My parents’ apartment, normally filled with the comfortable quiet of newlywed bliss, had erupted into revelry. Gone was the quiet flipping of pages and discussion of medical journals over coffee. Gone was the low clicking of my mother’s knitting needles, the dulcet humming that accompanied my father’s miniature painting. My parents, though they weren’t parents yet, brought their quiet apartment to life that New Year’s Eve.

Diana Krall records croon in the corner, coffee mugs are swept aside for champagne, and a boxy rabbit-eared TV brings the revelries of Times Square into the heart of Hamilton, Ontario. A jigsaw puzzle of cheap lunch meat, crackers, and grocery store olives adorn glass plates. The food slowly whittles in numbers as it’s shared between spouses, with one exception. A lone plate of goat cheese lies solely on my mother’s side of the table, as my father turns his nose up at the thought of it. He was never a fan of goat milk.

Many New Years’ later, my parents’ lives had changed. They finished university, moved away, and had a baby. Little kids don’t tend to have much of a palette for charcuterie, so my parents’ New Year’s refreshment of choice became hot cocoa. There was just one problem with this replacement; regular milk made me break out in hives, and the alternative was goat milk.

My parents, never deterred by the blisteringly cold Ottawa winter, bundled me up in coats and scarves and mittens galore, and braved their way into the snow. We came back with frozen fingertips and cheeks sore from laughter, and I somehow knew it was a memory I’d put under my pillowcase to look back on whenever I needed it.

Coming back in, my dad began working away at two pots of cocoa; one big pot for Mom and Dad, and a little pot, just enough for one little mug of goat milk hot cocoa. Pinching his nose to ward off the smell, my dad poured out our mugs as we huddled up on the couch, putting on a Diana Krall record and ringing in the New Year. It’s not the greatest sacrifice my dad made for me, not by a long shot, but it’s one that warmed my four-year-old heart, and it always made winter special. I love you, Dad.

Recipe - Hot Cocoa for 3

Equipment:
One large saucepan
One small saucepan
Two whisks, so as not to cross-contaminate
Three mugs

Ingredients:
6 tbsp. cocoa powder
9 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 cups cow milk
1 cup goat milk
3 tsp. vanilla extract

Method:
1. In a large saucepan, mix 4 tbsp. of cocoa powder, 6 tbsp. of sugar, and a half-pinch of cayenne pepper. Mix well.
2. In a small saucepan, mix 2 tbsp. of cocoa powder, 3 tbsp. of sugar, and a half-pinch of cayenne pepper. Mix well.
3. In the large saucepan, whisk ingredients while gradually pouring in cow milk. Whisk until smooth.
4. In the small saucepan, whisk ingredients while gradually pouring in goat milk. Whisk until smooth.
5. Place both saucepans over low heat until they steam lightly. Stir occasionally.
6. Remove saucepans from heat. Add 2 tsp. vanilla extract into the large saucepan. Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract into the small saucepan.
7. Divide the hot chocolate from the large saucepan evenly between two mugs. Pour the hot chocolate from the small saucepan into a mug, and enjoy!

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