Hot Damn!

Yeah, I’m playing with my avatar again.

I don’t know why I find fiddling with that thing so dang much fun! I think it reminds me of paper dolls when I was a kid.

My new whatzit there on the side features Ms. Britches enjoying a hot beverage in front of a roaring fire. I enjoy this pastime immensely and hopefully during the hustle and bustle of the next few weeks, I’ll get the opportunity to do it often.

But our weather here is fickle. A fire needed in the morning can quickly change to the AC wanted in the afternoon.

This past Sunday showcased a typical Missouri change of weather. We started the morning in the freakishly high 60’s. I walked out on my back deck with my coffee and it just felt wrong. I kept thinking, “Something wicked this way comes.”

A few hours later a straight line wind blew through and knocked the temperature down by 30 degrees.

In the morning I was in bare feet in my back yard. By two in the afternoon we shivered watching Little march with his sexy tuba in the Christmas parade.

But I digress. (from what I don’t know, but nonetheless…)

Ah, yes. Hot beverages.

I enjoy many kinds, but here is list for those of you who are still reading.

Coffee- Every morning. Boon says I drink ‘truck stop’ coffee because it’s always so strong. I like dark, rich brews. Kona is one of my favorites. I drink it with half and half and NO SUGAR EVER.

Tea-I am an occasional tea drinker. And it’s always in the winter. I go in spurts. I’ll have tea every day for two weeks and then I won’t touch it the rest of the year. Prissy has collected tea pots forever. Now I have a storage-shed full and no earthly idea what to do with them. They should be displayed. But, where? I think I’d like to make one pot in each before I decide. My own little homage to the after-nap pot of tea Prissy would serve when I was a tot. She had this odd little cozy fashioned after a milk maid. I do like sugar in hot tea and a bit of milk. Half and half seems too heavy for tea. Huh.

Cranberry tea- This really isn’t tea at all. I think it is called such because you actually steep the cranberries. In the end, it’s a mixture of fresh cranberry juice, orange juice, pineapple juice and cinnamon. It’s hot yummy goodness that makes the whole house smell like a party whiles it’s simmering. Adding a shot of cinnamon schnapps to the final product pushes me over the edge to dang near nirvana.

Hot Chocolate- Adding a touch of cinnamon schnapps to the final product pushes me over the edge to dang near nirvana. (Did I say that already?) This combination is a thermos must-have for standing along the parade route.

Mulled Wine- I love to make a batch of this when I’m snowed or iced in. It’s altogether lovely to be trapped inside a cozy house watching Mother Nature run rampant. This has to be drunk from my crystal mug with etching on the side.

Snobby, ain’t I?

Baileys Coffee-MMM, Baileys. This is the only time I like sweet coffee. I have a recipe to make my own Irish cream. Eagle Brand and Irish Whiskey are the two main ingredients.

What won’t I drink?

Let’s see.

Pre-fab cappuccinos- I’m not a fan. The kind you get at convenience stores are so sickeningly sweet I’m gagging half way through.

Warm milk-I’ve never tried it. Does it really help you sleep?

Maybe I’ll give it a go after an evening shift at Wal-Mart.

I wonder how it would be with cinnamon schnapps.

…nah.