This Crockpot Hot Chocolate Is The Ultimate Holiday Treat

How to get wrinkle-free sheets without ironing, your new favorite way to wear a scarf, and more. December 1, 2021 [View Online]( Good morning! December is here, and so is my holiday spirit! I’m looking forward to the entire festive month ahead, as well as the festive evening ahead with the broadcast of the Rockefeller Center tree lighting on TV tonight. (See the bottom of this newsletter for more on that!) Today’s newsletter features one of my very favorite holiday treats: crockpot hot chocolate. Whether you’ve made it a hundred times or not at all, it deserves a spot on your list of treats you’ll be making this holiday season. I’ve also got a great scarf tying method to share with you, just in time for chilly winter weather. Enjoy! Jillee DAYS UNTIL 🎄 Christmas: 24 🎊 New Year's Day: 31 TODAY'S GOOD THING This Crockpot Hot Chocolate Is The Ultimate Holiday Treat [Photos of Jillee drinking crockpot hot chocolate.]( There’s no better treat for a snow day—or any day, really—than a crockpot full of creamy hot chocolate. I don’t have anything against powdered hot chocolate mixes, but there’s just something about hot chocolate made with real chocolate that puts it in a league all its own. I had never made hot chocolate “from scratch” until a reader told me about a crockpot version of hot chocolate, which she described as "the best she’d ever had." Not being a coffee drinker, I like to think of myself as something of a hot cocoa connoisseur, so I had to find out if it was really as good as she claimed. It ended up being even more delicious than I imagined, and it's so easy to make too. Just dump the ingredients in, turn your crockpot on, and wait a couple of hours, and you’ll have enough deliciously creamy hot chocolate for the whole family. Whether you make it today or on your next snow day, I guarantee you’ll be glad you did! Here’s how to make it: To your crockpot, add 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, 6 cups of milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 2 cups of chocolate chips (milk chocolate, semisweet, or a combination). Whisk everything together until well combined, then cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours while stirring occasionally. Whisk the hot chocolate well before ladling it into a mug to serve, and top with marshmallows or any other garnish you like. [See The Full Recipe ➜]( Related • [Our Favorite Semi-Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix]( • [These Hot Chocolate Bombs Are The Best Thing To Happen To Hot Cocoa In Years]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • I can’t tell you how those drips got inside of your oven door, but I can tell you about an easy way to clean them up. [Read more ➜]( • This 3-ingredient spray is not only easy to make, but it’s also the easiest way to deodorize and refresh fabrics. [Read more ➜]( • Want to get more out of your Instant Pot? Find out how to use “pot-in-pot cooking” to cook multiple foods at once. [Read more ➜]( WASH IT WEDNESDAY Get Wrinkle-Free Clothes And Linens Without Ironing [Photos of Jillee putting sheets on a bed.]( If crisp, clean linens are what you’re after, use this method to save yourself the effort of ironing. While the method below focuses on how to get wrinkle-free bed sheets without ironing, it works equally well with tablecloths, curtains, clothing, and all sorts of other fabrics. I follow these steps every time I wash my tablecloths (except I lay them out on my table, rather than my bed), and it works like a charm! Here’s how to do it: 1. Wash. Wash your bedsheets as usual in your washing machine, then toss them in your dryer for 15-20 minutes. (You just want them to be damp, rather than fresh-out-of-the-washer wet.) 2. Lay Out. Put your sheets back on your bed. (I know this might sound strange, but bear with me!) Make sure to pull them taut as you lay them out. If the room has a ceiling fan, turn it on. 3. Let Dry. Allow the sheets to dry completely, then make the rest of the bed. The drying process could take anywhere from an hour to all day depending on the temperature and humidity inside your house, but the short trip through the dryer should help to speed things up a bit. BEAUTY My Favorite Way To Wear A Scarf [Photos of Jillee putting on a scarf.]( Wearing a scarf to a party or event? This scarf tying method looks sophisticated without being overly complicated. Scarves not only help keep you warm in frigid conditions, but they can look really stylish too, especially if you tie them on in an interesting way rather than just wrapping them around your neck. Here’s one of my go-to methods for tying on a scarf when I want to look nice, which is a variation on the "European loop" method: 1. Drape. Hold both ends of your scarf together in one hand to create a loop at the other end, then drape the folded scarf over the back of your neck so that the end of the scarf with the loop is draped over your chest. 2. Weave. Holding the loop open with one hand, pass one of the scarf ends OVER one side of the loop and UNDER the other side. Then take the other scarf end and do the same thing, but in reverse order—weave it UNDER one side then OVER the other. 3. Cinch. Carefully cinch up the scarf, and you’ll have a beautiful woven knot that will have you looking (and feeling!) chic and sophisticated. JILLEE'S PICK Myth And Mystery In Once Upon A River [The front cover of ]( After the winding river on the cover of [Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield]( caught my eye, I was thrilled to realize it was written by the same author who wrote The Thirteenth Tale. I loved that book and Setterfield’s writing—she has a wonderful way with words, and pulls you into the story and her characters’ lives. I figured if Once Upon A River was even half as good as The Thirteenth Tale, it would be a worthwhile read. Though I will say I didn’t end up enjoying it quite as much, Once Upon A River is still a wonderfully written story that I’m very glad I read! The plot centers on the mystery of a drowned child who is revived after being recovered from the Thames. Is the girl Ann, Amelia, or Alice? Three families claim to know the truth, each with its own mysteries and secrets. Much like the river itself, this story flows, twists, and turns, and I was so absorbed that I didn’t want it to end. If you like dark and intricately woven stories with many wonderful characters, you won’t regret putting yourself in this storyteller’s capable hands! [See Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield on Amazon ➜]( POLL OF THE WEEK Card Customs Q: What kind of cards do you send out during the holidays? (Click one of the options below to submit your response.) 1. [I send personalized photo cards that I order online.]( 2. [I send cards with a photo included inside.]( 3. [I send cards with no photo.]( 4. [I don't send out holiday cards.]( Results from last week's poll: Nearly 40% of OGT readers will be decking their halls in the next week or two. Over 1,700 of you weighed in on the question “When do you decorate for Christmas?” Here's how you responded: • 39.7% said “Early to mid December” • 28.6% said “Mid to late November” • 14.1% said “Mid to late December” • 8.9% said “I don't decorate / I don't celebrate Christmas” • 8.7% said “Early to mid November” A FEW MORE THINGS... December Observances: New month, new observances! Here in the US, December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, National Eggnog Month, National Pear Month, and National Fruit Cake Month. Symbols Of The Month: Birthstones for December include [turquoise]( [tanzanite]( and [zircon](. Flowers for December include [holly]( and narcissus (AKA [paperwhites](. World AIDS Day: It’s World AIDS Day, a day dedicated to supporting those living with HIV around the world, remembering those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses, and renewing commitments to ending the HIV epidemic. Today the National AIDS Memorial will host its World AIDS Day National Observance as a virtual forum—[learn more about the speakers and program here](. Tree Lighting: The 79-foot tall Norway spruce serving as this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be illuminated this evening. The lighting will be broadcast on NBC and streaming on Peacock as part of [Christmas in Rockefeller Center]( a 2-hour live event with performances by Harry Connick Jr., Norah Jones, Carrie Underwood, and more, which starts at 7 pm ET. What did you think of today's email? [Not good]( | [Just okay]( | [Loved it!]( 🏠[Visit the By Jillee Shop]( 🤗 [Join OGT Free]( Let's connect! [facebook]( [instagram]( [pinterest]( [youtube]( If you have thoughts, comments, questions or a tip or trick you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you! My inbox is always open, so just hit "reply" and let me know what's on your mind. See you tomorrow! Sending you bright ideas and simple solutions to help you create a home and life you love. My mailing address is: One Good Thing by Jillee 841 S. Main St. Heber City, UT 84032 If you're not happy please reply to this email to tell me why, or you can [update your preferences]( or break my heart and unsubscribe [here](. View our privacy policy [here](.