My husband, Justin, and I have set ourselves a fun project for 2010. We’re going to do one new thing each week of the year. It can be something small or something large. We might travel to a new neighbourhood or a new country. We might try a new recipe or a new kind of wine. We might explore a new language or try a new instrument. Whatever we choose, every week we’ll share something new together. And Justin’s even said he’s okay with me sharing it with you.

This week we decided to try a new recipe. We made Spiced Hot Dark Chocolate, a recipe from Body + Soul magazine. It’s hot chocolate made from scratch with soy milk (we made it with milk though), dark chocolate, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne and coarse salt – wild, eh?

I have to say that for a lot of the process we weren’t very hopeful about how it was going to turn out! It seemed to stay thin and it took us a while to really find the ideal temperature. And then all of a sudden – voila – everything came together into a rich mixture with a delicious depth of flavour. A total treat for a cold wintry night and the perfect start to our New  52 Project!

I wonder what we’ll get up to next week!

Feel free to create your own New 52. Start anytime. Invite a friend or loved one to join you. Involve your whole family. Or maybe share with 52 new people this year! What experiences might you create? What fun and unexpected memories might fill 2010? Life’s an adventure! What are you going to explore?

And though it’s usually my sister’s territory, since a few of you have asked me, here’s the recipe:

And here’s the recipe if you’re interested:

Spiced Hot Chocolate
from Body & Soul magazine

1 quart soy milk (we used 1% milk)
6 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground cayenne
1/8 tsp coarse salt

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and whick over medium-low heat until the chocolate hs melted completely and the mixture is steaming hot, about 5 minutes.