Hot Chocolate, My Raison D'être

Okay so my children are my reason for being, my first, my last, my everything and I suppose I had better include my husband in that list.

But of all the inanimate things in the world Hot Chocolate is my number one thing I can't live without.

If I'm out I'll always have a hot chocolate, if we get home from a cold walk I have a hot chocolate and if I need some cheering up I'll stick on some milk and make myself a hot chocolate .

So imagine my joy when I opened this beauty on Christmas day...

 

Along with some amazing Prestat hot chocolate, I had never had this before but it is divine.

My other favourite hot chocolate is by Charbonnel and Walker and both of them are made into the most amazingly smooth and velvety hot chocolate in the chocolatiere jug, it even works for just one cup.

And if you prefer to use cocoa powder then you can, I really like the Fairtrade Divine Cocoa powder.

You can also use grated chocolate but I haven't got round to that yet, but with so many mint chocolates, white chocolates, or even orange chocolate (goes and gets the last chocolate orange) I cannot wait to try so many flavours using the jug. So thank you Santa for bringing me this, I wasn't expecting it, it was a surprise and I love it :)

And finally here is one I made earlier, adorned with the obligatory squirty cream and marshmallows.

Banana and Chocolate Loaf - The Big Fair Bake

Wherever possible I try to buy and use Fairtrade, so when I saw the Big Fair Bake over on Tots100 I decided to blog one of my favourite recipes.

Fairtrade is about 'better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world' and you can help with this by purchasing Fairtrade products wherever possible. 

From sugar to bananas it is simple and doesn't usually cost you any more, but could mean the world to someone else!

This recipe is super tasty and the perfect way to use up those left over, very ripe bananas:

Ingredients:

125g Butter or Margarine
175g Soft Brown Sugar
2 eggs
300g Plain Flour
1 tsp Bicarb Soda
150mls Whole Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Ripe Fairtrade Bananas

100g Fairtrade Chocolate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 25 x 11cm loaf tin.

2. Cream the sugar and butter together with a handheld electric mixer.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.

 
4. Sift in half the flour and all of the bicarb, stir with the metal spoon. Add in the milk and the rest of the flour and mix well.

5. Fold in the mashed bananas, vanilla extract and the chocolate then pour into the loaf tin, it looks like a lot and fills the tin but will be ok.

6. Usually takes about 1 hour 15mins to 1 hour 30 minutes, but keep checking every 5 minutes after about 1 hour 15 mins.

7. Once cooked take the tin out of the oven and leave to rest for about 20 minutes, when slightly cooled remove from the tin and leave to cool completely. Alternatively you can cut up and serve warm with some butter or Nutella and a nice cup of tea.

Perfect for guests, I will be taking this one to my gran and grandad tomorrow.

You can see the other entries via twitter using hash tag #bakeitfair and more on the Big Fair Bake website.