Help Yourself Hospitality - Hot Drinks

I have a big family.

I come from a big family.

My husband comes from a big family.

When family isn't around and we are lonely,

we invite a lot of friends over to fill up the house.

In other words,

there can be a lot of people underfoot at my house,

at any given time.

We love having people around,

and love making them feel at home enough to

Help Themselves.

I started with jars of mini-marshmallows and red hots.

I added festive tubs of hot chocolate and hot cider mixes.

I added one pretty hot pot.

Mixed all together on a metal tray,

and you have a

Help Yourself Hospitality Center for Hot Drinks.

We normally don't drink a lot of either,

and certainly don't give my kids  marshmallows to eat,

but at the holidays,

there are some rules that are meant to be broken.

Of course, the coffee pot is always on.

Regular coffee until evening meal, then we switch to decaff.

I didn't want to confuse you,

but the evening meal is called supper if you are from farm country,

because lunch is called dinner,

and lunch is the meal you bring to the fields between dinner and supper.

Anyhoo...

Good ol' Norwegians drink a lot of black coffee.

Nothing  is added to the coffee,

no milk and no sugar,

we drink it black,

because you dunk your cookies in it.

My Mom calls cookies and coffee,

"A Norwegian Breakfast."

I love being Norwegian.

The generations that have lived through the Depression make

their coffee so weak, you can see the bottom of the cup through the coffee.

My brothers call this "Lutheran Church Basement Coffee."

Norwegians that know the Depression is over,

make their coffee strong.

Whoever was up first to make the coffee in the morning,

determines if I add a little hot water to mine.

In the mornings,

I feel no pressure to get up and rush out to the kitchen,

because I have established the ability for my guests to

Help Yourself.

I don't have to get up,

until I smell the coffee.

(Tomorrow I'll show you what I do for Help Yourself Breakfast.)