Category: Beverages

Cafe con Leche

When we lived in Spain, it was a full day to go to the local bar/coffee shop and have several Cafe con Leches with friends . . . amigos.  Here is my Americanized version.

  • Use a Moka Pot to brew your coffee.
  • Heat 1/2 C milk and 1/2 C whipping cream
    • Whisk to get bubbles into the milk
  • Pour the coffee into 1/2 of your cup, then top with the milk

 

Bialetti Moka Coffee Maker

I purchased the 12 cup Bialetti because I make coffee for the week.  I created time instructions that have been helpful to me.  Adjust the following timings for your maker and your stovetop.

  1. Put 1/4 C of medium grind coffee in your filtered funnel.  I  set the funnel in a tumbler and it holds it properly.
    • DO NOT pack it down. 
    • Add a pinch of salt, then if you are using moringa, or any other flavoring, please a pinch between two FULL and level 1/4 cup scoops.
  2. Add another 1/4 C on top of the additives
  3. Put 3 C of filtered water into the microwave for 4 minutes on high.    (Next:  Burner)
  4. Preheat your small electric burner on 4-5.
    • If it exceeds 400º turn it down to 2 until it is closer time to use it.
    • If you are using gas, use a low to medium flame.  Any higher and you will melt the handle.
  5. Pour the hot water into the bottom reservoir then place the filled funnel into the mouth of the bottom reservoir.  It will be hot, so use a cloth – screw the top onto the bottom; snugging, but not overtightening.
  6. Place the pot on your stovetop burner and set to 4-5.  Set timer for 8 minutes.  (Next:  Ice bath)
  7. Meanwhile, fill a flat bottomed mixing bowl with 2 inches of water and put in 8 ice cubes to lower the temperature even further.  This is to place the pot in since it will be hot from the burner as soon as the water has gone.  If you are too late on Step EIGHT do not use the ice bath!
  8. You will start smelling the coffee at about 7 minutes, then you will start to see a lot of steam come out of the spout.    (Next:  Listen) AT THIS POINT DO NOT LEAVE.
  9. Listen carefully.  AS SOON AS the burbling changes to a higher pitch  (3-4 more minutes) start to watch it VERY closely.  As soon as the pot sounds start to diminish or the steam starts to subside, remove the entire thing from the stovetop and put it into your cold water for 3 minutes.
    • IMPORTANT NOTE:  If it goes completely dry, it may be too late.  It will start to get very hot if you put it into the ice water, it will most likely crack the container.  Let it cool naturally before unscrewing it.
  10. Assuming Step 8 went well; as soon as it is cool enough to unscrew, your coffee is ready to be consumed.  Unscrew the top containing the coffee, and place on a paper towel. 
  11. Let the bottom filtered section cool before emptying and cleaning.
  12. What I plan to do is let it cool, decant into plastic bottles, then store it in the fridge to use as Instant Coffee concentrate.  With that in mind:   Pour in a glass container to cool.  This will make four full mug servings for me, so I like to add cream and sugar so that all I have to do is add water.
  13. OPTIONAL:  Next, I make my coffee that I will drink that morning.  Return to Step TWO (using existing wet grounds) and go all the way through to Step 9.  Pour into your mug, flavor and enjoy.  Store your two water bottles containing coffee concentrate in the refrigerator for up to a week.

When ready to make your “instant coffee”  fill 1 coffee mug with 1/3 coffee and 2/3  water.  Heat in the microwave for 2 minutes.  Add sugar and cream as desired.

Lemonade Copycat Recipes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 C lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
  • 3 C water – add to lemon juice
  • 1/2 C water in measuring cup
  • 4 C ice in a pitcher
  • 1 C sugar
  • OPT:  Sprigs of mint

STEP BY STEP

  1. Heat 1/2 C water in the microwave until it is hot to the touch, but not boiling (about 45 seconds)
  2. Add sugar and stir to dissolve
  3. Pour hot water into pitcher over ice
  4. Add lemon (seeds removed) and 1 C water
  5. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to chill
  6. You can serve with strips of lemon peel in the glass, or even better a sprig of mint.

Orange Drink

INGREDIENTS

  • Two oranges
  • Potato Peeler
  • 1 TBL Karo Syrup
  • Blender
  • Strainer

STEP BY STEP

  1. Peel the orange off an orange, but leave the white pith.
  2. Cut up and remove as many seeds as possible, but not necessary to get them all, since we will be straining it.
  3. Add 1 Tablespoon of Karo syrup
  4. Put into a blender, and then run through a food mill or strainer
  5. Serve over ice

Vin Brulé

This is great for cold evenings.

  1. Bring 4 C red wine to a boil.
  2. Simmer 15 minutes
  3. Create a sachet
    1. Peels of orange
    2. Allspice seeds
    3. Cinnamon stick
    4. Chives
  4. 1/2 C sugar
  5. 1/4 C brandy
  6. Mix and simmer another 15 minutes
  7. Garnish with orange or lemon slice

 

 

Lemon Party Punch

Title of Recipe: Lemon Party Punch

Ingredients:
3 cans lemon juice (frozen or canned)
2 cups sugar
2 quarts strong tea
2 quarts water
4 cups orange juice
1 ½ quarts cranberry or grape juice
1 quart gingerale

Instructions:
Dissolve sugar in canned or frozen lemon juice. Add tea, water and other juices and chill. Just before serving add gingerale and pour over ice cubes in punch bowl. Garnish with slices of banana, strawberries or other fresh fruit. Makes about 2 gallons punch.

Velez-Malaga Sangria

sangriaThis is about as easy as it gets.

Rioja is a traditional table wine used across Spain.  Use that if you are able.

Options:

White . Crisp White, Refreshing White, Chardonnay
Red . Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet, Malbec, Shiraz

Ingredients to feed 4 people

  • 1 liter white wine
  • 1 liter Sauternes or a sweet red wine
  • 1-10 oz pkg frozen mixed fruits
  • A lemon or lime sliced into medallions
  • 1 cold sliced banana

Step by Step

  1. Refrigerate your pitcher.
  2. Place your frozen ingredients in the cold pitcher.
  3. Serve with mint, basil and ice cubes
This is a recipe that has been created or modified by Robert (Grandpa) Andrews.
CLICK HERE for a free sample copies of Grandpa's Cookbooks. © 2016, 2017, 2018.

LIME Tequila Shot Glass

  1. Cut a lime in half, leaving one end just a little bigger than the other.
  2. Squeeze both sides of the lime into a glass
  3. Discard the smaller half
  4. Cut a flat spot on the bottom of the larger half
  5. Use a knife and carefully cut out the membranes
  6. Dip the edge into rough sea salt (or margarita salt)
  7. Pour a bit of the juice back into the lime glass
  8. Top with tequila

Smoothie Recipes

HINT: Frequently the blender blade will fit into a ball jar, which can then be screwed into place. Use this for your smoothie and everything is self-contained.

Kale Breakfast Smoothie

6-8 Kale leaves
1/2 C water
1 C frozen banana slices
10-12 seedless grapes
1 VERY ripe pear (peel is OK, but small pieces)
1/2 C orange juice
1 tsp grated ginger
Blend well and serve on ice.

Banana Breakfast Smoothie

1 C frozen banana slices
1 C milk
1/2 C strong coffee (cold) – espresso is even better
1 TBL coconut oil
1 TBL peanut butter
1 TBL honey
1/2 tsp vanilla

A few other smoothies:

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
The Ultimate Smoothie
A Google Listing

Sangria

CLICK HERE to see what we fixed while living in Spain.

Really Good Sangria

sangriaBefore we begin…
Everything should be cold, and then cut, and then placed in the freezer for 30 minutes before preparing and serving.  You can alternately freeze the ingredients, but this will tend to make your fruits mushy when they thaw.

Ingredients to feed 4 people

Ingredients to prepare and place in the freezer

    • 1 cup fresh raspberries
    • 1/2 C sliced strawberries
    • 1/2 C sliced peaches
    • 1/2 C pineapple pieces
    • 1 blood orange – medallions
    • 1 lemon – medallions
    • 1 lime – medallions
    • large pieces of lemon peel
    • Optional:  Mango, kiwi, etc.
    • Ingredients to measure and set aside
    • 1 pt red wine – Rioja from Spain
    • 1 pt white wine – Riesling (Rhine Wine) from Germany
    • 1/4 C rum
    • 1/4 C agave syrup
    • 2 C pineapple juice
    • 1/4 C orange liquor or triple-sec
    • 2 cinnamon sticks
    • 6 whole cloves
    • 1 liter ginger ale or champagne (Add just before serving)

Step by Step

  1. Prepare all ingredients in the left column and place on a plate (spread out) in the freezer for 30-60 minutes.  This will help keep the sangria cold without using ice.
  2. Refrigerate your pitcher.
  3. Gather the ingredients in the right column.
  4. Place your frozen ingredients in the cold pitcher.
  5. Add everything else except the ginger ale
  6. Ideally, let meld in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours
  7. Just before serving, pour in the ginger ale
  8. Serve with mint, basil and ice cubes

NOTE:  DO NOT put ice cubes into the pitcher, it will dilute your sangria.

Options:

White . Crisp White, Refreshing White, Chardonnay
Red . Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet, Malbec, Shiraz

Simple Sangria

  1. In a bowl combine 1/2 LB mixed berries
    blueberries, raspberries, strawberries (pieced), and so forth
  2. Toss with 2 TBL sugar
  3. Slice 1 lemon very thin (rind and all)
  4. Put into a pitcher with chilled rose wine
  5. Pour over ice

 

This is a recipe that has been created or modified by Robert (Grandpa) Andrews.
CLICK HERE for a free sample copies of Grandpa's Cookbooks. © 2016, 2017, 2018.

Horchata From Scratch

INGREDIENTS FOR EASY HORCHATA  ( to make 2 bottles )

  • 1 C cooked white rice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 C hot water
  • 1 C hot milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • just a pinch of salt Ground cinnamon for garnish when serving.

STEP BY STEP

  1. Mix rice, cinnamon, sugar and 1 cup hot water
  2. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour
  3. Stir just to mix
  4. Add 1 cup hot milk and stir again just to mix
  5. Let sit for another two hours at room temperature
  6. Strain through a fine sieve into empty bottles
  7. Store in the fridge for up to a week
  8. Shake the bottle before serving
  9. Serve over ice and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon

INGREDIENTS FOR A MORE COMPLEX and AUTHENTIC HORCHATA

  • 1 cup uncooked white long-grain rice
  • 5 cups water
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground Mexican cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup white sugar

STEP BY STEP

  1. Put rice into a bowl and fill with water, pour through strainer
  2. Repeat Step 1 until water in bowl is clear
  3. Add the rice to 3 Cups boiling hot water
  4. Let rest for about an hour
  5. Add 2 Cups cooler water and add to a blender
  6. Blend until the rice just begins to break up, no longer than 1 minute
  7. Let rice and water stand at room temperature for at least 3 hours
  8. .Strain the rice water into a pitcher using double layer of cheesecloth, or a very fine sieve.
  9. Discard the rice.
  10. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar
  11. Stir until blended
  12. Stir the milk into the rice water.
  13. Chill and stir before serving over ice.
  14. Keeps for no longer than 10 days.

OH, ONE MORE THING …

  • In El Salvador, horchata is primarily made from morro seeds, not rice.
  • Other flavorings that you can grind up with the rice are peanuts, almonds and cashews.
  • Other common ingredients include ground cocoa, cinnamon, sesame seeds, nutmeg and vanilla.
  • If you don’t have a blender, you can use rice flour instead of rice
  • Use emptied water bottles for storing your finished horchata.

Egg Nog from Scratch

Egg Nog with Raw Eggs

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 eggs (PASTEURIZED and separated)
  • 3 oz Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
  • 1 CU heavy cream
  • 1 PT whole milk (not skim)
  • 1 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1/3 CU sugar
  • 1 TBL sugar additional

STEP BY STEP

  1. Separate white from the yolks. Set whites aside.
  2. Beat egg yolks well
  3. Add sugar very slowly to combine – set aside
  4. In small pan, add nutmeg, cream and milk
  5. Mix to combine, and bring mixture slowly to a boil
  6. Remove mixture from heat
  7. TEMPER half of your heated mixture into your egg yolk mixture
  8. Slowly whisk egg yolk mixture back into the pot
  9. Add whiskey and combine, then chill for at least an hour
  10. During this time, leave egg whites on counter to come up to room temperature
  11. Beat egg whites to firm peaks
  12. Add 1 TBL sugar and combine
  13. Add cold mixture to egg whites and gently combine or fold together
  14.  Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top

EXTRA STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW

  • Since you are using raw eggs, be sure that you get fresh eggs.
  • Don’t serve this to anyone that is pregnant because of the raw eggs.
  • Use a slotted spoon or your fingers to separate the egg yolk from the whites. Use a pinch pot to isolage each separated yolk and white before putting them into a larger container.  Don’t use the egg white if ANY yolk has broken into it. Use them for scrambled eggs tomorrow morning!
  • TEMPERING EGGS, means to mix three tablespoons of the heated mixture into the beaten egg yolks, one tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly, raising the temperature slightly and thinning the yolks. Add a second tablespoon, then a third, then you can add the eggs back into the heated pan, whisking constantly, without worrying about them cooking and becoming lumpy

Here is a video from Your Life A to Z about how to make “Tom’s Egg Nog”

 

Mollie’s Egg Nog for Two

  • Separate two eggs – set yolks aside
  • Whisk whites into soft peaks
  • Put into fridge to stay cold
  • Put yolks into mixer
  • Add  ¼ C  sugar
  • Mix to combine until thick and lighter in color
  • Add 2 C cream and 2 C  whole milk
  • Whisk on low to combine
  • Fold beaten whites into the mixture
  • Add ¼ C  brandy
  • Chill for one hour before serving
  • Pour into glass and garnish with nutmeg

Mollie’s Egg Nog for Six

  • Separate six eggs – set yolks aside
  • Whisk whites into soft peaks
  • Put into fridge to stay cold
  • Put yolks into mixer
  • Add ¾ C sugar
  • Mix to combine until thick and lighter in color
  • Add 6 C cream and 6 C whole milk
  • Whisk on low to combine
  • Fold beaten whites into the mixture
  • Add ½ C brandy
  • Chill for one hour before serving
  • Pour into glass and garnish with nutmeg

SINGLE SERVING Recipe for KTVK

  • 1 egg  (PASTEURIZED and separated)
  • 1 oz Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
  • 1/4 CU heavy cream
  • 1/2 C whole milk (not skim)
  • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 2 TBL sugar

Step by Step

  1. Separate white from the yolks. Set whites aside.
  2. Beat egg yolks well
  3. Add sugar very slowly to combine – set aside
  4. In small glass bowl, add nutmeg, cream and milk
  5. Mix to combine
  6. Microwave for 60 seconds
  7. TEMPER half of your heated mixture into your egg yolk mixture
  8. Slowly whisk egg yolk mixture back into the pot
  9. Add whiskey and combine, then chill for at least an hour
  10. During this time, leave egg whites on counter to come up to room temperature
  11. Beat egg whites to firm peaks
  12. Add 1 TBL sugar and combine
  13. Add cold mixture to egg whites and gently combine or fold together
  14.  Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top

Grandpas Frappuccino

Why spend $4 for a small bottle of Frappuccino, when you can make a good Copy Cat Frappuccino for under a buck?

Grandpa’s Copy Cat Frap

There is a lot of internet chatter about canning your own coffee, while (in theory) it can be done, flavor will suffer. I’ve tried it.  It seems a bit more cardboardy and bitter.  I prefer to make my coffee fresh, in a large batch, on the stove, and have found that this recipe gives me nearly an entire weeks worth of coffee, with decent flavor.

Purists would tell me that as soon as I started adding sugar, milk, etc I had lost the entire coffee experience anyway, so I figure that this makes me happy, so it might make you happy.  This is the recipe that I use.

For storage I use

  • ONE – 64 ounce bottle (from apple juice or similar) for storing the entire recipe after it has been filtered, but not flavored: BLACK
  • TWO – 32 ounce PowerAde bottles for storing flavored Frap Concentrate: DARK BROWN (Chocolate brown)
  • FIVE – 16 ounce bottles (Gatorade or Body Armor, emptied) for ready to drink Frapp:  TAN (Light brown)

SEE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE FOR SINGLE SERVING RECIPE

Grandpa’s Frappuccino

Ten Servings – Coffee Concentrate

This makes a total of ten 16 ounce bottles, but I split the 64 ounces of brewed coffee into two 32 ounce bottles, which allows me to prepare only five bottles of Frap at a time.

SUMMARY:  Prepare 8 C (64 ounces) of strong coffee.

  • 8 CU (64 ounces) water in a large pot
  • 2 C ground coffee or two hotel coffee bags (caf or decaf)

STEP BY STEP

  1. Put ground coffee into 9 C cold water and cover
  2. Heat cold water on high for about 6-8 minutes
  3. DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL
  4. Reduce to lowest hot setting and cook 3-4 hours
    (too hot to touch, but not hot enough to bring water to a full boil)
  5. Stir once half-way through
  6. Turn off stove, leave covered
  7. Let steep (cool) for an additional 60 minutes
  8. Lift carefully off stove and pour into two large 4 C measuring cups leaving as many of the grounds behind as possible.  I use a strainer purchased from AMAZON.   Discard or compost the grounds.
  9. Let cool completely (just warm to the touch is OK) before pouring the coffee into your plastic bottle.  Then, pour the coffee into your large 64 ounce bottle and refrigerate overnight to let the grounds completely settle

Grandpa’s Frap Concentrate

TWO BATCHES – Frap Concentrate

SUMMARY:  Here you will flavor half the coffee from the previous night, and store the other half for later use.

  • You will need TWO 32 ounce bottles – such as a Powerade bottle
  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 1 TBL Stevia (buy it in bulk)
  • 1-2 TBL Toriani coffee syrup (I like French Vanilla or Hazelnut)
  • 1 tsp of vanilla
  • 2 TBL whole milk (to color the Concentrate)
  1. Fill one 32 ounce bottle and store it in the fridge for use another day
  2. Pour 8 ounces of your coffee into a measuring cup and the remainder into your 32 ounce bottle
  3. At this point you have 8 ounces in a measuring cup, and 24 ounces remaining in your bottle.
  4. Heat the 8 ounces for about 90 seconds
  5. Add the sugar and Stevia and stir until completely dissolved
  6. Add all other ingredients
  7. Pour the mixture into your 32 ounce bottle
  8. You will notice the color difference between the two bottles.  The dark brown bottle contains the flavoring, the black coffee is unflavored.
  9. We will use the dark brown bottle as the source for the next recipe.  When you are ready to prepare the second bottle, just start with step three of this recipe.

Grandpa’s Frappuccino

FIVE BOTTLES – Ready-to-drink Frappuccino

SUMMARY:  We will now finish our Frap and pour into bottles.

  1. The most complex step was making the Frap Concentrate.  Now it is an easy job of just combining ingredients.
  2. Pour 3/4 C of concentrate into each of your five bottles
  3. Now, I know you were not THAT precise, so spread the rest of the concentrate across the other bottles to even things up
  4. Add 1/4 C milk to each bottle
  5. Top off each bottle with water (or milk) and refrigerate.

Single Servings of Grandpa’s Frap

  1. Pour 3/4 C of concentrate or 1 C strong coffee into a single 16 ounce bottle
  2. Add 1/2 C milk onto the bottle
  3. Top off the bottle with water (or milk) and enjoy

Flavor Variations – for one serving

  • Add 1/8 tsp cocoa for a type of Mocha
  • Add 1 tbs hot fudge for a different flavor of Mocha
  • Try a few drops only of almond extract

What does it all mean? – Start out with 4 oz of espresso, then add…

  • Cappuccino – 6 oz of milk
  • Latte – 8-12 oz milk
  • Mocha – 2 oz chocolate, 8 oz milk
  • Macchiato – 1 oz foamed milk
  • Doppio – just add another 4 oz espresso (double espresso or double Dutch)
  • Venti Macchiato – steamed almond milk with mocha topping

Grandpa’s Old Fashioned Lemonade

This creates a lemonade CONCENTRATE that will store efficiently and is really easy to mix when you are ready.

INGREDIENTS

  • 16 lemons – or enough juice to fill an empty water bottle
  • TWO empty water bottles
  • 1 CU sugar
  • 8 mint leaves
  • water

STEP BY STEP

  1. Fill one water bottle with water and empty into sauce pan
  2. Add sugar to water in the sauce pan and heat until sugar dissolves
  3. Meanwhile, cut lemons in half, and squeeze juice from lemons into measuring cup.  Discard the seeds.
  4. Pour sugar water into the measuring cup with the lemon juice
  5. Make sure that mixture is only warm to the touch, NOT HOT.
  6. Pour lemon/sugar mixture equally into two empty water bottles
  7. Top bottles off with a bit more water and refrigerate
  8. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
    WHEN YOU ARE READY TO SERVE…
  9. Fill glass with ice cubes
  10. Add water only to half-way
  11. Top glass off with lemon concentrate from your bottles

 

Grandpa’s Bloody Mary Mix

Basic Bloody Mary Mix

  • 2 LB cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper sauce
  • 1 tsp Tabasco
  • 2 TBL Worchestershire Sauce (Soy, anchovy and tamarind – Umami)
  • 1 tsp celery Salt
  • 3 tsp Lime juice

Grandpa’s Arghhh Bloody Mary Mix

Similar to Mr. & Mrs. T – Rich & Spicy Bloody Mary Mix, only a bit spicier

Ingredients

32 oz can tomato juice
3 TBS lime juice
2 TBL Grandpa's Thunder Powder or Arghhh Powder
2 TBS vinegar
2 TBS sugar
1 TBS prepared horseradish
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 TBS celery salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
3 TBS Worcestershire
1 TBL Tabasco

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a two quart pitcher
2. Store covered in refrigerator
3. Bloody Mary per original mix: Three parts Bloody Mary Mix to One part vodka, gin, rum or tequila. Serve over ice

Variations

1. Create entire recipe WITHOUT using ANY tomato juice… yet
2. Freeze Bloody Mary mixture in an ice cube tray
3. Buy Campbell’s Tomato juice canned singles
4. Dissolve two or three mixture cubes into your glass of juice
OR
2. Store in lime juice bottle
3. Buy Campbell’s Tomato juice canned singles
4. Add 2-3 TBS mix into your glass of juice

Fun idea: Make your ice cubes out of a mixture of celery and tomato. Fun and Yum.

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