Very Blueberry Lemonade

If life doles out a bunch of lemons...give them a good squeeze!

Wow yourself and guests with this simple, little time needed recipe.  Perfect for any Father's Day BBQ's you may have planning and utilizing the fresh berries you have growing or fresh pick on your counter right now.  You can really do this last minute or way ahead of time, I suggest last minute unless you make extra otherwise it may not make it to your planned destination. 

Blueberries are full of anti oxidants to fight off free radical damage to our skin, including great fiber and high amounts of Vitamin C to support a healthy immune system, not to mention fighting off those allergies!  Lemon regulates the pH in our body and aids digestion, heartburn, high blood pressure and flushes your blood of impurities.  Also packs another punch of Vitamin C to help toss those itchy eyes and stuffy heads to the way side.  Fight your seasonal allergies a step further by sweetening with raw honey, the latest research proves how well it does to combat respiratory symptoms!

Planning a Father's Day BBQ?  Here are some dishes that may be on my table:
Sweet and Sassy Beans and Grilled Green Beans- beans great in the slow cooker too, green beans are a weekly thing here!
Greek Chicken and Greek Roasted Potatoes - still a fave chicken marinade.
Green Goddess Dressing- THE dip for meats, veggie trays and baked potatoes.
Giardiniera- perfect for Father's Day as it is my husband and dad's faves, PS- this is a make ahead.
Diner Style Pancakes with Fresh Berry Syrup and Homemade Breakfast Sausage- breakfast in bed?

Very Blueberry Lemonade
Print recipe here
1 C lemon juice= 6-8 lemons, freshly squeezed
1 C fresh or frozen blueberries
1 C raw cane sugar, ½ C raw honey or 1 tsp stevia
6-8 C water
ice

1. Combine lemons, blueberries and sugar into a blender, bullet or immersion style. Blend until blueberries are as liquefied as possible (Vita-mix owners bragging rights inserted here...I do not have current bragging rights).

2. Pour blended creation into a pitcher, place desired ice into pitcher, fill with 6-8 cups water until desired taste and size of your container.

3. Fill a glass with ice, to make pretty add lemon slices and a few blueberries to the glass. Fill with Very Blueberry Lemonade and enjoy on a beautiful, hot, sunny day.

Note:  Feel free to sub in any berries for the blueberries with equal success!  Easily double this recipe to fit into a sun tea gallon size glass container. 



Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Saved by the Egg Timer: Original

White Hot Cordial Cocoa for Two

Valentine's Day is here!  Whether you feel hot or cold about this day.  Warm up with a cup of Hot Cocoa for two and snuggle up with your loved ones. 

Be kind to your heart on Valentine's Day.  Cherries are good for your heart no matter how your heart feels on the V-Day.  Pure Cherry Extract is wonderful and flavorful, also offering reduction in heart disease by acting as an anti-inflammatory, full of anti-oxidants to kick the free radicals behind and premature aging out the door!  Treat yourself and your body to this wonderful mug of cordial cocoa! 

See the post here for other ways to use cocoa butter and how good it is for you. 
To see my love of the milk frother, visit this post! 

White Hot Cordial Cocoa for Two
Print recipe here
1 ½ C organic whole milk, almond milk or coconut milk
½ C heavy cream
2 TB raw cane sugar or 1 TB of pure maple syrup or 15 drops of stevia
1 ½ TB cocoa butter (make sure it is food grade)
2-4 TB pure cherry extract/ concentrate

1. Heat milk, cream, cocoa butter and sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until starts to steam and cocoa butter is melted. Make sure sugar is dissolved.

2. Remove from heat. Add the cherry extract, taste as you go until you reach a desired flavor.  To make light and frothy, use a milk frother to whip it in.  Pour into two mugs (or one large) and enjoy with someone you love.

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from: Saved by the Egg Timer: Original

Homemade Coffee Creamer: Christmas Edition

My long lost love is coffee creamer, my new found love is raw cocoa butter, better known as unsweetened white chocolate.  Buy it just to open the jar and smell, very aromatic.  Cocoa butter is high in antioxidants and fatty stearic acid.  These have been found to lower your cholesterol and raise metabolism!  Cheers to that! 
This started as an ode' to the Berry White Mocha from Caribou Coffee.  So in a sense it is a copy-cat.  But this is much better when brewed at home with your favorite roasted beans.  This recipe post has 2 nice and 1 naughty...if you have little mini coffee sneakers in the house like me, do not let your children drink from the Eggnog Creamer.  See here for my first edition of Homemade Coffee Creamer!   Also learn How To: Make a latte.  Have a very Merry Christmas!

Homemade Coffee Creamer: Christmas Edition

White as Snow White Chocolate Raspberry Creamer
Print recipe here
1 C whole milk

1 C heavy whipping cream

½ C raw cane sugar, ¼ C pure maple syrup or ½ tsp stevia

2 TB raw cocoa butter (unsweetened white chocolate)

2 tsp raspberry extract



This was hard to find for me, but glad I kept searching.  It is food grade but I found it in the lotions.  This stuff smells amazing!



Whisk together milk, cream, sweetener and cocoa butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam up from pan, remove from heat and stir in raspberry extract. Let cool, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. Use according to your own taste in coffee, hot cocoa, ice cream, oatmeal, french toast...

Eggnog Creamer
Print recipe here
1 C whole milk
1 C heavy whipping cream
2-4 TB good quality bourbon
½ C raw cane sugar, ¼ C pure maple syrup or ½ tsp stevia
1 tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp Vietnamese cinnamon

Whisk together milk, cream, bourbon, sweetener and spices in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam up from pan, remove from heat and let cool. Pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. Use according to your own taste in coffee, hot cocoa, ice cream, oatmeal, french toast...

Christmas Tree Candy Cane Creamer
Print recipe here
1 C whole milk
1 C heavy whipping cream
½ C raw cane sugar, ¼ C pure maple syrup or ½ tsp stevia
2 tsp Homemade Peppermint Extract
½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Whisk together milk, cream and sweetener in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam up from pan, remove from heat and stir in peppermint and vanilla extract. Let cool, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. Use according to your own taste in coffee, hot cocoa, ice cream, oatmeal, french toast...



Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Saved by the Egg Timer: Original

Gingerbread Spiced Syrup

The countdown to Christmas is less than a week!  You may just have everything on hand to make this simple type syrup spiced up like Gingerbread Cookies.  Make sure to have this out on your table for all who share this wonderful Christmas day with you.  Are you wanting more drink ideas?  Don't forget about serving this Holiday Pie Coffee Creamer and this Hot Cocoa.

Gingerbread Spiced Syrup
Print recipe here

2 C water
2 C raw cane sugar or 1 C pure maple syrup or 2 tsp stevia
2 inch piece fresh ginger root, sliced thin
2 whole cinnamon sticks
20 whole cloves
20 whole allspice berries
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water and sugar or equivalent. Stir in ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and peppercorns.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Let cool for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve, or double layer cheesecloth. To remove the ground nutmeg. Store in glass jars.

4. Use to spice up coffee, tea, apple cider. Add a tablespoon to your favorite beverage, whipped cream or brush it on fresh muffins or cakes. Drizzle over yogurt, oatmeal or pancakes. Keep as a simple syrup to spruce up your cocktails for Christmas parties and New Years Eve.  Simply wonderful!



Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  All Recipes

Hot Cocoa Truffle Balls

Advent is here, Christmas songs have been blasting my house with my off pitch voice for weeks now, but my kids love me anyways.  Christmas is My Favorite and My Best.  I love this time of year, I think it is because my love language is giving and helping.  Not to mention the whole Jesus was born so that I can live and He can live through me Miracle, right?  MN is a great place to live in December when it is Christmas time, but ask me again in January, February and March!?!?!  Today is freezing, if you have never been here you should truly experience the feeling of your nose hairs freezing in under 1 second.  I would like to let you know of a giveaway I noticed for a Naughty and Nice Holiday Trip Giveaway to the Mall of America!  Good luck to everyone who enters and if you win, email me so I can show you around, ask my friends....I can walk through that place with my eyes shut, ears covered after spinning around 100 times.  Sad but true, and there is no tax on clothes here. 

Anyways, back the the topic of food.  I made these today and they are decadent and wonderful.  Try them right away, do not wait.  You will not regret!

Hot Cocoa Truffle Balls
Print recipe here

2 C (1 12 ounce package) chocolate chips (I prefer the high % cocoa chips)
1 C organic heavy whipping cream
1 TB organic powdered sugar (or any sugar)
½ tsp Vietnamese Cinnamon
dash or pinch of ground nutmeg
⅛  tsp celtic sea salt

1. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Microwave for one minute. Remove and stir until grainy.

1 minute

2. Place back into microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir until mixture is fully combined and very smooth and silky. When you first start stirring, after the first minute or so, you’ll wonder if this mixture will ever come together.  Stir in your cinnamon and nutmeg.

2 minute

3. Let the mixture cool 10 minutes at room temperature. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

4. Scoop out a scant ¼ cup spoonfuls of the mixture and place them on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and let the mounds harden for 15 minutes. (Or in my case, stick them outside....)

5. Bring the tray of chocolate mounds back out. Roll the chilled mounds into balls and place on squares of foo-foo Christmas plastic wrap cut into 6” squares.


Cute, looks like penguin is holding up the Truffle Ball :)

6. Pull the sides of the plastic wrap over to cover the ball and place the balls in the freezer until ready to use.  Makes 12 truffles.

 

 
Make the Truffle Hot Cocoa:

1. Pour 1 ½ cups of whole milk into a microwave-safe mug. Place one unwrapped Hot Cocoa Truffle Ball into the milk. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir well until the chocolate is combined with the milk. Serve piping hot covered in your choice of whip cream, marshmallows, cinnamon, nutmeg (Ahem- Kahlua) and stir with a candy cane or cinnamon stick!

Wonderful variations ahead, let your imagination go wild and create your own favorite melted mug of naughtiness!

Cherry Cordial Truffle Balls
Sub the chocolate chips for 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup cherry chips. Nix the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Hot Toffee Truffle Balls
Sub the chocolate chips for 2 cups butterscotch chips.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Truffle Balls
Add ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp vanilla extract. Nix the nutmeg.

Melted Almond Joy Truffle Balls
Add in 1 tsp each of almond extract and coconut extract. Nix the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Melted Reese's Cups Truffle Balls
Add in ¼ cup peanut butter when heating the ingredients. Nix the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Melted Andes Mint Truffle Balls
Add 1 tsp peppermint extract. Nix the cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir with Candy Cane!



Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Mels Kitchen Cafe

Would you like some coffee in your cream?

Alright, so I love fresh coffee with a little cream.  But after tasting this, I love fresh cream with a little coffee! 

The flavored creamers that you buy in the grocery stores are sooooo bad for you!  Did you know they usually don't even contain cream in them at all?  Many popular brands contain bad oils and horrible ingredients.  Don't even get me started on the sugar free ones!  Yucky!  Why would I buy a bottle of "creamer" that does not contain any cream!  These recipes taste so much better and is much better for you.  Take this as a base and experiment until you find your perfect little cloud of happiness that you can pour in your favorite mug.  Remember mine?  It still makes me happy!  As far as the option I listed for milk and sugars, it is all personal taste and allergen based.  I have used all of them and like all of them equally.  I basically use whatever is already open in my fridge for milk and sweetener depend all on what I feel like adding...totally random. 

Which also bring me to Kitchen Technique #6-  Grade A Maple Syrup has less maple flavor, more sweet, thinner and lighter.  Grade B Maple Syrup has more maple flavor, less sweet, thicker and darker.  Choose based on how much maple flavor you want...or in my case, go with what you have in your pantry.  More recently my pantry contains the latter- Grade B Maple Syrup is divine!  From a health perspective it contains more mineral content too.

Serve this on your holiday table before your large meal and with your huge piece of holiday pie.  I hope you and your guests enjoy them as much as I do!


Homemade Coffee Creamer: Holiday Pie Edition

Pumpkin Praline Pie Creamer
Print recipe here

1 cup whole milk, almond milk or coconut milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 C sucanat/ raw cane sugar, 1/4 C pure maple syrup or 1/2 tsp stevia (KT#6)
3 TB pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1 1/2 tsp butterscotch extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Whisk together milk, cream, sweetener, pumpkin and pumpkin spice in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

2.  When mixture begins to steam up from pan, remove from heat and stir in butterscotch and vanilla extract. Pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. Use according to your own taste in coffee, hot cocoa, ice cream, oatmeal, french toast...

Coconut Cream Pie Creamer
Print recipe here

1 cup whole milk, almond milk or coconut milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 C sucanat/ raw cane sugar, 1/4 C pure maple syrup or 1/2 tsp stevia (KT#6)
2 tsp coconut extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together milk, cream and sweetener in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam up from pan, remove from heat and stir in coconut and vanilla extract. Pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. Use according to your own taste in coffee, hot cocoa, ice cream, oatmeal, french toast...

French Silk Pie Creamer

Print recipe here

1 C whole milk, almond milk or coconut milk
1 C heavy whipping cream
1/2 C sucanat/ raw cane sugar, 1/4 C pure maple syrup or 1/2 tsp stevia (KT#6)
2 TB unsweetened cacao powder
2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together milk, cream, sweetener and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture begins to steam up from pan, remove from the heat. Stir in almond and vanilla extract. Pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. Use according to your own taste in coffee, hot cocoa, ice cream, oatmeal, french toast...

How To: Make a Latte
Print recipe here

1.  4 TB of your favorite creamer in a coffee mug.

2.  Use this "Whizzer" or more appropriately Milk Frother.  Just before you pour the coffee in, place the Whizzer down in cup and into the milk, whip for about 20 seconds until the milk begins to froth and thicken.

3.  Turn the Whizzer off before removing from milk, pour fresh strongly brewed coffee over top and watch magic happen! 

Top with whip cream, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, nutmeg ,cocoa or vanilla sugar if you desire. 

4.  Repeat.

What is "The" pie that will make you cave and stuff more down your throat even though you cannot fit in another bite after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner?  I would love to know!

And...How do you like the new look?!?!

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Deliciousley Organic