OMG hot chocolate

A month or two ago I accidentally discovered a wonderful recipe for hot chocolate. Greg and I just got in from a winter walk and were craving hot chocolate. We didn't have any mix or Hershey's syrup so I decided to wing it and it turned out fantastic. I took one sip and thought to myself, "OMG this is good". Its pretty simple, takes about 10 minutes and requires just few ingredients. Only problem with it is that it is not easy on the waistline. Its made with whole milk and half and half-oh and don't forget the chocolate. I am currently under a pretty strict health regimen at the moment but this stuff is so good, I only drink half a mug and I'm satisfied.
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Ingredients (serves two)
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup (heaping) Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 vanilla bean sliced lengthwise (optional)
pinch of salt



Directions
First I have to stress the importance of using Ghirardelli chocolate. It is a higher quality chocolate and a bit more expensive but you should find it at most grocery stores. I've tried making the same hot chocolate with Nestle chips and it did not turn out nearly as delicious. Place liquids in sauce pan and slowly warm it on the stove top on low heat until it is steaming, not boiling. I found out the hard way that if you let your mixture boil, it gets lumpy and slimy so try not to do that.Once its steaming add the chips. If you don't have a vanilla bean on hand, its okay but if you do, cut it in half and reserve half for another time. Take the other half, slice it lengthwise and scrape out the inside into the mix and drop in the scraped out parts too.  Add chocolate chips and whisk until it is completely melted and mixed together with the milk. Add the salt, stir and allow mixture to warm over the stove for 5 more minutes then its done. Try it and add more milk if you think its too strong or more chocolate if its too weak. Pour into mugs and enjoy. You can pour the vanilla bean into the mugs because it will continue to infuse your cocoa with vanilla goodness as you drink but don't forget its in there. I cannot be held responsible if you accidentally swallow it and choke....


This recipe also turns out pretty good if you don't have half and half on hand and just use whole milk but I think its creamier with the half and half. If you try this recipe let me know how it turns out for you!