Crio Bru (Brewed Cocoa) Giveaway {Now Closed}

Crio Bru made my favorite way with 2 Tablespoons of Caramel Macchiato creamer and whipped cream on top!

Did you know that the Maya of Central America discovered chocolate? And just like most of us... they almost revered it!  The name for the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacoa) even translates to "Food of the Gods."  I've got to admit that my own feelings run along these lines when it comes to chocolate.  What hot blooded woman's doesn't?  The Maya developed the cocoa bean into a drink called Ka'kau, which they served to the King in a golden cup.  And so thousands of years ago, hot cocoa was born!  Since then, we have added sugar and who-knows-what to make our modern versions of hot chocolate, which I love incidentally.  However, over the past two years since I discovered Crio Bru, I've found myself reaching for it more and more often instead of the can of hot cocoa.

Crio Bru is old school.  Back to the Mayan basics, baby.  It is a hot, chocolatey drink made from roasted and ground cocoa beans.  You brew it just like coffee (although there is absolutely no coffee in it) either in a coffee maker or a french press (I use a french press).  I don't know if any of you were as devasted as me when postum went off the market, but seriously... move over, because Crio Bru kicks postum's you-know-what (and blows Pero out of the water).  But I digress.  Let's just say, Crio Bru rocks.  If you drink it "black," Crio tastes like bittersweet chocolate.  Add a tiny bit of sugar or splenda for a 'dark chocolate' flavor.  If you like things sweet, like me, then flavored creamers (my favorites are caramel macchiato and almond joy), flavored syrups (like caramel, amaretto, coconut...), whipped cream, honey, sugar or sugar substitutes are the name of the game.  You can add milk, too.  I've got to mention it makes a killer Frappuccino-like drink, which I adored with a splash of coconut syrup.  Oh, and depending on where the beans are grown, they contain different subtle flavors.  So there are several different types to try.  Now on to the best part.

I contacted Crio  Bru because I decided it was high time I passed on this new love of mine to our awesome readers.  So Crio Bru donated a 3-Piece Starter Set for the readers of The Sisters Cafe. This set includes a French Press (which will brew your cocoa in ten minutes), a bag of Cavalla Crio Bru (which has hints of coconut and cinnamon), and chocolate covered cocoa beans.



All you have to do to enter is visit Crio Bru's site, and then come back and leave me a comment telling me which Crio Bru roast looks the best to you!  The winner will be announced on Thursday, December 6.  And even if you don't win, Crio Bru is offering an exclusive discount to the readers of The Sisters Cafe.  So buy yourself an early Christmas present.  Or better yet, actually get some of your Christmas shopping done and buy some Crio Bru for the hot chocolate and/or coffee drinkers in your life!

Enter the promo code: "The Sisters Cafe" at checkout for 20% off anything on the Crio Bru site. (the code will expire on 12/17 and it is case sensitive)

PS We will be giving away another 3-Piece Starter Set on Facebook.  So if you don't follow us now, this is a good time to start!  Watch for it.

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

First off, we have a winner for the Jamie Oliver cookbook!  Random.org chose commenter #13 Julie... congratulations! Email us at contact@thesisterscafe.com with your mailing address and information and we will send you the cookbook!  And now on for some yummy hot chocolate I'm excited to share with you all...

The weather outside is frightful.  Well, ok it's not quite frightful but it is cold, wet, and gray here in Seattle.  I just have Christmas songs in my head this morning. :)  So what's a better way to fight the chill than a steaming mug of hot chocolate?  Add a crackling fire and good book and not much beats that... in my world at least.  We go through a lot of hot chocolate at my house during the winter so a good hot chocolate mix is a must.  When I saw this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe I was intrigued by the ground white chocolate in the ingredient list... sounded wonderful!  I can report that we now are completely converted to homemade hot chocolate. The taste is far superior to anything I've bought at the store and it's a cinch to whip up the mix.  I can't wait to share this sweet treat with you all. It would be perfect as a neighborhood gift or teacher gift too.  Enjoy!

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
submitted by Brittany ~ The Sisters Cafe

3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
2 cups powdered sugar
1½ cups cocoa powder, dutch-process or natural
1½ cups white chocolate chips or finely chopped white chocolate
¼ teaspoon salt
Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl. Working in two (or more) batches, pulse the ingredients in a food processor or heavy duty blender (the BlendTec can handle all the ingredients at once) until the chocolate is finely ground. Store the dry mix in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

To make hot cocoa, put 1/3 cup of the cocoa mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup of hot milk or water.  (Personally I like water, milk makes it extremely creamy but I've never been a fan of the taste of hot chocolate made with milk... maybe I'm weird!)  Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream or, if you're into those small fluffy bits of sugar, try miniature marshmallows!

recipe source: Mel's Kitchen Café originally from Cook's Country

Swamp Juice

Swamp Juice is hands down my favorite Halloween beverage... especially for a party!  There is just something so wonderfully disgusting about that bottom layer of fish eggs made from tapioca pearls and the little swamp creatures "swimming" through them.  And the dry ice is a must to make the swamp juice come alive! It finishes the effect by adding that spooky mist that we all imagine when we picture a bog in our mind.  Halloween is tomorrow, so run to the store now to get all the ingredients.  You won't be sorry.  In fact, I guarantee your swamp juice will make a memory that children and adults alike will remember and love!

Now here are a few practical pointers:
The tapioca and gummy creatures stay at the bottom of the glass while drinking, so even non tapioca lovers should be able to drink this happily.  If you plan to eat the tapioca, use a spoon.
I have both dyed and not dyed the eggs, and I like it both ways.  The clear pearls almost look more convincing to me, but the colored pearls look a little better with a clear beverage as pictured above.
The bottom picture uses green kool aid, which turned out to be more opaque than I expected.  So I just added some lemonade to it, and it turned out to be one of my favorite colors of swamp juice.  Sprite mixed with kool aid tastes a little better to me, though.  Pink lemonade made surprisingly good swamp juice last year, too.
Don't be afraid to use bits of dry ice in each glass.  The effect is amazing, and it only takes a few minutes for the dry ice to bubble itself away.  Worth the effect for sure.

Swamp Juice
Submitted by Mindy ~ The Sisters Cafe

1/2 cup small tapioca pearls (found near the instant pudding at most grocery stores)
Food coloring (optional)
Beverage of choice (kool aid, lemonade, sprite, etc)
Gummy fish (Swedish Fish, JuJu Fish work great)
Gummy worms
Dry Ice

To make the eggs, bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls.  Reduce the heat slightly and boil the pearls, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes.

If desired, color the eggs by dividing the eggs into separate bowls (with their cooking water) and adding 4 drops of food coloring to each bowl.  Green, blue, and yellow are all great colors.  Stir the mixtures and allow to sit for 20 to 25 minutes to soak in the coloring. Then drain and rinse with cold water.

To assemble the swamp juice in a punch bowl, deposit the "egg" pearls to the bottom of the punch bowl.  Cover with beverage of choice and drop in the gummy fish and worms.  Add dry ice for effect.

To assemble individual glasses, spoon ~2 tablespoons of "egg" pearls into each glass.  Fill the glass with beverage of choice.  Drop in 1-2 gummy fish and/or worms.  Top with one worm coming out of drink.  Break the dry ice into nickel sized pieces and drop one into each glass just before serving.  (Remember to warn your guests to wait until the swamp juice quits bubbling before they drink it).

Recipe Source: Adapted from Family Fun Magazine

Greena Colada Smoothie

Ever since we got the Blendtec a few months ago, we have turned into a green-smoothie-slurping family!  The blender was a gift to my husband from his loving wife... and I will never, not in a trillion, million years, live it down!!   It doesn't matter that he had been saying for a year that he wanted it.  It doesn't matter that he is the healthy one of the family. It doesn't matter that he is very disappointed if he doesn't have a green smoothie every single morning now.  No, none of that matters because the fact remains that I gave him a kitchen appliance for Christmas!!  :)  Of course he was grateful and gracious but I could tell from the look in his eye that I was going to be teased til kingdom come for pulling this!  Kind of like the year he bought me a handgun for Christmas, when I specifically and repeatedly had told him I DO NOT WANT ONE!  Well, pay back is sweet! :) J/k.  I knew he would love his blender and he does (and of course I knew I would love it too, hee hee)! 

So anyway, this is one of our very favorite green smoothies.  It's cool and delicious, light and refreshing.  And there is no way you can taste the spinach in this one.  Personally I love the citrus-y kick from the lime juice, yum!  Just ignore the fact that it's a lemon in the picture.  Occasionally I improvise but it's best with lime!  Greena Colada is a creamy, guilt-free, green twist on pina coladas that you will love!

Greena Colada Smoothie
submitted by Brittany ~ The Sister's Cafe

3/4 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 lime, juiced
3 1/2 cups pineapple chunks, frozen or well chilled
2 cups spinach
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tb agave nectar
1 cup ice cubes

Add ingredients to blender in order listed.  Blend until smooth and serve.  Makes 4 servings.

*If you don't have a heavy duty blender like Blendtec, you may need to increase the amount of coconut milk, especially if you are using frozen pineapple instead of fresh.

 

recipe source: adapted from Blendtec's Fresh Blends recipe book

Christmas Eve Eggnog

One year for my birthday, a very thoughtful friend gifted me this fabulous recipe along with a nutmeg grater, and some nutmeg. This may seem like an unusual gift for a May birthday, but I was thrilled.  Sheri knew me well--it was perfect for several reasons!  First of all, she knew how I treasure a great recipe, plus a  new kitchen gadget will always excite me and last but not least I LOVE traditions!  I could hardly wait for Christmas to arrive that year so I could present this special treat to my family on Christmas Eve along with our traditional menu of Chicken a la King.    Of course my family loved it and new tradition was born! We have been serving it on Christmas Eve ever since!  I think our favorite part is that you serve it in a frosty cold punchbowl full of  vanilla bean ice cream scoops!  AMAZING!!  We look forward to it all year and there is never any leftovers!  This really is very easy to make and trust me--your family will LOVE it!

For more of our Christmas Traditions go here.
And I would LOVE to hear about your favorite traditional recipes or activites for Christmas!

Christmas Eve Eggnog
submitted by Melanie

2 qts milk (divided)
1 qy half and half
4 eggs, well beaten
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp vanilla
Fresh Nutmeg
Vanilla Bean icecream (1/2 gallon)

Blend eggs and 1 qt milk in blender.  Scald (let it reach 180 on a candy thermometer while stirring constantly)  Cool and then put in fridge overnight to chill.

Several hours before serving, put punchbowl in freezer.  Combine in large container the chilled milk and eggs mixture, 1 additional qt of milk, 1 qt half and half, vanilla, salt, sweetened condensed milk and sprinkle with FRESH grated nutmeg.  Chill in fridge.

When ready to serve, take chilled punchbowl out of freezer and scoop vanilla bean ice cream in rounded scoops in bottom of bowl.  Pour eggnog over ice cream.  Generously sprinkle on more freshly grated nutmeg andserve.   ENJOY this yearly indulgence:)

Recipe Source:  Slightly adapted from my sweet friend Sheri.  The only change I made is that right before she pours the eggnog over the ice cream she gently folds in 1 pint of freshly whipped heavy cream.  I like it better without the whippped cream--and with our traditional Chicken a la King and Christmas Eggs in the morning, I figure we are getting enough cream already:)

Katie's Slush

My friend Katie made this slush at our girls night out a few weeks ago. It was delicious! I had been craving it ever since so when Thanksgiving rolled around I thought it was the perfect opportunity to whip some up! We didn't have a very large group this year, so we just broke the frozen slush off in chunks, poured the ginger ale over our cups and enjoyed it all weekend long. This slush would obviously be wonderful in the summer but also works great for a holiday party treat. Enjoy!

Katie's Slush

Submitted by Amy ~ The Sisters Cafe

1/2 c. sugar
4 c. water
12 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
1 (48oz) can pineapple juice
3-4 bananas, mashed very well
1 bottle of Ginger Ale

Bring sugar and water to a boil. Cool slightly. Stir sugar water, orange juice, lemonade, pineapple juice, and bananas until mixed well. Freeze until solid. A few minutes before serving, remove from freezer. Using a knife, cut chunks off and break apart the slush a bit and place in a punch bowl. If it is too frozen, you may defrost slush in the microwave for a few seconds but be extra careful not to melt the slush. Using a potato masher or other desired method, mash slush until it is the right consistency. If you like punch a little chunkier, don't mash as much. When mashed, pour ginger ale over the slush and serve immediately.

Nutella Hot Chocolate

One of my favorite things about cool weather is breaking out the hot chocolate!  This Nutella hot chocolate is one of my favorites.  I've been making it almost constantly the past week or two.  Brittany was the one who officially got me started.  She used to make us homemade hot cocoa in high school, often on Sunday nights or after we'd both come home from hanging out with friends.  We'd chat and laugh as she stood whisking at the stove, then we'd continue to talk as we sipped our way through a warm, chocolaty drink.  A lot of heart-to-heart conversations were made over a warm mug of homemade hot cocoa.  I imagine this might be the perfect way to start the Thanksgiving baking next week!  This is the easiest recipe and tastes decadent.  Hopefully you'll have a few sisters (or sisters of your heart) to share a warm mug of Nutella hot chocolate with before the craziness all begins!

Nutella Hot Chocolate
Submitted by Mindy ~ The Sisters Cafe

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons Nutella

Whisk milk and nutella in a saucepan over medium heat until combined and frothy.  Serve with whipped cream or marshmallows.

(This recipe is one serving.  You can easily double, triple, quadruple the recipe depending on how many servings you want to make)

*** Be sure to enter the GIVEAWAY below! Deadline is Sunday at midnight EST! ***

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

Have I mentioned that the HOT HUMID Southern Summers  are a trial for me?  Well, they are!  Man, just walking outside to get the mail, leaves you hot and sweaty and in need of refreshment:)  One afternoon I was at the grocery store and saw this all natural 'Simply Lemonade' on sale and I thought of those yummy frozen lemonades that are sold at fairs and amusement parks in the summer.  I thought it would be fun to recreate that sweet treat at home.  Let me tell you .....it was SUPER good!  My family LOVED this homemade slushy!  It was the perfect refreshment on a hot summer evening.  Now this is not an exact recipe, you could even change the fruit.  I think raspberries or peaches would be fantastic.  If you use fresh fruit, simply add ice to reach the desired consistency.  Enjoy!

I am back to posting my weekly menus here.

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
submitted by Melanie~ The Sisters Cafe

Frozen or fresh strawberries
Lemonade
ice (if using fresh fruit)
sugar, if desired

Fill your blender up with  the desired amount of frozen strawberries.  I had frozen strawberries up to the 4 cup line.  Pour in lemonade--I used about 3-4 cups.  Blend.  Taste.  Depending on the sweetness of your berries, you may need to add a little sugar.  Start with a little and  check it again, adding until you love it:)  My strawberries were sweet enough and I did not add any sugar.

If you choose to use fresh fruit, add ice a cup at a time,  to create the same slushy result.

Piña Colada

Last month my husband whisked me away to Orlando for a surprise birthday vacation.  We had such a great time!  The first thing we did when we got situated was go to Bahama Breeze, a Caribbean restaurant on International Drive, and order virgin Piña Coladas.  Ah, perfect bliss!  I love piña coladas!  It was a delicious way to kick-start our fabulous vacation. :)
Since we got back, I've been making Piña Coladas regularly.  Mmmmm!  They are so luscious and creamy... to me, they just emanate tropical deliciousness! :)
This is the standard 'authentic' Piña Colada recipe (minus the rum since we don't drink alcohol).  Our entire family enjoys these for a delicious summer time treat!

Virgin Piña Colada

Submitted by Erin  ~ The Sisters Cafe


4 fluid oz. Cream of Coconut
4 fluid oz. pineapple juice (I use unsweetened)
2 cups ice
(This is not part of the original recipe, but I usually add 4 or so chunks of frozen pineapple - found by the frozen fruits in the grocery store.)

*Cream of Coconut is found in a 15 oz can by the mixers in the grocery store. The most notable brand is Coco Lopez. This is NOT the same as coconut milk.*
Combine ingredients in a blender and mix well. Garnish with pineapple and cherry.  Serves 2.
(For a fun presentation, dip the rim of the glass in colored sugar. I add a drop of red to a small bowl of granulated sugar and mix it in with a spoon. Then I wet the rim of the glass with some of the syrup from the maraschino cherries and dip it in the sugar.)

Layered Drinks

Layered Drinks
Submitted by Mindy ~ The Sisters Cafe

There is only one word for layered drinks -- FUN!  Kids are crazy about these, and every adult I've served layered drinks to has loved them, too.  Plus, you know me... I love easy, quick ways to make special occasions even more special.  I featured a red, white and blue drink for the Fourth of July, but these drinks are great for baby showers, birthday parties, summer barbecues... you name it!  Have fun and let us all know what combination of drinks turned out well for you.

Directions:
Choose 2-3 drinks with different sugar contents for the layers (for example: 30 g sugar, 15 g sugar, 0 g sugar).  Now fill your cup with ice all the way to the top.  Pour the drink with the highest sugar content into the cup, filling it approximately one third full.  For the second layer, pour the second drink with the lower sugar content slowly through the ice to fill approximately the second third of the glass full.  Finally, pour the sugar-free or lowest sugar drink slowly through the ice until you've reached the top of the glass.  Enjoy!

(4th of July Layered Drink: Sobe Pina Colada, Gatorade Fruit Punch, G2 Blueberry-Pomegranate)

Cranberry Cocktail

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE! Sorry for the bad pic-I was lucky to even get one-this cranberry cocktail got entirely snatched up at a family party immediately after I snapped. Can you believe it's almost 2011? And that means it's party time! So lift a glass of this yummy non-alcoholic drink tonight or at any upcoming party you'll be attending! Pictured above is a 1/2 batch, this recipe makes a lot! Thanks Grandma Rice for yet another great recipe.

Cranberry Cocktail

Submitted by Amy ~ The Sisters Cafe
Printable recipe here

1 large cranberry cocktail (found by the frozen juices)
48 cups pineapple juice
1 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 large ginger ale

Mix and serve over ice.

Frog Nog (True Green Smoothie Recipe)

 

We absolutely LOVE green smoothies around here. I usually make one with lots of berries which turns it purple or pink camouflaging the greens. When I use fruit that is light colored and the smoothie remains green we call it "frog nog". My boys love the name and the flavor and therefore slurp it down! Watching my children drink up all those healthy greens and fresh fruit makes this mama happy, you know?! And it also makes up for the lame lunch of nachos that I provide sometimes:) 

PPS Also here is my orginal "green smoothie" recipe post

Frog Nog (Green Smoothie recipe)

submitted by Melanie

2-4 cups spinach or other greens (I use 4 cups organic baby/ or kale)

1-2 cups of water (depending how thick you like it)

1-2 bananas (I use 2)

1 heaping cup frozen pineapple chunks

1 cup frozen mango, peaches or other light fruit (I have used strawberries)

1 Tb honey or agave (optional for sweetness)

First I fill my trusty blender (I use the Blendtec) with spinach--lots of it! Then I fill the container up to the 2 line with water filling in around the spinach. Pulse to blend into a bright green water.

Next add your bananas, frozen fruit ans sweetener, if using. I push the 'whole juice' button and the blender purees it all for me into a wonder smooth green drink. What ever blender you have, just be sure to blend it for a good amount of time to make sure it is as smooth as possible. Pour into glasses and serve!

Brazilian Limeade

This is the best limeade EVER! Seriously, wow. It is so cool and refreshing. Find an excuse to make this before the cool weather sets in! My friend, Brenda, brought this to a get-together we had with a bunch of our friends a few years ago, and now it's a delicious favorite! Hope you enjoy it too!

Brazilian Limeade

submitted by Erin ~ www.thesisterscafe.com
printable recipe

2 limes

½ c. sugar

3 T. sweetened condensed milk

3 c. water

4-5 strawberries (fresh or frozen)

4-5 mango pieces (if frozen, thaw slightly in microwave)

Ice

Wash limes and cut off ends. Slice into quarters. Put limes (with peel still on), sugar, milk, water, strawberries and mango in blender or smoothie maker. If you have room, you can add ice, or just serve over ice. Pulse the blender (do not blend) until the chunks are about dime size. Strain juice into a pitcher and throw away chunks. Slice a lime and let float on top.
(Variation: double everything except sugar. I haven't tried this variation.)

Great White Punch

Here's another cool treat for a hot, summer's day! I love this limeade punch, I have made it for a lot of summer parties, barbeque's, and camp outs. It is very refreshing! I most recently made it as a special treat for my poor husband who broke his leg last week playing basketball at the church. Wow, church basketball can be brutal! In fact, Matt is in surgery right now and I'm hanging out in the waiting room. It's been a sad way to start the summer, but we are grateful for modern medicine and that he should be new man in just 6 weeks. But anyway, we needed to get out of the house the other day so we took this slush up the canyon (one of his favorite spots) still frozen, got him situated with lots of pillows on a banana chair, finished the slush, and slowly sipped away. Unfortunately, I forgot my fresh lime slices to garnish , but it still tasted great. Thank you Grandma Rice for this fun treat!

Great White Punch

Submitted by Amy ~ The Sisters Cafe
Printable Recipe

1 6oz can frozen limeade
11 cups water
3 cups sugar
2 quarts lemon lime pop or 7-up
fresh lime slices

Mix limeade, water and sugar until dissolved. Freeze, stirring often. 2 hours before serving, thaw mixture in punch bowl. 1 hour before serving, add lemon lime pop or 7-up. Garnish with fresh lime slices.

Favorite Friday: Fresh Lemonade!

Aaaah, summer... the time for sandcastles and sunburns, drippy icecream cones and smoking barbecues, and fresh lemonade! I love fresh squeezed juice. We grew up in Phoenix with a huge orange tree that had the juiciest, sweetest fruit. (And the greatest climbing branches!) :) We would pick the oranges by the 5 gallon bucketful and make the best juice I have ever tasted... no joke. This fresh lemonade is actually a delicious combination of orange, lime, and lemon juice. Oh my, is it refreshing. This is a family favorite during the summer months that I originally got from my mother-in-law. If you haven't made it already, you better try it out this year!

Freshly Squeezed Lemonade
submitted by Brittany

5 lemons
5 limes
5 oranges
5-6 cups cold water
1 1/2 -3 cups sugar, to taste

Once you have juiced all the fruit, add the water and sugar to taste. It really depends on how sweet/tart the citrus are and how much juice you get out of them. Also it depends on how sweet you like your lemonade! Serve ice cold and enjoy!

Hot Cocoa Mix and a winner!

This hot cocoa station sits on my kitchen counter and my boys and all their friends love it! Nothing beats a warm cup of hot chocolate on a cold winters day! The fact that is not as cold here in our first Tennessee winter has not really affected their hot cocoa habit much:) My boys like to top it with marshmellows and a peppermint candy! I have to admit that this is Steven's Hot Cocoa pictured,because I have a lot of it in my food storage room. But, to make your own, I wanted to share my Grandma's Hot Chocolate mix recipe with you. It is great...just like everything that sweet woman makes!  

*Also a great gift idea to make with your kids for their friends:

put about a 1/2 cup in a sandwich bag sprinkle on chocolate chips and marshmellows (you could even throw in a peppermint ball or two) tie with a cute ribbon and a little Merry Christmas tag!

Grandma's Hot Chocolate Mix

2 cups powdered sugar

1 16oz containers of Nestles Quick

6oz Coffeemate

10 2/3 cups Powdered Milk

Mix and store. Use 3 Tbs to one cup water. Enjoy!

(This makes 17 cups mix)

NOW FOR THE 'The Gathering Of Friends' cookbook giveaway WINNERS:

Meagan who said:

Flank Steak for sure. And the cranberry salsa.

Chrissy (under annonymous) who said:

All the recipes look good to me--but I would like to try first the cranbery salsa. I would love to win this cookbook!

Please email me at Melandboys@gmail.com with your mailing address and we will get them out to you asap!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Oh how I wish I had one for each one of you!

Hopefully Santa will bring you a copy of your own!

We will give away volume 2 next month!

Mom's Soothing Drink for a Sore Throat

This afternoon my oldest son came home from school looking miserable. When I asked about his day, he told me that his throat hurt and he felt awful. I told him to change out of his damp clothes (it is gray and rainy here in Tennessee) and get into warm and comfy clothes while I prepared something that would help him feel better. I quickly whipped up this drink that my Mom always made for me when I had a sore throat. It is the same drink that her Mom always made for her. Who knows how many generations in my family have been making this little sore throat soother. It is a very simple recipe but it does work wonders. I am a firm believer that food is medicine. What we put into our system truly effects our bodies for good or bad.

For centuries in traditional medicine, the lemon has been widely known for it's healing powers and has been used many ways. In fact the lemon is so powerful that it was used by the Romans as a cure for all types of poison. Lemons are an anti bacterial, anti viral and honestly if you google it you can read all kinds of articles about how they will help your body fight off about every illness, including sore throats and colds. Honey is also a known remedy for sore throats because of its antimicrobial properties. It not only soothes sore throats, but can kill certain bacteria that cause the infection.

So my great( great?)grandma knew what she was doing with this recipe! I am glad my Mom continued making it for me. I always felt better after sipping this, but mostly I felt loved and cared for by my sweet Mom! It makes me happy to continue such a comforting family remedy on to my children. So next time you have a sore throat give this a try and start your own little tradition. It really does help!

Do you have a favorite home remedy??

Soothing Sore Throat Drink

submitted by Melanie

Squeeze the juice from half to a whole lemon (today I used a whole Meyer lemon)

1 cup of very warm water

1-2 TB of honey (I used 2 TB today)

Stir and serve!

Green Smoothie: Our Family Tradition submitted by Melanie

(I know it does not look green--but those greens are there!)

Since our new home is under reconstruction and I am not quite unpacked enough to be "back' in the normal cooking and baking routine--I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you our families morning tradition. Every morning I whip up a healthful smoothie (full of greens, berries, bananas, flax) for my boys and they LOVE it and I love that they do! Seeing my boys drink up all that heart healthy stuff, makes me very happy!

First of all I highly recommend this amazing blender the BLENDTEC. It is pricey, therefore it was my Mothers Day/Birthday/ Anniversary present last year. I love it!! It was worth every penny. And even my hubby agrees (now) and that is really saying something!

(I purchase my fresh and frozen greens and fruits at Sams or Costco. We go thru a lot each week and it is much cheaper to buy in bulk!)

Step #1 THE GREENS

Puts lots and lots of greens in there--I usually use fresh organic baby spinach and we love Kale. If you use Kale remove the stem. Next pour some water in --up to the 2 line.
Then pulse until you have a beautiful bright green "water" Now your ready for the fruit...

(i usually add at least one more handful of spinach than is pictured)

Step #2 THE FRUIT

First I always add a fresh banana or two. Then I put in lots of various fresh and frozen fruits, such as:

Fresh:

*a whole organic apple (seeds and all)
**fresh pineapple--do not core it--great fiber**this is my favorite ingredient!

*orange--just remove rind

Frozen:

(sometimes I skip the fresh fruit --but I always add frozen berries)

*Strawberries-the berries are a must for us!
*Blueberries--if you add this smoothie will not be green

*Mixed frozen fruit from Sams or Costco

Step #3 THIS & THAT

I like to add a big spoonful of frozen Juice concentrate, such as orange or pineapple for sweetness. This insures that my boys LOVE it and want seconds!

Sometimes instead of juice concentrate, I add a little Agave --that is a natural sweetener that is very low on the glycemic index.

I also add a scoop of ground flax . You can grind flax seed yourself in a little coffee grinder (my grinder was $10 at Walmart) and keep it in the freezer or purchase ground flax seed at Costco.

Step #4 PUSH THE WHOLE JUICE BUTTON

This is of course my boys very favorite part!:)

ENJOY!!

Fresh Lemonade!

Nothing tastes better than freshly squeezed lemonade on a hot day! This recipe came from my mother-in-law Cheryl who is a great cook. It has the traditional lemons of course but also limes and oranges which make it so unique and tasty. I have added a grapefruit to the mix as well and it was awesome. With citrus so cheap right now, it's the perfect time to dust off the juicer and whip yourself up a big cold pitcher of Fresh Lemonade!

Freshly Squeezed Lemonade

submitted by Brittany

5 lemons

5 limes

5 oranges

5-6 cups cold water

1 1/2 -3 cups sugar, to taste

Once you have juiced all the fruit, add the water and sugar to taste. It really depends on how sweet/tart the citrus are and how much juice you get out of them. Also it depends on how sweet you like your lemonade! (Mindy and Griff have made it with Splenda and they say it tasted great!)

Cranberry Spice Tea

This is a wonderfully delicious hot drink for the holidays... a fun alternative to hot chocolate. It's tart and sweet at the same time - I love it! I got this recipe from my mother-in-law who is a fabulous cook! (The red hots are those little cinnamon candies popular at Valentines...you can usually buy them in the bulk candy section.)

Cranberry Spice Tea

submitted by Brittany

1 quart water

3/4 cup sugar

1 stick cinnamon

12 whole cloves

1/4 cup red hot candies

1 quart cranberry juice

1 (12 oz) can frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 (12 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate

more water if needed

Boil first 5 ingredients for 7 minutes then add cranberry juice, OJ and lemonade concentrate. Heat through and serve hot. Add 1 more quart of water if too strong.