I wanna...

...hot cup of cocoa with a marshmallow or two.

That's my all time favorite winter song.  I just love to hear my kids sing it in school programs.  Usually, I'm the annoying/dorky mom singing right along with them.

I've been watching my kids drink hot cocoa all winter, and I myself have not had a drop, because of my NO SUGAR thing.  Well...this weekend when I discovered my coco-motion sitting unused way back in the deepest darkest depths of the most awkward to use cupboard (you know the one I'm talking about don't you?), I decided I had had enough (don't you love it when you get to use "had" twice in a row like that?).

I dug that thing out of there and started throwing stuff into it.  You know what I discovered?  Hot cocoa only needs 3, yes that's right, 3 ingredients to be delicious.  *Note: there is an optional 4th ingredient to give it an extra kick.

Here they are:

2 C milk

1/4 C cocoa powder

1 Tbsp splenda

Dash of cinnamon (optional)
Makes 2 servings

Yep, that's all there is to it.  Throw those three things into your coco-motion, and let it whirl.  In about two minutes, you will have the most deliciously rich dark hot cocoa you've ever had.  

Your taste buds will thank you.

My New Toy

My husband gives me the best gifts ever.  He is thoughtful and does his research big time.  His birthday and Christmas are stressful for me trying to keep up.  To which he lovingly reminds me that I am his gift, and that's all he needs.  Still, it seems he gets the raw end of the deal.

This Christmas he did it again. 

After 10 years of  cooking for my crew, I am now the proud owner of a food processor.  You would think I would have one of those toys already.  But the young, naive bride that I was did not think a food processor was worth the cupboard space.  So away it went to goodwill.  I've been kicking myself for years.  

Well, no more kicking.  This one is here to stay.

Let me give you an idea just how awesome this thing is, and how much time I save:

*chopped almonds- 30 seconds

*bread crumbs- 20 seconds

*this dessert crust- 20 seconds

*salad dressing- 5 seconds

*crushed ice- 30 seconds

There are so many more options I can't wait to try.

I love my new toy.  

New Beginnings

Welcome to my blog!  This is my first official post of this new blog.  I hope there will be many more to follow.   

It seems like introductions are in order...but I don't yet know how anonymous (or not) I want to be.  So I will be cryptic....here it goes:

I am a wife and mother of three.  I love to spend my time avoiding chores by cooking, reading, running, sometimes crafting, and watching tv. Recently we uprooted our home on one side of the country and moved to the other side.  It's different out here, good different; I like the change.   I'm a bit of a grammar and punctuation nut. (Note all of the commas, colons, semi-colons, and parenthesis.)  I will try not to go too crazy with it. 

I've been a non-committal blogger for a couple of years now.  In fact, I have another food blog that I gave up on.

  It just wasn't working for me. So I'm starting this one.

 Some friends, IRL, (here, here, and here) have,  inspired me to commit. They are committed and I love to read what they have to say.

So here I am committing.

To get things started, we're going to satisfy a sweet tooth, because really life is so much easier, happier, more gratifying (pick your adjective) with that satisfaction. 

In an effort to eat healthier this year, I am cutting out refined sugar as much as possible. That makes satisfying the sweet tooth a bit more difficult, but it is possible.  This dessert is something my mom made growing up.  It's completely sugar free, and it still tastes great.  It is not, however, fat free, so beware.

Chocolate Delight

1 C. flour

1 stick butter

1 C. finely chopped pecans

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 large package instant chocolate pudding (sugar-free)

4 C. milk

1 pint whipping cream

1/3-1/2 cup splenda

Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, pecans, and butter in a food processor, until crumb like. Press into 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 20 min. Cool.

Pudding layer:  With electric mixer, beat cream cheese until soft.  Add milk, 1/2 cup at a time. Let the milk and cheese mix together after each addition.  Add pudding powder, beat for 2 minutes. Pour over cooled crust. Refrigerate until set.

Whipped cream layer: Beat whipping cream with electric mixer until stiff.  Add splenda to desired sweetness, while cream is beating.  Spread whipped cream on top of pudding layer.  

Refrigerate until ready to eat.

So there you have it...my first of many delicious recipes.  Go try it out!