Chocolate Mondays…….Hello Summer

Okay so it’s not chocolate Monday and this post has nothing to do with chocolate. Actually it’s about mango. Mango is awesome!!! And personally nothing says hello summer in the 95 degree heat, while sitting near the pool under the Florida sun like Mango smoothies!!

So take a moment and say hello to Summer early with a delicious mango smoothie….

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 1/2 cup peeled, pitted and sliced fresh mango (try to keep any extra juice and throw it into the blender)
• honey to taste (Or use sugar, or what ever sweetener you’d like)
• 1/2 cup ice

Directions:

Place the juice, fruit and honey in a blender. Blend on high-speed for 30 seconds. Add the ice and blend until smooth.

If you want to add peaches, bananas, strawberries, or anything else..go for it!! What ever floats your boat. If your feeling a bit frisky you can throw in a half cup of your favorite alcohol and make it a party drink..

Enjoy.

Mmmmmm…..Chocolate Mondays…

So it’s chocolate Monday and I was wondering what I could recommend in the avenue of chocolate…

85 degree heats seems like the worse type of weather for hot chocolate, but chocolate lovers everywhere can attest to the wonderful-ness of chocolate at anytime, on any day, and in any fashion. Here in South Florida, where the humidity and heat are not a girls best friend, I often find that hot deserts are not as easy to come by as cakes or frozen desserts. That will not hinder me however, I love chocolate in any form!!

Sooooo…..I was looking for my weekly chocolate fix and stumbled upon this simple recipe, you can check it out here: Truly Amazing Creamy Hot Chocolate Recipe – Food.com – 106571.

It was super simple and totally delish! I would just add a touch more sugar and vanilla, and a heaping pile of jumbo marshmallows (I wonder if they make super jumbo marshmallows? hmm..just a thought).  If you have a torch, the creme’ brulee kind, you can brown those bad boys up-I would be very careful however, if you have a lazy hand, find marijuana to be great right before indulging in any type of food, are drunk, have just had an argument, or just found out your girlfriend or boyfriend is cheating on you with someone in close proximity to you. If any of the above apply to you……I would just skip the torch step all together.

So take a free moment, pull out the cocoa powder, turn on some jazz, and indulge in some great hot chocolate on this wonderful Monday… (Recipe and directions below)

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 1/2 cups hot water
• Handful of jumbo marshmallows

Directions:

1. In a large pot, combine all the ingredients except for the hot water.
2. Place over a medium flame, then slowly stir in the hot water.
3. Heat through, stirring occasionally.
4. Place heaping pile of jumbo marshmallows on steaming cup of hot cocoa
5. I like to finish my hot chocolate with a dash of cinnamon.

If you want to make it really great, add milk or dark chocolate and instead of topping it with marshmallows at the end, top it with ice cream or a half handful of marshmallows and half scoop of ice cream.

Do you like hot chocolate? How do you like to prepare it and How do you like to drink it-listening to jazz, while sitting in a bath tub, when it’s freezing cold outside??