Category Archives: Coffee and Tea

Take The Time To Make Good Coffee!

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Good Morning Foodies!

Today I want to talk about a very simple, but important about my day;making coffee. I grew up on a farm in Indiana, and my wife is from Minnesota. We are use to harsh winters where the first thing you drink in the morning can make or break your day. We tend to make coffee that will make your blood thicker. Coffee that not only puts hair on your chest, but when you look closely there is a tattoo under it as well. I mean STRONG coffee!

At the office, I am not allowed to make the coffee in the morning. Everyone gladly volunteers the minute I say I am going to make a pot. This is great, to a certain extent. I really don’t like weak coffee, so I tend to use creamer to mask the weakness, weak-ity…the lack of strength in my cup!

Today, we were out of creamer, so I fished around the cupboards at work and found some really old Cafee Latte from the “The best part of waking up…” company, which will remain nameless. Now, when I say old, I mean OLD. I had to hit the container on the counter several times just to get a little powder going. Then I had to scrape the surface with a spoon to get enough to make a color change in my cup of black gold.

The first sip hit me like a runaway train. This stuff was absolutely horrible! Granted, I did put it in coffee and didn’t make it with water like in the directions. I just assumed that if it was a good flavor, it would make my coffee taste good as well. Lesson learned…bad idea!

So, the moral of the story is, take the time to make a good well rounded cup of coffee in the morning. Get a decent brand, a decent coffee maker, and maybe some purified water. You can even go to your favorite coffee place and get a cup through the drive-thru. Or, suffer the consequences like I did for my stupidity!

Until next time: Don’t forget to taste!

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Summertime Refreshing Tea!

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Good Morning Foodies!

As we get closer and closer to hot summer weather, I always get the urge to refresh myself with great summer food and drink. One of my favorite drinks is iced tea. I used to drink almost four liters of soda a day. I have now been soda free for about seven years and I feel so much better over all. I think much of this has to do with the iced tea I drink.

I call this tea my Elixir of Life, because I add things to it that make it my own, so be sure to play with your own taste preferences when making your own, Elixir.

This is really simple, so here’s how I make mine. There is no certain tea brand you need to buy, and to be honest I use whatever I can find at the store on sale. My preference is to use a couple of different flavors of tea. I really enjoy Earl Grey, so I usually use at least four bags of it when I make a two quart batch. I then use about ten bags of regular green tea. I first boil about four cups of water. I then transfer that to my medium size french press. I know, that a coffee maker…but think about it. I take my teabags and place them all in the french press and push down the plunger until the teabags are right in the middle of the carafe.

Let that steep for about four minutes and then plunge down and up several times until the tea is very dark. I then press down fully and strain the tea into a two court jug. At this point, I add a few ice cubes and about a half of a cup of either blueberry juice or cherry juice concentrated. I take a sprig of mint and roll it in my hands and drop it in as well. I then add four or five packets of Splenda. Then, I fill the jug the rest of the way up until the tea is a dark tan. I like to serve this over a full glass of ice, and let it water itself down that way.

Now, the mint will at some point come out in a glass, but if you expect it, it is not hard to drink around it. I hope you enjoy this simple refreshing drink, and remember to share this blog with your friends with the share bar in the post.

Until next time: Don’t forget to taste!
Photo: Courtesy Gamma-Ray Productions

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Minimizing Soda Consumption In Kids

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Today, kids are drinking more soda than ever before. According to a recent UCLA study, 41% of kids ages two to11 and 62% of teens ages 12-17 drink one or more sodas per day. Drinking one soda per day increases the risk of a child becoming overweight. The empty calories in soda make kids feel hungrier, thus leading to overeating. Also, caffeine in soda causes kids to become hyperactive, thus adversely affecting their ability to concentrate on tasks at hand. The sugar in soda also breaks down tooth enamel causing tooth decay and cavities. Moreover, kids who drink soda miss out on vitamins and nutrients found in milk and real juice. As a parent, it is understandable that you would be concerned about the soda your child consumes.  But how to break the habit is a big question. 

How to Reduce Soda Consumption in Children

Reducing soda consumption in children starts at home. You, as parents, need to become role models by drinking more water and cutting back on sodas. You also need to make your kids aware of the dangers of drinking soda. More importantly, you should teach them the importance of making healthier choices even when they are not at home.

For starters, if you are in the habit of stocking soda in the house, you should consider giving it up or throwing the cans in the trash bin. Set an example to your children by modeling healthy eating and drinking habits. Slowly phase out soda in the meals by replacing it with milk, juice, sparkling water, or your own soda recipe. Yes, you can create your own version of soda (healthier of course) with the use of kitchen gadgets such as soda siphon and seltzer bottles. Fill the bottle with cold water, charge with carbon dioxide chargers, and within minutes, and your children can have their refreshing soda water. Add some flavors or combine with fruit juice for a healthier treat. As with commercial sparkling drinks, the soda that you prepared with soda siphon and seltzer bottles will stay fresh and fizzy in the fridge until they are ready for consumption.

It is never too late to stop your kids from drinking soda and helping them make the right choices. As parents, you have a great role to play in supporting and encouraging kids to kick their bad habits. You can teach them to make their own food and drinks. For instance, you can teach them to make their own desserts topped with homemade whipped cream made from your very own cream dispenser. A commercial cream dispenser is easier and simpler to use, which will surely make your child enjoy preparing his or her meals every day.

By cutting back on soda kids are able to lose weight, strengthen their bones, eat a healthier diet, study better, concentrate better and avoid simple health risks associated with drinking soda and diet pop, such as headaches. Encourage your kids to make healthy choices. Teach them how to prepare their own foods and drinks so that they will know the value of their meals.

For more tips and information about cream dispenser please visit: soda siphon

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