marydukecooks.com    Car Crash Hot Chocolate Mix

Have you ever been scared witless? When our 3 children were in elementary school we used to sled down a Mountain around Erwin, Tennessee when it would snow. I dare not tell you the name of the mountain, because you will want to go after this story just for the adrenaline rush. The crazy thing is we heard about the location from an orthopedic surgeon who had set a survivor’s broken leg.  We would drive to the top of the mountain and then my sweet, adventurous husband would sled down the snow covered gravel road. This was dangerous on so many levels. I would follow him in our beat up Jeep Wagoneer that was as heavy as a tank. There were times we hit speeds of 40 mph. Just so you know, our children never sled on the road.

We continued this tradition, (3 kids and black lab in tow) until one year when I was scared witless and put a halt to the insanity.  We had just gotten about 2-3 feet of snow in the mountains and a dusting in town. It was a sunny Saturday and we headed up the backside of another mountain. The plan was to go to the top and look for a “safe” place the kids could sled.  We got about three fourths of the way up the mountain when our tank of a car began to slide backwards. Four wheel drive is great until you hit ice!! It wasn’t long until we began picking up speed. I made sure the kids had their seatbelts on because I knew this was going to be a wild ride. The dog was jumping from the front seat to the back seat walking all over us.

We were going backwards about 30 mph when we came to a sharp curve and knew this was the end of the line. If we didn’t stay on the road we would go over a sheer cliff. Doc decided to ram the Jeep into the face of the mountain and hope for the best.  “Brace for impact,” we told the kids. “This is not some Disney ride.” When the Jeep hit the mountain it landed on its side and slid to a stop.  Even with seatbelts on, we were all piled on top of each other! Everyone was screaming, “Get off me.” The dog was all over the place. I quickly rolled down the two passenger windows and we all crawled out. Miraculously, no one was hurt.

This all happened before cell phones were invented. The only way to get help was for Doc to hike down the mountain to the main road, hitch a ride to town, and call his brother, Lee. He had a truck with a winch. The kids, dog and I sled down the mountain but not on the road. I kept an eye on the road looking for Doc. When Lee and Doc arrived it took some fancy maneuvering to get the car flipped upright.  Fortunately for us, several people stopped to help. We got home safe and sound about 6 hours later. We never went back!

Hot Chocolate is the perfect drink to warm you up on a cold winter day or after a scary car crash!

Car Crash Hot Chocolate Mix

16 ounces non-dairy powdered creamer
16 ounces powdered sugar
8 (one quart) packets powdered milk
22 ounces powdered chocolate milk
1 bag miniature marshmallows

Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container. Use 4 tablespoons mix per 1 cup hot water. Makes approximately 64 servings.

Published in The News and Neighbor on January 23, 2019