Iced Coffee

As the dog days of summer are coming upon us I no longer want a piping hot cup of coffee in the morning.  Instead it is definitely time to enjoy a nice iced coffee!  I came upon this method in a Food Network Magazine and on pinterest, so i took this as fate that I had to try it.  This method had great results but I warn you it is time consuming.

Needed:

1lb of ground coffee

1 gallon of water

coffee filters or cheesecloth

Pour the entire 1lb bag of coffee into a big bowl.  Next pour the gallon of water into the bowl.  Make sure all the coffee is saturated.  Cover and leave for at least 12 hours or overnight.  Next set up a fine mesh strainer with coffee filters inside (or layered cheesecloth)  ladle the coffee/water mixture into strainer and allow to strain into a pitcher.  This is a slow process and you may need to replace the coffee filters a few times before reaching the end.  I set up my pitcher in the sink and walked away a few times as it filtered through.

The result a nice strong iced coffee.   The concentrate can stay in the fridge up to a month.  

Options to dilute and add in:

chocolate milk

milk

various flavored syrups

sweetened cream mixture (1 can evaporated milk and a can of sweetened condensed milk milk)

As you can see it was a slow process to filter the coffee.

Green Mango-Pineapple Smoothie

Tropical Green Mango-Pineapple Smoothie

In my efforts to continue to introduce new healthier foods into my diet I decided to go green, literally.  My husband loves to make smoothies, so I convinced him to add in some spinach for a healthy kick.  With some fresh mangos and pineapple in the house it was a tropical blend waiting to get into our blender.

Our Mixture:

handful of spinach
1/2 cup of freshly chopped pineapple
1/2 cup of freshly chopped mango
1/4 cup plain kefir
1/2 cup of coconut water
either honey or agave nectar to taste for sweetness
ice

Put it all in the blender and blend.  Adjust ice to desired thickness.  Enjoy!

So yummy!

paired well with my veggie fritatta 

Nutella Hot Chocolate with Frangelico

After a day of digging out from more then a foot of snow dumped on us from a blizzard, there is nothing better then hot chocolate! And what better way for Moms and Dads to enjoy their hot chocolate then with a little Frangelico liqueur added.  I am a huge fan of nutella and cannot get enough of it sometimes.  Adding it to the milk gives this hot chocolate a rich smooth texture.  Delicious.  Perfect end to a day out in the cold snow.

Makes 1 Drink: (adapted from an article in Saveur)

1 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of nutella
1 tablespoon of hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico
2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
whipped cream
shaved chocolate to top

heat milk in saucepan until bubbles form around edges, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in nutella and liqueur.  Top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Refresher for a Hot Day

On a hot summer day there is not as refreshing as a cool glass of water. This blend adds a little flavor and rehydrates wonderfully.  

In a pitcher mix the following and refrigerate a few hours or overnight.
Water
1 lemon thinly sliced
mint leaves
1 teaspoon fresh ginger