The Social Peacock — Patsy & The Peacock

What better night than one of the coldest in the past several years, to share my Nutella Hot Chocolate recipe! I've been making "heaven in a mug" since I was in college and it is my go to on cold, winter nights. People always ask me for the recipe, and you won't believe how easy it is!

3 ingredients are all that you need! Milk (I've used whole milk, skim milk, coconut milk, almond milk; it all depends on your preference), Nutella and of course, mini marshmallows!!

1. Pour the milk of your choice into the mug you'll be using. No need to fill it to the brim, I fill it about 3/4 of the way.

2. Pour the milk from the mug into a saucepan on medium high heat.

3. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of Nutella.

4. Whisk the Nutella into the milk and wait for it to simmer.

5. Once it has simmered, it is ready to pour back into your mug.

6. Top with mini marshmallows and let them melt into the hot chocolate as it cools for a few minutes. Sip and enjoy!!!

Now, how easy was that!? I'll be curling up on the couch under my heated blanket enjoying my hot chocolate, I hope you do too!!

Why peacocks? Well we'll have to rewind about 26 years to the time when my great-grandfather would take my mom and I to the Staten Island zoo, all the time. I can't say I quite remember these trips, but the pictures and stories have led to some wonderful memories.

Legend has it that I was enamored by the peacocks that would roam around the paths of the zoo and mimic their mating calls. It goes a little something like this ... "Waaa Waaa". All of the other patrons of the zoo would look around to see where the peacocks were, but alas it was just little old me repeating their mating calls.

One of our many trips to the Staten Island Zoo.

From those days forward I would be known as Poppy's "little peacock" and every phone call would end with a "Waa Waa".

It has been many years since I was lucky enough to receive one of those phone calls, and oh how I miss them. The amount of peacock paraphernalia I have collected over the years pay a special tribute to Poppy. Every gift I receive or every peacock statue I pick up, I feel as though he is looking down on me and watching over all of us. So, Justin can roll his eyes all he wants as our apartment fills with peacocks (trays, framed pictures, statues, jewelry, coffee mugs, the list goes on and on ...) for I know that he and Poppy would have been the best of friends, discussing exotic meats and trips to the butcher, among other things.

So that, my dear friends and followers, is the story behind the peacock. A simple nickname that started so many years ago, and will always hold so much meaning. Poppy's fierce love for his family will live on in all of us.

This is The Social Peacock, signing out.

Waa Waa!!!