Sweet with Heat Summer Tea

Somewhere, somewhere, I have caught a terrible summer cold. Monday my throat was the Sahara, and by Tuesday morning, I felt like I had swallowed a couple of razor blades. I rarely get sick - but this cold knocked me off my feet: coughing, sneezing, sinus congestion, the works.

So for the past week, I haven't craved coffee, but instead, a soothing tea. One of my friends recommended these ingredients as beneficial for a sore throat (thank you Rosemary!) and it's now my go-to drink this week. I omitted the fresh ginger that she recommended, but feel free to add it should you desire. It sounds a little less than appetizing, but I guarantee that a few sips in, your throat will thank you!

Sweet with Heat Summer Tea - for colds

3 tsp honey (I used Canada no. 1 organic)

3 tsp lemon juice (fresh squeezed always preferred, but refrigerated will do)

1 pinch of cayenne pepper (2 if you're feeling adventurous!)

Doesn't it look like a gorgeous lemon drop?

Add all ingredients to your mug, pour boiling water overtop, and stir well. The cayenne may settle out, so keep the spoon at hand, or you'll have a little "surprise ending." 

Enjoy - rest, with lots of fluids and comfort foods ("feed a cold, starve a fever", right?)

Stephanie 

Iced Coffee 2.0

If you read yesterday's post on Instant-Gratification Iced Coffee, here is your follow-up!

If you followed the recipe, you should have approximately three trays of gorgeous little coffee ice cubes:

1. Pour 1/4 cup+ of milk or cream into 2 mason jars
2. Fill mason jars to the rim with coffee ice cubes (you'll use up about 1 tray of ice cubes)
3. Pour hot brewed coffee over top
4. For an extra treat, stir in agave syrup or chocolate syrup (I chose Hershey's Chocolate Syrup). Stir well, otherwise you'll find all the chocolate at the bottom - unless you like that kind of thing!

Enjoy on this lazy Sunday!

-Stephanie 

Instant-Gratification Hazelnut Iced Coffee

I did something very rare today - I skipped my morning coffee altogether to get to an early appointment. By 12:30, I was craving a little caffeine, so another rare occurrence... I went through a Tim Horton's drive-thru and picked up lunch for hubby and I. Two jalapeno-cream-cheese bagels and two large iced capps (with milk) later, I was still longing for a real coffee... but the weather was just too warm for a hot brew. So I jumped on Pinterest in search of some iced coffees... and most involved coffee ice cubes. Since I wanted the coffee now (and not tomorrow) I got to work on my own "quick and dirty" iced coffee recipe.

Side note: I began drinking coffee during a high school trip to Europe when I was sixteen. When I returned home and requested a coffee, my mom had not issue with it, but when I reached for the sugar, I got the look.

"If you're going to drink coffee in this house, you learn to drink it without sugar, or not at all."

Tough? Yes - my mom had a reputation. She was also in the fitness industry, so it was her business to be healthy and in shape, so ours was a "healthy eating" household. In hindsight, I'm glad that she nipped sugar drink dependency in the bud, because I've not craved them since. Don't get me wrong - I supremely enjoy a Mocha Frapp from the biggest coffee house around - but I enjoy them as a "dessert-like" treat, not an everyday routine.

On to the coffee!

Instant-Gratification Hazelnut Iced Coffee (without Instant coffee)... 

1. Brew 12 cups of strong coffee (I used 14 heaping scoops of grinds, plus 1 tsp cinnamon on top of the grinds for flavor) or 4 cups if you don't want leftovers (see step #7)
2. In 2 mason jars, pour approx. 1/4 cup milk (I used 3% which I had leftover from a dessert recipe) 
3. While coffee is brewing, heat the milk in the mason jar (I microwaved on HI for 30 seconds). It may seem counter-intuitive to heat the milk for iced coffee, but without the heat, the milk won't froth well.
4. Once heated, froth the milk for 30 seconds.  

   

   Milk on the right has been warmed and frothed - it's worth the extra two steps!
   

   
   

5. Once milk is frothy and coffee is brewed, add one shot of hazelnut liqueur (I used Frangelico, something like Bailey's would also work well) 

   

   Frothy milk, a touch of liqueur, this coffee is going places!
   

   
   

6. Add as much ice as you'd like (I filled half the jar) and slowly pour the hot coffee over top. Add a straw and enjoy!!
7. With the leftover coffee, make those coffee ice cubes for next time!

The final product: hazelnut iced coffee perfect for a hot summer's day
(without busting the calorie bank!)

The result is a coffee that's cool, not-too-sweet and not-too-creamy or heavy for a hot afternoon.

Cheers!

-Stephanie 

P.S. A good friend of mine road-tested several milk frothers before settling on one, and I bought it for myself with her recommendation (she's an Italian who is pretty serious about her coffee...) I find it quicker to use than the whisk-type. It's called a Smart Cafe, and my Canadian friends - I bought it at Linen Chest (of all places...)