How to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate is the perfect beverage for a snowy winter’s day, or a wonderful treat that can fill your mouth with chocolaty goodness during any time of the year. There are a variety of ways to make hot chocolate, whether you want it to be simple, spicy, or a bit sweeter. If you want to know how to make hot chocolate in no time at all, just follow these steps.

[Edit]Ingredients

[Edit]Simple Hot Cocoa

• 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 2/3 cup skim evaporated milk
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla flavoring
• A handful of miniature marshmallows

[Edit]Mocha Hot Chocolate

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup instant espresso powder
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 6 cups milk
• 2 cups half and half

[Edit]Spicy Hot Chocolate

• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground chili pepper
• 1 seeded and sliced red bell pepper

[Edit]Mexican Hot Chocolate

• 6 (12 oz.) cans of evaporated milk
• 4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 (12 oz.) bags semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch cocoa powder

[Edit]Two Minute Hot Chocolate

• milk
• chocolate chips

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Simple Hot Cocoa

1. Make the cocoa mixture. Combine 1 tbsp. of cocoa powder and 1 tbsp. of granulated sugar in a bowl. Stir the ingredients a bit to combine them.
   
2. Pour ¾ cups of water into another bowl or cup. Make sure it's microwave-safe.
   
3. Microwave the water on high for 1 ½ minutes or until the water boils.
   
4. Pour the hot water over the cocoa mixture. Stir the mixture until it’s smooth.
   
5. Pour 2/3 cup skim evaporated milk into another cup. Microwave it on high for 1 minute. Then, pour the warm milk into the mug with the water and cocoa mixture.
   
6. Add ¾ tsp. of vanilla flavoring. Stir well to combine the ingredients. Then, place a few mini marshmallows in the cup.
   
7. Serve. Enjoy the taste of this cup of delicious hot chocolate with mini marshmallows -- if you'd like to treat a friend, just double the ingredients when you start making your hot chocolate, or repeat the process.
   

[Edit]Mocha Hot Chocolate

1. Combine the first four ingredients together in a heavy saucepan. Combine 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup of sugar, ¼ cup of instant espresso powder, 1 tbsp. vanilla, 1 pinch of salt, and 1 cup of cold water in a heavy saucepan and heat the mixture over low heat.^[1]
   
2. Whisk the ingredients. Continue to whisk them until the cocoa powder is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
   
3. Gradually add the milk and half and half to the mixture. Add 6 cups of scalded milk and 2 cups of scalded half and half to the mixture over low heat, whisking the ingredients together until they’re hot but not boiling. Add 1 cup of milk and ¼ cup of half and half at a time and continue to add the rest of the milk and half and half in small portions until all of the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
   
4. Serve. Enjoy this tasty mocha hot chocolate as a breakfast treat or during any time of day.
   

[Edit]Spicy Hot Chocolate

1. Heat 2 ½ cups of milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat it until the milk is hot, but not boiling. ^[2]
   
2. Add 4 oz. of chopped unsweetened chocolate and ½ cup of sugar to the milk. Stir the ingredients together until they’re blended.
   
3. Add ¾ tsp. of cinnamon, ¼ tsp. of chili powder, and 1 seeded and sliced red bell pepper to the mixture. Bring the ingredients to a simmer.
   
4. Remove the red pepper strips. Their flavor will remain in the hot chocolate.
   
5. Serve. Enjoy this spicy hot chocolate at any time.
   

[Edit]Mexican Hot Chocolate

1. Whisk together the milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and nutmeg in a large pot over medium heat. Whisk together 6 (12 oz.) cans of evaporated milk, 4 tsp. of ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp. of vanilla extract, and 1 tsp. of ground nutmeg together in a large pot over medium heat.^[3]
   
2. Add chocolate chips to the mixture. Add 2 (12 oz.) bags of semisweet chocolate chips to the mixture. Stir the hot chocolate until the chocolate is melted.
   
3. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. This will blend the ingredients even more. Then remove the hot cocoa from the stove.
   
4. Serve. Sprinkle this hot chocolate with a pinch of cocoa powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper and enjoy it any time.
   
5. Finished.
   

[Edit]Two Minute Hot Chocolate

1. Get a frying pan, milk and chocolate chips. Put the stove on medium low.
   
2. Pour the milk and chocolate chips in.
   
3. Mix it for one to two minutes.
   
4. Pour it in a cup, either by just pouring it in or with a big spoon.
   
5. Serve. Add anything, from marshmallows to candy.
   
   
   

[Edit]Video

[Edit]Things You'll Need

• Saucepan
• Stovetop or microwaves
• Measuring cups and spoons
• 12 oz. (341 mL) microwave-safe mug
• Mixing spoon

[Edit]Tips

• Do the Final Finish. In this case, use an animal bean to make animal-shaped marshmallows.

[Edit]Related wikiHows

• Make Hot Chocolate in the Microwave

[Edit]References

[Edit]Quick Summary

1. ↑ http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/drink/views/Mocha-Hot-Chocolate-200627
2. ↑ http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/5-great-hot-chocolate-recipes1.htm
3. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/semi-homemade-cooking-with-sandra-lee/mexican-hot-chocolate-recipe/index.html

How to Start Doing Stand up Comedy

If you’re constantly making your friends laugh with hilarious stories or one-liners, stand up comedy might be the job for you. Nobody starts out as a famous comedian, so you’ll have a bit of work to do before you make it big time. With a little bit of patience and a whole lot of hard work, you can start your stand up comedy career to spread the joy of laughter.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Booking Sets

1. Call into an amateur night at a comedy club. Most comedy clubs have specific times where you can call in to get booked, even if you haven’t done stand up before. You might not get a set the first time you call, so keep calling in until you get one.^[1]
   
   • Most clubs will post a specific time period with a small window to call in. You might have between 9:30 and 10:00 AM on a Tuesday to book a slot, for example.
   • If you don’t get a set at the first club you call, try a different one! Keep calling comedy clubs in your area until you find one that will let you in.
2. Discuss payment upfront with any gigs you land. When you’re first starting out, you probably won’t get paid much of anything for a gig. Make sure you talk to the club manager or owner to figure out how much they owe you, when you’ll get paid, and what you’re expected to do.^[2]
   
   • Some club owners require you to sell tickets or work the door (greet guests) before your set.
   • Some gigs don’t pay at all! It’s up to you if you’d like to accept those ones, but they’re great experience to have when you’re first starting out.
3. Host your own comedy show if you’re having trouble booking gigs. Getting your first stand up set can be tough, and it might take a few weeks (or months) until you manage to get up on stage. If you want some experience in the meantime, host your own comedy show and invite your comic friends to come perform.^[3]
   
   • You could rent out a bar for the night, hit up your local community center, or even host people in your own backyard.
4. Post your material on social media. If you had a really good set and you managed to record it, post some snippets on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube. You may be able to drum up some excitement about your performance and get invited to more gigs that way.^[4]
   
   • You don’t have to post every show or every joke if you’d like to save some material for your in-person audience members.

[Edit]Writing Material

1. Get inspiration from live comedy shows. It’ll help you keep up with what’s relevant and what’s not. Head to your local comedy club to get a sense of who’s performing, what jokes work, and what to stay away from.^[5]
   
   • You could also try going to different types of comedy clubs. Popular, mainstream ones might be different from underground or alternative ones.
   • You can get inspiration from different comedians, but never steal their jokes directly. That will give you a bad reputation in the comedy sector.
2. Put together 5 to 7 minutes of material. Almost every open mic or comedy club will want you to start out with 5 to 7 minutes of content. Take your funniest jokes and put them into your first set.^[6]
   
   • You can always have a little more material prepared, but 5 to 7 minutes is usually the average.
3. Save your best joke for last. If you put your most interesting material at the beginning of your set, it can only go downhill from there. If you know you have a killer joke, put it at the very end to leave your audience on a high note.^[7]
   
   • You can slide your second best joke in the beginning of your set to hook the audience in and keep them captivated.
4. Rehearse your material out loud. The most important part of stand up comedy is timing. Practice saying your jokes out loud so you can get your punchlines down and really make the jokes land.^[8]
   
   • You can practice alone or in front of your friends; whichever you feel most comfortable with.
   • If you’re practicing alone, try standing in front of a mirror to check out your facial expressions as you tell your jokes.
   • Memorize your material! It really disrupts the flow of a comedy show if you’re constantly looking at your notes.
5. Ask for feedback from experienced comics. If there’s another performer in the crowd who you admire, check in with them after your set to see if they have any critiques. You don’t have to take their word as gospel, but it can be helpful to get advice from people in the business.^[9]
   
   • Not every comedian will be open to giving you advice, and that’s okay too.
6. Rewrite any material that didn’t land. If you told a joke and only got a few chuckles, it might be time to head back to the drawing board. It’s totally fine to revise and rework your content to make it funnier or snappier for next time.^[10]
   
   • You don’t have to have fresh content for every set that you do, but you should try to mix it up a little so you aren’t just repeating the same few jokes over and over again.

[Edit]Performing

1. Invite your friends to watch your performance. Talking to a large audience is much more fun than an empty room. You can tell your friends when and where you’ll be performing so they can come and watch the show if you’d like to.^[11]
   
   • If having your friends there is going to make you too nervous, don’t invite them. You can get your bearings at your first couple of gigs before you invite people you know.
2. Adjust the mic to your height when you get on stage. It might sound like a no-brainer, but when you’re in front of an audience, you might feel a little frazzled. When you first get on stage, either adjust the mic stand to fit your height or hold the mic in your hand.^[12]
   
   • If you’re going to hold the mic in your hand, move the mic stand behind you where it won’t get in the way.
3. Engage the audience by looking out into the crowd. You might be nervous, which is totally normal! However, you should still try to look out at your audience to connect with them. If making eye contact is too tough, stare at someone’s forehead instead.^[13]
   
   • Making a connection with your audience will lead to a funnier show, since the crowd will feel like you’re talking directly to them.
4. Read the crowd by listening to what they laugh at. If you’re telling a raunchy joke and it doesn’t land, maybe stick to more PG-13 jokes from here on out. If you’re joking a lot about politics and the crowd seems bored, move onto a different subject. Try to have a few jokes up your sleeve so you can change tactics if you need to.^[14]
   
   • Crowds are different depending on where you are, what time it is, and which club you’re performing at. Not every joke works for every crowd!
5. Stick to your allotted time. Many comics use vibrating watches so that they know when their time is up without the annoyance of an audible alarm going off.^[15]
   
   • There might also be a clock in the back of the room that you can keep an eye on so you don’t run over your time.
6. Do a little improv to deal with hecklers. Hecklers are people who don’t like your set and aren’t afraid to tell you about it. You might not have any hecklers right away, but there is a chance you’ll deal with some at some point. Think on your feet and try to turn it into a funny situation so the audience doesn’t get uncomfortable.^[16]
   
   • You can prepare a few one-liners to use if you ever get heckled.
   • For example, if someone yells out, “That’s not funny!” you could say something like, “Well, my jokes are for smart people, so I’m not surprised.”

[Edit]Tips

• Not every gig is paid, especially when you’re first starting out.
• Record your own set and listen to it so you can get a better sense of what jokes your audience liked and didn't like.^[17]

[Edit]Related wikiHows

• Write a Comedy Sketch
• Be a Comedian
• Perform at a Comedy Club
• Be Funny
• Apply Crepe Hair
• Become a Good Stage Manager
• Be a Comedian
• Fake a Smile

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ye5lugiAQo&feature=youtu.be&t=137
2. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/become-standup-comedian-2468/
3. ↑ https://comedicpursuits.com/organize-a-comedy-show/
4. ↑ https://www.spotlight.com/news-and-advice/tips-and-advice/how-to-get-gigs-tips-for-comedians/
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ye5lugiAQo&feature=youtu.be&t=34
6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ye5lugiAQo&feature=youtu.be&t=63
7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ye5lugiAQo&feature=youtu.be&t=72
8. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/become-standup-comedian-2468/
9. ↑ https://www.princetonreview.com/careers/41/comedian
10. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/become-standup-comedian-2468/
11. ↑ https://devincomedy.com/advice-for-new-comedians/
12. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj5jyxNSikk&feature=youtu.be&t=101
13. ↑ https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2019/07/what-can-scientists-learn-stand-comedy
14. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/become-standup-comedian-2468/
15. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/become-standup-comedian-2468/
16. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/become-standup-comedian-2468/
17. ↑ [v161337_b01]. 3 April 2020.

How to Heal Hangnails Fast

Hangnails occur when the skin along the sides of your fingernails and near your cuticles peels up and tears. This is typically caused by dry skin and results in a painful, annoying injury.^[1] Luckily, there are some things you can do to take care of your hangnails and help them heal faster. With a few standard nail care and first-aid supplies, your hands should be back to normal in a few days. Make sure to follow standard wound-care guidelines to keep your hangnails clean and prevent an even more painful infection.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Trimming the Hangnail

1. Put an adhesive bandage over your hangnail until you can trim it. Wrap a small bandage tightly around your finger on top of the hangnail if you can’t deal with it right away. This will keep it from tearing further until you get home or somewhere where you can take care of it properly.^[2]
   
   • If your torn skin is bleeding, apply pressure with a clean, dry paper towel or cloth for about 10 minutes to stop the bleeding before you apply a bandage.
2. Wash your hands with warm water and soap to clean the affected area. Wet your hands under warm running water, then lather them up thoroughly with soap. Rinse your hands until all the soap is gone.^[3]
   
   • A hangnail is just like any other wound, so it’s important to keep it clean to avoid an infection.
   • The warm water will also soften up your skin and make the hangnail easier to treat.
3. Dry your hands thoroughly using a clean towel. Your hands must be dry so you can apply ointment and a bandage after you remove your hangnail. Be gentle, so you don’t accidentally tear your hangnail further.
   
   • If you don’t have a clean towel, use paper towels instead or shake your hands off and let them air dry. Don’t ever use a dirty towel that could transfer dirt and bacteria into your torn skin.
4. Sterilize a pair of cuticle trimmers with rubbing alcohol or another disinfectant. Place the cuticle trimmers in a small container. Pour in enough rubbing alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide to cover the trimmers, then let them soak for at least 10 seconds. Pull the trimmers out of the liquid and wipe them dry with a clean towel.^[4]
   
   • If you don’t have cuticle trimmers, you can use manicure scissors or nail clippers instead.
   • If you don’t have some kind of disinfecting liquid, you can wash your cutting utensil in warm water and detergent.
5. Use clean cuticle trimmers to trim the tough skin near your cuticles. Carefully clip off the loose, rough, dead skin of the hangnail, so it won’t get caught on anything and tear even more. Leave the soft, more sensitive, living skin closest to your nails and cuticles.^[5]
   
   • If the hangnail is on your dominant hand and you are having trouble trimming it with your non-dominant hand, you can get someone to help you trim it.

[Edit]Helping Your Hangnail Heal

1. Apply an antibacterial ointment to your hangnail. Squeeze a dab of antibacterial ointment onto a clean fingertip. Gently rub it onto the hangnail until it is completely covered.^[6]
   
   • The ointment will keep your hangnail moist to help it heal faster, as well as prevent infection while the wound heals.
2. Cover the hangnail with an adhesive bandage to protect it. Carefully wrap a small adhesive bandage around your finger on top of the hangnail. This will keep it from catching on anything and tearing more while it is healing.^[7]
   
   • The bandage will also help keep dirt and bacteria from getting in your torn skin and potentially infecting it or slowing down the healing process.
3. Reapply ointment and replace the bandage daily until your hangnail heals. Gently remove the bandage and wash your hands in warm, soapy water to clean your hangnail, then dry them with a clean towel. Cover the hangnail in fresh ointment and wrap a new adhesive bandage around it.^[8]
   
   • As long as you take care of your hangnail like this every day, it should heal in about 5-7 days.
4. Moisturize your hands 2-3 times a day to avoid future hangnails.^[9] Apply a non-perfumed lotion to your hands after each time you wash them or a couple of times throughout the day to keep your cuticles from drying out. Put 1 drop of cuticle oil onto each finger where the cuticle meets the nail before you go to bed to keep the skin hydrated throughout the night.^[10]
   
   • Since hangnails are caused by dry skin, if you keep your skin moist after your hangnail heals, it will decrease the chances of it happening again.^[11]

[Edit]Tips

• Hangnails tend to occur more frequently in cold weather, which can dry your skin out more. Keep your hands extra-moisturized or wear gloves to protect your fingers when it’s cold outside.
• If your cuticles are really dry and ragged, consider getting a manicure to get them cleaned up to avoid painful hangnails.
• If your skin and nails are especially dry, consider taking a break from using nail polish and nail polish remover. These products contain harsh chemicals and can dry out your skin and nails over time.^[12]

[Edit]Warnings

• Don’t chew or bite your hangnails to remove them. You could cause an infection or tear your skin even more.
• Seek medical assistance if the skin around your nail bed is torn or cut deeply or if your hangnail doesn’t heal after about a week.

[Edit]Things You’ll Need

• Water
• Soap
• Towel
• Cuticle trimmers
• Adhesive bandages
• Antibacterial ointment
• Moisturizer
• Cuticle oil

[Edit]References

1. ↑ [v161321_b01]. 26 March 2020.
2. ↑ https://healthfully.com/how-to-heal-torn-skin-on-your-fingers-8141327.html
3. ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/parents-kids/healthy-habits/parents/kids/hangnails
4. ↑ https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I/Guide-to-cleaning-and-disinfecting-equipment-for-the-body-art-beauty-and-nail-industries
5. ↑ https://www.gq.com/story/how-to-heal-hangnails
6. ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/parents-kids/healthy-habits/parents/kids/hangnails
7. ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/parents-kids/healthy-habits/parents/kids/hangnails
8. ↑ https://healthfully.com/how-to-heal-torn-skin-on-your-fingers-8141327.html
9. ↑ [v161321_b01]. 26 March 2020.
10. ↑ https://healthfully.com/how-to-heal-torn-skin-on-your-fingers-8141327.html
11. ↑ [v161321_b01]. 26 March 2020.
12. ↑ [v161321_b01]. 26 March 2020.