Mexican Hot Chocolate, well any Hot Chocolate for that matter . . .

      How many times have you had a bad day and just wanted a cup of hot chocolate when you came home only to be disappointed by those little powder packets, even the ones with the marshmallows?  Even worse, get home and realize that you don't even have your hot chocolate packets.  Now if you do any baking on a regular basis, you should have everything you need for some delicious home made hot chocolate.  This post though isn't just about home made hot chocolate, this is about my specialty Mexican Hot Chocolate.  Mexican Hot Chocolate is special because it has chili powder in it.  The spice adds a very lovely richness and depth to the chocolate that I find quite addictive. 
      This recipe is just for one cup.  Start in a pan by heating
1/4 cup milk.  When it gets that little film on top, but hasn't quite come to a boil whisk in
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (if you use dark add just a bit more sugar in the next step)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch salt. The next three ingredients are what make it "Mexican" if you leave them out you will have a traditional hot chocolate
add a dash each of- cayenne, chili powder, cinnamon. 
Basically at this point you've made chocolate ganache, but you want to do this step first to make sure it is smoothly mixed.  You will need to add more milk to thin it out so add
1/2 cup milk to the chocolate mixture and bring it back to a simmer, mixing everything so it doesn't burn on the bottom.  Top with whipped cream or marshmallows and enjoy!   Promise, one of the best hot chocolates you will ever have, it's rich, flavorful and best of all can be made from things you already have in your pantry.  Enjoy!