Hot for the Holidays

It's November. The painted leaves are falling. There's a crispness in the air and a chill in the breeze. And, in case you miss the more subtle clues, Christmas decorations are EVERYWHERE! The Holiday season is upon us, and Thanksgiving is my favorite. Family, food and being thankful, *sigh* I look forward to it every year.

As we get closer, and holiday parties and school functions start happily cluttering up the calendar, I need more caffiene. Not being one for coffee, I prefer tea. But, the Holidays often call for a little more than tea and honey. With the chill in the air and the thought of family gatherings and good food, I start craving a desert type beverage, preferably HOT. Apple cider, hot chocolate, lattes and pumpkin flavored everything, oh I love it all. Thing is, its hard to find less processed versions of some of these things. I love true hot cocoa/chocolate made from bars and melted low and slow with milk and cream, but I rarely have time for all that.

The iPhone photo above (my camera is currently full of baseball photos, and I haven't had the energy to unload it yet) shows my two favorite hot drinks and I'll tell you how I tweak them for the Holidays.

The Silly Cow Farms Hot Chocolate fits in the five ingredient or under rule, and it tastes like the slow melted real deal. Add a little hand whipped cream and a peppermint stick or a dash of cinnamon, and you've got a super yummy Holiday inspired treat. Tazo Chai Tea Latte concentrate is a nice alternative to coffee, and being a concentrate, you can blend it with different milks and flavorings to make your own special drink. I make mine with half coconut milk and add a little pumpkin pie spice for my own version of a pumpkin spice latte.

They do contain sugar. So, if you're on a low or no sugar diet, these would be just for a special occasion, but they're way better than the corn syrup powder that comes in the packets.

I have only seen the Silly Cow Hot Chocolate at Whole Foods, but the Tazo chai concentrate is available at Kroger and Publix, and I would imagine other regular grocery stores as well. FYI: I've tried the chocolate chai concentrate and didn't like it very much. I have combined these two drinks successfully, though. Make the hot chocolate and add the concentrate for a spicy little caffeine kick. Yum.

If you have a suggestion for a hot Holiday drink, I would love to hear about it.