As you may have noted, Spring has sprung.  Squadrons of geese are darkening the sky, songbirds are performing concerts in the trees, and the first mosquitoes of the year are hovering over the standing waters of their births, wondering why they didn’t wait until it was warmer before hatching out.

The snow is melting, leaving parts of the lawn and a bit of the cellar submerged.  It’s possible to pump water down in the barn, yet conversely less necessary to do so now that the sheep can help themselves at the nearest puddle.  

Oh, and let’s not forget that the river levels are a little high right now – which is to say, Farmgal and I could be proud owners of new beachfront property tomorrow.   As is usually the case around here, spring also means that a vast stretch of farm land, roads, and lawns immediately north of us becomes submerged under temporary lakes.   Observe (said the guest-blogging Dear Husband, trusting that Farmgal will come along and insert photographic evidence from this afternoon’s driving…):

…If there’s no photo above, just pretend you’re looking at the centre of a big chunk of ice, floating across what was a corn field last summer.

So:  Water.  Dihydrogen oxide.  High quality H-subscript-two-O.  It’s an important part of just about anything one cooks, eats, or otherwise does with food.  It’s the solvent that creates tasty solutions such as brothes, brines, and syrups.  It’s the reason we can eat pasta or rice without cracking our teeth.  It steams our vegetables and tenderizes our meat.  The quantity, temperature and trace element content of the water can be significant in how a given recipe turns out – just ask those breweries which only use glacier water melted that very day, or the hapless bachelor that leaves his pasta in boiling water until it’s mush.   Not that I would know anything of this. 

Other times, the water is important because one wants to get rid of it.  This can be in the form of dehydrating vegetables, fruits, herbs, or meat for preservation purposes.  Alternately, it’s an important part of the spring ritual of maple syrup preparation, now taking place across those parts of our region which aren’t submerged. 

And of course we’ll need that water to clean up all the dishes afterward.  Darn it.

Now the tricky part of the guest-blogging experience:  finding a recipe without resorting to dehydrated water jokes or the nearest “Company’s Coming”.  How about…

Dear Husband’s Hot Chocolate You’ll Be Wishing You Had Instead Of That Bland Stuff From The Donut Store:

• Boiling Water, but you knew that.
• Twice as much hot chocolate powder as the text on its container calls for, or equal parts cocoa and sugar if you prefer.
• Sufficient whipping cream or condensed milk that it and the powder fill about a quarter of your designated vessel.
• Maybe a generous sprinkle of cinnamon.
• Maybe a little cayenne or papper.  Early chocolate drinks in Mexico and central America were often spicy, y’know.
• Maybe a marshmallow…
• Maybe a bit of peppermint schnapps, if one likes the schnapps.

Add the hot chocolate mix and milk/cream to the mug.  Add the boiling water, making certain there’s at least a half inch of rim showing so you can stir vigoursly without overtopping the mug and making a mess.  Add your chosen “maybes”, if any, and stir until at least well mixed and maybe even frothy.  Drink when not painful to do so.

March Challenge:

• Breakfast:  DH:  Four egg omelette with ham and an onion; water on the side.  FG:  Good question – keener was up and out long before DH was.
• Lunch:  DH:  Nothing (go figure…).  FG:  Hamburger and fries, courtesy of friend.
• Dinner:  Pork roast, corn, cheesy mashed potatoes.  Water.
• Extras:  Survivors of yesterday’s donut experiment.  Small can of pineapple.  Cup of awful coffee.  Mug of aforementioned hot chocolate.Deviled Eggs.

March Challenge Note:  Dear Husband has lost 3.5 pounds so far this month, for no obvious reason other than, I assume, not buying and eating McDonalds, Doritos, and such.  I did not see that coming.

So – do you drink water on its own, or only as part of other beverages?  Do you rely on tap water or bottled water?  Do you find your water has particular effects on certain recipes?  And are you glad it’s warm enough that your water’s out there in liquid form rather than solid form, or what?