top of your coffee, it just makes you feel like a barista. It's okay, just admit it. We've all had the fantasy.

That's it, Ladies. I hate to write and run, but I think I just saw my three-year old run past me with a red crayon...