DIY Coffee Table

Regular readers of this blog will notice that I've been sharing more and more home decor posts with all of you. The truth is, I've always been a lover of any creative DIY project, and my love of food has always been linked to my love of pretty tableware. So, it was only natural that I start sharing some of my decor inspiration with all of you! As a regular contributor for Style at Home, decorating is a topic I love to discuss during work hours as well as during my leisure moments.

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Hot Chocolate with Mini Marshmallows

After putting up my Christmas tree this weekend, it seems that the holidays are really in full swing! During this hectic time of year - between holiday shopping, seeing friends and family and wrapping up a busy work year - there is often little time to sit back and relax. No matter how hectic it is, it's always healthy to take a little time to yourself and enjoy the simple pleasures. A warm cup of hot chocolate topped with mini marshmallows and a festive candy cane is a great place to start in my book!

Hot Chocolate with Mini Marshmallows
Ingredients per mug
1-1/2 to 2 cups of milk
1 tbsp of good quality cocoa powder
1 tbsp of bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
1 candy cane
5 or 6 mini marshmallows

Add the milk to a saucepan on medium high heat. Bring the milk to a high simmer and mix in the vanilla extract. Set aside.

In each mug, add the cocoa and chocolate chips. Slowly whisk in the milk, making sure the mixture is homogeneous as you go.

Garnish with a candy cane and mini marshmallows. Enjoy!

Chocolate, Egg, and Cream? Fuggeddaboutit!

This chocolate egg cream video was inspired by our recent trip to New York City, where my wife Michele and I enjoyed them on several occasions. As I watched the expression on her face while she sipped this unique treat, I knew I had to film a quick how-to as soon as we returned.

Contrary to the name of this New York City soda fountain classic, chocolate egg creams do not contain any eggs or cream. What is does contain is Fox's "U-bet" chocolate "flavor" syrup.

This uniquely American ingredient hails from Brooklyn, New York, and despite the picture of the woman on the label (why is she looking at me like that?), I love the flavor of this syrup. If you can't find it, I'm sure a certain brand from Pennsylvania will do just fine.

Along with the chocolate come the simple additions of milk and seltzer water. The magic of this drink is how the minimalist design produces such a rich, yet refreshing chocolate beverage. In fact, one of the reasons the beverage was so popular in its time, it was considered a cure for indigestion!

There are all sorts of arguments about the origins of this drink (when it comes to sports and food, New Yorkers do seem to enjoy a good debate), but most chocolate soda fountain drink historians think this was invented somewhere in Brooklyn, in the 1920's.

The technique is very simple, and as I suggest in the video, you'll want to adjust the trio of ingredients to the ratio that you find most satisfying. Some prefer this very light and frosty with extra milk, others go for the darker, flatter and richer.

Enjoy!



Ingredients per glass:
1-2 oz chocolate syrup
1-2 oz cold milk
8-10 oz very cold seltzer water