Coffee Frappuccino

Coffee Frappuccino Recipe - Coffee house chains like Starbucks, Cafe Coffee day, Caribou Coffee haven't lost their popularity among coffee lovers yet. Taking a break from shopping or chilling out with friends in these coffee bars are quite common, but you'd still have to frequent it to satisfy your coffee buds.  These frothy drinks could be now prepared at home in a quick and easy way. See how to make Coffee frappuccino at home.

INGREDIENTS:

Espresso | Instant coffee powder- 3-4 tablespoons 

Thick Milk- 1/2 cup 

Sweetened Condensed milk- 1/4 cup

Sugar - as per taste (if necessary)

Ice cubes- 6-8 cubes

*Vanilla ice cream- 2 scoops (optional)

PROCEDURE:

• Prepare strong espresso or use Instant coffee powder 3-4 tablespoons dissolved in 1 cup of hot water to make strong coffee. Allow to cool the coffee inside refrigerator once it reaches room temperature.
• In a blender jar add ice cubes, chilled espresso, condensed milk and milk. Add vanilla ice cream if you prefer a rich and creamy consistency.
• Blend well in a blender till frothy.
• Serve in glasses topped with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate or caramel syrup or dust some coffee powder on top.
• Note: You could replace milk with soya milk or almond milk to make healthy version of the frappuccino.

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Grape Squash

Grape Squash is a quick to make preserved fruit based syrup which could be diluted with water before consumption.This squash, could be used with other cocktail preparations too. Ona hot summer days it comes handy, when all you need to do is just dilute the syrup with water and drink. It is generally consumed with one part syrup with four to five parts water.

Here I have used red grapes of a bigger size variety to make this syrup. So the colour was not that deep. If you use black grapes you will get a much deeper colour. I have prepared squash during my under graduation days for the Home Science project. I made Pineapple Squash at that time and it tasted really yum. I forget about it for a while, and when preparing this recipe, it came to my mind that I have prepared this years before.

Grape is a fruiting berry eaten as fresh (table grapes- large, seedless fruit with thin skin)or used for wine making (smaller, usually seeded, and have thick skins), juice, jam, jelly, raisins, vinegar, grape seed oil..etc. The colour of the grape fruit varies from crimson, black, dark blue, yellow, green, orange, and pink.

INGREDIENTS:
Grapes- 1 Kg
Sugar- 1 and 1/2 cups
Water- 1 and 1/2 cups
Lemon juice- 1 small
Water|Soda and Ice cubes- to dilute and serve

PROCEDURE:

• Remove the stem and wash the grapes thoroughly.
• Add the sugar and water and turn on the heat.
• Allow to boil the mixture till the grapes become soft and the colour of the syrup becomes red for about 20-30 minutes.
• Now squeeze the lemon juice and mix well and switch off the flame.
• Once the mixture cools down, transfer the ingredients to a blender jar and blitz twice (do not crush the seeds)
• Pass through a sieve and collect the syrup by pressing the pulp well. If you store in room temp add 1/2 teaspoon of sodium benzoate|sorbate instead of lemon.
• For small quantity you can refrigerate and use it. Dilute with water and add ice cubes and consume whenever you wish.

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The Espresso Story with French Press

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. The taste and aroma of the coffee is beyond words. I am a coffee lover the aroma just mesmerize me whenever i get the flavour. I stop and enjoy the flavour of coffee whenever i cross a coffee chop. Even i smell the brewed coffee grounds before i discard it. I like my coffee slightly bitter and mildly sweetened. Creating great coffee is an art that takes time and skill to perfect.

People are always in a hurry. For many office goers, waiting five minutes for coffee to brew is too long. We are currently experiencing a new wave of innovation as the electronics is catching up with coffee machines. There are fully automated, push button espresso machines which grind and make a fresh shot or cup in one touch.

They do a better job than poorly trained people, but not as good as the best trained baristas. The current espresso-making technique was developed in Italy, where espresso is cheap and regarded as the equivalent of take-out coffee.

Espresso as we know it is coffee brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Espresso is generally thicker than coffee brewed by other methods. Espresso is also the base for other drinks such as a caffè latte, cappuccino, etc.,

Espresso has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages, but because the usual serving size is much smaller, the total caffeine content is less than a mug of standard brewed coffee, contrary to a common belief.

The French press, is a cylinder-shaped beaker in glass, with a plunger. The piston of the plunger is of mesh, allowing fluid to flow through it but not coffee grounds.

The French press, also called the cafetiere (or) coffee press (or) coffee plunger.

Coffee brewing in general is in three steps: wet, dissipate & diffuse
The first step is wetting, it is fully saturating the coffee grounds.
The second step, dissipation, is all about dissolving the solids that will make up the coffee-part of our beverage with our solvent, hot water.
The final step diffusion, is the movement of that coffee-water concentrate out of the grounds into the liquid.

• Measure and grind the coffee seeds to medium coarse texture; make sure you use very dark beans or espresso beans for the process. Ideally the proportion is between 60-75 grams of coffee seeds for a liter of water.

• Get water to boil around 195 degrees in a kettle on the stove. Rinse the french press with boiling hot water and discard it.
• Now add the freshly ground coffee powder.

• Pour about half of your hot water evenly over the grounds. This step is called the bloom. Give the coffee and water mix with a spoon if desired and wait for 30 seconds.(i skip this step quite often and pour the whole lot of water and allow to steep)

• Now pour the remaining half of your hot water over the coffee. Place the lid on your French press with the plunger pulled all the way up.

• Allow to steep and brew for a good 4 to 6 minutes to get the most out of the unique qualities of the French press. If you prefer your espresso stronger, let it steep for longer.
• Once the brewing is done, plunge gently. If you find the plunger getting tight, back it up an inch or two and resume plunging slowly but steadily. You're done!

• Transfer the mix right after plunging. Viola espresso brewing made simple.
• Add sweetener if desired and serve!!!
• Or else add milk and milk foam to make caffè latte, cappuccino..etc and enjoy the creamy coffee delicacies!!!

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Sapota Milkshake| Chikoo Milkshake

Sapota Milkshake| Chikoo Milkshake| Chikku milkshake- Sapota is in season now and we get fresh sapota in hypermarkets nowadays. I bought huge lot and made this Milk shake immediately. It has been ages since, I had sapota, must have been around 10 years &  I relished it. It is a simple tasty creamy milkshake without any ice cream. Love this healthy fruity tasty filling milkshake.
Sapota has a unique taste, flavour and the soft creamy texture to it and I find it yummy. Try this toothsome shake I am pretty sure you are going to love it!

Sapota Milk Shake 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Eliza Lincy
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Beverages

Yields: 2 glasses

Ingredients

• Sapota| Chikoo- 4 nos
  Chilled Milk- 1 and 1/2 cup (I used low fat)
  Honey|Sugar- 2 teaspoons (to taste)

Instructions

• Boil the milk and allow to chill inside the fridge. You could pour some milk in ice trays and freeze it add it in the milk shake instead of ice cubes too.
• Scoop out the flesh from sapota using a spoon and add inside the blender jar. Add the honey and chilled milk together inside the blender jar and close the lid tightly.

• Blend well to make a smooth frothy shake.

• Serve chilled with added ice cubes.

Notes

• For variation you could add some cocoa powder while making or drizzle chocolate syrup while serving.

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Rose Falooda

Rose Falooda is a tasty quick to make filling summer drink especially for the summer. Perfect for any occasions like parties or gatherings quick to make and a delightful drink. Last week I had prepared and shared Mango Falooda recipe with you. Last year when it was the strawberry season we had the strawberry falooda. Here comes the Rose falooda nowadays rose syrup is available in every mall and supermarket so you could buy and prepare this yummy drink. Or make the rose sugar syrup by adding the rose essence or rose water and red food colour.

Rose Falooda

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Eliza Lincy
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Beverages

Yields: 1 tall glass

Ingredients

• Rose syrup- 2 tablespoons
  Milk, boiled and chilled- 1 cup
  Vermicelli- 1/4 pack from 400 gm pack
  Sabja| basil seeds- 1-2 teaspoon
  Ice cream- vanilla flavour

Instructions

• Boil the milk; once it starts to boil reduce the flame and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Then switch off and allow to cool; once it reaches the room temperature transfer on to a jug and allow to cool.
• Take 3 cups of water and boil inside a deep pan. Once it starts to boil add the vermicelli and allow to cook till soft.
• Now drain the excess water and allow to cool.
• Soak the sabja seeds in half a cup of water for 10 minutes and drain the excess water.
• To assemble in a glass add the rose syrup in a tall glass and then add the cooked vermicelli and pour the milk over it. Mix it with spoon if you like at this stage.
• Add the soaked sabja seeds on top of falooda and top it with a scoop of vanilla icecream.

Notes

• You could prepare this drink another way by adding sugar and red food colour while boiling the milk and then adding the rose water or essence once the milk cools down and then follow the above steps.
• You could boil some water and add some gelatine and rose syrup and set set it inside the freezer for some time and cut the jelly and add with this yummy falooda.

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Mango Falooda

Mango Falooda is a tasty summer beverage prepared with mango puree, milk and with some vermicelli topped with ice cream. Perfectly suits this mango season and also for the hot summer. Quick to prepare rich mango drink in a jiffy!It acts as a thirst quencher as well as fills the stomach. Once you prepare the ingredients in huge quantity you can prepare the Falooda drink in various flavours like Strawberry, Rose, Pistachio..etc or flavour or fruit of your choice.
Check my other easy to prepare Summer Cool Drink Recipes too.

Mango Falooda

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Eliza Lincy
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Beverages

Yields: 1 tall glass

Ingredients

Mango - 1 cup+ 1/2 cup, chopped
Sugar- 1+1 tablespoon
Milk, boiled and chilled- 1 cup
Vermicelli- 1/4 pack from 400gm pack
Sabja seeds- 1 teaspoon
Ice cream- Vanilla | Mango flavour

Instructions

• Boil the milk with sugar and reduce the flame and allow to reduce for 10 minutes once it boils.Transfer the milk into a glass and allow to chill.
• Take three cups of water and boil inside a pan. Once it reaches rolling hot add the vermicelli and allow to cook till soft.
• Drain the water and rinse it water and set aside in a bowl.
• Soak a teaspoon of sabja seeds in half a cup of water for 10 minutes. Drain the water and set aside.
• Take a cup of mango and add a tablespoon of sugar and puree it in a blender.
• To assemble in a tall glass, add a layer of mango puree and then with cooked vermicelli then pour the chilled milk over it till it submerge.
• Then top it with soaked sabja seeds and chopped mango pieces.
• If it is a medium sized glass top it with ice cream and finish the layer.
• Or else repeat the layering once more. I have done twice for my big tall glass.

Notes

• You could use mango fresh or frozen chunks or pulps for this recipe. Check whether it is already sweetened or not, If it is sweetened skip the sugar.
• Adjust the measurements according to your taste.
• Adding some chopped nuts, cherries adds texture and visual appearance to the drink.

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Orange Cream Mocktail

Orange Cream Mocktail| Orange Cream Shake is a tasty drink that perfectly suits this summer. Out here summer has been scathing with the heat waves and one cannot tolerate the sun's wrath. The schools shut their doors a bit earlier to safe guard the kids before the actual announced holiday dates. Entering a long parked car at noon time one feels like jumping into a campfire. You just cannot touch the steering wheel nor the breaks. One more day to go to finish this ordeal, so feeling a bit happy to enjoy the summer holidays at home by sleeping extra time in the morning and having nice food.

I think no one hated oranges like me in child hood. But now it is one of my favorite,  might be partly because of the place i stay. My native is such a cool place so rarely we buy oranges or any citrus fruits. I do not like oranges and even detested the cream biscuits with the orange flavour. In short I felt like I was allergic to oranges. Now every thing got changed once I entered Muscat. Now I like oranges and the flavour also started loving it. So the people who love oranges can check the orange based recipes here.

Orange Cream Mock tail

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

0 mins

Total time

5 mins

Author: Eliza Lincy
Cuisine: American
Category: Beverages

Yields: 1 tall glass

Ingredients

• Oranges- 2
  Orange zest- 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
  Ice cream- 1/2 cup (or) use cream with a teaspoons of sugar
  Milk- 1/2 cup
  Honey| sugar- 2 teaspoon
  Ice cubes- 1/4 cup
  Cinnamon powder- 1/2 teaspoon
  Mint leaves- few (to garnish)

Instructions

• Grate the orange zest if you wish to use. 
• Cut and juice the oranges; set aside. You could use orange syrup if you have for this drink. 
• In a blender jar add the orange juice, orange zest, ice cream or cream with some sugar, milk, honey and ice cubes. 
• Blend on high speed till frothy. Check the sweetness and add if required. 
• Transfer on a tall glass and top it with whipped cream if you wish. 
• Add the cinnamon powder on top of the drink with a strainer. 
• Garnish with some mint leaves and twisted orange peel.. 
• Serve chilled.

Notes

* You could use orange syrup for this recipe.
**You could use condensed milk instead of ice cream , as it is sweetened do not add honey or sugar for the drink.
***Keep the drink chilled as the citrus tend to curdle the milk.Serve immediately

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Gooseberry Lemonade| Amla Lemonade

Nellikkai Juice| Amla Lemonade| Amla Juice - Gooseberry is rich in Iron and Vitamin-C. Amla's health benefits which includes; Good for hair growth and hair health, good for eyes and bones. Useful  in the treatment of menstrual cramps. It has anti aging properties, remedy for diarrhea, protects body against heart diseases and infections. I have shared other gooseberry recipes like Gooseberry rice, Gooseberry rasam, Gooseberry pachadi, Gooseberry pickle in blog earlier. This is a healthy tasty thirst quencher for this hot summer. The tartness of the gooseberry is slightly neutralized by the lemon and tastes nice.

I bought these gooseberries around two weeks before and kept inside the fridge same time got fever and could not prepare anything. This week when i look into that some got brown patches so i discarded that and i prepared using the good ones.

INGREDIENTS:

Gooseberry| Amla- 5-6

Ginger- 1/2 inch (optional)

Lemon-1 small
Water- 2-3 cups

Honey| sugar - 2 tablespoons

Mint leaves- few springs

PROCEDURE:

• Using knife cut the gooseberry in to pieces and remove the seed (or) slightly crush to remove the seed.
• Add the cut pieces inside the blender jar and add ginger with this and blend to make a smooth paste. Add half a cup of water and grind well.
• Pass the ground mixture through strainer and squeeze well.
• Add two cups of water and the honey| sugar; mix well. Squeeze some mint leaves with hand or pestle and mortar; add and serve chilled with added ice cubes.

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