There are upsides and downsides to living close to family. Sometimes, close seems like a relative term. My Mother-In-Law isn’t close enough that she can just drop in, but she’s close enough that we can go visit without too much planning. My family is all within 45 minutes of our house, just in a variety of directions. This is great around the holidays. Being ‘the ones with the kids’, my sister and I alternate hosting responsibilities for Thanksgiving and Christmas, ultimately leaving us ‘home for the holidays’.
I’m not complaining. I genuinely love the fact that we can celebrate Christmas with our family on Christmas Eve and wake up Christmas morning knowing that we never have to get out of our jammies. It also leaves us more time for fun things, like watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and making homemade hot chocolate. We don’t have a ‘real’ fireplace (just gas logs), but the kids love snuggling up in their new PJs in front of the fireplace on Christmas Eve to enjoy a warm cup of hot chocolate.
Starbucks ruined me years ago. Hot chocolate just isn’t the same for me anymore unless is comes topped with whipped cream. And I mean real whipped cream. I wanted my hot chocolate a little more grown up this year, so I added something a little special just for mommy… Southern Comfort. You could really use any dark liquor (whiskey, bourbon, etc), but I love the flavor SoCo adds.
- For the Hot Chocolate:
- 4 cups Milk
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- ½ cup Sugar
- ⅓ cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ cup Hot Water
- For the Whipped Cream
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- ¼ cup Southern Comfort
- 4 Tablespoons Sugar
- Heat milk and cinnamon sticks over medium-low heat for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not boil.
- While the milk heats, in a separate sauce pan, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, salt and hot water. Bring those to a boil. Continue boiling for 2 -3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove both the milk and cocoa mixture from the heat.
- Remove the cinnamon sticks from the milk and set aside.
- Slowly add the milk to the cocoa mixture and stir. Return to the stove on low heat.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining sugar, heavy whipping cream and Southern Comfort. Beat with a mixer on high until stiff peaks form.
- Serve the hot chocolate topped with the whipped cream. If desired, garnish with a cinnamon stick and/or a light sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
Are you home for the holidays or are you spending your time on the road?
Join us tonight at 7 PM EST on Twitter for our weekly #SundaySupper chat. Just follow the hashtag #SundaySupper on Twitter and jump right in!
In the meantime, check out what these amazing #SundaySupper contributors have on their plates this holiday weekend…
Breakfast
- Eggs Benedict by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Holiday Cream Cheese Tea Ring by That Skinny Chick can Bake
- Orange Refrigerator Rolls by The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake by Small Wallet Big Appetite
Appetizers & Snacks
- Chicken Liver Pate by Tora’s Real Food
- Bindaetteok {Mung Bean Pancakes} by Kimchi Mom
- Crab and Asparagus Soup by The Urban Mrs.
Sides
- Potato Salad {Schwaebischer Kartoffelsalat} by Galactopdx
- Italian Orange Salad by Shockingly Delicious
- Sweet Potato Casserole by Magnolia Days
- Carrots au gratin by Juanitas Cocina
Main Dishes
- Char Siu Bao – Chinese Roast Pork Buns by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Savory Crepe Cake by Vintage Kitchen
- West Indian Curried Goat by The ROXX Box
- Pot Cheese and Potato Cheese Pierogies by Cupcakes and Kale Chips
- Seafood Gumbo and Grilled Oysters: A Louisiana Christmas Tradition by the Catholic Foodie
- Mom’s Paella by What Smells So Good?
- Portuguese inspired Chorizo Crown Pork Roast by Family Foodie
- Dorie’s Chicken in a Pot by Gotta Get Baked
- New Year’s Eve Buckwheat Noodles with Mochi by The Ninja Baker
- Mile High Lasagna by Cravings of a Lunatic
- Crab Cakes for Christmas Eve by Daddy Knows Less
Desserts
- Pizzelles {Italian Wafer Cookies} by Chocolate Moosey
- Fudge by Dinner Dishes and Desserts
- Crescent Cookies by Cookistry
- Christmas Stollen by Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
- Pfeffernussen by The Foodie Army Wife
- Creme De Menthe Cake by I Run for Wine
- Panettone Bread Pudding by the Country Girl in the Village
- Spiced Gingerbread Gooey Butter Cake | A twist on a St. Louis Favorite by Daily Dish Recipes
- Chocolate Gingerbread Cake with Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting by Crispy Bits and Burnt Ends
- Jamaican Christmas Pudding by Lovely Pantry
- White Chocolate Cranberry Santa Cookies by Mooshu Jenne
- Christmas Tree Cookies by Damn Delicious
- Old Fashioned Lady Fingers {Creamhorns} by The Meltaways
- Rose Milk Almond Falooda {Indian Dessert Drink} by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
Drinks
- Wine Pairings by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
- Cinnamon Infused Hot Chocolate with Southern Comfort Whipped Cream by Mama Mommy Mom
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Oh yummy! What a fun drink! Thank you so much for being such a big part of #sundaysupper this past year. It has been a pleasure getting to know you and your family. Merry Christmas!
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Pingback: Carrots Au Gratin ~ #SundaySupper Home For The Holidays! | Juanita's Cocina
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Pingback: Char Siu Bao {Roast Pork Buns} #SundaySupper - The Girl in the Little Red KitchenThe Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
I was ruined the day I discovered liqueurs goes so well with hot chocolate or coffee. This is the perfect drink for a holiday cold morning! Merry Christmas Jamie!
I’d probably put that whipped cream on everything!
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LOVE your grown-up version. Would love to have one right now….
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Pingback: Dorie’s Chicken in a Pot for #SundaySupper Home for the Holidays | gotta get baked
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It sounds like you have a wonderful Christmas. The twist to the whipped cream sounds divine. Merry Christmas to you and your entire family!
Holy cow this looks amazing! I love cinnamon hot chocolate but I’ve never thought of southern comfort whipped cream! It sounds divine.
Oh, yeah…this is the ultimate adult holiday treat! Rich, spiked hot chocolate topped with whipped cream….mmmmmm. Merry Christmas!
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Wow, that’d warm me up for sure!
Love this idea for grown up whipped cream! Maybe that’s what my morning cup of coffee is missing
This sounds fantastic! Yum
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A great adult hot chocolaty treat!
Oh my goodness that whipped cream just pushed this drink from good to amazing.
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Cinnamon and chocolate is one of my all time favorite flavor combos. So this is a fabulous drink for me. And yes, it must be topped with real whipped cream.
You had me at soco infused whipped cream! LOVE! Happy Holidays!
Wow, that is one kicked up hot chocolate. And now you have me jealous. We run arounda lot on Christmas. I wanna stay home in my jammies!
Oh baby – you’ve taken hot chocolate to a whole new, boozy, delicious level! I love spiked cocoas and coffees so this would be the perfect thing to sip on these cold winter days in my jammies. I don’t have a fireplace so I’ll have to turn to the yuletide log channel, lol. Happy holidays!