If you happen to have a bounty of fresh berries around, this is a great late Summer drink – and you can put it up to use through the cold winter months.

• 2.5 lbs fresh, ripe berries – about 6 pints. Use a mix of fruits for the best flavor.
• 2 cups water
• 1.5 – 2 cups sugar (preservative)

Combine the berries and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce to med-low and gently simmer until berries burst and release their juice – about 20-30 minutes.

Transfer cooked berried into a jelly bag. Suspend the bag over a large bowl and let the juice drip through. DO NOT squeeze the bag, as it will cloud the juice. Let the berries drain completely – about 1.5 – 2 hours.

Fill a large stockpot or canner 3/4 full with water and bring to a simmer. Heat clean, empty bottles in the simmering water (190F)

Transfer strained juice to a medium saucepan over med-low heat. Add the sugar – at least 1/4 cup sugar for every cup juice. Stir to dissolve – about 5 minutes.
Skim the top of the berry mixture to remove froth.

Both the water and the juice need to be at 190F – a bare simmer. Remove the bottles from the water and fill to the top. Cap tightly and return to the hot water bath, making sure they are completely submerged. After a full 10 minutes remove the bottles and let cool.

If any bottles don’t seal properly, refrigerate them and use up within 2 weeks.

This can be added to lemonade for a wonderful berry lemonade (or limeade) or can be saved to drink when fresh berries are just a fond memory. Some people like to add it to sparkling water as well for a fizzy fruit drink.

If you have read the Dragonriders of Pern books, you understand the reference to Klah, otherwise it is simply a spiced chocolate coffee.

Combine the following:

• 2 Tbsp sweet ground chocolate
• 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
• 3/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tsp. dark instant coffee crystals, ground into a fine powder
• pinch of nutmeg

Use 2-4 tsp. of the mixture per cup of boiling water. Stir well. It should be thick, much like hot cocoa.

If you don’t use instant coffee, just add the rest of the mixture into the basket with the coffee grounds and brew as normal or brew your coffee with cinnamon added and add in the cocoa powders to the individual cups.

A warm, tasty treat!

And of course, it goes well with a good book.

Smoothies, yes, but green? Why, Jennifer, why?

Because they are good… and good for you! And I can’t think of a better way to camouflage some of the green leafy veggies that my kids don’t particularly *like* to eat.

The basics:

frozen fruit
yogurt
kefir
100% juice (I like kagome’s juices)
mixed baby greens – kale, swiss chard, lettuce, cabbage, greens (turnip, collard, etc)
cinnamon
honey
milk

These are the basic ingredients that I use almost every morning.

I pour about 1/3 cup of yogurt into the bottom of my blender. Add about 1-1/2 cups frozen fruit, toss in a handful of greens, pour around 1/3 cup of kefir over that. Add in some juice and milk to keep it from getting too thick. The kids like it when I add a bit of cinnamon or honey to give it a hint of sweetness, but I don’t if the fruit is perfectly ripe and sweet.

Blend, ice crush, whatever setting your blender has that will chop up the fruit and greens into a wonderfully smooth, tasty mixture.

Pour into cups, add a fun straw and watch your kids (and yourself!) slurp down a delicious treat that is oh, so very good for them!

We drink these for breakfast or a mid-morning snack, but they would also be a great dessert. Just don’t let your kids see you making them… or your husband, for that matter! It will be our little secret!

Why frozen fruit?  Because it makes it more like a milk shake, something that kids love.  It also makes it easier to get everything to blend up well.  We pick a lot of fruit throughout the Summer, and I try to freeze at least some of it to enjoy during the colder months… of which most are here in Washington!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so you need to make sure it’s a good one!

The kids are heading back to school next week, so we are enjoying the last few days of having “weekend breakfast” during the week, and today was no exception!

I came across a recipe for Mayan Hot Chocolate… something that I have always loved. Yes, the Aztecs invented hot chocolate, or Xoclatl as they called it. This isn’t completely authentic as it often had red peppers in it as well, but this gives you a good “south of the border” flavor. There is mote history on the linked page…

2 ounces (squares) 100% chocolate (baker’s or unsweetened)
1 cup hot water
3 tablespoons honey
dash salt
3 cups hot milk
4 sticks cinnamon bark
Chop the chocolate and heat it in the water until melted. Add honey, salt, and beat the hot chocolate water with a balloon wire whip as you add th warmed milk. To make it more frothy and give more food value, you can beat up an egg or two, add hot chocolate to it, then pour it into the chocolate cooking pot and continue to whip, (but this isn’t authentic). Serve the hot chocolate in mugs with cinnamon-bark stick stirrers in each.

Of course, with the kids drinking it, I had to add a bit more sugar to it, but this dark-chocolate loving girl thought it bordered on the divine! I used a dash of ground cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks because that’s what I had.

Alongside this delicious confectionery one of the small ones wanted pancakes… and eggs… oh, and why not toss some bacon into the mix too!

So, I got out the bacon (from a locally raised pig – so much better than the store bought stuff!) and started that in the pan while I mixed up the ‘cakes. When the bacon was done, I cracked a few eggs into the pan with the leftover bacon grease (in my opinion, the hands-down, best way to have a fried egg!) and set them fry with the yolks intact. Then I flipped them and smashed that yolk bubble. Yum!

Once the eggs were done, giving the pancake batter a few moments to rest of course, I made some good, thick pancakes.

With all of the ingredients, the obvious choice was a pancake sandwich! Yes, pancake, fried egg, 2 strips of bacon, a sprinkling of shredded cheese and another pancake. Delish!

Of course, if you are a die hard syrup person, you can pour syrup over the sandwich and eat it with a fork, but there is something fun about eating pancakes with your hands in this way! It must satisfy that kid that is buried deep down inside.

No, this is not the most heart-healthy of meals, but the kids sure do love it! Perfect for Saturday mornings…

This is one of our favorite summertime beverages – it’s cool and refreshing and tastes great! This recipe makes a concentrate – it’s a bit too much straight. Just add it to a half glass of ice water to make a delicious, cool Summer treat. Check out the add-ins at the bottom for some great alternatives. It also makes great frozen popsicles…

Lavender Lemonade

ingredients:
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
20 sprigs fresh lavender – either blooming, or just before the flowers open
4-6 lemons (depending on your tartness preference)
water

In a small saucepan, heat 2 cups of water and sugar to make a simple syrup. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. When the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat and place the lavender sprigs in the pan while the syrup cools down. Set aside to cool.

When the syrup is cool, remove the lavender sprigs and pour it into a 2 qt. pitcher.

Juice the lemons and add to the pitcher. Stir. Fill the pitcher up with water.

When you pour the lemonade into a glass, first fill the glass halfway with water and ice, then pour in the lemonade concentrate.

Garnish with a small sprig of lavender, lemon slices or mint leaves.

Enjoy!

Add ins:

- use the juice of limes instead or a mixture of lemons and limes
- add some strawberries to the simple syrup while it is cooling and strain the syrup when cool – crushing the strawberries to get all of the goodies out
- add some mint leaves with the lavender and use limes to make a non-alcoholic mojito – or mix it with your favorite rum for the real thing (obviously not for kids)
- add some grenadine to give it a cherry flavor and a lovely pink color

If you are having a small get together – a dinner party, a gathering of friends, game night, whatever – these are a wonderful way to end the evening. The ingredients list is small, and they only take a few minutes!
This recipe is per cup

double shot espresso OR 3 oz. brewed coffee – espresso is best, but drip will work fine
1 scoop vanilla ice cream (or cinnamon, chocolate, dulce de leche – just no chunks)
3 oz warm milk
cinnamon*
chocolate shavings
Place a scoop of ice cream in the cup & pour hot coffee over it to fill halfway. Fill the rest of the way with warm milk & sprinkle cinnamon & chocolate shavings on the top.

Serve & enjoy!

*for a slight change, sprinkle some ground cinnamon over the ground coffee before brewing it. It adds a subtle flavor & a nice aroma to the coffee!

Did you know having a glass of red wine a day is a healthy part of your diet regimen? Do you also know what wines compliment foods best? If not, here are some tips and suggestions on a wine for every meal.

Traditionally, red wine can be used for poultry; beef; veal; ham; pasta; lamb; and pork.
What kind of wine? For poultry, ham, pork and veal, try a red Zinfandel or Beaujolais. For beef, pasta and lamb; a cabernet sauvignon or merlot would suffice.

White chardonnay would compliment strong cheeses; pork, poultry and seafood, including shellfish. A white Zinfandel or rose wine could accompany appetizers; mild cheeses; desserts; ham, lamb, poultry; and seafood. Sparkling wine such as Spumante or Champaign could also be served with appetizers; mild cheeses; and desserts. The rule of thumb when serving wine for a particular meal is selecting a light-bodied wine with lighter food and a full-bodied wine with heartier, flavorful dishes.

In addition, here are some suggestions on how to serve wine. First, quickly chill the wine by placing the bottle in a bucket of ice water for ten minutes, rather than in the freezer. Chill sparkling wine in the refrigerator for at least four hours before serving, or chill in ice water for twenty to thirty minutes. When filling a wine glass, you need to allow the wine to breathe; thus, filling it half way is suggested.

If you still have a problem deciding on what wines to service with your meals, here is a safe bet. When choosing white wines, pick out a Pinot Grigio (deliciously light and dry);
Sauvignon Blanc; Riesling; or Champagne (only for the most suitable occasions), and other Sparking wines. Rose wines can include White Zinfandel; and Red wines can include Beaujolis, Pinot Noir and Merlot (which is full-bodied wine perfect for any pasta dish as well).

Remember, you don’t have to spend a fortune on wine. A simple Pinot or Merlot will suffice, and both are affordable.