October 16, 2009

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

I know, I promised you a recipe for homemade syrup today.

It’s still today, officially. Don’t beat me up too bad. It’s been a realllly long today. Really long. But I need to be true to my promise. I have great readers, and they need great chocolate syrup.

I had never made my own syrup before last week. To be quite honest, I had never even considered it something “makeable". I mean, Hershey’s already has some in a bottle that squeezes, and it isn’t really all that expensive. But in my quest to become domestic, I feel the need to learn to make everything there is to make, just in case there is some great disaster and corporations like Hershey’s no longer exist. Or if I am suddenly forced to move to somewhere like the Outback and I don’t have a Walmart. Now I’ll know how to make homemade chocolate syrup to go on my homemade ice cream. I guess since I went to school for art I could also make my own ice cream bowl, but lets not push it. I feel sure the Aborigines will trade me a very pretty bowl for a little bit of Limoncello Sorbet. Just a hunch.

But anyway, Chocolate Syrup. So simple. So cheap. No effort involved in the least. And it is waaay better than store bought. Way Way. I hope you’ll try this yourself. If you can find some cute bottles (maybe ask a bartender to save a few flip top Grolsch bottles for you?) these would make super cool gifts. Slap a printable label on it with your logo and they’ll think you a re a genius. Feel free to sub in other flavors besides vanilla. Mint, for example, would be outstanding. Orange. Coconut. Use your imagination!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

½ cup good quality cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
Pinch salt
1/3 tsp vanilla

Mix the water and cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat until cocoa is dissolved. Add the sugar, and continue to stir. Boil for about 3 minutes over medium heat, then add the salt and the vanilla (or other flavoring). Let cool. Pour into a sterilized glass jar, and keep stored in the refrigerator. Keeps for several months. Yields two cups.

Days 3 and 4 of the Eat on 30 Challenge haven’t completely ruined us. I am still under the weather, so, not eating helps the budget. Jon, however, makes up for it. Reining in a man (non-blogger) isn’t easy. But we’ll survive.

Seven had breakfast at Mom’s yesterday. I didn’t eat, as per usual. For lunch, he and I had macaroni soup that Mom made us. I’ll even count the cost ($1.00) even though we didn’t pay for it. Jon was working and had lunch out ($5.50) and then decided he needed dinner out, too ($10.00). Seven and I shared a bowl of Chicken Noodle-Os ($1.00) and he also had some fruit (50 cents) and crackers (25 cents).

Day 3 total $17.25

Today Jon was home and brought me lunch from DQ. It immediately made me sick, so, waste. Jon and Sev had Eggos for breakfast ($1.00) and lunch cost us $8.00. Dinner was a really nice potato soup for all of us, at an estimated $9.00. We’ll be eating that tomorrow, too. Totally worth the expense. My non-blogger husband used an internet recipe and it was fantastic. Seven ate his face off. No, not literally…I have to draw the line somewhere!

Day 4 total $18.00