Cocoa

One of the hardest things to give up has been that lovely bacon-and-eggs breakfast that I indulged in when nursing our youngest. Between losing weight and dietary restrictions, I might indulge in the occasional hash browns, but the Full Irish must, alas, be but a distant memory, at least for a while.

To compensate, I've been indulging myself with a mid-morning cocoa.

Now, as a child, breakfast was not my thing. My mother used to jokingly remind me that as a baby, I liked two big meals: one mid-morning, one mid-afternoon. I'm still not a morning person, as our exchange student has learned (I may look awake, but I'm not), and I still don't like most breakfast foods. If I can't have a greasy mess, forget it.

So, after putting in an hour or two at work, I shuffle upstairs and make myself cocoa. Last year at this time, I was using eggnog, thinned with milk (too thick otherwise), but this year, doctor's orders means being creative. I've been experimenting with Silk Soy Nog. It's quite good with Green and Black's Hot Chocolate. Other good combinations are made with almond milk (Blue Diamond's vanilla Almond Breeze is an excellent base). My standby is vanilla almond milk with Ghirardelli Double Chocolate, but I have a whole collection of chocolate to add to hot (almond) milk: the aforementioned Green & Black's, which also comes in an incredibly tasty version called Maya Gold, with cinnamon and chili; Ghirardelli's collection, including the double chocolate, hazelnut (once that's back on the menu) and mocha (for mornings where I need a kick start); and the old standby of Cadbury drinking chocolate. I'm fortunate to have my husband's work colleagues who visit regularly from Ireland, and they keep us in good supply (I trade them peanut brittle and jelly bellies for it).

My mid-morning cocoa break is now over, and I shall get back to work.