Sipping hot cocoa brings up cozy, winter memories for me: my mom mixing up Hershey’s cocoa powder with warm milk and a dash of cinnamon (or vanilla) in her old copper-bottomed Reverewear pan. Ooh and my favorite part! The big fluffy marshmallow floating on top… yum!

I still love making My Mom’s “Old School” Cocoa when it’s freezing out. Kids of all ages love it when they need something to warm up with or to relax to.

Cocoa is the perfect vehicle for flavor experimenting from fragrant spices like cinnamon and cloves to the totally unexpected profiles like Indian curry and cardamom.

For the recipes, continue reading on Amazon’s Al Dente Blog.

On Saturday, February 4th, the Seattle Hotel Association will be hosting it’s annual “Evening of Hope!” This local non-profit and voluntary organization is made up of 58 member Seattle hotels and has been organizing the Evening of Hope since 1996 to raise money for a variety of charities.

This year’s theme will be “Heroes Among Us” and will honor the former Seattle Police Chief and current Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy R. Gil Kerlikowske and his wife Anna Laszlo.

This fundraising dinner and gala auction will be held at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel on Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. Proceeds from this event will go on to support the Seattle Police Foundation, an organization created by the honorees to promote public safety through strong community relationships.

For tickets, contact Suzanne Hight at 206-236-6167 or suzanne@seattlehotelassociation.org.