DIY hot chocolate

When there's snow on the ground, I practically live on hot chocolate. However, I'm not a big fan of most of the mixes. They're just not as smooth as hot chocolate made from the real thing. Real hot chocolate is more work, of course, you have to melt chocolate, mix in your milk, and froth the drink. Firebox has a Hot Choctail Maker on sale, though, that can do all that, and more.


The Hot Choctail Maker is a blender combined with a coffee pot, with a few extra features added on for good measure. You pour in your favorite chocolate, milk, and other tasty treats, heat things up so that the chocolate melts, and blend it all together. Just think, you can make your own dark chocolate drink with a touch of Irish cream for those really cold nights--or mix up around of hot chocolate drinks for the children. By flipping one switch, the Hot Choctail Maker can even mix cold drinks.

It's easy to clean up the Hot Choctail Maker, and it even has a convenient tap for dispensing your drinks to cups--rather than attempting to pour hot liquids. That tap can come in handy if you have a kitchen full of children ready to serve themselves.

My Nespresso coffee machines

Nespresso machines use proprietary capsules (pods), which means you can make espresso drinks in moments, without the mess and effort involved in grinding and tamping beans. And the most shocking part of these nontraditional coffee makers is that you're not sacrificing quality for a cleaner kitchen. In fact, loyal Nespresso drinkers wind up preferring their brew to more complex solutions.
Ever since our first Nespresso machine joined the family, about four years ago, my Starbucks jaunts have been limited to airports in foreign countries. For 55 cents a cup, I can make my own cappuccinos, lattes, and even caramel macchiatos right in my own home. It's my 5-minute morning ritual at this point, and it can be yours, too.
The D290 features a 19-bar high-pressure pump, one button operation, and super-easy clean up. And you don't even have to take my word for it -- reviews for this particular machine are great at Amazon. And if that crazy high price has you shaking your head at my foolishness, do yourself a favor and check out Nespresso's own refurbished outlet at eBay. That's where mine came from, at half the retail price.