As a special treat to myself this Christmas, I made hot chocolate. I'm no  blimpwolf, but I think I did a pretty good job.

This recipe came from the 19th-century home economics textbook, School and Home Cooking, by Carlotta Cherryholmes Greer:

You will need:

A small saucepan
A double boiler
2 squares of unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup of water
3 cups of milk
2/3 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Begin by chopping the baking chocolate into pieces while bringing the water to boiling in the saucepan. Put the baking chocolate into the boiling water and stir until it has melted and dissolved to a smooth mixture.

Heat the milk in the top of the double boiler (remember you need water in the bottom). Once it's warmed, add the chocolate mixture. Continuing to stir, add the sugar, salt and vanilla. Continue to heat and stir the mixture until everything has combined and is smooth.

Makes three servings of the size shown. Can be served with marshmallows or whipped cream. (The textbook notes that whipped cream raises the fat content quite a bit. Not a issue for me, no. If you're watching your weight or your fat content, though, it should be borne in mind.)