Denver for $40 A Day

So I was on my way to bed last night and I decided to flip over to the Food Network to see what was on. Imagine my surprise when I saw shots of downtown Denver! It was an episode of $40 A Day and Rachel was in Denver!

I missed the first few minutes, but this morning I looked the episode up online and apparently she went to Julia Blackbird's for breakfast and had some kind of quiche. Then she went to Parisi's Deli for lunch, which I've never been to, but she seemed to like it. Next she walked up the 16th street mall asking people on the street where she should go for a good local beer. Almost everyone said Wynkoop, with a few Rock Bottom's thrown in. So she went to Wynkoop, took the tour, and sampled a few beers. For dinner, she went to Le Central, which she thought was great (of course!)...and all for under $40 a day! :)

Anyway, I thought she (or her staff, rather) actually chose really good places. Got some southwest flavor and a great little neighborhood spot at Julia Blackbird's, did the local beer thing (she said that her guidebook says that Denver brews more beer than any other city!), and Le Central is definitely a find for inexpensive tasty French food. As I said, I've never been to Parisi, but I've heard good things about it and it's a nice little local place, so that seems good.

Only thing that might have made the show better would have been a trip to White Fence Farm for the greatest fried chicken on the face of the earth, but I guess that's not technically in Denver so I'll let that slide. I also might have suggested Sugar Beat, because it's my favorite lunch spot. Or for REAL Mexican, I would have sent her to El Taco de Mexico over on Santa Fe. Mmmmm, yummy.

Other suggestions for Rachel if she does a second edition of Denver?

Most Delicious Hot Chocolate Ever

On Saturday, I went to a tree-trimming party! One of my new friends had some pals over to help decorate her tree and she treated us to some home-made hot chocolate. I had only ever had hot chocolate from a mix before, but this stuff was AMAZING! A perfect holiday treat!

The Recipe:
Heat 1 cup whole milk (but do NOT boil)
When hot, add 6 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (chips or cut into chunks)
When completely blended, add 3 cups whole milk and heat.
Serve with peppermint schnapps, candy canes, whipped cream, cinnamon, etc.

Our hostess used a mix of both semisweet and bittersweet chocolate. It was dee-lish. The peppermint schnapps is a yummy addition and home made whipped cream is an extra special treat. And of course, this recipe can be doubled or tripled or whatever - the basic ratio is 6 oz of chocolate to one quart milk.

The tree-trimming party was fun! A fun way to meet some new people and get in the holiday spirit. Plus, the hostess now has a beautifully decorated tree and she hardly had to lift a finger!