fall and hot chocolate with vigor

My October newsletter article:

I love fall. I love sweaters and scarves paired with flip-flops. I love trees bursting into such flames of color one expects to hear a voice anytime now. I love school starting up again, thus ending the boredom of summer and beginning the (secretly enjoyable) toil of learning. And I love crisp, brisk air greeting me in the morning. I do admit that hot coco in jammies and crunchy leaf piles, kettles off squealing and walking for miles, minds floating ‘round with ideas that have wings – these are a few of my favorite things.

Life is given to us to live passionately and with vigor. All too often we forget to do so. Maybe if we did polar bear swims and then ran back to saunas we would have more crisp reactions to existence. Maybe if we had long lunches of decadent and freshly prepared food followed by a nap and then back to work. Maybe if we were just someone else, somewhere else, or maybe on permanent vacation we would be able to live more fully and intensely. Or maybe not.

How is it we can so easily lose our zest for life? How is it that we become numb to the wonder that is always around us and dismissive of the joys presented before us? We have been given so much in life that is wondrous, sometimes we need to jolt ourselves out of complacency. To help with this adventure in the spirit of the season, I invite you to have some fun with your hot chocolate.

Basic hot chocolate recipe via Hershey (5 servings):
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
Dash salt
1/3 cup hot water
4 cups (1 qt.) milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Stir together sugar, cocoa and salt in medium saucepan; stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Add milk; stirring constantly, heat to serving temperature. Do Not Boil.

2 Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat with rotary beater or whisk until foamy.

Options to add zest and vigor to renew your taste buds:
-A dash of cinnamon alone or with ground cloves
-Cayenne and cinnamon for the traditional Aztec drink
-Strong coffee and cinnamon for Mexican flavor
-Replace some or all of the white sugar with brown
-Peppermint candies
-A teaspoon of maple syrup and a tablespoon of butter
-Ideas for the adults: an ounce of vanilla vodka, cherry brandy, amaretto, Grand Marnier, irish cream or Kahlua

Enjoy!