• 1/2 cup instant tea
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of dry milk
• ½ cup of dry creamer

• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne

• 1 shot espresso (or a small amount of very strong coffee)
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 ½ tablespoon Hershey's dark chocolate sauce
• Dark Cocoa (or Cinnamon) to top with

Dry Dark Hot Chocolate Mix

• 1 ½ cup of dry mik
• 1 cup of sugar
• ½ cup of cocoa (we used Hersey’s Dark)
• ¼ cup of dry creamer
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

• 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 pinch of cayenne

Brandy Manhattan

If you are in the mood for a simple, elegant cocktail, served in a small cordial glass then this has a subtle unique flavor.

Method

In a Boston Shaker filled halfway with ice pour in 1 1/2 ounces (per person) of a medium quality brandy. Then add about 1/4 ounce of cherry juice and 1/2 ounce of sweet vermouth.

Stir and strain into cocktail glasses.

This recipe came out great. In this winter sometimes you need a tropical drink.

Method

Add ingredients to a boston shaker and mix then pour into cocktail glasses.

Sparkling Lingonberry Juice Cocktail

We went to IKEA the other day and found Sparkling Lingonberry-Apple Juice and thought we might try using it in a cocktail. The drink came out excellent, very nice lingonberry flavor and the triple-sec adds a touch of orange.  

Method - per drink

Add 1/4 ounce Tripe-Sec, 3/4 ounce gin, 4 ounces sparkling juice to a wine glass or cocktail glass and stir.

Simple Syrup is made with 2 parts sugar and one part water. 

Simple syrup lasts for about a week in the fridge but it is so easy to make that you can always just make it when you need it. Many recipes call for simple syrup. Iced Tea, cocktails...etc. 

Method

Add ingredients to a heavy sauce pan over high heat and let boil for 3-5 minutes. Let cool and store for up to a week.

This time of year, various coffee shops feature pumpkin lattes and other fall drinks. Today we went to Starbucks for a break and as we added up their prices (which of course aren't cheap) we realized that a small pumpkin latte as well as a pumpkin scone each for two people cost close to $10.

Well, we should be able to make that on our own for a fraction of that cost! That said, we set out to make pumpkin scones, which turned out delicious. Starbuck's scones are usually quite heavy and “cake-like”, whereas ours were light, moist and flavorful.

Next up the pumpkin lattes... We don't currently have an espresso machine, but what we do have is an Italian “Moka Express Pot.” The coffee it produces of course isn't of the same quality as real espresso, but it's pretty good.

To flavor our pumpkin latte, we turned to our home made pumpkin butter (the same for the scones.) Pumpkin butter is a very versatile pumpkin spread. You can either make it using canned pumpkin, or preferably fresh, and then it's cooked with various spices and some sugar. It's quite easy as a matter of fact and nice to have on hand for situations like this.

So we whisked some milk together, added pumpkin butter and some sugar and poured it over our strong coffee.

TIP! A good idea, if you use a mix such as pumpkin butter, as opposed to a pumpkin syrup, is to strain it before you drink it, or else you can end up with bits or strands of pumpkin in your drink.

2 servings

• 2 shots of espresso, or some strong hot coffee
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 tablespoons of pumpkin butter
• 3 teaspoons of sugar

Method:

Make the espresso/coffee. Heat the milk and the pumpkin butter up on the stove in a pan. Add the sugar and stir. (Strain mixture if you so choose, then pour it back in the pan.)

Whisk well to form a foam or use a small electronic frother whisk. Pour the espresso/coffee into each cup and add the pumpkin milk. Make sure to get some foam on top. Sprinkle with some additional cinnamon or nutmeg and serve.

Conclusion:

The taste of this drink was quite good, however not really comparable to Starbucks. They of course put whipped cream on top, which makes everything taste better and their drink is richer. However, if you substitute some of the milk with half-and-half or heavy cream, you could definitely bump the creaminess up a notch. Overall, this drink was nice; good pumpkin flavor, slightly sweet and it went quite well with our pumpkin scones...

12oz classic latte

Combine steamed milk, espresso and a small amount of froth on top.

Cappucino is the classic drink with espresso and frothed milk. The price of the cappucino will depend on what quality of coffee you're using.