a fruit beverage

What to drink !  the hot weather will be upon us and if you want to avoid those carbonated or sports drink beverages here’s an alternative.

Squeeze several oranges, funnel them into a plastic bottle, add cold water, lemon and lime juice, sugar and a small amount of salt. Shake, taste and adjust as necessary. a bit of sliced ginger root can be added also.

Of course, lemonade/limeade can also be made with lemon/lime  juice, water and sugar with a bit of salt. If you don’t have fresh lemons use the bottle type. Keeps longer than fresh lemons or limes.

 

hot cocoa, or chocolate

Again, if you have the basic ingredients (sugar, cocoa, and of course milk) around for baking make some hot cocoa as desired. Skip all those packaged mixes, of course if your a slave to the mini marshmallows, then have some of them on the shelve.

Now the basics;

*optional ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Dash salt
Slight grind of nutmeg *
2 or 3 whole all spice *
Small piece of cinnamon*
Stir in 1/3 cup hot water to the above ingredients in a pan.
Cook and stir till mixture boils and stir for 2 minutes.
Add about 4 cups of milk and
Small cup of strong coffee*
Heat to short of boil, do not boil
Add Vanilla, a couple of drops,
Whisk till frothy and serve

now for the pics….

dry ingredients in a pan

mix in the hot water……..

boil and cook….. you could stop at this point and save it as chocolate syrup….

add milk…..

heat till almost boiling and froth with a whisk….

mmm mug it !!!

dust with coffee, cocoa powder or a ground spice like cardamon. Add a chocolate liquor if desired. Happy Winter !

coffee break

New Items

From The Coffee Project:

4 ounces of Cocoa nibs, from Peru, Organic @ $1.60 per ounce. So far I have ground a very small amount with coffee beans for a mocha blend , good tasting results, they can be eaten as a snack such as a trail mix, will look up other recipe ideas.

Tea, Darjeeling, Fair trade Black Tea, $4.00 ; brew , hot or iced tea, good with ginger syrup and as a drink with liquor. (Simply Ming has recipes for ginger syrup and it’s uses) Good if you want an alternative to coffee now and then.

One of my fav coffees, it figures! (Mexican Chipas FT ) is up to $7.00 (USD) /pound now highlighting the increase in some food commodity prices. Used to be in the $5.50/pound price range.

note: mispelling of “cocoa” might attract unwanted attention !

Raspberry Syrup

With an abundance of fruit and being tired of soda and various other high priced drinks, fruit syrup is a good way to make use of the fruit that is in season (or fruit that you have frozen).

Put hand picked cleaned raspberries in a measuring cup.

Add enough water to cover, or better yet fresh squeezed orange juice.

Place in a heavy pan at least double the height of the raspberry fruit liquid.

Slowly bring to a boil and mash the berries, skim any foam at the surface.

If available add over ripened bananas

The mixture should boil up and bubble, reduce heat and simmer a couple of minutes.

Remove from heat and with a large spoon and wire mesh sieve ,pour the fruit mixture through the sieve into a bowl.

With the back of the spoon, press the mixture in the sieve till it gives up all it’s juice.

Return the juices to a measuring cup to measure.

Pour the juice back into the pan and add the equivalent amount of sugar.

Heat the mixture to dissolve the sugar, the longer it’s cooked the thicker the syrup will be.

Add some salt, I use about 1/4 oz per cup.

Let cool, bottle and refrigerate.

To make a beverage:

Mix with cold water or seltzer, club soda etc. to taste

(about 1 inch in the bottom of a gatorade style bottle and fill with cold water)

A cool refreshing alternative to other beverages

use as you would for other syrups, over ice cream , pancakes etc.