Hot Chocolate with Turmeric and Black Pepper

Well I'll tell you, idk if I believe that I should stop eating three hours before bedtime. I certainly don't believe that not a morsel should pass my lips after 9:00 PM. I mean, define eat. Define exercise for that matter, I stretch every night at bedtime. But like, I'm not doing HIIT late at night. Or well, hardly ever, but that's another story altogether. Anyway, I'm not eating huge late night dinners either. Light stretches, absolutely fine. Light nibbles, sure, fine as needed. Vive la différence, I'm not trying to make bedtime snacking a habit like I am stretching. But if I'm hungry, I eat. Because if I'm hungry, sleeping is sure not going to happen.

What's becoming a little bit of a habit is hot chocolate after dinner, I've been making Smitten Kitchen's decadent hot chocolate mix and adding turmeric and black pepper.

Turmeric is supposed to be good against inflammation, black pepper is supposed to help activate the turmeric, and a cup of hot chocolate is a really good vehicle for them. Because disguising turmeric in a spoonful of honey is basically exactly like taking medicine with a spoonful of sugar. Whereas turmeric-black pepper hot chocolate is a taste sensation, a la Vosges chocolate, and having it every night is WINNING because that's you getting your turmeric in every day AND because you get hot chocolate every night.

For the mix:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 ounces (9 squares) Lindt 90% Supreme Dark chocolate
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend to a powder. I put the mix in an old Hershey's cocoa container that I emptied from drinking so much hot chocolate.

Per cup:
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon turmeric
several grinds of black pepper
a good pinch of salt
3 tablespoons hot chocolate mix

Heat milk, turmeric, pepper, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming. Add 3 tablespoons hot cocoa mix and whisk over heat for another minute or two, until simmering and completely dissolved. The pepper is a little too coarse for my liking, so I strain it into a mug.