Papaya Smoothie

My current obsession for papaya seeds has left me with tons of papaya fruit with the middles scraped out. Its hot outside and I’ve got tons of fruit. What a predicament. I’m sure I can find something to do with it! Luckily, my blender tapped me on the shoulder to give me a quick hint. IT’S SMOOTHIE TIME!!

Papaya and Mango Smoothie

• 2 papayas
• 1 large mango
• 1 can of coconut milk
• lychees: optional

I know you don’t need directions, you just cut the fruit apart and mix it together! You can make it any ratio of fruit you want. I had a lot of papaya, so I was able to make a whole pitcher. I’ve been pouring it out and adding a bit of white wine or sugar water to thin it down a bit. One way or the other I’ve been having fun.

So this post isn’t a complete waste, here’s a video on how to cut a mango. You can skip to the 35 second mark to skip all the mango chef’s credentials. ENJOY!

Stretching A Dollar Into A Pitcher: Fresh Squeezed Limeade

Fact: few things are as delicious and refreshing on a warm afternoon then freshly squeezed fruit juice. To celebrate the thermometer finally surging into the 70s, Ira decided to pull out the citrus reamer and make an ice cold pitcher to sip on our stoop.

Our neighborhood bodegas usually limes for 10 cents a piece, so we were able to whip this delicious drink up for only $1.00. Now that’s making the most of a dollar!

Freshly Squeezed Limeade

• 10 limes, juiced
• 2 c. sugar
• 8 c. water
• ice

Squeeze limes. We have this handy dandy 2:1 lemon and lime squeezer which is awesome and easy to use. A wooden reamer works great too, but if you don’t have any of these just use a fork.

Add sugar. This drink has ALOT of sugar, but who cares about our teeth on a day like today. We just want to drink a delicious beverage. So don’t worry about it, and just mix that shit in.

Add ice and water. Stir it up. Keep adding water until the taste is just the way you like it.

Drink up and taste the summer. Now that’s crescent fresh!

Warm Drinks In Review

When I got home from work, I really wanted a hot cocoa. I looked back to the hot cocoa post I wrote in November and had to laugh.

Perhaps this blog is too young to be “rerunning” posts, but I don’t feel that hardcore anymore, so lets have all these drinks together in one easy to read form.

Three Hot Drinks To Warm Your Toes and Cloud Your Brain

A Cure I Can Handle: Hot Toddy

I woke up this morning with a sore throat. Its cold outside and I feel crappy. There’s only one thing which help me now. I need a hot toddy!

This drink has it all, the comfort of hot steamy tea, the curative numbing power of whiskey, set off with the tart lemon which goes down smooth as can be thanks to the sweet honey. This drink coats your throat, warms your tummy and takes away all your aches and pains. What are we waiting for?

Hot Toddy

• 1 cup of tea (whatever kind you prefer)
• whiskey
• 1-2 slices of lemon
• 1-2 Tbs honey

Make a pot of tea. I always make a pot because one toddy is never enough. You can make your tea if one is enough. Because this was early afternoon, I used a black tea for the caffeine. Before bed, I always go for an herbal tea like chamomile.

Fill your mug 2/3 the way full with tea. You have to save room for the whiskey!

Add 1 shot of whiskey. You can add more or less depending on your preference for strength. I usually err on the side of more is better.

Add honey. I add one Tbs, stir and taste. I never hesitate to add more if I need it.

Add lemon slices. Breathe in the lemony steam. If I wasn’t too stuffed up to smell, I know I would be enjoying this part the best.

Now drink up and feel better!

*Not a suggested drink before work.

Thaw Your Aching Bones With A Hot Buttery Rum

Its snowing buckets in Chicago tonight. It was a knuckle clencher riding home today. Yes, I am that crazy to ride my bike home through Chicago traffic on roads buried in snow. It would have taken me at least 2 hours to get home on the bus, where it only took an hour on my bike. Everyone was going so slow, I could weave in and out of traffic, fish tailing the whole way. When I finally got home, every muscle ached from the tension. What I needed was a nice hot stiff drink. Luckily, I had some Buttery Rum mix left over from our party. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Hot Buttery Rum Drink
enough for 8-10 mugs

• 1 c. butter
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 2 Tbs cream
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• Boiling water
• All the Rum you can handle

Cream butter and sugar together and mix in spices and cream. Boil water. Fill a mug 1/2 of the way with boiling water and top off with as much rum as you like. Add 2 generous tablespoons of the mixture and stir until melted. Drink up while its hot and relax those bones!

Thank You Axel, But I’ll Have A Sargent Pepper Instead

Apparently Dr. Pepper is such a huge fan of Guns N Roses, they announced they would give everyone in the world a free Dr. Pepper today with the release of the new GNR album Chinese Democracy which has been in the works since 1994. As of now, you have 18 more hours to log onto this site and sign up. If you get the link to work though, you’re doing better then me. With so many people around the world trying to celebrate this momentousness occasion with a free soda, Dr. Pepper’s servers are bogged down and I CAN’T GET MY COUPON!! Arghh.

So, whatever. I’m going to have a Sargent Pepper instead, which is way better because it tastes like Dr. Pepper but is made completely of alcohol. I’m sure Axel would approve.

On left: Dark Ale with 1/2 shot amaretto, 1/2 shot Southern Comfort, on right: Shot in Glass= Sargent Pepper

Seargent Pepper:

• Pint of Bass or another dark ale
• 1/2 shot of amaretto
• 1/2 shot of Southern Comfort, Yukon Jack or any other orange flavored whiske

Pour your 1/2 shots in one shot glass and then drop it boiler maker style into your pint of beer.

Drink up. I don’t advise drinking more then two of these. They get a little gross after a while.

Drink The Cold Away: Hot Cocoa With Peppermint Schnapps.

Hot Cocoa uploaded by Flickr User Theta Sigma

When I checked the temperature this morning, I immediately thought of all my friends who have recently moved to warmer climates. 16 degrees with a windchill of 6 degrees.
So, Leah and Greg, how’s California?

Really though, I don’t mind. Riding my bike the 6 miles to work this morning, I just thought, well this keeps us all hardcore. However, on days like this, there’s nothing better then a warm cup of hot cocoa when you come in from the cold. Here is my favorite recipe for a warm tummy.

Hot Cocoa with Peppermint Schnapps

• milk- any percent or skim
• cocoa powder
• powdered sugar
• peppermint schnapps

Heat up your milk either on burner on low or in microwave. Stir occasionally so you don’t scorch your milk. For each cup of milk, mix together 2 Tbs of cocoa powder and powdered sugar each. In a mug, pour a shot of peppermint schnapps and stir in cocoa and powdered sugar mix. When all the lumps are out, add milk and stir. Garnish with what ever fluffy fru frus you like. Drink up and feel the warmth of the hot drink and liqueur spread through your limbs. Yum.

The schnapps unfortunately makes this not so appropriate for work.