Several times a year, the Adams clan heads to a beach house at Bodega Bay for rest and relaxation family style. Alfred Hitchcock put the place on the map in his 1963 thriller, The Birds starring Tippi Hedren. It hasn’t changed much since then—beautiful beaches, small fishing harbor, bare hills dotted with houses—and the original schoolhouse where the birds circled and sent scores of kids screaming for cover.

Hedren’s character drove the country back roads in her Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe while I arrived in a red SUV packed with enough food and coolers to feed an army. This group loves to eat.

Of course the only vehicle the kids are interested in is the giant red wagon that transports them and all their sand toys to the beach. There the only gathered flock of birds were the seagulls resting quietly up the beach. Jackson and Sam—using their “outside voices” ran screaming towards the flock. (Did anyone tell them what Hitchcock’s birds did to little children?)

Worn out, we all returned to the house where I made my famous hot chocolate with a dollop of lightly whipped cream. It’s my secret weapon for calming tired little boys and getting them to sleep all afternoon.

With the house quiet, I put a good shot of peppermint schnapps in my chocolate and curled up in a cozy chair with Nancy Verde Barr’s Backstage with Julia: My Years with Julia Child. This is heaven!

Best Hot Chocolate

Serves 4 cups
Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2+ cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

~ whipped cream topping

Directions

1. Pour the cream and milk in to a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan.

2. Combine the cocoa, cayenne pepper, and ¾ cup of the cream mixture in a small mixing bowl and mix with a fork to form a paste. (Add more cream mixture if needed to create a smooth mixture.)

3. Place the remaining cream mixture in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and chocolate paste and mix well. Bring to a simmer.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

5. Pour the chocolate into mugs and top with whipped cream.