Like most sane people who have not been cursed with allergies by Ixcacao, chocolate is my favorite sweet.  Oh, I get seriously happy about good caramel, & if you've read my older blog entries you know my obsession with pie.  But chocolate...is something else.  It's something special--I'd even say transcendental.  Not to mention historical, as archaeologists in Ecuador just discovered proof that chocolate was used over 1300 years earlier than previously thought. 

These guys look pissed.  Somebody didn't follow the recipe.

      Aside from being a confection fav, chocolate has another claim on Halloween: a bloody past.  The Aztecs believed one of their gods was cast out for sharing chocolate with humans.  Chocolate drinking cups were buried with the dead.  Removing the cocoa beans from the pod was a stand-in for removing a human heart as part of ritual sacrifice.  And if you think the ancient South American cultures were brutal about this stuff, remember what the Europeans did when they got their hands on it: war and slavery in the name of commerce rather than religion.
       These days chocolate is more innocuous.  More and more high quality chocolate is available free-trade, organic, & sustainable.*  So on this All Hallow's Eve, as I mark the path to my door with grimacing gourds & ready my stock of sugary handouts, I want a little something special for myself.  There's plenty of great ways to enjoy chocolate, but for something to relish over the course of an evening hot chocolate tops my list.  It's slightly under-sweet--if you want more sweetness &/or creaminess, finish with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk.  And if you REALLY want to take it to the next level, use a flamed orange peel on the rim & in the beverage for a little extra something-something.


Z.D.'s Spiced Hot Chocolate
makes 1 cup - multiply as desired

Ingredients:
8 oz 2% milk
5 teaspoons golden brown sugar
1/8th teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Spice to taste (cinnamon, cardamom, smoked paprika, cayenne, etc.)
Sweetened condensed milk to taste

Directions:
 - In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk.  Add the sugar, vanilla, & salt & stir frequently until the sugar is dissolved.

 - Up the heat to medium & sift in the cocoa (you may roll your eyes when you see "sift," but trust me, cocoa clumps, so just get out a fine-mesh sieve & sift it in there).  Whisk until cocoa is completely incorporated.  Continue to heat, stirring occasionally to prevent skin from forming, until beverage it hot and tiny bubbles appear around the edges.

 - Select your spice(s) of choice & add by pinches, whisking thoroughly after each addition, until the flavor is balanced just the way you like.  Stir in sweetened condensed milk to taste.  Enjoy!



*But if the facts inspire you to write a horror story about a cursed chocolate trade ship, don't let me stop you!

      Just in case you haven't heard, I am a Halloween *fanatic.*  It is my favorite holiday.  Which is bizarre, because I am a total wimp when it comes to scary movies & haunted theme parks.  I even get squeamish at the idea of the old children's game, "Bloody Mary."  Yeah--I am that kind of wimp.

I am not a wimp about spiders, though.  Unless they're huge.  And in my bathtub.

      But I have plenty of decorations put up, "Sweeny Todd" to sing along to, & creepy boardgames to play. And more than that, this year I put together the itinerary for the Perfect October Day for anyone who lives in western Washington.*  So if you're looking for something different to do this weekend--or if you have friends coming from out of town & you want to show them a great time--here's my recommendations.

      This little berg is out on the Olympic peninsula. It's one of my favorite day trips in the state & getting there is half the fun.  Here's my itinerary:

9:35am - Catch the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston.  Depending on where you are, this might mean getting up early, or giving you time to sleep in a little bit.  Either way, if there's a Top Pot on your route, stop for a pumpkin old fashioned doughnut and a cup of coffee to enjoy while waiting at the ferry dock.

      It's about a 30 minute crossing, & then you head west & north.  As you drive, set the mood with a creepy podcast: I suggest any of the Spooked episodes, or my current obsession, Lore.  Your route will take you through Port Gamble, a charming town so tiny you could miss it if you didn't have SLOW WAY THE F*** DOWN to make that hairpin turn through the middle.  It's one of the most haunted places on the West Coast, so if you feel like stopping & poking around, by all means, do!  Just make sure you get to...

11am - Farms Reach Cafe, Chimicum.  Small, casual, & homey-delicious food awaits you here.  I took the recommendation of a regular & had the beef stew with a buttermilk biscuit for lunch.  My belly was soooo happy.  I wanted to stay & try some of their amazing looking cookies with a cup of tea, but I knew I had to leave room for the next stop, which was only three blocks away.

12pm - Finnriver Cidery, Chimicum.  Ohhh, ho hooo...& you thought you knew hard cider!  Boy, were you wrong!  Go straight into the tasting room & treat yourself to a guided tasting.  Then beg to taste whatever's on tap that you haven't tried yet.  Then order a glass of something & stroll around the farm, enjoying the gorgeous scenery.  Then buy a couple bottles to take home.  The brandy wines make excellent holiday gifts!

What I have from them in my fridge at this moment.  See that one second from the right?  That's Salal Berry & Cedar hard apple cider!  It doesn't get more Pacific Northwest than that! No, Finnriver is not paying me to advertise.  But if they happen to see this & want to thank me with some free cider...I mean I wouldn't say "no."

Whenever you're sober enough to drive the last 30 minutes - Port Townsend.  There's so much to do here.  The Mt Townsend Creamery is off to your right before you descend the hill to downtown.  Or if you've a sweet tooth, Elevated Ice Cream is really, really good--& they sell it by the ounce instead of the scoop!  I've never gotten a bad coffee drink anywhere in town.  All the shops are cool, there's great local art, & some quality steampunk attire is available as well.  Check out every nook & cranny--including the antique mall--but be sure you're at the Haller Fountain on time for...

4:15pm - Twisted History Tour, Port Townsend.  Every boom town has it's history...most of which it would probably prefer to forget.  The Twisted History Tours of Port Townsend bring those stories back from the grave, & you will never look at the town the same again.  If you like macabre history, I recommend the Uptown Haunts.  If you like a little more ghost story in your history lessons, try the Downtown Dare.  Wear good walking shoes & a warm raincoat--& let the tales of dead liven up your evening!

The fanciest house in town was built by the undertaker.  Enough said.

      You'll wrap up around 6pm.  Depending on how you're feeling, you may decide to dine in town & take a late ferry back.  But if you want to keep the good times going, I suggest you grab a coffee to go & head back now.  If you live around Seattle or Bellevue, Mox Boarding House is your next destination.  If that's out of your way, plan ahead & order your favorite food for delivery, because it's game on.

Conclude your evening with a board game.  For a crowd, try One Night Ultimate Werewolf--an easy party game with short rounds & an app that practically walks you through it.  For smaller groups, try the goofy Betrayal at House on the Hill, the eldritch themed Mansions of Madness, the ghostly Mysterium (my favorite for Halloween), or any of the Zombicide games (we like Black Plague).  These will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning, steeped in eerie fun of the season.  And the next morning...another Top Pot doughnut, because those pumpkin old fashioned's are only around for a short time!




* If you don't live in western Washington, most of these activities are still available to you--you'll just have to research local substitutions for the rest.  Or come visit.  Either way.