Homemade Chocolate Syrup

As I was making more chocolate syrup last night (recipe follows), I was reminded that I forgot to mention that I met another Feingold mom and her family at Chuck E Cheese's on Friday! It was so nice to meet Carrie, her husband Terry, and their two daughters (pretty!) and two sons (adorable!). Like us, they homeschool, so another thing we have in common. It was so nice to visit with a mom who has the same dietary concerns for her children. I brought cupcakes to share (Denna's idea--she brought a bunch, too). Carrie was able to tell her children that mine were "Feingold cupcakes" and didn't have to worry about reactions. I used Duncan Hines' Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix and the frosting was made from butter, vanilla, powdered sugar and water.

(In all honesty, though I need to tell you that I did order one of the pizzas for the kids. They don't seem to react. Luci's running around and general mayhem she caused was done on an empty stomach and was not fueled by Chuck E Cheese's artificial preservatives.)

Yes, you can make your own chocolate syrup, and it is easy, cheaper than what you find at the store, and JT says this is "way better than that other stuff." You can't get a more-qualified statement of yumminess from anyone--JT is my chocolate fiend. (You can also make your own marshmallows but that will have to wait for a less humid day for me to do that and take a picture.)

My recipe is a remake of a recipe which came in our Feingold materials. I tweaked it until I got the consistency we liked. It is so easy. I make this once a week.

Better than Hershey's Syrup

2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa
dash salt
1 1/2 cups water (sometimes I use 1 3/4 cups)
(optional: 1 TBS corn syrup)

1 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and water (and corn syrup, if using) into a 2 qt. sauce pan. Heat over medium heat, whisking the whole time, until a light boil begins--the mixture will be dissolved and small bubbles will form. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool and store in refrigerator. I keep our syrup in a Hershey's syrup bottle that's been cleaned out well.