JUICY SITUATION

If you find that your family drinks a lot of juice, compare the price of the premixed juice versus the price of juice from concentrate. (usually frozen)

When you compare the prices you might find that it will save you quite a bit to buy the concentrate and mix it up yourself.

Don't be concerned about the inconvenience, just think of the money that you are saving.

You will also find it appealing to have an endless supply in the freezer instead of taking up all the space in the refrigerator.

When I make up a batch of juice, I remove a new can from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator to thaw.

Now in a day or so when the fresh juice is all gone simply make up your thawed juice in it's place.

Don't forget to take another can from the freezer and refrigerate!

THE PERFECT CUP OF TEA

If you want to make up the perfect cup of hot tea just follow these quick directions.

Fill a pot with fresh cold water and heat to a rolling boil.

Place the tea bag in your cup and add one cup of boiling water for each tea bag.

Steep the tea bag in the water for 1-5 minutes depending on your taste.

If you like milder tea, add water to your tea after the brewing process instead of trying to make it weak by not thoroughly soaking the tea bag.

Remove the teabag and discard. Add sugar and/or milk to taste.

Enjoy!

APPLE TEA

Fall is here and now is the perfect time to spice up some everyday tea.

Add a bit of apple juice and honey to your favorite tea for an instant pick me up.

MAPLE TEA

Fall is here and now is the time to spice up some ordinary tea.

When you are steeping your tea add a bit of maple syrup and cinnamon.

For an extra little splash add a dollop of whip cream and a few candy sprinkles.

Hot Holiday Drinks

First thing that comes to mind with hot holiday drinks are hot chocolate and spiced cider. It is really easy to kick it up a notch with one or two add ons!

Add 1 tablespoon of Chocolate Syrup to Hot Coffee or Hot Cocoa to make it extra rich.

Add 2 tablespoon of Amaretto or Peppermint Schnapps to Hot Coffee or Hot Cocoa for a toasty warm treat.

Add 1 tablespoon of Caramel Syrup to Hot Coffee or Hot Cocoa for a creamy drink.

For an extra creamy drink, add a scoop of ice cream. Vanilla, Chocolate, Peppermint Chip, use your imagination!

Serve hot drinks with a cinnamon stick or a peppermint stick instead of a stirrer.

Break out the whipped cream and make a topping bar. Top the hot drinks with a bit of whipped cream then sprinkle on grated nuts, coffee, chocolate, mini chips, cookie sprinkles, crushed candies or anything else the tickles your fancy.

"HANDY" PUNCH

If you want to liven up your punch a bit at your next Halloween party, go to your local medical supply store and pick up a box of non-latex disposable gloves.

Take out a few of the gloves and rinse them inside and out well with warm water to remove any powder.

Fill the gloves with water or colored juice (different color than your punch) and tightly seal the end using a chip clip or other method.

Place the glove onto a cookie sheet and place into the freezer. Freeze at least 3 hours until frozen solid.(preferably make up the night before)

When you have your punch made and guests arriving, remove the "hands" from the freezer and rinse under warm water to loosen up the glove. Remove the glove from the ice had and place in your punch bowl.

HALLOWEEN ICE RING

To make a creepy or fun ice ring is a snap and will liven up any punch Find a Ring jello mold or use any cake pan that you might have that will fit inside your punch bowl comfortably.

Arrange 1 – 2 cups of gummy worms, candy corn or candy pumpkins into the bottom of the cake pan/ring.

Add 1 quart of colored punch of choice. Best choices to really stand out are to use a contrasting color of your punch. If you have green punch, use lemonade or pineapple juice, if you have red punch use orange kool aid or other like drink.

Place the cake pan/ring into the freezer and freeze until solid, at least over night.

QUICK ORANGE SLUSH

It is hot out and the kids are complaining, even the big ones!

Whip up a quick batch of these quick orange slushes to get everyone cooled off and relaxed again!

Grab a half a gallon of Frozen Vanilla Ice Cream (or yogart) 2 large containers of thawed Orange Juice Concentrate, and 1/2 cup Milk.

Drop half of the Ice Cream, one container of juice and 1/4 cup milk into a large Blender.

Puree for a minute, stop and scrape the sides well.

Puree for 20 second intervals now, scraping the sides well until all ingredients are blended.

Pour the mixture into 4 glasses. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.

Makes 8, 1 cup servings.

STORING TEA

When you buy your herbal tea, you will be tempted store it in the refrigerator like coffee.

Tea should not be stored in a humid environment.

If you store it in a tightly sealed airtight container in your pantry, it will remain fresher without abosorbing scents and flavors from other foods around it.

Tea should be used no more than one year from the purchase date.

Creative Cocoa

You are making up some hot cocoa. It is just from a mix and kinda boring. Spice it up a bit with some ingredients that you have hanging around.

Add a drop of mint flavoring or a few mint leaves.

Add a dash or two of Cinnamon.

Add a dash or two of Cayenne Pepper.

Perfect Punch

When making up large amounts of cold beverages, don't forget the obvious! Place all bottles and/or cans of juice in the refrigerator the night before your event.

Now your juice will not water down with melted ice cubes and will taste better.

Sweet Tea

You don't have to use sugar to sweeten hot tea. You can use honey, but you can also spice things up more!

Raid the kids candy! You can use peppermint hard candies, caramels, Hard Lemon Candy, or even old fasioned stick candy as a spoon/sweetener.

Get creative and try them all or make up some of your own new favorites!

PUNCH IN A HURRY

The next time that you are having a get together and you can’t find your trusty punch recipe just combine a Gallon Container of Fruit Juice with a 2 liter bottle of Ginger Ale.

For a creamy taste, add a pint of ice cream scoops.

DRINKS TO GO!

When you want to take drinks camping or on a picnic with you, just recycle!

After you have drunk all of the wine from a box, take the bag out of the box and remove the spigot (usually just unscrews) and rinse the bag well.

If a bit of scent remains, rinse with 2 cups of water mixed with 2 tablespoons of bleach. Let sit for 5 minutes or so, then rinse well.

Hang upside down to dry. Only store them after they are totally dry.

A few days before you are ready to to camping, replace the spigot and fill the bags with the drink of choice and place in the freezer.

Use the frozen bags in the cooler, then as they thaw you have cold drinks.

Leftover Drinks

If you have just a little bit of tea, coffee, juice or other liquid that you like to drink left pour it into an ice cube tray and place in the freezer.

Once it was frozen, pop out of the ice cube tray and place into zip lock baggies and write on the outside what kind is in the bag.

Now when you prepare your next iced drink, (iced coffee, iced tea, juice) drop in the ice cubes and when it melts it will add flavor instead of watering it down.

Holiday Prosecco

You are having a Christmas party and you want to serve something a bit different this year. Here is a treat that not only tastes great but is quite affordable.

Prosecco is an italian wine that is a bit stronger in alcohol strength than beer. It is named for the Prosecco grape.

It is dry and crisp with hints of fruit.

You can serve it just like champagne and with it's low price a bottle it is great to use for large groups of people.

No More Watered Down Iced Drinks

When you are making iced drinks such as coffee, tea, or juice (non-alcoholic) you find that by the time that you get to the bottom the ice cubes have watered down your drink.

To prevent this from happening again simply make a bit extra of your cold drink and freeze it into ice cube trays.

Now when you make up your favorite drink drop in a few cubes and sip away!

Toasty Mugs

When you get your coffee to go, it usually comes with a nice cardboard sleeve that keeps your hands cool while holding the hot cup. At home when you are having a hot drink in a mug, your hands get hot from holding the mug.

You can create a sleeve at home with a simple cloth napkin. Take a napkin and roll it up just enough so that it will fit through the handle of your mug.

Now just tie a knot and you can hold your mug comfortably.

Easy Iced Tea

You just love making iced tea, but it can be really time consuming to make sometimes.

To make a quick and easy pot of iced tea use your coffee maker.

Grab 2 or 3 tea bags and place in the basket of your automatic coffee maker.

Add the water and prepare as you would coffee.

When it is done brewing, grab a large plastic juice container and fill with ice. (don’t use glass, it might break from the temperature change)

Pour your hot tea over the ice and add sugar to taste.

Smoothies All Year

Want fresh fruit smoothies all year long?

During each season, buy extras of whatever is ripe and freeze in containers or bags containing about a cup of fruit.

Now when ever you are ready for a smoothie, grab a bag of fruit and place in a blender with ¼ cup Vanilla Yogurt, ¼ cup Orange Juice and if you like a tablespoon of Wheat Germ.

Blend away for a great smoothie anytime!

Spicy Cider

You are making hot cider on a chilly evening, and you want to jazz it up a bit. Here are a couple of different idea's for you to try:

For a creamy cider add a tablespoon of Carmel Sauce

For a spicy cider add a dash of Chili Powder

For an apple pie cider add a dash of Apple Pie Spice

Chilling Summers

There is nothing like a tall cool drink on a hot summer day. Unfortunately as it gets hotter out your ice cubes melt making your drinks watery. Try this handy tip to add a bit of spice to your summer drinks.

Get a couple of extra lemons, limes, strawberries or even use some balled melon depending on your drink. When you get the fruit home, wash it thoroughly and cut into medium sized pieces. Place on a flat cooking sheet in your freezer. Once the fruit has been thoroughly frozen, usually a couple of hours, place them into a large zip lock storage bag and freeze. Now when you prepare your favorite refreshment, drop in a couple pieces of fruit for coolness and added flavor.

QUICK MOCHA

If you are at work or on the go and find that you need a quick mocha fix, just dissolve a package of instant hot cocoa with some prepared hot coffee.

This is a great pick me up on cold mornings with a bit of a sweet flare.