Hot chocolate, a blanket to cozy up and a chick lit in hand

....bliss??? I'd say so especially on a weekday when otherwise I'm running around like a headless chicken trying to finish off chores and deadlines and gym before I take my vacation end of this year. I was thinking of not taking any more freelance assignments this year, but a lil extra pocket money wont hurt right, especially when you are going on holiday.

Hot chocolate at the restaurants and cafes are not really a favourite of mine because I am not a sucker for the bitter dark choc taste and will have to douse so much of sugar into it and Ro gives me the stare. But at home, I made Nigella Lawson's 'Adults Hot Chocolate' with loads of sugar and honey as the recipe called. 

My current obsession are these lovely caramel flavoured tea biscuits called Lotus which I more or less have with anything and everything these days. Dipped them in the hot chocolate, wrapped myself up in a blanket and read to my hearts content the Shopaholic series, in between drifting off to the Prada, Dior and Versace sections at Harrods ;)

Adapted from Nigella's Chocolate Heaven on Nigella Feasts (makes 1 large coffee mug)

Milk- 1 cup (preferably full fat..yeah go all out)

Dark chocolate- 50 gms

Cinnamon powder- 1/4 tsp (or about 1 inch of a cinnamon stick)

Honey- 2 tsp

Dark brown sugar- 1 tsp

Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp

Dark rum or Kahlua- 1 tbsp or to taste (optional)

Pour the milk into a saucepan and break in the chocolate along with the cinnamon sugar and honey. Stir well on medium heat until the chocolate melts.

Splash in the vanilla extract and rum (if adding) and whisk till it slightly starts bubbling around the edges, but not boiling. It should be a slightly creamy, thick consistency.

Add more sugar at this stage if required.

Take out the cinnamon stick (if using) and pour into a coffee mug and sip on it while its still steaming hot.

Notes: You can add Baileys, whisky or even brandy as your choice of alcohol.

Brown sugar can be replaced with normal sugar, probably need to add a wee bit more.

I preferred cinnamon powder instead of the stick because the flavour was a bit more stronger and strangely I loved it in hot chocolate.