DIY Iced Coffee: Saving you money and contributing to my caffeine fix

OK - so I'm not the only blogger to be fixated on iced coffee lately.  Ahem, Recipe Girl-Marcus Samuelsson-Ree Drummond.  It must be the heat.  Or maybe we're all fed up with paying through the nose to drink such ice-choked goodness.  At least, that's where I'm coming from.  I love iced coffee as an alternative to hot coffee (obviously) or iced tea.  But when you go to Starbucks (although I lurve you ...) and you pay about $3 for a drink that's more ice than actual substance, you know you'd better find a cheaper vice or figure out a way to do it yourself.  My local Trader Joe's helped me out by devoting an entire end cap to French Roast coffee and their easy-peasy recipe on cold brewing iced coffee.  It's pretty simple:

1 lb. coffee (to quote The Pioneer Woman "the stronger, the better")
2 gallons cold water

Combine the two in a hella-large container and let sit for 8 hours. 

These are my hella-large containers.  The Pioneer Woman had way better equipment than I did.  Just sayin'.

After a Herculean amount of patience and strange looks from your husband wondering why you are "wasting" what looks to be perfectly good coffee - this is where the fun (and the mess) begins.  Take another container and use a fine-mesh strainer to separate your future iced coffee liquid from the used grounds (dregs of former glory?).

I told you this was messy ... Instead of using cheesecloth, I used a coffee filter.  And then I got frustrated and just used my fine mesh strainer sans coffee filter.  Coffee grounds will not kill me ...

And that's basically how you make iced coffee.  After all of this, you will have made 2 gallons of iced coffee that gets diluted even further when you add it to an ice-choked glass.  Two gallons of DIY iced coffee vs. what you would pay at Starbucks or even McDonalds ... that equals some pretty substantial savings.

This is what the finished product looks like.

Ignore the crap in the background ... you'd think that if I went to the trouble of staging a photo, I'd actually move junk from the shelves in the background.  Not necessarily so ...

I took a page from The Pioneer Woman's book (as well as fond memories from my time in Malta and the Thai coffee from Newey's in Mantiowoc) and added a big tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk.  Imagine what this would be like with a little Bailey's or Kahlua.  That, my friends, you cannot get at Starbucks.

Kiddie Cocktails a.k.a. "Kitty Cottontails"

I'd like you guys to meet my nephew Joe.

This is Joe ... he's pretty cute.

Recently, I got to go on vacation with my family - my parents, my older brother and his wife, and their three youngest sons - Jordan, 14 (going on 23); Cody, he turned 11 on the trip and Joe, who is six.  I think.  Anyway - my mom had broken her ankle, so she asked me if I would help out on this trip - unfortunately, my husband stayed at home - so I drove solo to the Wisconsin Dells to meet up with my family.


I had the honor of accompanying Joe on his first excursion in a waterpark.  And after we had conquered the pirate ship (with some young punk demanding that we call him "Captain Jack."), I told my youngest boy that it was time for refreshments.

"I want a kitty cottontail," Joe stated.
"A what?"
"A kitty cottontail."

I looked over at my mom who translated for me.  "He wants a kiddie cocktail."  I was immediately transported to when I was a kid and we'd have happy hour over at my grandparents' house.  Yeah, you read that right - a CC Sweet for grandpa, something with sloe gin in it for my grandma, kiddie cocktails for me and my brother and Keebler Butter Pretzel Twists all around, dipped in French onion dip.  (Ooh, the decadence of French onion dip!)  We'd then play euchre and revel in how sophisticated we were to have happy hour with my grandparents.

Given that my nephew Joseph Stanley was named after my grandpa Stan, there was something appropriate about his request.

Having a hankering for a kitty cottontail?  You can find instructions on how to make them, here.

Summer Sangria

Two words:  Drink this.

Summer Sangria
adapted from Ezra Pound Cake who got it from Bon Appetit

(Headnote from Ezra Pound Cake:  "Feel free to use whatever fresh fruit you have on hand – strawberries, pineapple, mangoes, blackberries, chopped green apple, etc. – as long as you include at least one citrus fruit.")

    * 1 750-ml bottle of chilled White Zinfandel (**you may use the cheap stuff.  Although, come to think of it - is there such thing as expensive white zin?)
    * 1/2 cup peach schnapps
    * 2 tablespoons triple sec
    * 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
    * 1 lemon, sliced
    * 1 orange, sliced
    * 1 peach, sliced into wedges
    * 1 can of Sprite or whatever lemon lime soda you have handy.
    * Ice cubes

1. Mix the liquor, the fruit and cinnamon sticks in a large pitcher. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

2. Pour in soda.  Fill 6 wineglasses with ice cubes. Pour sangria over ice and serve.

Ina's Margaritas

Um ... yeah.  Ina doesn't mess around when it comes to her cocktails.  On Friday, I tried to hastily put together a happy hour with some of my coworkers and although I was sad that it didn't work out, I couldn't be sad for long ... I decided I would go home and make margaritas.  And since I've been trying to avoid high fructose corn syrup, I couldn't just break into the mix that I have lingering in my fridge (which is perfect for Margarita Cupcakes.).

So I went to the Food Network website and put "margarita" in their search engine.  A zillion recipes were spit back at me, but of course my beloved Ina's was one of the unfussiest of the bunch.  (After the week I've had, I don't really want to mess with making simple syrup - hear what I'm sayin'?)  And although you could argue that juicing five limes and a lemon is fussy, I wasn't really fussed.

Ina Garten's Margarita Recipe
from FoodNetwork.com

• 1 lime, halved
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 limes)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
• 1 cup Triple Sec
• 3 cups ice
• 1 cup white tequila

If you like margaritas served in a glass with salt, rub the outside rims of six glasses with a cut lime and dip each glass lightly into a plate of kosher salt.  (Yeah - I so skipped that ... I ran the glasses I was using - a Mason jar and a pint glass - under the tap until they were moistened and then I went a little overboard on the salt factor.  But it was sooo worth it!)

Combine the lime juice, lemon juice, Triple Sec, and ice in a blender and puree until completely blended. Add the tequila and puree for 2 seconds more. Serve over ice.  (Another note ... I was so excited about margaritas that I added everything at once and then I blended.  I don't know that it makes a difference.)

If you want the recipe for frozen margaritas, you'll have to go to the website.  I'm all about margaritas on the rocks.

Another note ... I have to be honest, when I first tried this drink I told my husband that it was strong enough to put hair on his chest (to which he answered, "I already have hair on my chest.") .  So I'm warning you - Ina Garten isn't no Sandra Lee with her frou frou cocktails - that lady knows how to mix her margaritas.  I also wondered if I shouldn't cut it with a little simple syrup.  But no - this was one hell of a good drink.

Holiday Hangover: Apple Pie Shots and Pesto Pinwheels

You know that you've thrown a successful New Years Eve party when the kids in attendance cry upon their parents telling them that it's time to go home.  Then again, that could have more to do with the fact that all kids in attendance at the Casa de Mahannah party were up way past their bedtimes and not anything to do with me being a great hostess. :) 

We had members of our Urban Family over to ring in the New Year this past holiday and I decided to keep it simple:  a  big pan of homemade macaroni and cheese and a bunch of snacks for our guests.

Here's the table before my awesome friends Paul and Anne brought their "Velvet Elvis" dip (Velveeta cheese and salsa melted together - one of our friends calls it "Velvet Elvis" - not sure where that comes from ...)

I had Ina Garten's Rosemary Roasted Cashews, leftover Christmas cookies, red velvet cupcakes, cocktail wieners, my friend Deb's Pesto Pinwheels and a big relish tray with green and black olives, baby dill pickles and baby carrots. Not pictured is the macaroni and cheese that was bubbling in the oven, getting ready for company to arrive.

For drinks, our friends brought some Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat (one of my favorite beers - I love you Wisconsin).  Ryan and I had some wine from a winery in South Dakota that I visited when I went on vacation with my nephews (nothing says "quality family time" like dragging three boys to a winery).  We drank Red Ass Rhubarb and Lawrence Elk (a black currant wine) from the Prairie Berry Winery in Hill City, South Dakota.  We also had some homemade pear wine, some homemade wine from my friend Paul and apple pie shots - which we drank in tumblers.

I think a good time was had by all.

Deb's Pesto Pinwheels

from my friend Deb, who got it from a Taste of Home magazine

 

1 tube (8oz) refrigerated crescent rolls (I used Pillsbury's Garlic Butter crescent rolls to ward away vampires.)

1/3 cup prepared pesto sauce
1/4 cup roasted sweet red peppers, drained and chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce

Unroll crescent dough into two long rectangles; seal seams and perforations.  Spread each with pesto; sprinkle with red peppers and Parmesan cheese.  Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side.
With a sharp knife, cut each roll into 10 slices or so.  Place on greased baking sheets.  Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm with pizza sauce.

Editor's Note:  I actually prepared these the night before, put them in a container and threw them on my side porch step because I had run out of room in my refrigerator.  They got a little frozen, but baked up awesomely.  If you are freezing these, whether accidentally or on purpose, give them about five extra minutes for baking.


Apple Pie Shots

These were actually packaged for Christmas gifts this year

Pretty, festive and powerful ... be careful when consuming since Everclear is, like, 150 proof

adapted from DrinkNation.com

    * 750 ml Everclear
    * 1/2 gal. Apple Juice
    * 1/2 gal. Cider, apple
    * 3 sticks Cinnamon Stick
    * 1.5 cup Sugar

Instructions

Mix apple juice, apple cider, sugar, and cinnamon sticks together. Boil until cinnamon sticks lose flavor (I gave this about 1/2 hour and sucked on the cinnamon stick - then I rationalized that while the concoction was cooling, the cinnamon sticks would continue to steep.  And I was right.) Add Everclear. Refrigerate.

Devil Tequila!

I went to a very good party last night. And as I sit here this morning, alternating sips of coffee with chugs of water, I reflect on the easiest margarita recipe that I've ever (drank) heard of.

Let me set the scene - I drove to Northfield last night to spend some time with a dear friend. We went to another party where grilled burgers and beer were the agenda. And then this guy named Todd showed up with a plastic grocery bag in hand ... in the bag he had a bottle of Jose Cuervo, a couple cans of frozen limeade and a pitcher. Here is Todd's ridiculously easy margarita recipe ... I will drink these again, but not until my stomach decides that it likes me again.

Todd's Ridiculously Easy Margaritas
by some guy named Todd

Equipment needed - standard sized pitcher
1 can frozen limeade
1 can beer (Corona is pretty darn tasty ...)
tequila

Dump the limeade into the pitcher and rinse that puppy out by filling the can with tequila. Then dump in a beer. Adjust to taste (i.e. - for the first pitcher you're probably going to want to add more beer or even Sprite because this is a pretty strong mix. After that - well ... )

Word to the wise ... this recipe will sneak up on even the most veteran drinker. Drink responsibly. And if you've ever had any acid reflux problems, you might want to avoid this entirely.

Blueberry Lime Margaritas

No long weekend is complete without some form of libations. For Memorial Day weekend, I decided to try my hand at these Blueberry Lime Margaritas that I found on FoodNetwork.com.


One word: Fabulous. Another word: Try. Ok two - Try it!

Blueberry Lime Margaritas
from FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients

2 cups ice
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup blueberry nectar (**I used blueberry juice. Found it in the organic section.)
1/4 cup seltzer (**I used ginger ale.)
2 tablespoons frozen limeade
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 ounces tequila, optional (**oh yes, I definitely used this.)
1 lime wedge
Coarse salt

Directions

Combine ice, blueberries, blueberry nectar, seltzer, limeade, lime juice and tequila, if using, in a blender and blend until smooth. Rub rim of 2 glasses with lime wedge and dip in salt. Divide the margarita between the prepared glasses and serve.

Drink me.

Spanish Kalimotxo

It's one thing for me to uncork a bottle of red wine (regular occurence) and it's another for me to drink Coca-Cola (it's a rare treat). But what happens when you mix them together?

I went to Savers yesterday and found Joan Baez's "Diamonds & Rust" album for $1.99. Thought it'd make a good backdrop for my exotic drink.

I found this article on Rachael Ray's website and decided to give it a try. Since I had a $2.99 bottle of Tisdale left in the rack, I figured that if it tasted like crap, I could just dump the drink down the drain and drink the rest of the wine sans cola.

I was pleasantly surprised though how tasty this drink was. I did a bit of research on Wikipedia and found the origins of this drink ... it's apparently a great cheap drink that's dug in Spain.

Spanish Kalimotxo
from RachaelRay.com

Take a pint glass. Fill with ice. Fill half with red wine. Top it off with chilled cola.

Drink. Enjoy.