Hot Lemon and Honey

A hot drink on a cold winter day can comfort the body and warm the soul. This is one of our favorites. It's a great alternative to sugary hot cocoa. Remember that this is not a firm recipe; adjust it to your tastes!

3 cups water
3 inch cinnamon stick
up to 4 TB honey
1 whole lemon, washed to remove pesticides and wax (organic preferred)

Bring the water to a simmer in a medium-size saucepan. Remove it from the heat and add honey (begin with 2 TB and increase with your taste preference), and the cinnamon stick. Cut the lemon in half and ream the juice from both halves into the concoction. Drop in the reamed lemon halves, cover, and allow the entire mixture to steep. The heat will release the essential oils from the lemon skins. The longer the beverage steeps, the deeper the cinnamon taste will be. I usually allow it to steep for 10-20 minutes, but longer can be delicious too.

To serve, remove the lemon halves (squeezing out the liquid with the back of a spoon), cinnamon stick, and any stray pips. Taste for honey. Serve hot in cheery mugs.

Note: if you have a cold, replace the cinnamon stick with a one inch piece of ginger root cut into thin slices. It is warming to the throat and helps knock out that cold.

Pineapple Water

I'm not really sure where I learned to do this, but I do love it. It's a great alternative to flavored waters, non-sugar sweetners and soft drinks. It's light and delicious. You must have a fresh pineapple in order to make pineapple water. Consequently, it is a rare treat around here. This is also the ultimate in repurposing; pineapple water only uses the inedible portions: the core and outer rind.

Begin by scrubbing a whole, fresh pineapple. I literally take a vegetable brush to the pineapple under running water. Rinse it well and proceded to cut up the pineapple fruit for your serving dish.

The top portion of the pineapple will not be used this time. (Although it can be potted and rooted into a lovely houseplant! Check out Pinterest for that.) Reserve the core and outer rind of the pineapple in a two quart pitcher. Cover the whole thing completely with water. Cover the container and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

The next day, pour the water through a fine seive, into a clean pitcher. The beverage will have a wonderfully sweet fragrance and delicate taste, ready to serve. The pineapple core and rind can be discarded at this point or you can fill the pitcher again for another, sightly milder, batch of pineapple water.
Now, I am assuming that I don't need to mention that you should eat the fruit that was cut from the core! Enjoy it all!

Easy Apple Cider

So easy to make and so perfect for this weather! We've had this a lot around our house lately. (Recipe originally from allrecipes.com)

1 (64 oz) bottle apple cider

3 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon whole allspice

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1/3 cup brown sugar

Combine cider, sugar and cinnamon sticks in a crockpot or in a pan on the stove. Tie allspice and cloves in a piece of cheesecloth and add to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to keep warm.

And listen to the former barista on this one--top with whipped cream. Seriously, it tastes like apple pie!

Green Smoothie #1

This is a delicious and easy way to get those elusive green vegetables in the diet. Children especially love this drink by some of its nicknames: dinosaur drink, lizard juice, power boost...what name can you give it? Yes, it really does taste great!

1 cup sliced strawberries

2 cups apple juice

2 handfuls raw spinach leaves and stems

1 TB ground flax seed

Put all ingredients into the blender (I favor the vitamix) and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

This drink is also good without the ground flax seed; but it will be bubbly and full of air.

Another variation that we enjoy is to substitute blueberries for the strawberries. It will make a much darker drink, but equally delicious.

Try adding different juices, greens or fruit until you can find your perfect combination.