TheKitchenCookie

Who likes a great strawberry lemonade? (raises hand) Who thinks boiling water and sugar for a simple syrup is a waste of time? (raises both hands) I've been trying to use up the frozen berries in my freezers and found some crushed strawberries from a while ago and decided to make a kind of Copycat Speckled Lemonade like the kids always get at Red Robin. It's super easy. Super yummy. And takes almost no time to make. For 2 gallons of lemonade place 3 pints of thawed, crushed berries into a high speed blender (I used a Ninja) and blend until smooth. Using the Country Time Lemonade mix, measure according to directions adding 2 extra scoops per gallon. Fill half full with water. Stir. Divide the blended berries among the two gallon containers then fill completely with water. Stir and enjoy. ♥♥♥ Be Blessed! 

  It's a beautiful snowy day outside and a laid back, cozy day inside today. Perfect for Hot Chocolate but I wasn't in the mood for the mix with all the artificial things in it so I concocted my own version with better choices. It was rich and yummy!   ½ cup heavy cream 1½ cups water 2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract Stevia, to taste Dash of Cinnamon Whipped Cream, for topping   In a small saucepan combine all the ingredients except the Whipped Cream. Heat till scalding. Pour into two cups and serve with a dollop of Whipped Cream and Cinnamon.   ♥                                                     ...

    Because I'm thankful for all of you and I love your 'visits' and because it's my Birthday month (44 if you're wondering) and because giving things makes me smile I'd love to share some favorite things with someone. ☺ (dark chocolate truffles and one of my current favorite books a mug and a French Press)   So leave a comment to let me know you were here and share if you'd like. And I'll enter your name for the giveaway! Giveaway open till December 2.   And be sure to check out the lattes if straight coffee is not something you enjoy.   The French Press can also be used with tea bags. I love mine!     White Mocha Mint       White Chocolate Caramel Macchiato       Chocolate Mocha Latte with Peppermint Cream     White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Latte    Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful, blessing filled Thanksgiving!   ♥♥...

  Because some mornings just simply need something more than granola or a smoothie.   Here is an alternative that will give you the comfort (or the kick in the pants) you need to get going on a Monday morning. :)   12 oz. farm fresh whole milk 2 oz. white chocolate chips 1 Sm. York mint patty 1 tube Nescafe Memento (Mocha flavored) Heavy Cream Vanilla extract   Heat the milk, chips, and the mint patty over medium heat until the chocolate is melted and the milk is piping hot. Don't boil! Pour into a favorite cup and top with Vanilla whip and enjoy!                                                                 ...

There's a difference in the air out there. Cool mornings, gorgeous warm days with beautiful blue skies and amazing sunsets in the evening.   Fall weather! and   I couldn't be more excited! It's invigorating to say the least.   The beginning part of this week was used filling an order for cheesecakes for a wedding. 18 of them. That translates into 54 lbs. of cream cheese and 16-20 lbs. of sugar!! It was a lot of fun but I was ready to do something out of the kitchen after that. :)   These are two of 4 the kinds I made. The other two are not on the blog yet. They were a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and a Plain New York Style. Both delish!     White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl     White Chocolate Pumpkin   This one reminds me so much of My Mom's Pumpkin Custard Pie . Yum!!   And the cooler weather always makes me think of these. Roasted Mushroom Soup Creamy Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup with Ched...

I had 3 mangoes and a pile of lemons in my fridge drawer waiting for a purpose. I often drink lemon water but wasn't getting all of the lemons used lately. Today I happened to see them all in there again and decided it was time. Earlier last week I had thought about the fact that this combination with mint might be refreshing. And the tea bed out beside the house is in need of cutting. Not being in the tea brewing mood today though, I decided to use the quicker version and use the blender for everything instead. The end result was indeed refreshing and my resident taste testers enjoyed it. :) 2 cups (packed) Apple Mint tea leaves, washed 6 lemons, washed and quartered 3 mangoes, peeled and sliced 4 cups ice ½ cup sugar Stevia, to taste Place mint leaves into blender, cover with water and blend well. Pour through a very fine sieve. I used a paper towel in the finest sieve I had. Place lemon quarters into blender (in two batches) and cover ...

  I recently discovered Blueberry Lemonade at the local grocery store. I had to try it, of course, and discovered a refreshing delight. I figured it can't be that hard to make so I gave it a shot and set it before my taste testers. They approved  :) so I'm sharing it with you.   It looks more red than the bought stuff does but I suspect food coloring to have something to do with that and I opted not to use any.   15 lemons, sliced thin 4 cups blueberries ¼ cup sugar Stevia,  amount in personal preference 8 cups ice 20-24 cups water   Slice the lemons and place into a large kettle. Add the sugar and Stevia and with your hands squeeze the lemon slices and mix well till a syrup forms. Let set for about 15 minutes. Squeeze lemons again and remove fro the kettle. Remove seeds as well.   Blend the blueberries and push through a sieve. Discard pulp and add the liquid to the lemon juice.   Add ice and water. Add more S...

  So I thought I should fend of the chill in the air with a bit of decadence while I do puzzles and Christmas decorations. The Christmas music plays and the house is quiet. Serena is playing with her rather large horse imagining that she owns a stable full of horses. Sounds idyllic doesn't it?   Well, just for good measure I will also tell you that the living room is an obstacle course of boxes, tulle, and other decorations. I can't find the ornaments that I really want and I really should go shopping for some winter things for Serena but, you know, the crowds... well anyway I will do that eventually. For now I will finish a cup of this and do a bit of laundry and look again... in all the same places... for the elusive ornaments. S keeps asking what time it is because she has in her mind that she needs saddle soap and the local tack store opens at 10:00, or so I would imagine. She has this vision of cleaning up the barn where her real pony lives. I wouldn't dream...

Some time ago one of my sisters sent me a box of Starbucks Mocha Singles.      I don't drink a lot of coffee, especially not instant, but I was pretty sure if she likes them I would too! ☺ I discovered that they are perfect for this recipe that I'm about to share with you. I hope you enjoy it too!   3 cups milk ¼ cup Hershey's Chocolate Syrup 1 Starbucks Mocha Single   ½ cup heavy cream ½ cup marshmallow cream 1-2 drops peppermint extract crushed candy cane pieces   In a small saucepan combine the first three ingredients. Heat over medium heat until it is very steamy but not boiling. Stir it occasionally.   Meanwhile whip the heavy cream until it is firm. Add the marshmallow cream and whip or stir to combine. Stir in the peppermint extract and the candy cane pieces. Place a dollop on top of each cup of latte.     Serves 2.   It is a gorgeous Autumn day outside so I think Serena and I wil...

  Something to warm us up on those chilly Fall days when the sky just weeps.     I was not gonna do this today. But it keeps raining... and it's chilly... and, well never mind. I just needed a bit of reinforcement.    Sooo, I thought, why not?! It's warm, it's comforting,  and it will hit the spot!   I was right of course, it did indeed hit the spot after doing an errand in the rain. And it uses two of my favorite ingredients. White chocolate and a vanilla bean. So I knew I couldn't go wrong there. The only thing better would have been someone to share it with. ☺   2 cups milk ½ cup strong brewed coffee (Starbucks Vanilla flavored coffee) ½ cup white chocolate chips 1 vanilla bean (contents of)   In a small saucepan heat the milk, coffee, and chocolate chips over medium heat. Meanwhile cut vanilla bean in half and scrape out the contents of each half with a spoon. Add to the milk mixture...

    Perfect for a cool Autumn morning!       I don't pretend to know a lot about fancy coffee drinks because for one I almost never drink coffee. But with the cool weather here, hopefully to stay, and the fact that I had a calm, quiet morning that  didn't require rushing around, and because I had some pumpkin puree in the fridge, I decided it's time to concoct one. I love the way my taste buds did somersaults when I thought about the name alone. Yummy!   White Chocolate. Pumpkin. Spice. Latte. Vanilla. Whipped Cream. ahhh, you feel that?!   What you need: 1 cup milk ¾ cup strong brewed coffee 4 Tablespoons white chocolate chips 2 large Tablespoons Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie filling) ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice Heavy Whipping Cream Vanilla extract   Brew coffee. Whip the cream and vanilla extract. Set aside. In a small saucepan heat the milk, coffee, and pumpkin puree over medi...

Cool and Refreshing! The heat is amazing these last few days and calls for something cool and refreshing! I hosted a ladies brunch this morning and served this refreshing Citrus-y Mint Tea. I am told my husband's Grandmother served this tea quite a bit and it became her signature drink, so I thought I would give it a try. I had fun with the photo shoot as you can see ☺ but it really is too warm to work outside if there is nothing very pressing to do out there so I had plenty of time to play around with it. The blue hydrangeas and the calla lilies are favorites of mine too and were gifted to me a few years ago. Ingredients: 2 cups fresh mint leaves, packed 3 cups cold water Blend and put through a sieve. Discard the leaves then add: 2 cups sugar 2 (12 oz.each) frozen lemonade concentrate 2 (6 oz.each) frozen orange juice concentrate Add enough water and ice to make 2 gallon. This would make...