Hot Chocolate

It sounds like a redundancy, saying "Homicide" is dead. But it is. And for many of those whose lives it touched, yesterday was a time for mourning -- and reflection."

IT WAS AN ordinary day in the workweek, but I didn't go to work. Instead I stayed home, taking medicine and naps, going through the winter ritual of recovering from the flu.For some reason -- maybe it was a break in the normal routine, maybe it was a side effect of the medication -- I became keenly interested in the rhythms, sounds and aromas surrounding a day of household meals.Meals struck me as the main event of the family circus, the nerve center of the domestic enterprise.The day began with the aroma of coffee.

THE CROFTON Town Club and the Crofton Civic Association will hold the annual Christmas tree decorating party at 10 a.m. Saturday at Town Hall on Crofton Parkway. Members of the Crofton Greenery Garden Club will adorn the tree with handmade ornaments. Area residents are invited to add their decorations.Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and representatives of several area clubs and organizations will be on hand to make this a festive occasion.After the decorating, a holiday snack of bagels and hot chocolate will be served.

No one leaves Chicago's Le Francais without sampling the silky chocolate sorbet, the rich chocolate creme brulee, the souffle that erupts molten chocolate or some other intense chocolate creation. Mary Beth Liccioni's desserts are so popular at the renowned French restaurant that four years ago she and her husband, Roland, created Chocolats Le Francais, a retail and mail-order business for the chocolates.They turned the restaurant's liquor storeroom into a chocolate lab and imported a special machine from Germany to enrobe the confections with Valrhona, the superb dark chocolate from France.

February may belong to Cupid and romantic love, but January belongs to the Imp of the Perverse.Why else would our abnormally warm, even balmy weather turn freezing just before all the outdoor festivities of the inauguration? Why would some federal employees get Monday and Wednesday off, but their Howard County children get Monday and next Monday off? Why else would cars go crazy this week?Not in this order, I was rear-ended, a friend's car stalled on Saturday night, so I had four impromptu house guests for the weekend, I left my headlights on and wore out the battery, my sister dented my front end, and, the final indignity, I locked the keys in my husband, Mark's, car in the Laurel Shopping Center.

As I write this, it is snowing. Snow means different things t different people. To me, it is God's way of saying to stay indoors.And so, I am sitting in front of a not-quite-roaring fire (well, how often does your fire actually roar?), sipping on some hot chocolate (yes, of course with marshmallows) and considering life as a snow-challenged person.I have not been lucky with snow. This dates back to my youth when (this is true) a bunch of us kids were nearly arrested for innocently throwing snowballs at unarmed passers-by.

Flashing a big smile to show off her missing teeth, 7-year-old Gretchie Coates reached up to give "Miss B" a hug in front of the breakfast counter.The smell of frying bacon and freshly baked biscuits filled the air as the first sleepy-eyed children wandered through the door. Some stopped briefly to shed their winter coats and book bags. But most rushed right up to the counter for a plate full of scrambled eggs and a cup of hot chocolate."I come every morning," Gretchie said, smacking her lips as she eyed the tray of hot buttered biscuits.

The opening of the 28th annual Chesapeake Appreciation Days was wet, muddy, windy and cold. But that's no reason for visitors to stay away, say the watermen who are at the center of the weekend event."

My friends knew a column on "ski food" was bound to appear soon.I finally decided to learn to ski, and just had to investigate the energy "ins" and "outs" of both the downhill and cross-country varieties.Downhill skiing is essentially a skill sport. That is, it requires lots of practice to train muscle groups to perform quickly and accurately to keep you upright. (Otherwise you get plenty of practice doing pushups in the snow!)Like other skill sports (golf, bowling) it burns few extra calories, despite a great time investment.

For all celebrations, throughout all seasons, chocolate is the ultimate luxury. No other ingredient adds so much depth and complexity to a dessert. And no other ingredient has such power to lure people into indulgence.Children who love chocolate chip cookies grow up to love chocolate tortes and truffles as well. And little ones who thawed out from sledding with a cup of hot cocoa will sip contentedly, as adults, on an elegant whipped cream-topped cup of hot chocolate."It's a very complex flavor," says Nancy Baggett, the Columbia food author whose newest book, "The International Chocolate Cookbook" (Stewart, Tabori & Chang; hardcover, $40)

Chocolate has gotten so serious. Fortunately for cooks looking to make a chocolate treat on Valentine's Day, some of the latest chocolate cookbooks are seriously fun. Stephan Lagorce's Chocolat (Octopus Publishing, 2008, $21.99), cleverly packaged like a giant chocolate bar, is hard to resist. A Year in Chocolate (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008, $35), by chocolatier Jacques Torres, celebrates chocolate in recipes for holidays all through the calendar. His Valentine's Day chapter has whimsical strawberries painted with chocolate to look like they're wearing tuxedos.

Thanks to helpers at tree-lighting fete The night of Dec. 2 was truly magical as I am sure nearly 150 people came together to celebrate the spirit of the season at the Tree Lighting Ceremony and Visit from Santa Claus at the Edgewood Farmers Market Pole Barn. It was festively decorated and bedecked in red bows and green garland with the sounds of Christmas carols in the air. Sponsored by our group, the Edgewood Alliance, we had a fun-filled evening of special speakers, a tree lighting, visit from Santa, and caroling.

Hundreds of chocolate lovers will descend upon downtown Bel Air on Saturday. Some folks will dip strawberries, pretzels or marshmallows in warm, flowing, rich, milk chocolate, while others will decorate chocolate bunnies or an Easter egg. "It's a day that people can go and taste a lot of different chocolates and have fun," said Elizabeth Cook, executive director of the Bel Air Downtown Alliance. This year, the seventh annual Chocolate Festival at the Bel Air Armory will include chocolate dipping, chocolate bunny and egg decorating, a taster's choice competition and a dozen chocolate vendors, including a new chocolatier in the county.

Free community festival today Cecil Community College will hold its 10th annual Unity in the Community Festival from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. today on North East campus. The free event - "A Decade of Celebrations" - will feature booths, food and performances highlighting the Hispanic, African-American, Asian and Native American cultures. A $2 donation for food will benefit the Eva M. Muse Memorial Endowed Scholarship. Activities for all ages will include line dancing; a "Math Brain Buster" challenge; a glider and jet plane demonstration; belly dancing; Filipino dancing; drum players; and gospel music.

Last year Starbucks, sensing a trend, introduced hot chocolate into its lineup. If you're thinking the company has always sold hot chocolate, think again. Connoisseurs make a distinction between hot chocolate, essentially a liquid chocolate bar, and cocoa, that favorite childhood drink made with cocoa powder, sugar and milk or water. Stone Mill Bakery Green Spring Station, Brooklandville Price --$3.25 Ingredients --Shaved Valrhona chocolate and half-and-half Comments --If you can get the bakery to make this slowly so no skin forms, this could be the best of the best.

Just as they have for more than a decade, students from Loyola College convened last night on a downtown gathering spot for the homeless - outside St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, an area dubbed "Bum City" by the regulars, to deliver food to some of the city's neediest. There was nothing out of the ordinary about their work, as they lugged a cooler filled with turkey-and-cheese sandwiches, two containers of hot chocolate and toiletries. But this time, the students' charity work was illegal, according to the city Health Department, which ordered the students to get a license to distribute the food because they didn't have running water on site.

PANCAKES FOR A PARTY If you simply can't get away this weekend for the opening of Oktoberfest in Munich, have a party of your own. The German Agricultural Marketing Board offers recipes and entertaining ideas at www.germanfoods.org. One suggestion: warm potato pancakes and a choice of toppings. Just combine 8 cups of loosely packed frozen, shredded potatoes, 4 lightly beaten eggs, 1/2 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl. Stir until flour is no longer visible.

A Memorable Place Hikes and hot chocolate in Mexico By Nicole Leistikow SPECIAL TO THE SUN We arrived at Cuajimoloyas, Mexico, after an hour spent spiraling up a surprisingly well-paved mountain road in a small rental car. As my partner and I parked near the one hotel whose bare cement office doubles as a tourist information center, the village loudspeaker blared an announcement. Effectively positioned over the town's basketball court, in the center of the valley, this instrument of community unity announced Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and the arrival of pan dulce (sweet bun)

Skate With Santa Lace up your skates for a day of skating with Santa Claus. Santa travels to Patterson Park Saturday to skate with kids who've been naughty and nice. A soundtrack of holiday music accompanies the event at the Dominic "Mimi" DiPietro Family Skating Center. The staff at the ice rink will create balloon animals for the kids and serve toasted marshmallows. Hot chocolate is available to warm up with, and Santa's favorite snack (you know, cookies) will also be served. Santa will be skating 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.

Baby, it's cold outside. Ah, but wrap your hands around a mug of something warm, and the chill just melts away. Whether you're cuddling on the couch or cozying up to the bar, winter drinks are hot stuff this time of year. They come traditional or contemporary, hot or cold, alcoholic or non. And you can just as easily create them at home as you can order one. "They're really easy to make," said Tim Troup, bartender at Downtown 140 in Hudson, Ohio. Troup tends a packed bar almost every night, so he would know.