A Little Touch of The Christmas Cheer

Well folks, the time is once again upon us. That holiday so many of us either treasure, hate, or simply take to stew in our stresses. No matter what your traditions, views or beliefs may be, I feel there is one thing to be said about the events over the next few days, and that is that we should all dedicate some well-deserved time to rest our weary bones; I mean really, truly rest. Find an afternoon, an hour, a few minutes, whatever you can afford, and put your feet up, turn off the cranium, and enjoy the feeling that comes with doing absolutely nothing.

I realize that for many, myself included, this comes as a difficult task, what with travelling, cooking, basting, planning, shopping, wrapping, unwrapping, visiting, calling, eating, tending, aggh! the list never seems to end. However, we should owe it to ourselves for at least a little while to enjoy a moment where schedules and time lines become a foreign concept.

For me, there's no finer way of achieving serenity on a cold winter's day than with a cup of hot chocolate and maybe an aforementioned treat or two; and after toying around with some hot chocolate recipes of my own, I've included for you what I have deemed my favourite, and I hope it finds you peaceful.

So, whatever it is you do over these next 48 hours, I trust it will all be worth it in the end, rewarded with a happiness and joy that the holidays are intended to bring. When I return to The Locale after the holiday, I look forward to some new culinary, musical and other local adventures, I've got my sights on some pretty neat and exciting looking shops in the area, and I can't wait to share them with you.

Until then, a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Best Wishes to all

White Chocolate Bliss

6 cups of 2% milk

2 cups of 35% cream

1 teaspoon peppermint extract - though peppermint schnapps would do well in this too

1 vanilla bean, seeds and all - subsequently 1 tsp of vanilla extract will work beautifully too

12 ounces of pure Belgian white chocolate - I'm sure that milk, semi, or dark chocolate would work but this was my preferred method

Vanilla or peppermint laced whipped cream for topping

Throw all of your ingredients, sans whipped topping, into a slow cooker, turn on to low. Retire to the den to play video games for 2 1/2 hours (you could also use this time for other various activities which would likely yield the same delicious results) pausing occasionally to stir. Pour the beverage into a festive mug, top with whipped cream, turn off video games, grab cookies, sit by a window, relax.