Get some cocoa powder, coconut milk, and other milk of choice on your way home from work/school/etc. because you’re going to want to celebrate…

National Hot Chocolate Day!

I heard about the holiday on twitter earlier and decided to whip up something for the special event. I actually tried googling to learn more about the holiday, but as it turns out (like it does with many of these food or at least lesser-known holidays) there are multiple National Hot Chocolate Days. But who needs a legit holiday to celebrate something as simple as hot chocolate, right?

That’s what I’m going with…

WIth my newly-found excuse to make hot chocolate, I decided to work up a recipe for something else inspired by twitter – coconut milk hot chocolate. I tried this once a year or so ago when I heard a twitter friend mention it on a particularly cold and dreary day, except I used 100% coconut milk for the recipe. As it turns out, too much of a good thing really can be…well, not so good. The full-coconut milk hot chocolate was just so-so. I found it to be too thick and rich (perhaps because I was using the canned version instead of the carton type?).

Lesson learned. This time, I followed my trick for making oatmeal with coconut milk – I went 50% coconut milk and 50% something else. When I make oatmeal, the other 50% is usually water. Today, for the hot cocoa, I decided to use some rice milk.

And since I was feeling really festive, I also whipped up (literally) some whipped cream for the top. Mmm…

Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate

It doesn’t have to be National Hot Chocolate Day for you to enjoy this cozy drink. Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate yields a tasty twist on this classic dessert beverage. As for making the drink from scratch…For most of my life I used packaged hot chocolate mixes to make hot chocolate, but from-scratch really takes very little additional effort. I made mine stovetop, but you could easily adjust the recipe to make it quicker in the microwave. Oh, and if you’re feeling particularly lazy, you can try skipping the step of mixing the cocoa powder in a separate bowl by putting it straight in the pot…however, I find that usually creates lumps making the extra step useful. And I only used 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder, which I thought tasted plenty rich, true chocoholics may want to add 1-2 additional teaspoons.

Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 1 (but you can easily multiply for fellow chocoholics)

*Vegetarian, Vegan if you use vegan milks and whipped cream*

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut milk (canned), or sub carton version for a lighter flavor or sub other milk of choice if you really want
• 1/2 cup rice milk, plus 1-2 tablespoons (or sub other milk of choice, but please read above story before using coconut here, too)
• 2 rounded teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• sweetener of choice, to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon of agave syrup)
• whipped cream, optional, for serving

Directions:

1. Place coconut milk and 1/2 cup rice milk in a small pot over medium low heat.
2. Meanwhile, place cocoa powder and extra tablespoon of rice milk in a small bowl. Whisk until a paste/thick mixture forms and powder is absorbed. Add additional tablespoon of rice milk, if needed.
3. Whisk cocoa mixture into milk mixture. Heat till hot but not boiling.
4. Pour into a mug and top with whipped cream, if using.
5. Serve and enjoy once the drink is cool enough to safely drink.

Enjoy!

***

PS: It’s the last day of Eat in Month! Gotta admit…I can’t wait to eat out again! lol

***

Reader question: Are you celebrating National Hot Chocolate Day today? Do you prefer “regular” hot chocolate or a particular flavor?

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Hubby and I had a pretty low key weekend, which was great for me. I’m in serious need of more down time. We pretty much just relaxed, took care of a few things around the house, and enjoyed some good eats. We did get the chance to make it out to a neat exhibition in town – Mummies of the World. I’ve watched a couple historical shows on mummies recently, so it was interesting to see in person.

Anywho, I made something fun this weekend and wanted to share with you guys…

A Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. Mmm…

I realize it’s a bit late in the season (or completely past the season…whatevs), but timing hasn’t always been one of my strong points. I had a can of pumpkin I didn’t want taking up space in my pantry till next fall, so I decided to go ahead and open it for some everyday eats.

I based the smoothie on my Blueberry Pie Smoothie with a couple simple ingredient swaps. Pumpkin was obviously the star ingredient, but I also added one of my favorite, staple smoothie ingredients – banana. I think bananas give smoothies a nice texture and add natural sweetness, so I like to include them in most smoothies I make.

Hello beta-carotene!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Here’s a great way to use leftover (and healthful) canned pumpkin. I did a play on my Blueberry Pie Smoothie with a new flavor profile. You could add canned pumpkin to any ole smoothie, but paired with oats, cinnamon, and vanilla, you get a more pie-like flavor, which is way more fun.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla almond milk (or other non-dairy or dairy milk), sweetened (or use unsweetened milk, dairy or non-dairy – just also add a drop of vanilla and your sweetener of choice, to taste) – see notes above
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon pumpkin (this will yield a light pumpkin flavor – add more to taste)
• 2 ice cubes
• dash-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, to taste (or sub pumpkin pie spice)

Directions:

1. Combine milk and oats in a medium bowl/pyrex and let rest in refrigerator for 5 minutes.
2. Combine milk/oat mixture, banana, pumpkin, ice cubes, and cinnamon in a blender. Blend till ingredients are combined and smooth, about 1-2 minutes, or until smoothie reaches your desired consistency.
3. Enjoy!

You may also enjoy:

• Blueberry Pie Smoothie
• Figgy Green Monster Smoothie (tastes like cake batter!)
• Healthy Cookies ‘N Cream Smoothie

Reader question: Do you only eat pumpkin in one season or all year long?

Lately, I’ve been uninspired to get out of bed in the morning. Why? I’m going to be honest with you. Work is kicking my a$$ and stressing me out big time. And if you’re in the same boat, I have a breakfast idea that may help make you ready to take on the day.

I normally don’t like talking about work on my blog, but you know what? If any of my co-workers were actually reading this, I think they’d be nodding their head and saying, “I hear ya, girl! Me too!” Our current work environment is very stressful and picking up stream. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel when our current project gets released in just a few short weeks. And then, we can all be normal again.

So, what do you do when you aren’t quite ready to face the day? Find something to help get you going. May I present…

Nutella Swirl Oatmeal!

This is really so simple to make.

Here’s my Non-Recipe:

Just make your choice of oatmeal (I like stove top, and the bowl pictured is made with pumpkin). Take however much Nutella you feel like eating (I used 1 tablespoon), and put it in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the Nutella until it becomes soft and easy to pour (15-30 seconds should do it). Use two spoons to scoop and pour the Nutella into a swirl design (or carefully pour the Nutella straight from the bowl). Top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy.

I’m really loving this idea of finding a reason to get out of bed when you’re otherwise uninspired. I think I’ll have to brainstorm some more ideas like this one!

Reader question: What tricks do you use to start the day when you’re not feeling so ready for it? What’s your get-out-of-bed inspiration?

I made one of the easiest and tastiest things recently – garlic knots. I’ve been enjoying these things for years, but I never really thought to try to make them at home before. I don’t even have a good excuse, I just never tried it for some reason. Good thing I have Eat in Month to inspire me to try new things at home.

And it turns out…if you use store-bought pizza dough, garlic knots are so easy a caveman? no, a husband? anyone can do it.

But first, I’d like to share a couple random Bailey photos. Here’s Bailey modeling the new Duke shirt his grandmother bought him.

And here he is just after carrying the newspaper in. Yup, he fetches our paper and the mail!

But, enough about Bailey, back to the garlic knots. Hubby and I had another pizza night at the Chic house recently, and the ball of dough hubby got from the store was gigantic. I decided it was too large to fit on the pizza stone, so I tore off a couple pieces of dough to experiment with these garlic knots. Plus, I figured we could snack on these while the pizza baked.

These things were so simplistic, there’s really no need for a full-on recipe, especially since I used store-bought pizza dough, so I’ll just share some of the basics. I’m betting a lot of you already know how to make these, so for those who do, feel free to chime in (with a comment) with your tips.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• store-bought pizza dough
• butter, I used about 1 teaspoon for 4 garlic knots – try to sit it out for a bit so it softens
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley (or use 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• a sprinkle of salt, to taste
• feel free to add other toppings of choice – maybe oregano, red pepper flakes, or rosemary

To make the garlic knots, I basically tore off four small pieces of the dough, roughly 1/4-1/3 cup each. I took each piece, rolled it into a long log and tied it into a knot. I baked them in a pre-heated 350 oven (on a cornmeal dusted pizza stone) for about 20-25 minutes, until nice and golden brown on top. Bake time will probably vary from dough to dough, and you may want to check your dough for suggested baking temperature, too.

I placed the butter, parsley, garlic, and salt in a bowl and topped it with the hot garlic knots. I used the heat of the freshly-baked knots to help melt the butter. I tossed the garlic knots in the bowl until they were evenly coated.

And that’s it.

I think I actually liked the garlic knots better than the pizza we made with the rest of the dough. Anywho, I think these would be fun to make the next time we’re entertaining. I bet kids would like helping the adults form the knots, too.

Ooh…just had another good idea – cinnamon-sugar knots! Maybe I’ll try those next time.

Reader question: What are your favorite garlic knot toppings?

There’s a little under a week left of Eat in Month, and I’m pretty excited about February getting here. But, I’m not letting EIM keep me from any fun.

I hadn’t seen my friend, Dana, in awhile, so when she IMed me the other day about getting dinner, I was initially really excited. Then, I remembered I was still in EIM. But my sweet friend offered to just have me over for dinner instead.

She made this delicious chicken-creole dish. It was comforting and had just the right amount of spice to it. I’ll have to ask her for the recipe.

Has anyone else been doing entertaining “in” for EIM?

***

With one week left in Eat in Month, or if you are trying to slow down on your take-out splurging, I thought I’d share some TCL recipes/non-recipes you could whip up to re-create take-out in the comfort of your home.

5 Take-Out-Like Meals to Make at Home

(Most are recipes, one is a non-recipe…which is more like a tip/idea post)

1. Easy Pizza Night – the most commonly ordered take-out in our house

2. Tangy Tamari Tempeh Noodles – a favorite for lunch or dinner

3. Easy No-Marinade Chicken Fajitas – simple and made without pre-packaged seasoning

4. Whole Health Noodle Soup – reminds me of the noodle bowls I used to order during lunch all the time

5. Chana Masala – this should keep me away from the Indian buffet a bit longer

I was hoping to re-create some common take-out dishes to share the recipes with you guys, but work has been swamping me. But, even if I can’t do it for EIM, I’d like to try to re-create some take-out meals anyways. So, hopefully, I’ll be able to post them one day soon. Any requests?

Hope you’re all having a great week!

My mom has cooked many things over the years, but her beef stroganoff is a true classic in our family. I’ve been enjoying this dish for as long as I can remember. And now, hubby is a fan, too.

I’d say the recipe has remained the same over the years, but I did try to change it one time when I was about middle school age. Mom always put mushrooms in the dish, and since I wasn’t a fan of them, I often voiced my displeasure. After growing tired of my begging to remove the them, she finally told me one day (somehow very patiently) that she’d make her beef stroganoff sans mushrooms next time. I eagerly awaited the next appearance of beef stroganoff on the dinner table.

The next time it was beef stroganoff night, mom tried one last time to talk me into keeping the mushrooms as she began preparing dinner. “It really tastes better with the mushrooms in, honey.” I didn’t believe her. I couldn’t wait to taste the meal without those yucky mushrooms. I just knew it was going to be so much better. She’d see.

Once dinner was served, I eagerly dug in. I remember it a bit more animated than I’m sure it actually was. Me smiling like an overly-enthusiastic cartoon with big googley eyes. Fork raised and ready to dig in and then moving in slow motion. Fork to plate…fork to mouth…chew…chew…cheeeeeewwwww? Eyes shrinking…smile slowly disappearing. The slow realization that it tasted like crap. Ok, it didn’t taste like crap, but mom was right…it really did taste better with mushrooms.

C’est la via…lesson learned. And to this day, I always include mushrooms. Sometimes, I cut them so large they’re easy to pick out. Sometimes, I mince them so they are practically undetectable. Large or small, obvious or not, the mushrooms are always there.

Mom’s Beef Stroganoff

This is probably one of those recipes that was passed around in the 80s by all the cool moms. I’m sure there are similar ones out there, but this is our take. Oh, and if you didn’t read my story earlier in this blog post, be sure to include mushrooms (unless you’re allergic) to get the full taste. I’m not a fan, but I always add them. I like to use cremini, mostly because I enjoy the flavor and you can get them individually at the grocery store, but feel free to substitute your favorite. Anywho, this meal makes an affordable an easy meal that I gravitate towards on my busy weeknights.

Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1 small-medium onion, chopped
• 3 cremini mushrooms (I use just enough to get the flavor I want, but feel free to add more), sliced or minced (whichever you prefer)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sherry
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 small square (like Wyler’s) or 1 large rectangle (like Knorr) beef bouillon cube
• salt & pepper, to season
• 1 small container sour cream
• cooked pasta (I like egg noodles with this) or rice for serving
• parsley, dried or fresh, optional
• paprika, optional

Directions:

1. Pre-heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add beef and cook till browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Skim fat and then add butter, onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook till beef is well browned and onions are translucent, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add water, sherry, lemon juice, bouillon cube(s). Cook till all the liquid is gone, stirring frequently. Mom’s tip: be sure to wait till all the liquid is gone before moving to the next step or the sauce will be too liquidy.
4. Turn off heat, add sour cream, and stir till well combined.
5. Serve over pasta or rice. Top with parsley and paprika, if using. Serve with a vegetable, too – I like steamed broccoli with a drizzle of butter.

Hope you enjoy this as much as my family has. Happy cooking!

Reader question: What classic recipes did you grow up eating?

Spiders and menu plan success? Yes, they are both in this post…

Today started off with a creepy scare. The coffee was brewing as I headed out my front door to take Bailey out to do his morning business. As I was walking out the door, I suddenly noticed a spider right in front of my face. I backed up just in time, which was lucky because I literally would have walked right into it had I kept going. I brought Bailey back inside, got a large envelope and swept (ok, threw the envelope at) the spider to the right of me and quickly withdrew. I was standing there trying to figure out where the spider went when I felt something fall on my head. It was rainy out, so I assumed it was a drop of water because that’s what it felt like.

I got a second envelope and swept around at the open air in front of me to ensure I had removed all traces of spider web…and hopefully, all traces of the spider, too. For some reason, I decided to look up at the bottom of my front porch to see if there was a lot of water accumulated and if I may get hit with another droplet. To my dismay, I realized that there, in fact, no water above me. So what the heck just fell on my head anyways?! I shrieked and ran to the bathroom in a panic. I pictured a large, hairy spider crawling around on my head and frantically checked myself in the mirror. I didn’t see any spiders, but I was still flipping out. I bent over, took my hair out of the clip that was holding it up, and shook out my hair. No spiders.

To make a long story short, it’s now the end of the day, and I haven’t seen any spiders. Let’s hope that it was water that fell on me earlier…that’s what I’m telling myself at least since I haven’t seen any indication it was something else.

But, enough about today, let’s backtrack…I wanted to tell you how I did with my meal plan from Monday. I know a lot of you guys are good with meal plans, but I am not. I was pretty worried I wouldn’t be able to stick to the plan hubby and I came up with.

Here’s how we actually did…

We did have those burgers like we planned on Tuesday. I decided to not take a picture of it, but it was good.

On Wednesday, I made my mom’s beef stroganoff. Someone requested this recipe once, so I think I’ll post it. *Update – the recipe has been posted – click here to view* I’ve been eating this dish since I can remember, so it’s definitely a winner. We had steamed broccoli for our veg.

On Thursday, I cheated on Eat in Month. My company invited me to small lunch get-together. I forgot to mention in my original list of rules, but I decided to make exceptions for work-related events. It’s one thing to challenge yourself…it’s another to be unprofessional or miss out on an opportunity with your team. We ended up going to a restaurant that specializes in Southern cooking, so I got the fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and beets. Since that was pretty much what we were planning to do for dinner, we decided to change plans. Hubby grilled chicken breasts, and I made a rice pilaf (from the box) with some steamed cabbage. It was simple, affordable, and it tasted great. I was pretty happy with Thursday.

On Friday, I fell off the wagon again. This time I don’t have a good excuse. I actually just decided to cheat (on Eat in Month and the meal plan). I left home in the morning in a rush and got to work a little later than I wanted. I ended up leaving work in a rush, too, thanks to a phone conference that ran over by 20 minutes. I drove through rainy, rush-hour traffic to get to an important event – Zumba instructor auditions. Two years ago, it was my turn on stage. Tonight, it was my friend Shamecia’s. She did fantastic, but she hasn’t found out yet if she made it. Whether she makes it or not, we headed out after auditions to celebrate her hard work. We each got beer flights and shared 3 different things: chicken fingers & fries, a Philly cheesesteak and sweet potato fries, and Margherita pizza (no picture again).

And as for tonight…dinner was inspired by Chinese New Year’s. My friend and I were hoping to find something fun to do for the holiday. I considered going to get dim sum, but I think I’ve cheated on EIM enough so far. I had heard about some events going on this weekend to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year’s, but when I searched for them, I didn’t find anything. So, I just invited her over for a simple stir fry. It’s not authentic, but it tasted good.

Anywho, I hope everyone else doing Eat in Month is doing better than I am!

I have quite a few recipes queued up now, so I just need to figure out which one to post first. Any requests?

Reader question: Did/will you celebrate Chinese New Year’s? What did/will you do?

I’m sure you’re all waiting with bated breath to see how I’m doing with my menu plan, or Eat in Month…or what recipe I’m posting next. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to disappoint you. It seems working from 8am to 8pm is simply not conducive to blogging (or having a life…or sleeping).

As I try to shake away the work-induced zombie-like state I’m feeling at the moment so I can go to bed, let me share a teaser photo with you. I had a reader request a slow cooker beef stew, so I played around with one on Tuesday. I think I browned the beef a bit too much (stupid multi-tasking!), but overall, the stew came out pretty good.

Hope you’re all having a great week!

By the way, does anyone have any easy, weeknight recipes you’d like to share with the Eat-in-Monthers? Please leave a link to the recipe (or the recipe itself if it’s yours and you don’t have a blog), even if it’s to your blog or someone else’s blog/site.

I woke up at my parent’s house to this awesomeness…

a handwritten note from my mom. She woke up before 5 am this morning to get ready for work and still prepared a pot of coffee for the family. I didn’t care as much about the coffee, but I did love the note. She used to write us notes all the time growing up, and I miss them.

Mom got some samples of the new Starbucks Blonde coffee, so we had that with breakfast.

Sis woke up in the mood for cooking. She made us waffles using the waffle iron she got for Christmas two year ago.

She found a special recipe online for extra-fluffy waffles. The trick is whipping egg whites and then folding them into the rest of the waffle batter. From the looks of the waffles, I think she’s onto something.

It’s been awhile since I’ve had from-scratch waffles. Actually, I don’t think I’ve had them since the last time Sis made them.

I asked my dad to tell me about his early life again over breakfast. He’s told us the stories hundreds of times over the years, but they never get old. I guess part of the reason is because I never really knew my grandparents, and they’ve all passed, so I like to get to know them through my parent’s stories. And every time dad tells a story, I learn another gem of information. For example, recently, I learned that my grandmother’s favorite color was light turquoise (like TCL-blue!) and that she studied fashion design at the Moore College of Art & Design. She even designed and sewed her own clothing. I wish she was around still so we could have sewing sessions together and talk fashion.

***

My sister decide to make lunch for us, too.

She made ginger-soy chicken with rice and one of her specialities…

Miso soup {with onions and potatoes}.

It was all delicious, and I ended up eating too much. But, I did save room for dessert.

My sister {who actually hates most vegetables} has recently fallen in love with winter squash. She made us roasted acorn squash with maple syrup and butter for dessert.

I know it sounds a little odd, but it was actually good and made for a great dessert. I told her she could save any leftovers to make a squash oatmeal for breakfast like this one I made awhile ago. Sounds weird, tastes great!

***

As for all that menu planning talk from yesterday…interestingly enough, hubby suggested we work on a meal plan on our car ride home. I don’t think he actually read yesterday’s blog post, but maybe he did. Either way, I agreed it was a good idea, so we worked on a draft on our way home.

I don’t love it, but it’s a start. I’ve realized that sometimes I don’t menu plan because I don’t think I’ll do a good enough job…so, I just do nothing at all. But, I suppose a so-so menu plan is better than none at all, right? Plus, perhaps menu planning is like most things – it gets better with practice? I like to think so.

What are your menu/meal planning tips? I loved the one Jackie left the other day saying to use categories or themes. My family (mom, dad, sis) actually likes to do that when they menu plan, and it definitely seems like a great idea. And reader Dione suggested having lazy/easy dinners and freezing batches of food. Hubby and I were actually just talking today about how we used to eat easier meals back in the day and that we should start doing so again. And I’m a big believer in freezing food – especially soup! Any other ideas, guys? Share your meal planning tips in a comment.

EIM Eats

We’re enjoying a relaxing weekend with my family, which means lots of down time with lots of good food, too.

We had eggs, biscuits/rolls, bacon and my fave – my dad’s potatoes.

Do you make your dog sit away from you when you eat? We do. We usually make him go on his bed, but when he’s at my parent’s house, we just make him sit away. I definitely had to give him the “I’m watching you” sign a la Meet the Parents. I think he knows what it means, too.

Sis and I wanted to spend some QT with my mom for her birthday, but she didn’t really want to do anything except hang out around the house. It’s been forever since I had the chance to just veg-out, so today, with nothing to do, we ended up watching TV. We got caught on the Investigation Discovery channel. Man, that channel really sucks you in…just like Lifetime! lol

We heated up leftovers from last night for a quick lunch with some fresh-cooked veggies.

For dinner, we had dad’s chicken noodle casserole with steamed broccoli & carrots, and a biscuit.

***

Menu Planning

I will be the first to say that I suck at menu planning. I think it’s because I’m always so busy running around, that I find it hard to sit still long enough to think through the week and actually plan something out. I also find that I like to decide on dinners based on what I feel like eating that day. I know – excuses, excuses.

Anywho, I think menu planning can be very effective for not only Eat in Month, but every day living. I keep meaning to start doing it, but I usually only make it a week or two before falling back to my slacker ways. So, since I can’t offer any advice on meal planning, I turned to one of my favorite resources – you guys!

I asked for your personal and recommended sites and blogs (via my Facebook wall and yesterday’s post) for meal planning and here are some you shared:

• Jackie of That Deep Breath posted a link to her Menu Planning category on her blog
• Emily at Relishments posted her tips on menu planning
• Athena shared I’m an Organizing Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday
• And Nicole mentioned finding good inspiration on Pinterest (PS click here to see my Pinterest profile and click here to go straight to my “Entree Chic” board )
• And lastly, I found a cool resource by Real Simple – a PDF you can print and use for menu planning (click here to view) along with a couple quick tips

Do you have any more meal planning sites/blog posts to add? If you’re a reader without a blog, you can just share your meal plans and/or tips in a comment if you want (here or on my Facebook wall).