Well, Christmas is past, the New Year is here and the only thing that remains unpleasant from 2022 for us personally are the lingering coughs from whatever possessed us the last couple of weeks of December. Flu, RSV, who knows! But whatever it was, I truly encourage you not to get it! It wasn’t the worse flu or cold we’ve ever experienced, but it just went on and on and on. And just when we thought we were getting rid of the darn thing, it sprang to life again. That is simply not fair! So, no Christmas eve with our dear friends Jim and Margo and no Christmas day with our extended family. What saved the whole Christmas holiday was getting to spend the 26th with daughter Paula. She braved our germy house and came to visit regardless of our lingering ailments. So far, she is still well. Thank goodness!

And, New Year’s Eve we were able to enjoy being wined and dined at Margo and Jim’s home. New Year’s Day, we spent a glorious few hours at Tim and Suzie’s home. While the guys (Whistle Lake Jazz Quartet) were practicing for an upcoming gig, we wives (plus our dear friend Diane) spent some quality time reflecting on our careers and how the role of women in business has changed through the decades. In many ways for the better. But in some cases, there is still a prejudice against “grey-haired middle-aged women”. Well, learning that this attitude was still alive and well, and in one case perpetuated by a younger woman executive, it was a good thing we were firmly ensconced in Suzie’s living room and this young lady who had made the comment wasn’t living and working in the vicinity. It could have gotten quite ugly for her. To say we were steamed, would be putting it mildly. But for me, it was almost cathartic to share our stories. To be reminded that I was not alone. Things in my years at the bank that had caused me pain, were also being experienced by other women in far different professions. And yet, we had or were still surviving, and mostly stronger for having been exposed to and confronted these difficult situations. And as we talked, I felt so blessed to not only know these amazing women, but to be able to call them friends. I have always had close woman friends. And I realized once again, how lucky that makes me feel. But enough about me and on to this mocha mix.

This Christmas was the year of the biscotti. For the Whistle Lake gang, I gave each couple a trio of my favorite Italian cookies, a couple of red mugs, and some of this mocha cocoa mix. It was so much fun to make different kinds of biscotti. (New recipes to be posted in the near future.) And even more fun to prepare this cocoa mix.

Now, if you have never made biscotti, you can’t possibly know how easy these delicious twice baked cookies are to build. And if you have never eaten a biscotti, well, you have no idea what you have been missing. Biscotti is just one of the yummiest things you will ever put in your mouth. In my estimation, biscotti should actually be its own food group!

Anyway, along with the biscotti, I wanted something that our friends could dunk their biscotti into, and I found this recipe on theyummylife.com site. I changed things up a bit, but then, that’s just what I do!

So, I hope you enjoy this recipe. But remember, this hot drink is always best served with a biscotti. And life is simply too short to continue depriving yourself of this wonderful combination. And it’s going to be winter for several more months. Need I say more? Except, Happy New Year.

And as always, peace and love to all.  

1 c. instant coffee (I use Mount Hagen Organic Fairtrade Coffee (instant decaffeinated) (Amazon prime)

1 c. cocoa powder (I use Valrhona Cocoa Powder (Amazon prime)  

3½ c. instant dry milk powder

2/3 c. powdered sugar

1 c. vanilla powder (see recipe below)

2 tsp. corn starch

¼ tsp. fine sea salt

Pulse all ingredients in food processor until well combined. Store in airtight container. Makes approximately 5 cups of mix.

To prepare mix: Add 3-4 tablespoons of mix to 8-oz. boiling water. Stir and top with whipped cream if desired. (Chocolate sprinkles are nice too.)  

Homemade vanilla powder:

1 c. granulated sugar

2 T. vanilla paste or extract (I use Rodelle all natural Vanilla Paste*) (Amazon)

Combine the sugar and vanilla paste in a small bowl. Stir to form a thick, uniform, coarse paste. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer sugar/vanilla mixture to baking sheet and spread into thin, even layer. Allow to set out until completely dry, 6-8 hours. Stir once during drying time to promote faster drying. It’s normal for there to be small, dried clumps.
Transfer dried mixture to food processor and pulse until all clumps are gone and texture is a fine powder. Store in an airtight container.
*Vanilla paste has a thicker consistency than vanilla extract because it includes specks of vanilla bean seeds. Whereas vanilla extract contains no specks from vanilla beans. With the inclusion of ground vanilla bean powder, vanilla paste has a slightly more intense flavor than vanilla extract.