Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the US. As a matter of fact it is within the top ten most popular beverages. Whether it is caffeinated or not, coffee is a wildly popular drink. It is what helps many of us get our morning jolt so we can function and be productive.
My normal morning coffee routine
Hot coffee is the most commonly used morning beverage and most people choose regular coffee at home or at their local coffee shop. Other people like to include a variety of different flavors and milk and/or sugar or a sugar substitute.
I like to keep things simple here at home for my morning coffee. I start my day off with a cup of black coffee, a touch of vanilla extract flavoring and a dash of cinnamon. Why is that my morning pick-me-up?
It is flavorful and helps wake up my taste buds as well as my brain.
Cinnamon is a natural regulator of blood sugar levels. It is also known to lower bad cholesterol (LDL), reduce arthritis symptoms and even help leukemia patients (You can research it online at natural cures websites like I did). I think it is amazing that such a great-tasting, natural spice has so many health qualities as well.
It is highly appealing to my sense of smell as it fills the air in my kitchen and wherever I go with my cup of java.
Sometimes for my second cup or later in the day when I want to get past the midday blahs I add some kind of milk. I have been known to use rice milk, almond milk, soy milk or whole milk depending on what I have on hand and my mood. When I want it to be a little sweeter I add Stevia to the blend. I don't use sugar or other sugar substitutes. I can use less Stevia and get plenty of sweetness from it.
If coffee is a major part of your morning routine you need to decide what you really like in it. If you want to maintain your blood sugar levels just add a little cinnamon and stir. You can add vanilla, sugar, sugar substitute, Stevia, milk, cream or whatever make you happy. After all it is your morning wake up drink.
There's no doubt about it - coffee is the number one drink of choice for Americans. While you most likely have your favorite cup of joe for your typical morning consumption, the true coffee lover is always looking for something a little different and exciting. The more creative you get with coffee however the more difficult it can be to make it yourself. For example if you feel like a cappuccino you will either have to soldier down to your local starbucks or have something just a little fancier on the kitchen counter than the old Mr. coffee maker you got back in college.
Fortunately for you technology has come a long way in the past few years and you can get a Tassimo coffee Maker that can handle pretty much any coffee concoction that you can think of and also hot chocolate and tea if you feel the urge. What's really cool about these machines is that you don't have to measure anything. The machine reads a little barcode from what is called a "t-disc" that contains the coffee and it goes to work carefully calculating the exact amount of water needed, the temperature for the specific beverage that you chose, and the brewing time. The whole process takes around 30-60 seconds - that's it, you have the perfect espresso or cappuccino!
If you don't have a Tassimo coffee maker you can still have some fun and spice up your coffee with some really cool recipes that can make your standard coffee maker a little more fun.
Here's some fun recipes for you:
1 . Mexican coffee is good at any hour of the day. All you need is a teaspoon of cinnamon, sprinkled over your coffee in the basket portion of your brewer. Brew as usual, pour into a big mug and add about two to three tablespoons of whipped cream, according to your taste. On top of the whipping cream, sprinkle just a pinch of nutmeg. Drink from the mug, or sip with a straw. Delicious!
2 . Elegant coffee drink recipes need not be fussy to succeed! Make a pot of your favorite brew, a bit stronger than usual. Add un-whipped whipping cream, right from the carton. Rich, elegant and easy. Yes, there are a few extra calories involved, but it's oh, such a treat.
3. After dinner, special blends of coffee drink recipes can do double duty as dessert coffee. Coffee and Kahlua(R) is an example of a dessert coffee. Just add a shot of Kahlua to a mug of coffee and top it off with whipped cream. This coffee drink can be served hot or cold. In either case, provide each diner with a spoon to mix as desired – or not. It's delicious both ways.
4. Irish coffee is a classic winner. Traditionally served in special Irish coffee mugs, which are thinner than a regular cup, tall and with a handle, it's a snap to make. Pour in a shot of good quality Irish whiskey, then pour the hot coffee in, leaving enough room for a good dose of whipped cream. Sip and enjoy! As with many of the hot after dinner coffee drink recipes, this one is great on a chilly evening.
5. Iced coffee drink recipes require a few minutes of advance preparation for the perfect cup. Make an extra strong pot of coffee and allow to cool. Freeze the coffee in ice trays. When frozen, you can bag it up in a freezer bag for instant access at serving time. A few hours before you plan to serve, make a pot of regular strength coffee. Allow to cool and refrigerate in a plastic container with a pouring spout. Fill a tall glass with the coffee cubes, pour the cold coffee over and garnish with whipped cream. Drizzle caramel sauce over the whipped cream. Iced coffee is comforting, invigorating, and refreshing.
So now you have five new coffee drink recipes to enjoy year 'round, from morning 'til night.
How to make Blended Iced Coffee like a Starbucks Frappuccino
You can find a lot of different coffee recipes online, but I think the best ones are the ones we all make for ourselves. I have a personal favorite that I call Cameo Coffee in memory of my mother. It has my favorite ingredients as well as those my mom used to love. I use my Magic Bullet or my Ninja Without further ado, here it is.
Cameo Coffee Ingredients
1/2 cup of brewed, cold coffee (Decaf is fine if you prefer)
2 tbsp of plain Cabot Greek yogurt (only 7 grams of sugar-avoid the lowfat and fat free yogurts because they are loaded with sugars from 9 grams up to 12 or more)
1/2 cup of cappuccino flavored soy milk or any other non-dairy, unsweetened milk like coconut milk, almond milk, hemp milk or rice milk. (You do not have to use flavored milk)
1/8 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of Stevia sweetener
1 full scoop of a good whey or soy protein mix in chocolate or vanilla flavor
Instructions
Add yogurt first then brewed, cold coffee (I put a 1/2 cup in the freezer from the morning's brew for my midday lunch or the night before for my breakfast. I think the best way is to use a small ice tray.), cappuccino soy (or other non-dairy) milk, vanilla extract, Stevia powder (use half as much for liquid Stevia) and finally one full scoop of chocolate whey or soy protein. Blend in a blender, Magic Bullet or Ninja for at least 30 seconds to one minute or until completely blended.
This high protein coffee smoothie recipe is highly palatable which makes it a lot easy for those of us who do not like the taste of protein powders or yogurt.
This delicious home made ice cream recipe can be made with a few simple ingredients and a couple of coffee cans.
The very best thing about having birthday cake is the ice cream that goes along with it.
Learn how to make your own yummy blend!
It's so easy to make and fun to eat!
A great hands-on kids party activity!
Home Made Ice Cream Recipe
1 lb. coffee Can
3 lb. coffee Can
1/2 cup Rock salt
1 pint Half and Half
1 1/2 tsps. Vanilla
1/3 cup 2 tblsps. Sugar
For flavored ice cream, choose one:
3 tblsps. of your favorite flavor of instant pudding
1/3 cup of fruit (such as, bananas, strawberries, peaches)
3 of your favorite cookies, crushed into pea-size pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts
Mix the first three basic ingredients together and pour into the one pound coffee can. Add flavorings if desired. Place the lid on securely and set inside the three pound can.
Add ice, and alternate layers of ice and salt outside the small can and inside the large can. When totally full, secure the lid on the large can. You may wish to add duct tape for good measure.
Now here comes the fun part! Place a sheet on the floor or wrap the can in a large towel. Let party guests roll the can back and forth for at least 10 minutes. Open the cans and check the ice cream. If it is not starting to freeze, replace lids and roll 10 minutes more. The ice cream should be frozen to the sides and bottom of the can. If not thick enough, place in freezer and check every 10 minutes or so.
Yield: 2 cups ice cream
Note: This recipe can be effected by temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors, so make a trial run before attempting in a group setting.
Copyright 2005 Kids Party Paradise. All Rights Reserved.
Coffee is a beverage that is loved the world over. There are not many beverages which inspire the love, loyalty and devotion that coffee can. In fact, coffee is the second most consumed beverage over the globe after water. Coffee is also very versatile and can be prepared many different ways and is compatible with many different flavors.
Just look on the Internet and do a Google search of “coffee” generates almost 175,000,000 search engine results. So, what is the big deal? Perhaps some interesting facts will give you some clues:
1. The three biggest coffee drinkers in the world are the Americans, the French and the Germans. These groups of people consume almost 65% of the world's of coffee. Global annual coffee consumption is well over 400 billion cups and that number just keeps getting bigger. In 2005 alone coffee was the seventh largest legal agricultural export in the whole world by value.
2. In the US alone 400 million cups are thought to be consumed every single day, which is about 35% of the world’s total. The stats show that 54% of the adult population drinks coffee cups on regular daily basis, and another 25% of all Americans drink it sometimes, or on occasion. This means that more than 3/4 of American adults drink some kind of coffee beverage.
3. Men drink just as much, and maybe even more coffee than women do. In the year 2000, a National Coffee Association survey reported that the average consumption of coffee corresponds to approximately 1.9 cups of coffee per day for men and 1.4 cups per day for women. However, when looking at coffee drinkers only, the average consumption is raised to around 3.1 cups per person per day.
4. Coffee is really considered a fruit and grows on trees (though is often referred to as a plant). Coffee trees are not fast growers. In fact, it takes five years for a coffee tree to reach it full maturity. Once the fruit becomes mature each plant can yield as much as 5 pounds of green (pre-roasted) beans each year. This comes to less than one pound of beans after roasting. It takes approximately 4000 coffee beans to produce a single pound of coffee and roughly 50 coffee beans to produce one single cup.
5. Even though dark roasted beans taste “stronger”, they actually have LESS caffeine than light or medium roasts. The longer a coffee is roasted, the darker it becomes also resulting in more caffeine "burn-off". Contrary to popular beliefs espresso actually contains about one-third less of the caffeine of a brewed cup of conventional coffee. This is partially due to the fact that espresso is typically made using top premium arabica beans which have a lower caffeine content than robusta beans, which are found in many coffee blends used for standard brewing. Also, in the espresso brewing method, water is in contact with the grounds for only 20 to 25 seconds and extracts less caffeine than methods that put water in contact with the grounds for several minutes.
6. A cappuccino is an Italian coffee drink prepared with espresso, hot milk, and steamed-milk foam. The Italian name 'cappuccino' comes from the long, pointed cowl, or cappuccino, that was worn as part of the habit of the Capuchin Order of Friars. In Italian, the word cappuccino also describes espresso coffee mixed or topped with steamed milk or cream, because the color of the coffee resembled the color of the habit of a Capuchin friar. Some people also believe that the term relates to the aspect of a friar’s tonsured (white) head, surrounded by a ring of brown hair.
7. The term “joe” when referring to coffee originates with the fact that this beverage has long been a favorite drink among American soldiers. Soldiers in the Civil War, for example, were issued rations of coffee which they brewed in water over camp fires. During World War II, American soldiers were given instant coffee rations and were known to consume large amounts of coffee. Since these soldiers were known as "G.I. Joes", the phrase "cup of Joe" was adapted to describe a cup of coffee.
8. Caffeine can enhance athletic endurance and performance. Until 2004, caffeine was on the International Olympic Committee list of prohibited substances. Athletes who tested positive for more than 12 micrograms of caffeine per milliliter of urine (about 5 cups of coffee) were banned from the Olympic Games. Even though caffeine has now been removed from the list of prohibited substances, the controversy continues as experts differ in their opinions as to whether caffeine consumption on the day of performance can give an athlete an unfair advantage or not.
9. Of all its proprietary products, 7-Eleven sells more fresh-brewed coffee than anything else –1 million cups each day. That’s more than 10,000 pots of coffee an hour every hour of every day of the year. Starbucks’ sales totals are even more staggering. While Starbucks no longer releases its sales information to the public, it is estimated that it sells over 4 million coffee drinks per day.
10. Coffee can be good for you! coffee can increase the effectiveness of pain killers, reduce headaches and can help fight asthma, possibly due to the enhanced adrenal effect from the caffeine. coffee may reduce the risk for some cancers and Parkinson’s disease. Recent studies have shown that caffeine reduces the incidence of diabetes by 54% for men and 30% for women. Lastly, coffee’s stimulant effects and fat burning potential has some in the medical field pushing it as a means of lowering the incidence of heart disease.
Coffee is a truly amazing beverage with a long history and a worldwide following. These 10 facts represent only a very small portion of the information related to coffee which touches every conceivable aspect of life – history, culture, health, wealth, business, enjoyment and more. No wonder coffee inspires the awe and fascination that it does!
