Monthly Archives: April 2010

Whether it is from a cold, strep, or just a change in the weather a sore throat is no fun.  O.k.. when I was a kid it USED to be fun because it meant a day off school. Now? Not so much.

When I was growing up we didn’t do medicine or doctors a whole lot. Things were handled with home remedies. Doctors were reserved for concussions, broken bones, and copious bleeding. And most of the home remedies consisted of some sort of tea. Black tea and toast for tummy trouble… chamomile tea for nerves and sleeplessness… and lemon and honey for a sore throat. I am not even sure you could call this a tea…

If you have a sore throat give this a try. The honey is soothing and comforting while the lemon is antibacterial and boosts your immune system with a shot of vitamin C.

Honey Lemon Tea for Sore Throats

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon
• 1 cup water
• 1 chamomile tea bag or equivalent in loose chamomile tea
• More honey if needed
• Lemon slice

Bring water to a boil. Add the chamomile, lemon, and honey. Allow to steep for two minutes. Drink hot.

serves 1

image:sxc

Are you concerned with global warming? You hear a lot about it and almost everyone has an opinion on it. Well, how cool is this Global Warming mug? Pour coffee in it and the sea level rises.

Check it out on Amazon!

Image via: Amazon.com

Indonesia has a unique, new decaffeinated coffee. Well…sort of coffee. It is an instant coffee flavored beverage that is made out of grape skins and pulp leftover from making grape juice.

This waste is dried and fried and then pulverized to create a powder that can be added to boiling water. The resulting beverage apparently tastes like coffee but has no caffeine at all. Even decaffeinated coffee retains a small percentage of caffeine. I think it is great that the inventor of this got innovative with a waste product. I mean this is repurposing and upcycling at its best. I am just not so sure HOW it would actually taste. Does pulverized grape waste really taste like coffee?

Go ahead and blame it on being gullible for years and believing too many things that people said with wide eyed innocence. I find it most difficult to believe that grape trash can be turned into a steaming hot cup of coffee. I am thinking that they don’t have Kohana or JazzyBird or Kinetic Koffee or Muddy Dog or Ugly Mug….or… in Indonesia so they probably don’t know what really good coffee tastes like. It’s like being around people that think Hershey’s chocolate is terrific.

O.k.

Anyway, it is a fascinating concept and it will be fun to see whether or not it catches on as a healthy alternative to coffee. You can read more at the Jarkata Post.

On a side note. Isn’t it funny how the Internet opens up your horizons when it comes to what you read? I promise you I would never have considered reading the Jarkata Post before!

image: SXC

For Christmas Kohana sweetly sent me a little care package because…. ummm…. well…..

They are just so cool.  It was one of the highlights of my Christmas to tell you the truth… it was a difficult year this year because of the circumstances (divorce). However send it they did.

The Kohana blend looks beautiful in my grinder. I have one of those grinders where the top is clear and you store a few hours days worth of beans in there. Why is it so beautiful you ask? Well…Look at the artistic beauty of this!

The coffee is incredibly silky smooth. Buttery mouthfeel with a soft aftertaste. The flavor is hard to describe and I suspect because the beans are so different, that the actual flavor is a little different each time you have it depending on the individuality of your scoop. (more…)

French vanilla has an intense vanilla taste when it is really good. This is so simple to do and really really has that deep vanilla flavor that makes you want to swoon when you smell it.

You can use dry milk, dry creamer, or a combination of the two from the store. Dry milk is more pure, especially if you go with the organic, but it is not going to be creamy. The powdered creamers are going to be creamy but you are adding a lot of toxins and chemicals to your coffee. Your choice. So far I have not found anything in between but I will let you know if I do.

You are going to need a good vanilla bean. Yes, they are expensive but you will be able to use it again a few times. Bourbon Vanilla is available at Amazon and a lot of other places. You want to make sure the beans are plump looking and not dry and withered.

Now, just put about a cup of dry milk (or creamer) in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Add your vanilla bean and screw the cap on tightly. Set aside for a week or so, just shaking it every day.

At the end of the week you are going to have a very fragrant Homemade French Vanilla Creamer. If you are using dry  milk and you want it pre sweetened you can also blend 3/4 cup sugar to a powder and add that as well. No change in the vanilla.

You can also add a teaspoon of cinnamon if you like for French Vanilla Spice Creamer. Once your vanilla creamer is finished you can use the vanilla bean in something else. It is great to flavor sugar or use in a pudding or whatever.

Label the creamer and store it in a cool, dark place that is dry (not the fridge) and shake before using.

image: wikipedia

Flavored coffee creamers are very popular. They make coffee taste a bit more like dessert than anything else. The thing is that they have a lot of artificial ingredients, chemicals, and other icky stuff. And they are not cheap. There is another option. Flavored creamers are easy to make at home. You can use plain creamer for the base if you just want to save money or you can use powdered dry milk if you want to be rid of the chemicals too. The powdered milk will not be as creamy however. It is also a good idea to give the milk a whirr in the blender to powder it even more. I will be giving several recipes for homemade flavored creamers over the next few days…so stay tuned! Cappucinno Creamer

• 1 cup hot cocoa mix
• 3/4 cup dry non-dairy creamer or powdered milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• pinch of cardamom
• 1/2 tsp dried orange peel

Mix ingredients together and add to hot coffee to taste. image sxc

I saw this. I laughed. I wanted to share it with you.

Have you ever been bored to the point that  you just needed a food fight? Yeah. We do that here. Some people in this house have been known to tape the handle down on the sink sprayer so that when the faucet is turned on the person at the sink gets a face (or chest, depending on height) full of water. At  times there have been full fledged battles with sprayers, cups, jars, and supersoakers…yes in the house. We are bad like that.

So when I saw this video I had to share it. You will laugh. You may get some ideas of you own.  Enjoy!

image:sxc

Hot chocolate is always perfect on a cold day whether you have been  in the great snowy outdoors or in the house watching it snow (or rain). This is a little different and it is great to start before you go out for an afternoon of winter fun. You can leave the amaretto out if you like, and just add almond extract. White chocolate is too rich for some people. My oldest daughter, Erin, has trouble with it in large amounts…and then there are those of us that are completely addicted. This is for us. The thing is…when you come in with your hands frozen, your cheeks all rosy and shivering uncontrollably this will be there, smelling wonderful, and waiting for you. Just ladle it out in the cups and enjoy. Because of the richness of white chocolate you might want to serve something salty rather than sweet. Think of pretzels, chips, peanuts, and other salty snacks to offset the rich sweetness of the white chocolate. I even like small boiled potatoes dipped in raclette cheese with salt crystals for an accompaniment to this. Crockpot White Chocolate

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 6 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 lb chopped white chocolate
• 1/2 cup Amaretto, optional

Simmer all ingredients in a crockpot on low heat for 3 hours. Stir once in awhile. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Yumminess! serves 10 image: sxc

Love dogs? Have a dog?  Know someone who does? Check out this mug. Dog owners will totally understand.

You can find this  Coffee Mug on Amazon

There has been a lot said about the health benefits of Oolong tea. It has had everything ascribed to it from weight loss to longer life. I am not sure about that but I have to say that I love love LOVE the new (to me anyway) Stash Coconut Mango WuYi Oolong. Open the package and you are going to be hit smack in the nose with a combination of mango, tangerine, and coconut aromas that will take you to a tropical island…or a pastry shop - not sure which. (more…)