Reasons to Run

Ok, I have lots of reasons I run...but here are two that I think are especially worthwhile this holiday season (and before you start thinking in the highly sentimental vein, they are both high-calorie, yummy goodness).

#1 S'Mores Dip
A friend brought this to a Christmas party a couple of weeks ago, and when I found out last-minute that I had to bring a sweet treat for our luncheon on the last day of school, I called her for the recipe. It was so easy and good that I took it to my sister's ornament exchange last night too.

And here's how:
Mix 12 oz of semi-sweet chocolate morsels with 1 can sweetened condensed milk. Melt this in the microwave for about one minute. Stir. Add 13 oz of marshmallow creme (or 2-7 oz jars will work). Mix. You can mix well for a even smooth dip or leave swirly. The chocolate will sink to the bottom as it cools. Stir it again or reheat if needed. Serve with graham crackers.

You can also find this recipe over at Tasty Kitchen (this is their picture, not mine).

#2 Happy Holidays Hot Vanilla
This is a take on my hot vanilla that I drink every ice bath. I started drinking this last year after we were snowed/iced in for several days using this recipe from Family Fun.

I made a big batch for the ornament exchange last night. I heated 8 cups of milk in the microwave and added it to the crockpot on warm (bumped to low if it seemed cool). Add 1/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. The "happy" part comes next. Add an ounce of Kahlua to a mug, add the hot vanilla, and top with whipped cream and mini-chocolate chips. Cinnamon would be a nice addition as well. If you want to make an individual serving, mix 1 cup of milk with 2 teaspoons sugar. Heat in the microwave. Add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and any extras you want. Yum!

And those two treats are why I ran at 4 this morning even though I'd been awake since 2.