Let’s have a Colombian hot chocolate end-of-year party!

You are all cordially invited to a hot chocolate party – Colombian Style. Yes, yes, I still love coffee. But as much as we Colombians love coffee, we also have other hot beverages we love. Aguapanela and hot chocolate, for example.

But! let’s celebrate. What are we celebrating? That we made it through yet another year, I suppose. But mainly, that we are friends, even if virtual ones.

So I’m making a big pot of delicious hot chocolate Colombian style for all of you to enjoy. And we’ll be having it with fresh double cream  Colombian cheese. It melts in the hot chocolate and create a chewy yumminess in your mouth.

Ready?

We start with real Colombian chocolate:

This one already comes with a hint of cloves and cinnamon. But in Colombia, you can buy it without, and then add them to your taste. Or not

Then we need the proper tools:

Molinillo & Chocolatera. Both brought from Colombia

Then we put the milk and the chocolate in the chocolate pot and we heat it up on the stove to melt the chocolate. We whisk it with the molinillo by placing your hands around it as shown in the picture and move them back and forth to make the molinillo spin. We do this every now and then, and watch the temperature so it doesn’t spill.

Proper technique to froth the hot chocolate (yes, those are my hands)

We let the milk raise a couple of times without letting it fully boil, frothing vigorously every single time. Then we carefully pour it in a mug and serve with cheese. I like to cut the cheese in somewhat small pieces and put it in the mug before pouring the hot chocolate so it melts better. But some people prefer to serve it on a side plate and eat it alone or add it to the chocolate later. I guess that since this is a party and all, I should serve the cheese in individual plates and let you have it in any way you prefer.

Enjoy!

 

My daughter, the hostess with the mostest***

mmmm yes. This is how I like it!

So this little chocolate party is to show my appreciation to all of you, fellow bloggers that read the craziness that is my blog.

to the ones that started with me, and to the ones that came along as the year of 2012 grew old.  But especially, for those of you who stuck around despite everything, my MIA period, the heartwrenching posts, the dark posts, sending me healing thoughts/prayers/good vibes on and off-line.

A big hug in particular to Sandee, Anita, Ruby Tuesday and Dad Knows for never failing to be there no matter how hard my posts were! I know that sometimes, my posts are hard to read. I know they can make some people uncomfortable. But think about it, the more painful they look, the harder I am trying to reach out and you**** were always there for me. And for that, you have my most sincere thanks and my love!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Footnotes

* Noon for Colombians is any time between 12:00 and 2 pm. The afternoon for us starts at 2 pm.

** In case you were wondering, there wasn’t any obesity problems in Colombia until the MacDonald’s were introduced. Now, Colombia has joined the list of many other developing (read, starving) countries having to deal with brand new obesity epidemics.

*** The hot chocolate pictures were taken on Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) during the preparation of our Cena Navideña.

**** It is entirely possible I might have left a name or two out. Please forgive my foggy, cold-infested brain