Creamy Hot Cocoa
1/3 cup water, boiling
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly-grated nutmeg
Stir together water, milk and cream in a large pot over low heat.
Whisk in cocoa powder until fully incorporated.
Add sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Cook until warmed through, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
If serving this at a party, keep over very low heat.
Spiced Nuts
2 cups mixed raw nuts, like pecans, walnuts and almonds
2 egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Whisk egg whites thoroughly with a fork until foamy, about 2 minutes.
Coat nuts in egg whites and spread on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Toss nuts with sugar and spices, and arrange on a single layer on the baking sheet.
Bake at 300* for 20 minutes.
Once cooled, break apart and serve. They will lose a lot of their stickiness after cooling.
