Drinks

Today's post deals with (of all things) drinks.

Now, I know there are bound to be a few people who wonder why someone would come up with recipes for drinks when you could simply get a glass of water, a can or bottle of soda (or other beverage), a cup of coffee or tea...there are plenty of things to drink.

But let's face it: if eating the same-old-same-old gets boring, wouldn't drinking the same-old-same-old gets boring, too? Of course!

To that end, here are six drinks to try, including Creamy Instant Iced Coffee, Peach Tea, and Slow-Cooker Hot Chocolate. Enjoy!

ICED VANILLA CHAI TEA LATTE

This is from Weight Watchers, and begins, "Oftentimes, when you get chai tea or a chai latte at a coffee shop, it is cloyingly sweet. This version goes easy on the sugar (or in this case, honey) while still providing enough sweetness to taste great. If you prefer a vegan version, swap out the honey in favor of agave nectar, maple syrup, or brown sugar. We steep a concentrated tea mixture using 2 tea bags for 1 serving so that the flavor doesn’t get diluted with the almond milk; look for a decaffeinated option if that would be too much caffeine for you."

Prep Time: 4 minutes; Cook Time: 1 minute; Total Time: 10 minutes; Serves: 1; Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1/2 cup water

2 tea bags, chai-variety

1 tsp honey

3/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, microwave water on High until very hot, about 1 minute. Add tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags. Add honey to hot tea, stirring until it dissolves. Stir in almond milk and vanilla. Pour into a tall ice-filled glass.

Serving size: 1 1/4 cups (without ice)

BREWED ICED CAFE LATTE

This is from Folgers. Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: N/A; Makes 5 servings; Difficulty: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.folgerscoffee.com/recipes/drinks/brewed-iced-cafe-latte.

Ingredients

1/3 cup Folgers Classic Roast® Coffee OR 1/4 cup Folgers® Black Silk Coffee

2 cups Cold water

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

Ice cubes

Directions

Brew coffee in coffeemaker using 2 cups cold water.

Combine coffee and sweetened condensed milk in pitcher, stirring until blended.

Serve over ice.

CREAMY INSTANT ICED COFFEE

This is from Folgers. Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: N/A; Makes 5 servings; Difficulty: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.folgerscoffee.com/recipes/drinks/creamy-instant-iced-coffee.

Ingredients

1 (12 fl. oz.) can PET® Evaporated Milk chilled

2 tablespoons Folgers Classic Roast® Instant Coffee Crystals

1/3 cup sugar or to taste

Ice cubes

whipped cream

Directions

Combine evaporated milk, coffee crystals and sugar in blender container. Cover and process until coffee is dissolved.

Serve over ice. Top with whipped cream.

CREAMY VANILLA ICED COFFEE: Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to blender container.

CREAMY CINNAMON ICED COFFEE: Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon to blender container.

KEY LIME PIE MILKSHAKES

If you've ever visited or lived in Florida for any length of time, you've no doubt heard of Key Lime Pie. If you're fortunate, you've had a slice or two of the stuff. (If you're really fortunate, you've discovered a restaurant or two that serve great Key Lime Pie.)

One of the many pies sold in many Publix stores throughout Florida is Key Lime Pie. Like many other grocery stores throughout the country, Publix also offers recipes that can be made at home from ingredients found in store. This recipe is one of those, and is definitely worth the effort. (The most difficult part will be waiting the 30 minutes while the pie slices freeze and the ice cream thaws a little in the blender.)

While making this (and waiting that 30 minutes), you might want to listen to this 60 minutes special documentary about Jimmy Buffett.

This recipes makes 4 servings, and takes a total of 35 minutes (active time is 5 minutes).

To view this online, go to https://www.publix.com/recipe/key-lime-pie-milkshakes.

Ingredients

3 slices Bakery Key Lime Pie

4 cups vanilla ice cream

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup Key Lime juice

Graham crackers, for serving (optional)

8 tablespoons whipped topping, for serving

Lime for zest, for serving (optional)

Directions

Freeze pie 30 minutes (or until firm). Place ice cream in blender and let stand 30 minutes.

Add milk and lime juice to blender, then blend until smooth. Add pie slices to milkshake. Pulse 3–4 times until combined.

Crush graham crackers (if using). Divide shakes among serving glasses. Garnish with whipped topping, graham cracker crumbs, and lime zest (if desired). Serve.

SLOW-COOKER HOT CHOCOLATE

This comes from the Food Network, and begins, "Whip up a big batch of perfect hot chocolate for your favorite friends with this effortless slow-cooker recipe. We used semisweet chocolate for its richness and balanced sweetness. Keep the setting on warm while serving and set up the various toppings for the most festive make-your-own hot chocolate bar!"

Active Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes; Yield: 8 to 12 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/slow-cooker-hot-chocolate-9429283.

Ingredients

6 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Kosher salt

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (see Cook's Note)

Mini marshmallows, for topping

Whipped cream, for topping

Crushed candy canes, for topping

Salted caramel sauce, for topping

Directions

Special equipment: a 6-quart slow cooker

Add the milk, cream, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a 6-quart slow cooker. Whisk until combined and the cocoa is dissolved. Stir in the chopped chocolate.

Cover and cook on low, whisking every 30 minutes, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is hot, about 2 hours 30 minutes.

Ladle into mugs and top as desired with either some marshmallows or whipped cream sprinkled with crushed candy canes, or drizzled with caramel sauce.

Cook’s Note

We like to use chocolate bars for this, but you can substitute chocolate chips if you prefer.

PEACH TEA

This comes from Vallery Iomas in The New York Times cooking newsletter. Vallery wrote, "Sweetened with peaches, freshly puréed or from store-bought juice, this beverage tastes extra refreshing in warm weather. The fruit complements strongly brewed tea, and a little lemon juice further accentuates the peach flavor and helps balance the natural sweetness, which you can bolster with sugar if you’d like."

Yield: About 6 cups; Time: 15 minutes

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022399-peach-tea.

Ingredients

8 black tea bags, preferably Lipton

2 pounds ripe peaches (6 to 8), peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped, or 2 cups peach juice (see Tip)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed

1 cup ice, plus more for serving

Granulated sugar, if needed

Fresh peach slices, for serving

Ingredients

In a tea kettle or medium saucepan over high heat, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the tea bags. Allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.

While the tea steeps, purée the peaches, if using fresh fruit. Pulse in a food processor or blender until very smooth. You should have 2 cups.

Gently squeeze the concentrated tea from the bags and discard the bags. If using puréed peaches, pour the tea into the blender, add the lemon juice and purée until smooth. Transfer to a pitcher. If using peach juice, transfer the tea to a pitcher, and stir in the peach juice and lemon juice.

Add the ice to the pitcher, then taste. If it’s too sweet, add more lemon juice, a couple of teaspoons at a time. If it isn’t sweet enough, stir in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dissolved. Refrigerate until the tea is chilled throughout. Serve in a large glass filled with ice and garnished with peach slices.

Tip

Be sure to use peach juice that is 100 percent juice and has no added sugar, such as Ceres brand.