Written by When the weather gets colder there’s no better treat than a mug of hot cocoa made extra special with a dollop of whipped cream. Actually, that last bit applies to a lot of treats as I love whipped cream. Sometimes, just a dollop by itself will do nicely. It’s still a little too warm here for a treat like this one, but the temperatures are already beginning to drop a bit. Soon a jacket will be required to go outdoors and it will be sweater weather again. A time when the side effects of indulging in a bit of whipped cream can be hidden properly. As a kid, hot cocoa was always served with little marshmallows on top. Usually just three, but it was enough to make things feel festive and fun. You could eat all of them first, or like I preferred, attempt to sip and save them for closer to the end as a bit of finale. This kind of drink was always made from a powder, which wasn’t the same as real hot chocolate. That’s a delicacy that I would only discover later in life and is still the kind I prefer today.
So many drinks came in a powder that you could mix with water or milk when I was a kid. There were packets in the cabinet for everything you could imagine. Red flavored drinks that tasted very red, and not really like a recognizable flavor, that would stain your tongue the same color. Of all the powder, my favorite was Strawberry Quik which came in a metal container with a pink bunny on it. It now comes in plastic with a brown bunny and has been renamed Nesquik, without the artificial flavor and colors. I’ve not tried it as an adult to see if it still tastes the same, but I’m fine just remembering it instead. I’m still not sure if I enjoyed the flavor as much as the experience of turning a glass of milk bright pink. That was the real fun. And though things processed into a powder were probably not very healthy, the fact that I could make them myself was really cool. It’s a ritual I still remember, after coming home from school each day, watching something on television in order to procrastinate or entirely avoid doing my homework.
Even without powered drinks and cartoons, I’m still rather good at procrastinating as an adult. A bad habit, that I’ll just go ahead an blame on that pink bunny with a strawberry hat. But the sheer wonder of drinks like these is the ability to simply sit, sip and enjoy without worrying about anything at all. I think, in the end, that’s what makes them so special. These days, you might find me curled up under a blanket in front of the fireplace during the winter. Cupping a warm drink in my hands and just staring at the flames. In this perfect moment, there are no thoughts of the laundry piled up and demanding to be done or the bills that need to be paid. No, in this moment, none of those tedious adult things seem to matter. I’m transported back in time to days far simpler when there wasn’t a care in the world. A happy break from the cold chill in the air, and the incredibly wondrous experience of spending time with just the crazy dreams in my head, and some hot cocoa and whipped cream.
Join Us For The September Art Challenge & Paint The Simple Pleasures In Life
Click Here To Learn More!
About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Hansa Yellow Deep, Burnt Sienna, Perylene Maroon, and Ultramarine Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. |
 |
|
Sure looks yummy. Right now It’s really dark and storming here. Kind of looks like fall. Is that a good readon to enjoy a cup now? 😁
Thanks, June! 😃💕 And that’s a perfect reason! Well, honestly, I have to admit that I’ll come up with any reason to have a drink topped with whipped cream.
😁
I love the cool colors with just that touch of warm. Very hot cocoa-y!
Aww thanks so much, Sandra!! 😃💕
Ahh… sweet memories!
The best!! Love thinking back to this time! 😃💕
Yum. Try “Dagoba xocolatl” as Hot Chocolate… Their Chai mix is good too.
Thanks, Kate! 😃💕 I’ll have to try that! We just stumbled by that brand yesterday. Philippe asked why they took a name from Star Wars. hehe… yeah, we’re geeks! lol
That little bit of crushed candy cane on top is the gourmet touch! Yum!
Hehe!! Yeah… it needs a lovely finish! Thanks, Lisa! 😃💕
You have me smiling – just the other day I was thinking of Strawberry Quick and when I was out shopping, I purposefully looked to see if they still made it – and as you’ve said, yes – but now a liquid syrup. I didn’t indulge my curiosity – the magic was in the making, the spooning and mixing – and there was always some granules floating about, unless it was HOT milk ….. but nothing was quite like the taste of Strawberry Quick – not quite like real strawberries, but not so far off to be terribly synthetically icky flavoured.
Thanks for the memories Charlie 🙂
Hope you have a wonderful week 🙂
Aww that’s a perfect description of how I remember it!! 😃💕 hehe… I’m sure now I’d think it was terribly artificial tasting, but then it was just amazing!! Such a unique and wonderful flavor!
LOL – I have to agree, we’d probably think “oh? yuck!” but then, maybe not. And perhaps you were so bold to also just eat teaspoons of the stuff? LOL – I did. Same thing with the ever bright orange Tang. It’s amazing we’re still standing, but then, perhaps we’ve been pickled and preserved!
Great post Charlie 🙂
Hot cocoa gets the thumbs up whatever the weather! Haha, I used to love Nesquik. It felt so grown up – well, that and I kinda liked the bunny! I remember later there were magic Nesquik straws too, that turned the milk into…something…on its journey to your mouth. I thought they were ingenious!
That is totally ingenious!! hehe… Yeah, I have to had it to Nesquik… they really made things seem so magical! And yeah… gotta love the bunny!!! lol 😃💕
Nowadays, our hot cocoa is on demand via our Keurig. Love that machine for all our favourite hot and cold drinks. ❤️
You’re too young to remember Fizzies, the preferred drink of my youth! Root beer was my favourite but cherry was yummy too. There was nothing more exciting than to watch that little tablet dissolve into bubbles that created the most tasty beverage!
Oh my gosh!! Fizzies sound amazing!! I’ll have some!! hehe 😃💕
It’s a challenge to paint white and you accomplished this feat commendably. Your cup of hot chocolate is so tempting. As for the whipped cream, I could finish off an entire can all by myself.
Aww thanks so much, Shari! 😃💕 hehe… yeah… you and me both! I’ll take on a whole can any day!
looks dreamy and delicious
Thanks so much, Samantha! 😃💕
Sounds like a perfect blend of taste and cosiness.
Yes! Thanks! The best blend ever!! 😃💕
My childhood WTF moment was Tang. The astronaut’s drink of choice, apparently. LOVED that stuff as a kid.
Tried it as an adult.
Hooboy. Nothing like grainy “orange” flavored sugar to make you question your life choices. 😀