Spiced Mexican Hot Chocolate and Honey Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce
Tis’ the season! With just 11 days to go before Christmas, I have a few recipes and an appetizer suggestion that I would like to share with you that are perfect for the upcoming holidays and New Year’s Eve. They all include some of my favorite ingredients, Honey Crèmes from Honey Ridge Farms. I also have a giveaway for the products I have used in these recipes.
Mexican Hot Chocolate topped with homemade whipped cream. What a perfect treat to make for a chilly winter evening! If you haven’t tried Mexican Hot Chocolate, it is a lovely variation on regular hot chocolate or cocoa. The flavors are more intense and a beverage that most adults will certainly enjoy.
This hot chocolate is decadent!
Some Mexican chocolates can include various spices, however, I use a Mexican chocolate from Taza which is a stone ground and organic chocolate and contains 70% cacao and raw sugar. This allows me to add a little more sweetness and some spice to the recipe. I did this with Spiced Honey Crème from Honey Ridge Farms.
This honey crème adds a wonderful subtle spiced flavor to this rich and chocolatey hot chocolate. There is a hint of cinnamon and other fall and winter spices. The freshly whipped cream finishes it beautifully. I am betting that Santa will be extra good to you if you leave a cup of this hot chocolate for him Christmas Eve! 😉
Santa will love you if you leave this for him!
If you are looking for a new recipe for homemade Cranberry Sauce, this boozy version made with Cranberry Honey Crème is the perfect accompaniment to serve with your holiday ham or turkey. I love the flavor of the honey with the fresh cranberries and orange. The Grand Marnier adds yet another layer of flavor. I like my cranberry sauce a bit tart, so you may want to adjust the sweetness if you prefer yours a bit sweeter.
Fresh cranberries have a wonderful flavor
If you have never made homemade cranberry sauce, you are truly missing out. It is so easy and full of flavor (especially with a little Grand Marnier!). It’s nothing like that gelatinous stuff from the can that we were served in a disk as kids. That gave cranberry sauce a bad name and it really is so very good on its own when made from scratch. I hope you will make some before the holidays are over this year!
Paired with honey, Grand Marnier and fresh oranges…
I’m celebrating in Costa Rica this year! So, I won’t be entertaining 🙂
Mmmm I want one of those Spiced Mexican Hot Chocolates with whipped cream! Wow luscious! And love cheese with a sweet accompaniment like honey or jam. Beautiful! We are not entertaining, rather just having family holidays with the boys. Which is how we love it! But we always do prepare a special feast.
I follow you on Twitter ha ha ha you know it!
And I do like you on Facebook!
These all look so yummy! I will be using them in my Holiday entertaining! Thanks!
I must have missed the line about the giveaway when I started reading, because as soon as I saw that jar of sauce, I thought to myself how much I wanted one. Happy dances ensued when I read on and saw it was actually possible!
If I was a chocolate, I’d be all over the Mexican hot chocolate because I love things kicked up a little. It looks delicious. It’s hard to take my mind off the cheese dripping with that apricot honey sauce though. Regarding Christmas, I’ll be hosting at my mom’s house, if that makes sense. We’re going up there, but I’ll be cooking to keep as much stress off her as possible. 🙂
Oh, and yes, I already have been following you on facebook! I think twitter too, but I’ll have to go check (and I don’t mind not having the third entry for it).
I’m a facebook fan!
Thi year will be different. My side of the family is 3 hours away so we will go celebrate the holidays with them in January. My husbands mother is ill and has to get special care outside the home and she says she’s sick of being inside so for Christmas she wants to go out to a restaurant. So my immediate family will have our Christmas meal on Christmas Eve and the restaurant meal on Christmas Day with my inlaws.
I’m celebrating at my mom’s house Christmas Eve and then I’ll cook a Christmas breakfast the next morning. Thanks and Merry Christmas!
We’re going to New Hampshire to spend Christmas with my in-laws. Good thing I love them!!
Lovely, Gwen. Can you suggest wines to go with the Manchego…maybe a Cava? White or Rose?
Hi Ronnie,
Yes, Cava is a good choice. Reisling is another nice option. If you prefer a red wine, Rioja would be good with the cheese as well.
Gwen
We are entertaining at our house for Christmas this year!! We usually do and it is always a lot of work but tons of fun!
I already follow @bunkycooks on Twitter and am a fan on Facebook
I now follow @HoneyRidgeFarms on Twitter and just became a fan of on Facebook
I’m going to have a cookie party with my high school buddies.
I’m your fan on facebook!!!
I’m now a fan of Honey Ridge Farms too!
I’m so wishing I had the ingredients for the hot chocolate right this minute. I’m having chocolate cravings.
We will celebrate with family away. Like the recipe for the hot chocolate!
I am a FAN
I am hosting Christmas and so excited! We just bought a house that will fit our whole family!!
We will be in Colorado for Christmas with our family but plan to do some entertaining and lots of eating…. Am planning on making the cranberry sauce and cheese with anything yummy on it is my kind of food. Goat cheese warmed with honey is really good with toasted bread I had this in Belgium several years ago and have been hooked ever since.
Just entertaining huband and kids this year!
Hoping for a quiet cozy day at home. With lots of good food, of course.
We’re planning on spending the holidays at home, not with family, but with friends! Hoping to host a fun holiday cookie party soon!
I like you on FB and follow on Twitter!
I like Honey Ridge on FB and follow them on Twitter
We’ll be celebrating at home! Maybe with homemade ice cream!
I follow you on Twitter and am your fan on Facebook.
I am now following Honey Ridge Farms on Twitter and am a fan on Facebook.
We’re hosting a huge family gathering at our place. I’m so excited!
We’re staying home for the actual holiday but going away just before and just after to visit family and vacation a little…
I already follow you on Facebook and Twitter!
we are going on a cruise with the in-laws, so no real cooking for me this year!
entertaining just immediate family at home!
Celebrating with friends and family members homes this year – no hostessing for me for the first time in 30+ years!
Our son will be here from NYC and my 86 yr old Mother from Florida. We feel
blessed to have them both for the holidays. Let the meal planning begin!!!!!
I will use several of your recipes during the week!
I read every post!
Merry Christmas,
Jane
We are celebrating at home, but are hosting mini parties along the way with friends. love your mexican chocolate, one of my fav this time of year!
Is there anything more wonderful this time of year than hot chocolate? I really don’t think there is. This and the cranberry sauce look fabulous!
We will be celebrating at relatives this year.
I am following you on twitter and facebook.
I am now following @HoneyRidgeFarms on Twitter and became a fan of on Facebook.
I just Stumbled Upon your blog. This year was our year to have all the children and grandchildren home for Thanksgiving. We will be celebrating at home for Christmas but with only the in-town children.
I have now become a fan of yours on facebook.
I am now a fan of HoneyRidgeFarms on facebook.
I love Taza cocoa and love the idea of using the honey creme in the hot chocolate. I also like your idea of drizzling Apricot honey creme onto the manchego, the contrast of sweet and salty must be delicious.
I am already a fan on facebook.
I am also already a fan on twitter.
I am a fan on facebook. We had a Christmas tree trimming party, my husband’s office party, will do a seven fishes Cmas eve and host Christmas dinner for the family
I’m celebrating at my parent’s house, but I know we’ll all be chipping in! Thank you for whetting my appetite with this sauce, cheese and hot chocolate. Now I don’t want to go to work, I just want to get in the kitchen and cook! I hope you have a blessed week, my friend!
This looks so yummy! Grand Marnier will definitely add to the taste! Bookmarked!!
love all things honey. We will be having prime rib dinner at my aunt and uncles home. YUMMMM
i like you on facebook:o)
celebrating with family and making most of the dinner myself
follow oyu on twitter @cjsorel
follow HoneyRidgeFarms on facebook
First off, your photos are gorgeous! I love the cranberry sauce and the hot chocolate looks rich and delicious.
Now I’m not sure if I’m doing this right (as in do I need to make a separate comment?) Oh well…this Christmas, my husband (a Marine) is stationed 13 hours from his family and my family lives in the Caribbean so it will just be me and him and our apartment this Christmas. Fun!
We’re spending Christmas at the in-laws where my mother-in-law will cook a huge feast for us. I’ll just help with cleanup after.
We’ll be celebrating at our in-laws house this year.
Celebrating at home with family.
I love the way mexican chocolate melts. I think it’s the purest form of chocolate and one of the best ways to enjoy it.