That rain the other night gave the Dairy Mistress Field a good drink! The grass is heaving up out of the ground now. This is one of the three acres John sowed a few weeks ago. (The other two are for hay) I am sure you are wondering why it is called the Dairy Mistress Field.
Well, we bought a bag of very good seed with just the right proportion of grass and legumes for fattening cows, and grass fed dairy cows, and it is called the Dairy Master seedmix. Well, I said, this is an equal opportunity farmy. I get to be the Master of the Dairy and everything else for that matter. Girls are farmers too. So it was renamed the Dairy Mistress seedmix. So you see the field has named itself. Better than being a Dairymaid anyway!! Those funny little puffy dairymaid caps are not appealing! 
Yesterday I put up the new electric fence (it is just out of the shot but looks like a long fishing net), which created two fields in Pats Paddock. Daisy has stayed very nicely on her side. She actually sniffed at the new fence with the end of her nose and now has a deep respect for fishing nets. 
I led Mama and Mia across from their own field, through the barn and out onto the North side to have a wee munch in this lovely long grass on the other side of Pat’s Paddock. Mama loved it for a while then reappeared back in the Salad Bar Paddock, trailed by Mia in her role as handmaiden, for a wee lie down. (Remember we are not looking at Mama in this shot we are looking at all that lovely forage!)
And that was the grand total of her excitement for the day.
Actually TonTon being a herd dog is getting the idea now. He has finally understood that I want him to herd the sheep from behind the sheep. So as I lead the sheep, he brings up the rear, with a very concentrated look on his face, tacking back and forth behind the legs of the last sheep (usually Mama) which is very good, but when the sheep stops so does he. We have not quite got to the bit where he actually moves them along himself. So far he only follows them with great determination. He waits for the sheep to move again then up he swoops, mouth set, eyes focussed, head at just the right angle, stick firmly in his mouth and stalks along behind. I need to look up the instructions again!
I have a beautiful young friend who has just had a baby and it occurred to me that she may like to have a nice sweet, milk enriching, hot chocolate drink in the evenings. So here is the recipe for the best and simplest hot chocolate. I cannot bear those processed powdered sugary mixtures. So here is Ganache. I read about this first at remedial eating. It is quite divine. And is wonderful as a hot or cold drink.
First break up an 8 oz block of dark semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate. Organic if you can find it. Break it up into tiny pieces and place it all in a heat proof bowl.
Then pour one cup of very hot (almost boiling but not quite) heavy whipping cream over the tiny chocolate pieces. Let this melt for a few minutes then beat smoothly with a spatula for a good couple of minutes. Stir well without introducing too much air. Pour this mixture into a jar, cool and refrigerate until you need it.
Good chocolate is high in flavonoids which are kind of anti-oxidants. In small quantities it can lower blood pressure and is said to be good for your heart. So buy the chocolate with the highest cocoa content you can find and the least amount of added sugar you can bear. Then you can feel smug about your ni night drink. 
Perfect for when you have a craving for something nice but not too sweet and also a little bit healthy. You can sip and relax while you sit and feed your beautiful baby.
Just stir a tablespoon (or two) of the ganache into a cup of hot milk. Or whip into cold milk and pour over ice. This is also a good drink for kids who like a hot chocolate before bed and parents who do not want them drinking a lot of processed sugar before bed. Actually Ganache is a traditional French icing (or frosting as they say in America!) So I guess at a pinch you could use it for that too!! It can store in the fridge in its sealed jar for a couple of weeks so it is very easy to prepare. 
Sometimes I add a wee bit of home made coffee liqueur or kahlua to mine. I know! So good.
Good morning. The weather man has told me that there will be no Bendy Tree wind today. WOW. So there will be no hiding in the barn today. The light already looks golden out the window so I shall go out and begin my work.
Have a beautiful day. Enjoy your hot chocolate!
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
82 responses to “A cup of Hot Chocolate for my friend, from the Dairy Mistress”
What a great idea, never thought to use ganache that way and on the odd occasion I make it there’s always some left over too. And the wind has dropped so it’s all systems go – have a lovely day you too xx
All systems go indeed! morning joanna!
Good to hear other people use ni-night! It sounds like a promising day where you are, any work going on in the vegetable gardens?
Oh lots! I will take some shots today, Thank you for reminding me. I will be planting the potatoes today too.. c
Looking forward to it – it’s spud day tomorrow !
Good Friday? that is what John said too! I am supposed to put the peas in as well on Good Friday! c
Good Friday is NEXT week, unltess you have a different Easter in US?
I love the sound of that highly fattening and extravagant hot chocolate drink. I’m very tempted: I need something that’s good for my blank blank heart.
Oops, typical, I have no idea what day it is!! ha ha ha .. my Catholic mother would have been appalled! c
That looks like a pretty robust fishing net you’ve got there Celi – all the better for those pesky pigs when they come! The chocolate drink looks devine, maybe I’ll give it a try on our summer guests!
Christine
It really is good, and the better quality chocolate you can find the better it will be! Morning Christine.. c
How weird! I think that’s the first time we’ve been on line at the same time – you at breakfast, me at lunch!!
Our small supermarket does a lot of Fairtrade products, including chocolate – hopefully the good stuff!
Christine
Ain’t life grand! c
I have blocks of (American) Baker’s unsweetened chocolate that I often use when making desserts for Peder. Can I use that for the purpose?
This is exactly the stuff.. I use unsweetened too! c
Excellent. Thanks, c. 🙂
C, I think I’ve done it wrong. It was a bit ‘grainy’, if you know what I mean. Wonderful flavour and colour but just a bit grainy. Any ideas on how I might improve that? I microwaved the choccie and cream, then warmed milk in microwave and stirred in mixture.
Break up your chocolate into smaller bits. Pour the hot milk over the top of the chocolate and wait for the chocolate to melt (about two minutes) then whisk it for another two minutes, you can do the whisking in a food processor too but i cannot bear the extra dishes. Heat your milk to JUST boiling point. I had to practise the first few times too..c
Thank you so very much for the guidance. I’ll try again tonight. John and Gaby are here for the weekend so I’ll make up a batch for us. I always have to try several times with new recipes also. Even the Short and Tweet Challenge sometimes. :). xx
I’m a middle aged guy with a lovely middle aged wife who LOVES dark chocolate that isn’t heavy on the sugar and overly sweet. Having learned long ago that a happy wife results in a happy husband, I think I’ll be forwarding your recipe for delicious hot chocolate to my Love. Hell, I might even try to make it myself and surprise her with it in bed on a Saturday morning! I just have a feeling that this could make us both very happy. So thanks for sharing. 🙂
Really like the photo of the new Spring leaves too.
Chris you are a darling. You can make it for sure. I know that my friends husband is working on whipping her up a batch this morning! That jar will make lots of cups of hot chocolate this is why i keep it in the fridge! c
That hot chocolate recipe looks like a must-try. And how kind of you to share this with the new mom.
The last image of the unfolding leaves really captures the essence of spring. Great shot, especially with that lighting.
I am in love with Maple trees and have quite a few young ones on the property! This one is the first to come out.. c
Love your fresh new header pic C! Perfect for Spring.
I’m thinking I should come over and have a wee word with Mama about them lambies, then I can join you in a nice steaming mug of hot chocolate too.
🙂 Mandy
Perfect Mandy, i shall heat the milk, hot chocolate on the cool early morning verandah would be just perfect! c
Love the snow drops, the Dairy Mistress Field, the hot chocolate and the fact that TonTon is a Sheepdog in training. Did you ever get the programme One Man and His Dog in NZ? It was basically sheepdog trials, but it was brilliant watching all those clever dogs going thtough their paces!
We do have sheep dog trials on the tele in NZ, it is national past time watching them!! I need to take TonTon to one so he can learn by example! c
Read your bog this morning and went right downstairs to make myself a cup of homemade hot chocolate! Have been feeling kind of wonky the last couple of days, maybe getting a cold or something, and this was just what the doctor ordered!
Enjoy your sunny day today! ~April
It is all your mad weather!! Hope you enjoyed the hot drink.. and keep warm, we don’t want you getting sick.. c
Morning, C! The hot chocolate looks sumptuous. Sounds like you had yet another very productive day, I love hearing about TonTon’s adventures and I laughed at your reading the instruction manual for herding again :).
I am going to read it out loud to Ton! That might help! morning Ksenia.. c
I love me some hot chocolate at night, Celi, and always have chocolate in the fridge. Lately, I seem to have a lot of cream about — cheese making, you know — so I’m all set to make a batch of ganache. I foresee many evenings ending pleasantly around here because of your post today. Yay!
BTW, TonTon’s cat costume is his most realistic disguise yet!
(laughter) .. I told Ton he had been sprung! He looked sheepish.. so i guess next he is going to try to make like a sheep! c
Thanks for sharing the recipe and I loved your line ‘She actually sniffed at the new fence with the end of her nose and now has a deep respect for fishing nets’! 🙂
she literally leapt back when she got a wee belt.. perfect i thought! maybe she will leave it alone..and stay in one place for 5 minutes.. c
Wow, that sounds delish. TonTon is a natural.
Enjoy your day.
Jess
Hopefully he will get the idea.. we are working on it! the trouble is all my herds and flocks are either one or two animals,, nothing to really herd! c
Great new header for spring and that grass just seems to have appeared by a miracle 😉
Morning Mad and isn’t tat grass beautiful, i am off out now to lead Mama and Mia back in for a munch, with TonTon bringing up the rear!! c
Yum! I’ll try to make this after Lent is over…
Evidently that is another week yet? I am so mixed up with my dates! This is from being a stay at home farmer! c