Hot Cocoa...

So it is wintertime, and almost Christmas (four more days). We had a great church service today, with talks about our savior Jesus Christ and great musical numbers. Bryn-Erinn performed a great arrangement of "Silent Night". She was a little nervous, but did a great job. She was going to play an arrangement of "What Child is This", but someone else had planned to do the same number so Bryn-Erinn changed at the last minute. We got home and started cooking, as we are going to have a crowd of seven in our house on Christmas day. Our house smells like homemade rolls and mashed potatoes.
Since it is a chilly -10 right now, I decided to make some homemade Hot Cocoa. The idea came to me after I had a discussion about Hot Cocoa vs Hot Chocolate with a fellow church member (one is made from cocoa powder and the other from melted chocolate, Swiss Miss would technically be a Hot Cocoa mix). Before I go further, I consider meself a great lover of Hot Chocolate, although my palate isn't particularly refined. I like it in all its forms from the church cannery mix to Swiss Miss and all the others. Over all it is like pizza to me (I'll eat and enjoy it all). Also, because of the quantity I consume, I have a "special" cup. Only the picture can do it justice (the cups' centers are in the same place). Bryn-Erinn got it for me so I would stop using a bowl. It holds about a 400 cc (almost half a liter) of liquid. I found this great recipe on-line. It is very simple and tasty, and now I'm passing it on to you.

Hot Cocoa

4 cups of milk
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of cocoa

Heat in a sauce pan until smooth, but do not boil. Stir often, so as not to burn the bottom (I have done this many times). If you want it richer, add cream. You may also add whipped cream to the top. I prefer mine topless.