Ahhh...  Summer. And nothing is better in summer than homemade lemonade.

To me, its all about the proportions. It can't be too sweet. It's not a soft drink meant to create sugar addictions in teens. And it can't be too sour. Something that grandma would have wanted to give misbehaving grand children.

In fact, this lemonade recipe comes from my time on my Cousin's Farm. Now these weren't young cousins, my own age, but were like my Aunt and Uncle in their upper 70's. These lazy summer days consisted of homemade BLT sandwiches (with everything coming straight from the farm) and homemade lemonade.

It was rural enough that most things were homemade in that it was easier to make something from scratch than to constantly go into town and buy a loaf, lettuce, tomatoes or lemonade.  It was about 20 miles - and half of that on dirt roads.

And even though the farm has been sold and time has marched on - this recipe remains the same.


Instructions:
I get an old glass 1/2 gallon milk container. The type they used to deliver to the door and that you now have to take back to the store. Mainly, because that's how it was served as a kid. Obviously, make sure it's clean.

Squeeze the Lemons. I suggest a machine.

Add the sugar to container. Add the lemon juice.

Fill the container to the top. Makes 2 quarts.



Ingredients:

Most people just don't get hot cocoa.  They think you buy powder in a container and add hot water. Yuk.
Have you ever looked at the ingredients on a typical "Just add water" Hot Cocoa Mix? Here, let me show you:

Nasty right?
So how do you make your own? First - your mix should just be cocoa, sugar, and vanilla. That's it. That way you add fresh, warm milk.
Now, what type of Cocoa Powder?  There are two basic types. Natural Cocoa Powder and Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder. For hot cocoa, you want the Dutch Processed (sometimes called "Dutched.")
What is Dutch Process? It's when they wash the cocoa with a (natural) alkaline solution to reduce the acidity. The rule of thumb is that you can use regular cocoa if your baking it with something that will temper the acidity for you - like baking soda. Otherwise, use Dutch process.
Obviously, Hot Cocoa has no Baking Soda. Or lemon. Or vinegar...  So use Dutch.
What brand? I'm partial to Valrhona or other high-end cocoa. They usually have more cocoa butter in them and a stronger, smoother, better flavor. I stay away from the lower end brands.
You can mix this up in advance and store it for at least a year. If not more. Just keep it in a cool dry place.

Instructions:
In a nutshell, it's 4 parts sugar to 3 parts cocoa. Mix and Store. The amounts in the ingredient list give you just over 3 cups mix.
Most people say that you should use vanilla sugar. Although easy to make (just drop a vanilla bean in two cups of sugar for a few weeks) - That adds two weeks to the time table. We take a short cut approach here. Just add the vanilla bean to the mix - and make sure you shake it around before using it.
To prepare the vanilla bean, slice the bean down the back to expose the really tiny seeds on the inside. scrape out the seeds and mix with the cocoa and sugar. Place the remainder of the whole bean in the cocoa mix as well.
Make sure you mix the seeds into the mix. The reason you need to mix it around is that cocoa is denser than sugar - and most of the vanilla flavor will be absorbed by the cocoa and sugar closest to the bean. Mixing it up helps to distribute the flavor.

Making A Mug: Add 2 heaping teaspoons to an empty mug. Then add enough boiling water to turn it into a syrup (about a tablespoon - think the consistency of maple syrup.) Add any Vanilla or Peppermint drops (see below) and top with warm milk and stir.
Everyone likes a different amount of cocoa mix to milk ratio - so you'll have to experiment to find out what makes you happy.

Ingredients:

During the American Civil War, Coffee was a scarcity. So the inventive folk in Nah'Leans cut it with roast Chicory to keep the same flavor and lower the cost.

This wasn't a new idea, the French have been serving Coffee and Chicory (actually the root from a Curly Endive - a lettuce found at high end markets) since the 17th century. As you well know, Louisiana is more French than English, so they copied the idea. After the war, they kept tradition, and still serve it this way.

Coffee and Chicory is a little tricky to brew.  Cold Brew, French Press or Drip are the best methods.  If served warm, it only has peak flavor for about 20 minutes, then the mellowness of the chicory can give way to a bitterness (like a woman, scorned.)  Brewed Cold, it tends to dance around the bitterness and develop a choclately smooth, smokey - but not bitter taste.

So that's the history of the iced coffee that greeted me when I ordered it at a little dive on Metarie Ave. in New Orleans.  The shop is long since gone, but the recipe (which they freely divulged) lives on.
Instructions: You'll need a 2 quart pitcher and a 1 quart sealable container (for the finished coffee concentrate)  You'll also need a portable coffee filter.  One of those that you can put a #4 paper filter in and just do a pour over.

Empty half the freshly opened can of coffee into the 2 quart pitcher.  Add the filtered water. When you only have two ingredients in this step - make sure they are both fresh.  Place in fridge overnight.  About 8-10 hours.  In the morning, strain the coffee through the filter and put it in the final container.  You probably need to filter it into a measuring cup or other container first.  I like to put it in an amber glass bottle - because it looks awesome. Snap on the top and you are ready to go.

Mix up anytime by adding 1 part coffee to 1 part milk (or soy, goat, almond, rice, flax, acorn, almond or mother's milk...) Sweeten to taste. Simple syrup is best because dissolving regular sugar in cold coffee is next to impossible.  Everything you need to make it is linked below.

Ingredients:

Hot Spiced Apple Cider is perfect for the Fall and the entire Holiday Season.  But finding the perfect recipe that's neither too strong or too sweet is a challenge.

This combination of apple cider, fresh citrus and dried spices is perfect to fill your home with