Win Hot Chocolate Maker


We use a lot of things in our homes ranging from barstools, to pillows, to cups, to clothing, to food.  As foodie bloggers and readers we focus on food but unless you eat everything raw you have to prepare it in some fashion.  A lot of the chocolate your Chocolate Priestess reveals to you requires no preparation but some of it including baked goods and hots drinks does require pots, pans, cups, plates and other ingredients.  The folks from CSN Stores contacted me and asked if I'd do a promotion with them so I chose to look at the Bonjour 32oz French Cafe Hot Chocolate Maker that they offer through some of their stores.

 Inside the box are three individual parts to the maker including the pot which has a cute picture on it of a kid's hot chocolate stand, a lid, and a mixing unit or frothing device.  The pot can be cleaned in the dishwasher, it goes in the microwave to be used, and comes out very cleanly.  Be careful though because the handle gets hot, too.  The lid can be easily rinsed off since it really doesn't come into contact with any liquid only steam.  The mixing unit is more complex.  It requires two AA batteries and it cannot be submerged to be washed ever so I used a brush and some soapy wash and rinsed off the rotating part to clean mine.

It comes with a six panel booklet about the caring for it, using it and four recipes of which I tried out three -- one for white, one for milk and one for Mexican hot chocolate.  The recipes don't describe what type of milk you should use but I used 1%.  Do not go over the 4 cup amount or you will have too much liquid in the pot to work. The recipes didn't say how long to heat everything in the microwave so I strongly recommend you do it at a minute a time as you would to melt chocolate in it.  While the booklet claims you can just mix it all with the mixing unit I found this to be untrue.  Once the lid is on the mixer cannot reach the lower half of the pot and any chocolate and milk will not be mixed up no matter how many minutes you run it.  I used a wooden spoon instead to mix it all during heat and before serving.  The mixing unit is supposed to froth it all up and it didn't do that either.  It does make about 32oz of hot chocolate which can serve 4-6 people depending on your mug size and everyone I served over three nights we tried it thought it was adorable and the hot chocolate tasted good.  For cuteness and pouring, this was worth the $20 it costs but you must stir it and watch your timing when you heat up the ingredients.

Giveaway Now Closed.

Sisters and Brothers, may you, too, take the time to slowly appreciate what the Divine and human ingenuity have offered you in chocolate.

Comments

Cacao-Me said…
I'm getting ready to relocate in the Santa Cruz mountains. While beautiful under the redwoods, it is cold -- all year long -- especially during the month of July when the coastal fog hangs close. Hot chocolate helps takes the edge off of the cold, warms up the hands, and puts a smile on the face. There's really no better place to enjoy a fresh mug of drinking chocolate than sitting under a redwood, seeing the steam of the divine brew rising up to the sky, smelling the deep rich goodness, and savoring each luscious sip.
Anonymous said…
Oooh, it's not very chilly here in TX- not that it stops me from enjoying hot cocoa, especially in the mornings. That pot is too cute!
Great contest, I would use it year round by adapting recipes per season. A ginger spice hot chocolate around xmas, a pumpkin syrup one in fall, lavender one in spring and spicy chili in the summer. Going to add you on FB now.
Rico said…
Sounds great Unfortunately I am in the UK so I cannot compete on this lovely compo. cheers and all the best for the other contestants. kisses xxx
denise fletcher said…
That looks lovely but I'm in Singapore, so I'm out. Good luck to the other though :)
Meena said…
what a lovely giveaway...following you now...love the hot cocoa maker!
mavido79 said…
I often drink a mug of hot chocolate when I'm having a chocolate craving and looking for a reduced fat option. Spring, summer, winter or fall doesn't matter to me. However there is one time in the summer that I always want hot chocolate. I get together with some friends who are also crafters and we make our greeting cards for the winter holidays. We crank up the A/C, play Christmas music and have cocoa, hot cider and popcorn. Yum!