Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea

Display Teas

I've been doing a lot of planning for next month's tea party.  I think I've got the menu set, so now I'm thinking of decor.  I've decided to put a small bowl on each table with one of these "display tea" flowers in it.  These teas from Adagio are actually a cluster of leaves tied together so that as they unfurl, they reveal a lovely flower in the center.   

They're so beautiful, I wish my photographs did them justice.  I'm especially loving the Jasmine, which opens into an off-white bloom, as you see here.  And the scent is heavenly!  I only hope I don't overwhelm my guests with the scent of jasmine in every room.

I also got a black tea called Red Bloom which unfortunately didn't photograph well in the glass pot, but I took a closeup of the pink (not red) flower, and it's gorgeous. 

I think I prefer the Red Bloom tea for flavor, but I MUCH prefer the jasmine scent, and how delicate it looks in a white bowl.

Caffeine Makes You Wanna ...

At least, so this study shows.

Ok, now, wait.  Before anybody goes and tries to make caffeine pills the new "date drug", you should know this applies only if you're a rat.  More precisely, if you're a FEMALE rat.  They don't know yet if this translates to humans, although I could give an educated guess and say, yeah, probably. 

The rats with the highest return-for-more-sex rate had the caffeine equivalent of a couple shots of espresso for a human.  But then, they'd never had caffeine before.  It might take a bit more for those of us with high caffeine tolerance. 

Suddenly I feel the urge for a latte.

via WebMDBlog
Related: Sex and Coffee?
              Can't Get Enough Caffeine?

Year of the Dog

Today is New Year's Day according to the Chinese calendar, and 2006 is the Year of the Dog. 

It's not a set date or day of the month, like many holidays. The first day of the Chinese New Year is based on the heavens, on the Lunar calendar - it always falls on the second New Moon after the winter solstice. (Check out this cool moon phases doodad!)

Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is a traditional time for feasting with family and friends that dates back thousands of years. 

Gathering and feasting.  Marvelous concepts.  Most of the traditional foods are symbolic, served and eaten with the coming year in mind and hopes for happiness, prosperity, good fortune, and long life, like Chinese Sticky Cake (Nian Gao), "which is said to make people advance toward higher positions and prosperity step by step."

(Red dogger stolen from chinapage.com)

Speaking of gathering and feasting (nice seque, huh?), the "Potluck" Carnival of the Recipes is up at Triticale, the Wheat/Rye Guy, with a great assortment of dishes perfect for any gathering. 

I've always wondered where that term "potluck" came from.  According to Webster, potluck means "Whatever food happens to be available for a meal, especially when offered to a guest: Having arrived unannounced for supper, we had to take potluck".   I guess that means the meal is a game of chance, and if you're lucky, what's in the pot will be good.  Well, if you're arriving unannounced and expect to be fed, you gots to be willing to take your chances!  I can see that evolving into group gatherings, especially in small communities at the end of a long winter where food was running low.  Folx might have to pool their resources, and share their various pots of whatever was left.  Fortunately, a potluck dinner now usually means "easy to make and carry" and not necessarily whatever was left over in the kitchen. 

ANYway, next week's carnival will be hosted by Prochien Amy and the theme will be, appropriately enough for February, CHOCOLATE.  Submit your chocolate recipes here: Conservative Cat's Carnival Submission Form, or email to recipe-dot-carnival-at-neversendspam-gmail-dot-c0m by next Saturday noon!

Baked Sausage & Egg

This is a recipe I've been meaning to share for a while that fits the bill for this week's Carnival of the Recipes.  I know, there are some who say "Eggs for dinner?", and would restrict this dish to a brunch potluck, but I'm weird.  I love having eggs for dinner, so I wouldn't hesitate to take it to an evening potluck.   

Thanks to my friend Lisa for this recipe.  I served it for my guests Christmas Day and it was a BIG hit. The best thing is it's a dish you can make in advance, stick in the fridge overnight, and just pop in the oven the next day.  When you have guests, pre-prep meals are the absolute best.

Sadly, The Ninny forgot to take pictures.  So you'll have to use your 'magination.  UPDATE: I found one photo taken at the end of the meal!  It was a LOT prettier before we dug into it, but this pic shows the layers.

Baked Sausage & Egg
1 package sausage - cook, crumble and drain
6 slices day-old bread - cubed
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese - shredded
10 eggs slightly beaten
4 cups milk
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp onion powder
pepper to taste
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced tomatoes

Place bread in buttered casserole dish (13x9).  Sprinkle about 1/2 the cheese over the bread.  In a bowl combine eggs, milk, mustard, onion powder and pepper.  Pour this mixture over the bread/cheese.  Sprinkle / add in layers: sausage, mushrooms and tomatoes.  Optional: cover the dish and place in fridge to chill overnight.

Bake uncovered 1 hour at 325°.  This can be carted to the potluck party as-is, and when you get there, sprinkle a healthy layer of cheese on top, pop in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.  (You can use the broiler if you're in a hurry.)  If the party doesn't have an oven available, melt the cheese beforehand, and cover tightly with foil.

Variation for vegetarians (we have several): just leave out the sausage.

Chocolate Fondue

My mom used to throw the best fondue parties.  She would orchestrate an entire meal for a small group of friends with varieties of fondue, starting with cheese fondue as "appetizer", then 2 kinds of "main dish" fondue, and for dessert, the best of all, chocolate fondue.  This feat of entertaining required multiple fondue pots and lots of preparation.  Forks had to be labeled (or color coded), ingredients had to be diced and sliced, and most of all, the recipes had to be tested.  I was always reluctantly recruited for the slicing and dicing, but I was a ready volunteer for the taste-testing. 

In case you're not familiar with the whole fondue thing, the concept involves dipping a small portion of food (usually speared on the end of a stick or fork) into a heated sauce of some kind.  The word fondue comes from the French feminine past participle of fondre, meaning to melt.

Special fondue pots can be bought at specialty kitchen stores or through mail order catalogs.  The one shown here is a Swissmar Amore Heart-Shaped Chocolate Fondue Set I ordered from Amazon for a Valentine's Day tea party I'm planning. 

If you really want to get fancy, you could try a chocolate fondue fountain like the home version of the Sephra (shown left) or the less-pretty-but-more-affordable Rival Chocolate Fondue Fountain.

If you don't have a fondue pot or a budget for a fountain, you can serve simple-style.  Just transfer the saucepan from the stove to a stand on the table with some kind of heating unit (a tea light in a holder works) underneath it.  Unless you want them gathering around your stove.

I'll share mom's other fondue recipes at a later date.  Today, being Chocolate Friday, you get ...

Mom's Chocolate Fondue

• 1 16 oz. pkg Nestle's Semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 large Hershey's chocolate bar
• 1/4 cup milk, heavy cream, OR flavored creamer

Options for flavoring: 1-2 tsp liqueur such as Amaretto or a coffee liqueur, 1 tsp mint flavoring, or add a tbsp very finely chopped toasted hazelnuts

In a sauce pan, melt the chocolate chips over a low heat on the stove.  Add small squares of Hershey bar to to sweeten (to taste) and milk (or cream) in small amounts to keep consistency moist.  It should be like a thick soup, not too watery.  Stir constantly to prevent chocolate sticking to bottom of pan. 

Goodies for dipping:

• 1 dozen plain cake donuts or pound cake, cubed
• Fruits, such as marascino cherries, strawberries, bananas, or apples
• Marshmallows - we tried the mini-size, but I recommend using the large ones
• Anything else you like with chocolate that can be speared on a fork

Serving it Up
Transfer melted chocolate to fondue pot over a low heat so that chocolate stays liquid, but not bubbling.  Arrange the dipping foods on trays around the fondue pot. Most fondue pots come with a set of "forks", but you can supplement these with long toothpick-like sticks from your local grocery store. You'll need a good supply of small napkins for your guests, as well as small plates - this meal can get messy, but it's a lot of fun!

Serve with pot in the center of a sturdy table where it is unlikely to be jarred, but easily reached. A small round table is best, so that guests can carry their plates and "spears" around the table, sampling a little of everything. For large groups, use several small tables, with a fondue pot on each.

The Art of "Spearing"
If your guests are unfamiliar with fondue, you might want to demonstrate this technique:

1. Spear food with fork
2. Dip into the pot and give it a good stir
3. Lift and twirl slowly
4. Move plate beneath fork and continue twirling until dripping stops and food has cooled.

Enjoy!

Opening a Coffee Shop?

Quick reminder for you coffee entrepreneurs - Coffee Fest’s 3-day Specialty Coffee Business Seminar is upcoming.  Badgett says there are 21 spaces left.  But that post says the dates are June 3-5, 2005.  Heh, I think whoever sent Robert that news release should've had a little more coffee before hitting SEND. 

The Coffeefest website says Feb 24-26, in Washington D.C., which corresponds with the Trade show going on at the same time (fee for seminar gets you into the trade show as well).  If you're a new coffee shop owner, or are thinking about going into the bean business, you'll probably want to check this out.

Oh, and don't forget, today is National Irish Coffee Day!

The Yin & Yang of Green Tea

I've had a belly ache for 4 days.  Chills, nausea, general uckiness. 

I drank some green tea, needing the comfort of tea, but thinking the black tea caffeine might not be good at that moment.  And of course, the studies about green tea have made it seem like mega-polyphenols are the answer to all that ails ya.  And we all know that green tea is higher in polyphenols than black tea. 

Unfortunately, it seemed to make me worse. 

I have, quite honestly, never been able to drink a lot of green tea.  And that Voice in my head always held out a sort of mini-judgment on me about it.  That damn Voice, the one that rags on me occasionally about Things I've Done Wrong or Reasons Why I'm a Horrible Person, whispered that if I was really a tea lover and fully health conscious, I would drink more green tea.  "Ought to", said the voice.  "SHOULD," said the voice. 

I usually manage to drown the Voice with a good strong cup of coffee or black tea or something really chocolatey and decadent.  I just assume I'm weak, that caffeine addiction is stronger than desire for health.

But then I ran across this article on Tea Masters that makes mention of green teas and "coolness" not being beneficial for older folx or those weak in yang energy.  Hey, that's me!  I've always been weak in yang energy, and now I'm an old fart to boot, so I went in search of more information.  Wendy Zhang, in an article here, writes:

Green tea, being “cold” in nature, eliminates toxic internal “heat,” induces diuresis, and counteracts the side effects of alcohol and of grease in meat. Being cold, it is most easily accepted in the summer and by those with heat symptoms such as fever, bad breath, cough, and inflammation. Black tea, being warm in nature, has the effect of warming and strengthening the spleen and stomach. It is popularly used in winter and for those experiencing cold symptoms such as stomach aches and loose stools.

Just as a coin has two sides, drinking tea can be either beneficial or harmful. Drinking green tea does not generally have side effects for young and healthy people since their yang energy is strong. However, for people who have a yang deficiency syndrome—indigestion and stomach aches, diarrhea, cool limbs, and anemia— prolonged consumption of green tea can damage the vital energy, aggravating their symptoms and making them feel bloated and nauseous.

According to Tea Masters the best tea for those who can't do straight green is "aged raw pu erh", which apparently has as much as 39% polyphenols (yer average green tea has only 30%) and is slow aged, rather than roasted.  Stephane says:

... you have to weigh in the 'cool' nature of green tea (or light oxidized oolong) when you assess it's benefits on your health. It may actually do more harm then good if you feel 'cold' already. The very best in terms of health benefits (and in terms of taste) is wild aged pu-er: it's quite unique in that it combines a high concentration of tea polyphenols with ripe, warm tea characteristics

Well, I'm going to have to find some raw, aged pu erh!  It's worth a try.   

On my searchings, I found this test, Are You Primarily Yin, Yang, or Yin/Yang?, from The Tao of Beauty by Helen Lee.  According to this, I'm actually in the low-balanced range, which surprised me.  Maybe all the work I've done on my innards is finally paying off! 

In any case, I can only go on how I feel.  And I would say, based on my own body responses, green tea is not always beneficial for everybody all the time. 

Also of interest, this article by George Wong, PhD, a Harvard-trained researcher at the Strang Cancer Prevention Center and Chinese herbalist, lists general symptoms of yin/yang imbalances and foods beneficial for each. Although the article's main focus is breast cancer and Traditional Chinese Medicine, I found lots of stuff to try for my own health. The best news from this article is

Chocolate and coffee can be good since they promote yang energy.

Well, hall-ee-loo-ya.  Now I can really tell the Voice to shove it.

Carnival of the Recipes #75

Welcome to the 75th Carnival of the Recipes! Oy, what a day I had today!  I woke up late, and had to scramble to get the coffee going.  The theme for this week's carnival is coffee & tea (drinks or foods made with ...) and I had a lot of visits to make today! 

BREKKY

I hit the road with sleep still in my eyes, but I knew I'd get some good coffee at my first stop, where David of Third World County didn't disappoint.  And to go with that coffee, some Power Oatmeal to help me get my engine revved.  A simple, timeless breakfast food, with a little added punch. 

Sadly, I had to leave D and Wonderwoman behind, but I was really looking forward to my next stop.

I arrived at Booklore mid-morning, just in time for a cuppa and brunch.  Bernadette was serving the highly addictive Aebleskivers - Scandahoovian sweet pancake balls. (that's "Ay-ble-skee-ver") Thanks Bernadette, I've always wanted to know how to make these!  Recipe safely in pocket, still wiping powdered sugar off my face, I got ready to hit my next stop.

The late-morning coffee klatch at Everything and Nothing was delightful, with Shawn serving up a delicious recipe for Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake. I had a hard time leaving, but managed to sneak a piece of coffee cake into my pocket to nibble on later.

SALADS

The noon bell found me lunching with Mensa Barbie who served up Salade d'orange.  This delightful salad uses citrus tea in the dressing and was, as she said "A lovely salad designed to keep you healthy this winter!"  And to drink with the salad?  A nice hot cup of healthy Citrus Tea w/ honey and ginger, of course!  Thanks MB!

BREADS

Back on the road again, I began to need a little afternoon pick-me-up.  Thankfully Joan at Oasis of Sanity was ready for me at tea time, with a pot of hot tea and her low-carb recipe for Apple Orange Tea bread, that uses Tazo Wild Sweet Orange tea.  What an absolutely delicious  tea-time treat!  (She says it would be lovely with coffee, too, and I concur!)

DIPS

As the afternoon grew dim-ish, I realized I was dragging.  I was glad to reach my next stop, which happily put some serious gas in my engine.  Martin of EGO harvested his Tepin pepper (say that fast 10 times) to make his HOT DIP served with spicey rooibos chile "tea".  That'll grow hair on yer chest!  Whoohoo!  Nicely warmed and revved, I waved a cheery thanks to Martin and blasted off for my next stop.

SOUPS AND STEWS

Early evening found me in a sea of soup.  At my first stop Michael Guenther of Descent Into Obscurity presented me with Chicken or Vegetable Soup, and was kind enough to pour me cup of good coffee while waiting for the soup to cook.  He offered me a shot of Bailey's for my second cup, but I still many stops to make so I declined.

Next, Cathy at CFO: Chief Family Officer served some delightful Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Corn and Pine Nuts.  She said to pair this winter soup with a grilled cheese sandwich for a complete meal.  That sounded quite delish, but I knew there was stew waiting for me just up the road at Cooking Capers.  Cookie served up some Chile Verde (Green Chili Stew) that was savory and filling and really spiced things up. 

I was so nice and toasty warm in Cookie's kitchen, I was reluctant to go out into the cold night, but fortunately David at The Glittering Eye had the perfect recipe for beating back the cold weather with his recipe for Leek and Potato Soup. 

My pockets were full of recipes by this time, but I still had many stops to make.  I thanked David, who glittered his eye at me, and off into the night I went.

SIDE DISHES

The dinner hour began with Marsha Hudnall at A Weight Lifted and her recipe for  Orange-Glazed Carrots and Asparagus.  She wanted to be sure I was getting enough folic acid in my diet, which of course I'm not, so I was grateful.  And the veggies were delish!

From there I traveled to Blog d'Elisson where Elisson-his-own-bad-self educated me on An All-Too-Often Overlooked Taste Sensation (Kishka), but this veggie version of the side dish was both healthier and easier than the standard Jewish recipe, and quite tasty!

MAIN COURSE

At my next stop, Chad, the Pirate King at Pirates! Man your Women! was serving an Mmmmm Tasty  meal for his hunny and her boss and boss-wife.  Such jocularity and joviality, I didn't want to leave, but at least I came away with not just one recipe, but four, to make a complete and completely pleasing meal.

When I arrived at Geek Can Cook, Aeryk served up two versions of Cubed Steaks with Mushroom Gravy, his mom's recipe and his own version.  Of course, he wanted to know which I liked better, but I politely declined to give an opinion.  One dasn't diss anybody's mother, and anyway, they were both good.

About this time I remembered my own dish! 

I brought out my Lazy Broad's Smoky Chicken, made with Lapsang Souchong tea which gives this healthy dish a distinct smoky flavor. 

And then it was time to move on for dessert.

SWEETS

Ahhh, my favorite foods, the sweets.  And there was plenty good stuff to be found.

All this running around had burned off some calories, but Riannon at In the Headlights made sure I would regain my round figure with Espresso and Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake.  In a word: YUM.  Served with coffee, I was in heaven.

At my next stop El Capitan, presumably the captain of the Baboon Pirates served up something called Guinness Ice Cream!!!.  Not wanting to be thought cowardly (and made to walk the plank), I told him I'd try it.  I took some for the road, to try later, when I actually AM feeling braver.

Taleena of Sun Comprehending Glass contributed some wonderful Green Tea Ice Cream to the dessert pool. 

I've always wanted to try making ice cream, and these two recipes give me a good excuse to buy an ice cream maker. 

I tucked the recipes into a pocket and headed off to Keewee-land, where Keewee of keeweescorner was serving a killer chocoholic recipe for Adults Only Brownies.  These scrumptious brownies had coffee-chocolate icing, and coffee liqueur inside. 

Since she was serving them with great coffee, I had to pry myself out of my chair when it was time to leave.  She sent me on my way with my coffee and choco-cravings satisfied.
 

At my next stop, Jami Leigh at Jami Leigh served Orange Balls, a really tasty and easy recipe I'm going to have to serve at my next tea party - but "shhhh, don't give anyone the recipe!" she said, as she tucked the recipe into my coat pocket.

In honor of it being Hot Tea Month, DeputyHeadmistress at The Common Room offered  Recipes for tea, poundcake, and Chicago Puffs from a vintage (1870 or so) book on homemaking, all served up with  hospitality her Aunt Sophronia would have been proud of.
 

DRINKS

As the evening drew to a close, I headed back toward home. I had only one more stop to make.  I was looking forward to the Healthy Recipe Doctor Elaine Magee's recipe for HOT FLASH MOCHACCINO - YES, now that's what I need.

I finally arrived home, tired, but happy.  I made myself a cup of Jack Sparrow's Coffee with some good spiced rum and prepared to snuggle in for the night and review my pockets-full of recipes.  What a great cache!

WHAT IS THIS??? Heidi Mapp from Frugal Wisdom from Wenchypoo's Warehouse somehow snuck a note into my pocket: Frittering with Cookbooks - The description said: "This is not a recipe-- rather , it explains how recipes stifle individual creativity.  An anti-recipe, if you will."  Huh.  Well, the Carnival isn't a cookbook, although it does flagrantly encourage the sharing and distribution of recipes.   I always sort of assumed that folx only use recipes as starting points. You gotta learn somehow.  But hey, I'm all for creativity.

And on that note, I am trundling happily off to bed, with visions of recipes dancing in my head. 

UPDATE!  I don't know what happened last night, but somehow I completely bypassed Punctilious' abode!  Ninnyhammers!  Noodlehead!!  Well, I'm on my way over there this morning for some Russian Tea, planning to do a lot of bowing and scraping and apologizing.  It's been years since I've had anything with Tang in it, I'm looking forward to this!  If I can drink it from my awkward position on the floor, that is ...

Next week's carnival will be a potluck held at Triticale the wheat/rye guy, so bring yer favorite potluck dish to share!  Post recipes by Saturday noon, either by email to recipe-dot-carnival-at-neversendspam-gmail-dot-c0m, or you can use the Conservative Cat's Carnival Submission Form.

Much bowing and scraping to Beth, our Founder in Chief and She Who Will Be Obeyed, for making all this possible.  :)

Nighty-nite, and happy cooking!

Lazy Broad's Smoky Chicken

So, yesterday I received my tea sample from teachef.com.  The sample - Lapsang Souchong - arrived in this cute little tin, which I'm sure I can find good use for once the tea is gone.  I've never had this tea before, and even though I read the description on the site, I still wasn't prepared for the overwhelming smoky aroma that assualted my nostrils when I opened the tin.  I actually recoiled.  I didn't mean to, it was purely a knee-jerk response.  Well, heh, nose-jerk response. 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to strong flavors or smells.  And I was determined not to judge harshly without trying it, so I put the kettle on and made myself a cup of tea.  And now I can say quite categorically that I am not a fan of smoky flavored teas.  At least not in a cup. 

This tea is, however, a WONDERFUL seasoning for cooking.  I highly recommend it as a great way to add that smoky flavor to almost any dish.  Some of the recipes submitted so far to the teachef site sound wonderful.  My recipe is ... well, I had to use what I had on hand, so the result is a simple dish that is coincidentally and quite unintentionally also ... gak, I have a hard time even saying the word ... healthy.  Ok, there, I said it.  Healthy.  Low cal, low fat, high in flavor.  Yeesh.

Lazy Broad's Smoky Chicken
4 boneless chicken breasts (or thighs), cut into strips
1-2 tsp Lapsang Souchong tea
3 cups water
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp barbecue sauce
1 tsp flour
2 carrots, diced
2 cups rice

Boil 3 cups of water, use one cup to steep the tea for 5 minutes.  Add the tea (with the leaves) to a deep skillet with the remaining 2 cups of water.  Add parsley, garlic salt, honey, barbecue sauce, and flour to skillet and turn heat on medium.  Add chicken and diced carrots.  Cover and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Friday: The Mayan Magic

Like most chocolate addicts, when the movie Chocolat came out, I wanted to know just what was in that magical chocolate drink Vianne made that turned Armande into a real live girl again.  I wished I had a recipe like that, to use on the Curmudgeons and the Irascibles in my life.  Cranky old farts really just need some cheering up with chocolate.

Well, now I'm a cranky old fart, and dammit, I need some cheering up.  So, I went in search of the recipe to see if there even was such a thing, since the Mayans themselves have disappeared.

As it turns out, there is no definitive recipe.  Nothing written in hieroglyphs on any wall or pot.  Unfortunately.  But my search did turn up some interesting stuff. 

The Mayan people were drinking chocolate as a beverage of some kind as far back as 2600 years ago, according to residue found in a ceramic "tea pot" at the Mayan site of Rio Azul in northeastern Guatemala.  Shown left is one of three spouted vessels from Colha in Northern Belize that was found to contain a cacao residue. The spouted vessel dates to between 600 B.C. and A.D. 250.

But some historians believe the origins of chocolate go back even further:

Michael Coe, co-author of The True History of Chocolate, believes based on a slew of evidence, some linguistic, that the roots of chocolate go much further back to the great Olmec civilization, which preceded the Maya.

"The Maya derived a lot of their high culture from the Olmec," said Coe, also professor emeritus of anthropology at Yale. "Even the word 'cacao' is not a native Maya word—it's Olmec." The Olmec lived in the southern Gulf of Mexico between 1500 and 500 B.C., and their influence extended to Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Costa Rica, and El Salvador

Mayan life may have been echoing the Olmec culture, but it seems they took chocolate to a whole new level in their own.  Chocolate was part of every meal, although not in the sweet form we think of today.  And chocolate "beans" were used as money.  According to this site, a handful of cacao beans could buy you a slave!

In searching for the historical recipe, it's helpful to look at present day recipes.  Barbara Fash, professor in Harvard's department of Anthropology says that

today, descendants of the early Maya still offer cacao to the gods, leaving their gifts in caves. Mostly however, chocolate has become a common item, but retains much of its earlier flavor. Fash describes tiste -- a chocolate drink she has had in Copán, Honduras, where Harvard's cacao pot was crafted many centuries before. This is a powdered mixture of toasted cacao, toasted maize, sugar, cinnamon and achiote which provides a red color. This mixture is ground into a powder and then added to milk or water.  Mole, a Mexican chocolate sauce served over chicken, also contains chile and cinnamon, the ancient mainstays.

These recipes may carry some remnant of the past, hand-me-down elements that provide the foundation for many of the recipes I found.  Some of these sound pretty true to the mark, but I'm going to try them all to see which I like best.

• Tallyrand's Culinary Fare describes how to make your own chocolate, roasting, grinding and all, plus includes 2 recipes they call Mayan "xocoatl" and Aztec "Cacahuatl". 
• What's Cooking America has a recipe that sounds very authentic. 
• Native Foods' Mayan Hot Chocolate is a simpler recipe, worth a try
• Andreas.com has a Mayan Hot Cocoa recipe inspired by the movie Chocolat, and resulting from much experimentation.  A definite possibility.

I'll let you know what I think of these various recipes after I've given them all a try, so check back later for updates.  I'm off to the grocery store now for ingredients (and a double latte!!).