The herb and spice girls.
Herbs and spices who doesn't love them?
I think back to when I was just a kid myself and the food my Mom cooked for us. She was no Giada, Martha or Barefoot Contessa when it came to herbs and spices, but her homemade breads were to die for.
Most main dishes in our house were lightly salted and spiced with pepper; I think Mom always attempted to let the raw ingredients speak for themselves instead of letting the herbs and spices help tell the saga. Needless to say, both my sisters and I learned that this was the art to cooking. We were no herb and spice girls.
So imagine what happened the first time I cooked a chicken dinner for my husband. It wasn't pretty. He accused my food of being bland and cardboard like, and he suggested that I take lessons from his mom. My husband can be blatantly honest, God love him. It's that very honest feedback that made me want to be better, do better and cook better.
Fast forward to today....where would I be without my herbs and spices? Some of my personal favourites are celery, garlic, smoked paprika, basil, fennel, thyme, oregano, cardamom, cloves, chilies, rosemary, sage, lavender, dill and mint to name a few.
Every foodie, cook, wanna-be chef like me knows that these are our secret weapons to making a killer dish.
So in honour of all the herb and spice girls in my life, in laws included, I am sharing my own special hot chocolate blend that will warm you up from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp. instant coffee
1/2 cup dry milk powder
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 square bakers white chocolate, shaved
2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of cardamom
whole milk
Combine dry ingredients into an airtight container and shake.
To make up the hot chocolate use one heaping tablespoon per every cup of warm milk. Top with whipped cream and chocolate sauce or marshmallows.
Cozy up with someone special and enjoy!
I think back to when I was just a kid myself and the food my Mom cooked for us. She was no Giada, Martha or Barefoot Contessa when it came to herbs and spices, but her homemade breads were to die for.
Most main dishes in our house were lightly salted and spiced with pepper; I think Mom always attempted to let the raw ingredients speak for themselves instead of letting the herbs and spices help tell the saga. Needless to say, both my sisters and I learned that this was the art to cooking. We were no herb and spice girls.
So imagine what happened the first time I cooked a chicken dinner for my husband. It wasn't pretty. He accused my food of being bland and cardboard like, and he suggested that I take lessons from his mom. My husband can be blatantly honest, God love him. It's that very honest feedback that made me want to be better, do better and cook better.
Fast forward to today....where would I be without my herbs and spices? Some of my personal favourites are celery, garlic, smoked paprika, basil, fennel, thyme, oregano, cardamom, cloves, chilies, rosemary, sage, lavender, dill and mint to name a few.
Every foodie, cook, wanna-be chef like me knows that these are our secret weapons to making a killer dish.
So in honour of all the herb and spice girls in my life, in laws included, I am sharing my own special hot chocolate blend that will warm you up from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp. instant coffee
1/2 cup dry milk powder
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 square bakers white chocolate, shaved
2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of cardamom
whole milk
Combine dry ingredients into an airtight container and shake.
To make up the hot chocolate use one heaping tablespoon per every cup of warm milk. Top with whipped cream and chocolate sauce or marshmallows.
Cozy up with someone special and enjoy!
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