Cooking On the Side » Drinks

Stovetop Cocoa with Toasted Homemade Marshmallows

Kathy Strahs — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:41:57 +0000

Hot chocolate was that special treat we got to have after school when it was too gray and rainy to play outside (which didn’t happen all that often in the Silicon Valley). It was something I could make by myself – I’d just microwave some water in a mug and tear open a packet of Swiss Miss. I especially loved the kind with the tiny little marshmallows that would float on top.

I read ingredient labels more often these days and, not to specifically bag on Swiss Miss because they’re not alone in this, but there are a lot of unpronounceable ingredients in those little packets that go a bit beyond “cocoa”, “sugar” and “milk”. And let’s not even get started with the marshmallows. This past rainy weekend I decided to pull out a saucepan and make this treat from scratch. Doesn’t the idea of Stovetop Cocoa with Toasted Homemade Marshmallows just sound like it would be better anyway? Let me assure you that it is.

The cocoa recipe comes from the Hershey’s Cocoa package – it’s just unsweetened cocoa, sugar, milk, water and a little vanilla. It is outstanding! When you top it with a fluffy homemade marshmallow, with a toasty tan outer shell from a quick minute under the broiler…it seriously makes me wish for more rainy gray days.
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It's Citrus Season!

~ Lemon Spaghetti, tossed in a light sauce of lemon, olive oil, parmigiano-reggiano and basil is absolutely as fresh-tasting as it sounds.

~ This Meyer Lemon Whipping Cream Pound Cake is the lightest, most velvety, lemony pound cake I’ve ever tasted.

~ For a comforting, citrus-kissed, one-pot chicken and rice dish give this Honey Lemon Chicken recipe a try.

About Cooking On the Side...

It’s the recipe collection I didn’t even realize I had – the one derived from the side of a bag of fresh vegetables, a box of sugar, a jar of mayonnaise. Cooking On the Side – as in on the side of food packaging – is all about “revealing” these on-the-package recipes, with photos of how they actually turn out, cooking notes and more descriptive directions than package space usually allows for. -- Kathy

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Red Tea Sangria + A “Cool” Giveaway!

Kathy Strahs — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:56:25 +0000

“This is SO good! You can’t even taste the alcohol!”

You know you’re in trouble when you find yourself saying this…especially when the beverage is served by the pitcher! I do love to relax with an icy tumbler of sangria, it’s so fruity and refreshing. This Red Tea Sangria recipe from inside the Mighty Leaf Sangria Tea Collection box has wonderful herbal notes as well from – you guessed it – the addition of brewed red tea. This sangria tasted great with the Organic African Nectar tea but you could easily substitute other rooibos, hibiscus or tropical herbal teas. The box actually contains pouches of three different tea blends, each with corresponding sangria recipes. Brilliant, right?

Win Mighty Leaf teas and an iced tea pitcher! [THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED] Read on for giveaway details and the Red Tea Sangria recipe.

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Margaritas

Kathy Strahs — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:01:24 +0000

Around here, in San Diego, the margaritas will be flowing in a big way on Cinco de Mayo. Everyone has their preference when it comes to the refreshing cocktail: frozen or on the rocks. I tried a margarita recipe I found on a bottle of Triple Sec both frozen and on the rocks (yes, I am willing to sample multiple drinks for your benefit) and I determined my true margarita preference: sweet.

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