Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa

Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• pour :

  to cause liquid, granules, or powder to stream from one container into another.

• simmer :

  to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.

• whisk :

  to beat or stir ingredients vigorously with a fork or whisk to mix, blend, or incorporate air.

History of Hot Chocolate!

• Hot chocolate originated with the chocolate drink made by the Mayans around 500 BCE. They mixed chocolate seeds, ground into a paste, with water, cornmeal, and chili peppers. They would usually have the bitter beverage cold. Later, the Aztecs in Mesoamerica drank both cold and hot chocolate mixed with vanilla.
• Cortés brought chocolate and the method for making hot chocolate back to Spain from Mexico when he returned in 1528. Initially, only wealthy Spaniards could afford to consume chocolate and drinks made from it. Eventually, chocolate spread across Europe, and sugar was added to make the chocolate less bitter. Then, sometime in the 17th century, milk was added to the mix, and hot chocolate became more like the version we drink today.
• In the country of Trinidad and Tobago, they drink "cocoa tea," which is not really tea. Spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg, are added with chopped dark chocolate or cocoa powder (or both) and sweetener to hot milk and simmered for a few minutes until the chocolate is melted and everything is dissolved and blended.

• Frozen hot chocolate was invented in the 1970s by an ice cream store owner, Steve Harrell, who wanted to enjoy the flavor of hot chocolate during the warm summer months.

• Hot cocoa bombs have become popular in recent years. They are made of chocolate or cocoa and are often hollow with mini marshmallows inside. Hot milk is poured over them to create hot cocoa at any time!

Let's Learn About Thanksgiving!

• A Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated on various dates in a few countries and cities. It is a national holiday in the United States on the third Thursday in November and Canada on the second Monday in October. The holidays began as a celebration of the harvest and the past year's blessings.
• In the US, the traditional beginnings of the holiday began in 1621 as a three-day celebration to give thanks for the harvest. The Pilgrims living in Plymouth Colony (Massachusetts) were joined by several members of Wampanoag Indians, who may also have brought food with them. Although the Pilgrims did not refer to their feast by name, it is usually called the "first'' Thanksgiving.
• The foods the Pilgrims and Wampanoag ate would have been somewhat different than our traditional Thanksgiving dinners. According to an account written in the journal of William Bradford, the leader of the Plymouth Colony, the Pilgrims had access to cod, bass, and other fish, venison (deer), waterfowl, wild turkeys, and Indian corn (as bread or porridge). Later reports of their crops besides corn may indicate they also had beans, carrots, grains, lettuce, onions, peas, pumpkins, and turnips. 
• Since that "first" Thanksgiving, national proclamations made to celebrate a day of Thanksgiving included ones in 1782 by the US Congress, in 1789 and 1795 by George Washington, in 1798 and 1799 by John Adams, and in 1814 by James Madison. Various states also proclaimed days of Thanksgiving.
• Starting in 1846 and continuing for 17 years, Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey's Lady's Book magazine, campaigned for a national Thanksgiving holiday to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. She sent her requests to newspapers and government leaders. 
• Finally, in 1863, during the Civil War, Sarah's editorials moved President Abraham Lincoln to proclaim Thanksgiving a national holiday to give thanks for the nation's general blessings and military successes. Since then, it has been observed every year. 
• In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving dinner typically consists of turkey, dressing or stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole or other vegetables, and pumpkin or other pies. After the feast, families often take walks, watch American football games, go to the movies, play games, put together jigsaw puzzles, or decorate for Christmas. Some families volunteer to serve dinner at homeless shelters. 
• Cooking methods for the Thanksgiving turkey have changed over the years. In addition to roasted, you might be served a turkey that has been deep-fried, smoked, broiled, or grilled.