It was a Friday. I was at home by myself. The wife and kids were out picking blueberries all morning. I get a call. It was the Mrs., "Hey, we are on our way back and I am really hungry. We have ground beef and rice. Could you whip something up for lunch by the time I get there so I don't kill every living thing on the planet?" That last part was never actually said but it isn't an exaggeration. My wife has a saying, "Forgive the things I say out of hunger." It is amazing how hunger can produce a Jekyll and Hyde phenomenon in some people. This is certainly true with my special lady friend (I love you honey but we both know this is true and it is time we let people know). 
Probably not the best time to experiment with food, or perhaps it was the best time to experiment with food. So I got to cooking and I came up with a concoction that I now call:

Rice with Herb and Cheese Meatballs and Highland Cream Sauce:   

Life has been overflowing with blessings for my family and me lately. One the eve of my son's birth the assistant principal of the school where I teach invited me on his boat to fish the lower Mobile Delta. Though my wife was experiencing what seemed at the time sure signs of an ever eminent birth, my man wisdom told me it would be o.k. to leave her for half a day to spend it on the water hunting for fish with a hook and line. I assured her this would mean a freezer full of delectable fish upon my return (which I already knew would be a weakness in my plea given the times I had assured her of this very thing and utterly failed to deliver). 

Upon return home, I'm glad to say that I made good on my seemingly empty promise. We rocked and rolled that morning and I brought home several speckled trout, a bass and a red fish (pictured here: I didn't catch it yet it was generously donated to me by  my selfless guide).  

Needless to say, fish was on the menu for dinner so I decided to cook up the red fish on the half shell. The result was tantalizing to the taste-buds and edifying to the soul. There is just something special about eating a meal that you know you provided in a way that did not include going to the store and buying something from a case or in a package (though most of the time that is completely necessary). 

Redfish on the Half Shell with Lemon  and Butter, Dill Garlic Sauce:

What does Christmas time make you think of? For me it is a combination of rich traditions, cold nights, warm fires and lots of good food. This year I took an old Christmas time staple and put a little spice into it. My family ends up drinking an unhealthy amount of hot chocolate this year. We love it so much we decided to make a family rule that it is appropriate to make hot chocolate every night of Advent. 

I am usually successful at tricking my wife into making it by going on about how good her's is and how no-one can make it like she can. It is amazing what bolstering someone's self esteem can get them to accomplish (or attempt to accomplish). One night my little ruse was unsuccessful; even more than that, when she caught on to the angle I was playing, she was indignant and refused to make the liquidy, chocolate goodness that I so craved. I knew it was up to me to satisfy my insatiable appetite.

On this particular night, not only was I craving hot chocolate, I also had an itch that could only be scratched by something particularly piquant. Though the addition of whiskey would have certainly satisfied my need, my situation has left my whiskey cupboard dismally destitute. 

With cabinets thrown open, I search the racks for the ingredients that might produce the desired result. The following is what I beget and if I do say quite successfully. 

Spicy Christmas Cocoa:

2 cups of raw milk
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of course/cracked peppercorns
2 pinches of grated nutmeg
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract 
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/8 cup of 100% maple syrup