This rich and decadent gourmet coffee drink is just as delicious as the one available at your local coffee shop. A perfect way to make a long, cold afternoon in the house – again!—more special and enjoyable. Homemade Whipped Cream Start with cold heavy cream. The colder the cream, the easier and more successfully it will whip. Some people recommend putting the cream, the mixing bowl and the mixer whisk into the freezer for twenty minutes before whipping. I am not one of those people! :-) Who has advance time? And who has spare room in the freezer? But, if you do, go for it! Whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla together on medium-high speed. It only takes two to four minutes to whip to the right consistency. Don't walk away or you could end up with butter! As cream begins ... [Read More]
Beverage
THE Best Sweetened Iced Tea
Iced tea. Just right sweet. Smooooooth and full-bodied taste with absolutely no bitterness. Best served with the clink of ice cubes. Wheels has become the resident iced tea maker and all around expert. And this recipe is for THE best sweetened iced tea. Ever. And it is so easy to make! Wheels starts with a good brand of tea. Luzianne or Lipton are available almost everywhere. Stock up when they are on sale. His preference is the big one gallon tea bag from Lipton. Start with four cups of water in a microwave safe container and microwave for 90 seconds. Add the tea bags, pushing them into the hot water with a spoon so that they are covered. Steep -- let them set in the water -- for a few minutes to let the water draw out the flavor. Smaller tea bags will need ... [Read More]
Strawberry Lemonade
I’ve heard that when life hands you lemons, you should make lemonade. So I did. Gorgeous strawberry lemonade!! Because my refrigerator has a strange quirk. Whatever is shoved into the upper right hand corner of the top shelf freezes. Weird, huh? This time it was a package of fresh strawberries intended for an absolutely gorgeous dessert requiring perfect fresh strawberries. Frozen crystals and subdued colors were not going to help the gorgeous factor (which in actuality, may or may not, have been marginal anyway! :-) ) So strawberry lemonade it was. I pulled out the Splenda for this one to reduce carbs and calories. I barely brought the syrup to a light boil and stirred just until the Splenda dissolved, which it did very easily. Blending time with the frozen strawberries ... [Read More]
Rosy Tea
Rosy Tea has been a winter drink at our house ever since I made it for a New Years Eve party a few years ago. It is a wonderful citrusy slice of warmth on a cold snowy day. Then last summer I discovered it was good cold and over ice cubes as well. So now I keep a carafe in the refrigerator all the time. It’s mine – well, most of the time. The guys are big coffee drinkers but I notice they sneak a glass now and then! First set the tea to steep. For this recipe, I use the yellow box brand of tea bags because it is being mixed in with the juices, “saving” flavorful and special teas for drinking by themselves. If you are doing this on the stovetop, bring water just barely to a boil, pour into a glass container (I pour it into a glass 2 quart pitcher) and add 4 teabags. OR use the ... [Read More]
Chai Tea Latte Mix
Chai Tea is just one thing I have learned about from my Secret Sisters. They’ve written beautiful notes, shared their talents in different ways and introduced me to all sorts of new indulgences. One secret sister was a tea drinker who gifted me wonderful chai tea. Mmmmmm --- a cup of delight! And of course, curiosity . . . . . . “Chai” is from India where it means “tea”. A combination of spices added to black tea in India eventually came to be associated with the word “chai” in English. Even though tea is made with milk in India, English speakers began using an Italian “latte” to indicate that fact. So when we refer to chai tea latte, we are really saying “milky tea, tea, milk”. Or something like that. . . . A little odd when it is the spices that set it apart and make it ... [Read More]
