Hot Chocolate

Heather Fendell  

With the cold weather fast approaching and the holiday season creeping up, it’s prime time for my favorite winter beverage: hot chocolate. Hot chocolate is a winter staple and no, it’s not just for little kids. Espresso Royale carries both a classic hot chocolate and a mint hot chocolate while Starbucks has a peppermint hot chocolate and a white hot chocolate. Some frat houses even fill coolers with a dangerous mix of hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps! Hot cocoa has been a favorite for thousands of years, dating back to the Mayan civilization about 2,000 years ago. It later made its way into Aztec culture, then became popular years later in Europe after coming from Mexico.
For me, hot chocolate is a great addition to any snow day. It makes me reminisce about when I used to build snow forts and have snowball fights, only to come back home to the smell of fresh baked cookies and hot chocolate. My personal favorite: Ghirardelli’s Hazelnut Hot Cocoa Mix with mini marshmallows and lots of whipped cream! Nom!
If you’re feeling adventurous, try this Creamy Hot Cocoa recipe, and get ready to snuggle up on the next snow day (or any day for that matter!).

Ingredients
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half

Directions
Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Stir in the milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature and serve.

Carbonara on a Chilly Day

Carmen Lee  

This article continues our series featuring Al Dente pasta.

There is something so comforting about a big bowl of pasta that warms you up on a chilly day. Inexpensive and easy to make, this Spinach Carbonara is great for entertaining or for those rainy days when all you want to do is curl up on the sofa with a great movie and a hearty bowl of pasta.

Spinach Carbonara
PREP IT
1 package of Al Dente Spinach Fettuccine (about 12 oz.)
½ package of bacon (about 8oz.), cut into 1-cm pieces
1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks, room temperature
1 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
½ bag of baby spinach leaves, washed (about 3oz.)
Salt & Pepper

CREATE IT
I. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, saving the pasta cooking water.
II. Meanwhile, crisp the bacon in a skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes. While the bacon crisps, combine Parmesan cheese, egg and egg yolks, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; add half a cup of hot pasta cooking water to eggs and whisk well.
III. Drain pasta and add to skillet with bacon. Add egg blend to the skillet, tossing to prevent the eggs from scrambling. While tossing pasta, ladle pasta water into the skillet of pasta until you form a great, silky sauce.
IV. Gently toss in the spinach leaves with the pasta.

SERVE IT
Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve. This dish is wonderful, eaten among friends and family or simply as a personal treat.

Did a Gluten-Free Diet Just Change the Game of Tennis?

Katie Trucco  

Within the last few years, the gluten-free diet has boomed in popularity. Not only are doctors recognizing and diagnosing more Americans with Celiac disease, a hereditary condition in which the body does not digest gluten, but more and more people are acknowledging the innumerable health benefits that coincide with eliminating gluten from their diets.
Many athletes have adopted this dietary trend, including tennis star Novak Djokovic. Djokovic is now ranked among the greatest players of his generation, along with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, even surpassing their accomplishments in some matches. However, as early as a year ago his serve was reputably sloppy and his forehand inconsistent. So what sparked the rapid change? Djokovic was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance, which forced him to cut all foods containing the offending protein from his diet.
Suddenly, Djokovic garnered worldwide attention for his newfound precision on the court, his powerful backhand, and his unprecedented stamina during matches. His stats for the 2011 season speak for themselves; according to the Wall Street Journal, Djokovic managed to beat Rafael Nadal in rallies lasting longer than eight shots, a feat that no one has ever triumphed over Nadal.
Eliminating gluten from one’s diet is also linked to an improved mental state. Many people who suffer from gluten intolerance experience “brain fogs” in which they find they cannot function as sharply as they would otherwise. David Levitsky, a professor of nutrition and psychology at Cornell University, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal saying "It's mostly mental energy you're talking about, not energy supplied to muscle tissues." Many believe Djokovic is performing so much better because he is more mentally focused on the game.
Of course, nothing in life is as easy as giving up pizza in order to become a world-famous tennis player; but Djokavic is a solid example of how diet can significantly impact the way one performs on a day-to-day basis. Gluten-free diets, though thought by many to be nothing but a simple placebo effect, can really change the way an athlete plays and strategizes about their sport.