Iced Mocha

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Hi Michelle, I love your site, especially the free budgeting worksheets. Very helpful. One of the best ways I've found to remove a lot of wasteful spending from my budget is by making a serious effort to make my own coffee drinks. At $4+ each at a coffee shop, when I looked at where my money was going, I realized that an obscene amount was being put towards something I could do much cheaper for myself. I've come up with a stand-by recipe for an iced mocha that I think is pretty good. It's not a dinner meal recipe, but I thought I'd share it. It's inexpensive and does not require any fancy expensive espresso machinery, though I do recommend buying a coffee grinder and French press. I've had my French press and coffee grinder set for years, and that $30 total investment has saved me hundreds versus going out for coffee every day (for me, I'm saving $50+ a month). Enjoy!

Iced 'Mocha'

Makes 2

Heat 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Place 1 T. chocolate syrup (or more if you prefer) in the bottom of each of 2 tall glasses. Prepare strong coffee with the water and 5T coarse, fresh ground coffee, using a French press*. Let sit 4 mins., then press. Poor a small amount of the coffee into each glass, and use a long spoon to mix the syrup with the coffee until well blended. Add 1/4 c. of milk and plenty of ice to each glass. Pour remaining coffee over top and stir to combine. You may need to add more ice at the end. Serve immediately.

Try substituting other flavored syrups, such as vanilla or hazelnut, for the chocolate. They're inexpensive and available at many beverage stores, such as BevMo.

*A French press is $10-$20, available most general home stores, such as Walmart. And in my opinion, well worth the investment if you are a coffee fan. Use it with 100% arabica coffee, and its better than anything you can get at a coffee shop - at a fraction of the cost.

Submitted by Julia

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Yummy, Julia, I love mochas too, hot or cold! :o) We try to make our own coffee at home as often as possible...great for saving money. - Michelle

Frosty Breakfast Smoothies

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Frosty Breakfast Smoothies

When fruit is on sale (or better yet, on the reduced rack), buy as much as your budget will allow. Wash well and run through a juicer or blender (I prefer a juicer because you don't have to peel or core anything). Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Remove from trays and store cubes in freezer bags. When needed, throw a handful of cubes into a blender with a little milk, yogurt or protein powder (or all three!) and whizz away. The result is a fabulous thick smoothie that will stay cold for a long time... perfect for a long morning commute. Kids especially love this as they think they're getting ice cream for breakfast!

Submitted by Marilyn A.

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Sounds delightful, Marilyn, and great for the coming summer months too! :o) - Michelle

Southern Sweet Tea - How to Make It Great!

Southern Sweet Tea
Copyright by Michelle Jones
www.FrugalCookbook.com

Having lived throughout the south for my entire life, there's one thing I can tell you for sure... life is just a whole lot sweeter with a glass of iced Sweet Tea!

Now, it depends on how sweet you like it, but this is the way many southerners make their tea (and the way my grandmother used to make it--although she used an old fashioned metal ball to hold the tea leaves and we use regular tea bags that are thankfully more common now.)

Ingredients:

8-10 regular size tea bags, or 4-5 family size (use any kind of tea you like, although I highly recommend Luzianne® or Lipton Iced Tea Brew®, I buy extra when they go on sale because we use decaf and it's more expensive than regular--experiment with different flavored teas too, it's fun!)
Small or medium pot of water, with a lid that fits well
1 cup of sugar (you can also use Splenda® to make sugar-free ‘sweet’ tea, and it's wonderful--if you like Splenda)
1 gallon-sized pitcher (or a big pickle jar)

Directions:

Add the sugar to pot of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. (If using Splenda® or other artificial sweetener, add later; just bring water to a boil by itself.)

It doesn't matter how much water you boil; just make sure it gets really hot and bubbly. If you remembered to put the sugar in already, you're doing great. Now get your tea bags ready so that when the water comes to a boil you can toss them in.

As soon as you add the tea bags to the boiling water, the water may act like it's about to boil over. I usually add the tea bags in with one hand, and then take the pot off the stove with the other. That way the hot bubbles have a chance to stir the tea up a bit, getting them off to a good brewing start.

Cover the pot and let the tea steep for as long as possible. It will be good in 20 minutes, but even better in a few hours. Then pour the tea syrup (that’s what it's called when made with sugar this way) into your gallon-sized pitcher and fill with water. (If you're using Splenda instead of sugar, this is when you'll stir that in; while the tea is still warm.) Now gently squeeze the tea bags to get as much tea as possible into the water. We don’t waste a drop!

Well that’s it, your Southern Sweet Tea is ready to serve!

Pour tea into a glass (pretty canning jars are a southern favorite), filled with ice, and serve with a slice of lemon if desired.

Additional Notes...

Sweet tea will keep in the fridge for about 2 days, after that it’s time to make a fresh batch, if there’s any left! HA

Sweet tea made with Splenda will stay fresh much longer, and I can get away with just using 3/4 cup.

My kids love to help me make the tea so they can add more (regular) sugar but 1 cup really is enough for a gallon. 1 and 1/3 cup is what they call perfect! :o)

Always make sure your pitcher is washed and clean, including the lid. A quick rinse is not enough!

Also, do NOT leave your tea syrup sitting on the stove overnight, that is a big no no. It's a breeding ground for bacteria. If you start to make your tea and forget to put it in the fridge you'll need to toss it down the drain in the morning and make a new batch, don't even think about using it.

Great SWEET TEA must be FRESH!!!

Source: "Frugal Family Recipes" by Michelle Jones, available at www.FrugalCookbook.com

Photos copyright by Michelle Jones and Blue Ridge Publishing, Inc.

(We just made this tea yesterday, and it's as delicious as it looks! :o)