Mexican Hot Chocolate on a cold night.

I am fortunate enough to work with a very good friend who happens to have the same schedule as me on Friday, the afternoon to close shift. By 9 or 10 pm, more often than not we will find ourselves looking forward to a dinner we didn't have to cook and something to drink to help us change gears for the weekend. It's amazing how a shot (or two) of tequila can help to make that really annoying client seem a little more innocuous. The best part is that since we have both been doing this thing called life a while, we have moved past the "Tequila Makes her Cothes Fall Off" stage (look it up; it's a country song by Joe Nichols!) and onto the Good Stuff tequila stage; you know, the one where you actually sip it 'cause it tastes good.  Last night was one of those nights, so after work we headed over to Mesa 14 (www.mesa14.com).

You might think that Mexican food wouldn't exactly translate well to a gluten and dairy free lifestyle, but it actually can. You're right, I'm not going to be getting loads of cheese or sour cream on anything when I go out to eat, but a lot of hispanic food is corn based, and in terms of flavours, green salsa, pico de gallo and lime certainly hold their own! I would also like to reiterate here that I am not celiac; I don't have to worry nearly as much about cross contamination or the like as some people I know. If that is you, then this might not be the best option for you. If you are not so severly intollerant, however, this is a Great Mexican restaurant to try! Lots of options, with a friendly staff who have never had any problems with my special requests, and you can actually get a good meal without having to shell out a fortune either. The best part of my meal yesterday was that I was able to order direct from the menu wihout having to have it modified in any way, tough we did check. Tacos al Pastor, three open faced bbq pork with pineapple corn tortillas with cilantro (web site lists it as being served with flour tortillas and at a different price) that were so good! My friend had the fish tacos (comes with cheese) and my husband had home made pork chorizo tacos (which I didn't try as we weren't sure if there were any bread crumbs in it or no). Unfortunately, it was all so tasty that this is the only photo I got:

Oops.

When we got home, we were both Very cold (-16 I think it was) but as it was too late for coffee, we decided that the perfect finish to a very nice meal would be a cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate. = )

I actually make this up in batches and give it away as gifts over the holidays, but that is because I am a lucky girl wth friends who appreciate spicy! This is a recipe that I modified from one Alton Brown has posted up on Food Network, but it keeps well and tastes wonderful:

• 1 cup Icing sugar
• 1/2 cup Cocoa powder
• 1 and 1/4 cup "Milk" powder - I am lucky enough to be able to find powdered soy milk, but you could easily use powdered coconut milk as well
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon to 3 tablespoons of your desired spice - Cinnamon, Espelette, Ancho Chili or Cayenne pepper, according to your taste preference

Sift then mix everything together in a bowl and transfer to a sealed container to be kept in a cool, dark place. (This is actually a half recipe, so feel free to double it!)

Alton's recipe says to fill your coffee mug about a quarter full with the mix, but that is really thick. I will usually use a Big mug and put about 3 heaping table spoons in then fill with hot water and top with just a little bit of almond milk or Silk coffee creamer.

Oh yeah, and mini marshmallows!!