Our Cozy Holiday Kitchen (and Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe)

Does your entire house change as you decorate for Christmas? We visited my aunt and uncle this week, and their house always inspires me with how everything looks just right. This year their tree was decorated perfectly, a task we haven't completed at our house yet. We just got a real Christmas tree this weekend, and only have lights on it so far. It even makes the living room smell like Christmas. 

We will decorate it soon, sharing memories as we take our special ornaments from the storage boxes one by one. My husband saved some of the wonderful smelling greenery when he trimmed it, and I'm planning to either make a wreath for our front door or a pretty centerpiece for our dining room table. You can't go wrong with greenery and pine cones, which there plenty of here. 

Our house is far from having "everything in its place" but it is turning into a Christmas wonderland. Our kitchen is filling up with extra ingredients for everyone's favorite recipes that we just make this time of year. Crunchy party mix, creamy pralines, layered peppermint bark, and rich cocoa mix are a few of our plans. My son's special request is that we make my sister-in-law's "puppy chow" recipe. We might even try homemade chocolate covered cherries again. Every year we add more to our list of favorites. 

Hot cocoa is one of our yearly mixes to prepare and share. This year we changed things up a little with a hot cocoa bar. All that is missing are the candy canes that I forgot to grab while we were shopping. Do you have a favorite mug?

Instant Hot Cocoa Mix

Our cocoa isn't exactly a typical recipe. We pour everything into a really big mixing bowl, mix it up, then taste test in hot water. If it is not sweet enough, add more powdered sugar, not creamy enough means more powdered milk or creamer. Sometimes we add marshmallows to the mix, but I prefer it without so usually just have them available for the kids. Mix: large container dry hot cocoa (not cocoa powder), one box confectioner's sugar, one 18oz container dry coffee creamer, and 2 cups of dry powdered milk. 

Once you get the ingredients just the way your family likes it, three heaping tablespoons of dry hot cocoa mix stirred into hot water makes the perfect mug of hot cocoa. You can add marshmallows, a candycane stirrer or crushed peppermint sprinkles, or whipped cream. The mix can be shared in a mason jar decorated with a pretty ribbon or in any other pretty container.

What are some of your family's favorite recipes that you only prepare at Christmastime?