Lanny's Egg Nog

In addition to Lanny's Famous Five Cheese Lasagna, the Cooperstown Graduate Program also gave us the recipe for his killer Egg Nog!

I remember having one sip in Social History class and thinking, "Oh my God, am I drunk?"  This stuff is strong!!!  (At least if you go by what Lanny meant by "to taste" when dumping in the alcohol!)

Spa Water

A few years ago I was asked to speak at a conference in Palm Springs.  My hotel served a version of this water -- for free! -- in the lobby and out at the pool.  I had no clue what made it taste so fabulous.  Then our newspaper published a recipe for Spa Water that was in a local fundraising cookbook.

It couldn't be easier.  And it's a fantastic, refreshing summer drink!

Spa Water

1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
1 cucumber (I only use half)
pitcher of water

Slice the fruit and cucumber and put it in a pitcher filled with fresh water.  You can continuously refill the pitcher using the same fruit for up to a week.  If the fruit sits in the same water for more than a day, it can get a bit strong.  At that point I usually use it as a "concentrate" -- adjust the proportion of fresh water in your glass to your taste.

Kim's Cafe Mocha

This quick and easy drink is a great mid-afternoon treat or dessert!  I like mine pretty sweet, so you might want to reduce the sugar when you make it.

Kim's Cafe Mocha

1/2 cup coffee (I use the small setting on my Melitta pod maker)

1 cup warm milk (I microwave it for 1 minute)

1 packet hot cocoa mix

2 tsp sugar

whipped cream (you can't beat Redi-Wip!)
optional: chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles, etc. for garnish on top

Pour hot cocoa mix into your cup.  Add hot coffee and milk.  Stir well.  Add sugar and top with whipped cream.

Espresso Frappe

This is from Giada De Laurentiis on food network.

I used instant espresso powder and the flavor was quite intense, but very tasty. My blender also had difficulty blending it to "smooth," which made it a lot more effort than I anticipated.



Ingredients

* 3 cups milk
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 2 shots espresso, chilled (or 1/2 cup instant espresso)
* 1/2 cup simple syrup, recipe follows
* Crumbled amaretti cookies (or biscotti), for garnish

Directions

Mix the milk and cream in a 9 by 13-inch glass baking pan and put it in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours. Every 30 minutes, scrape the ice that forms with a fork to create a soft, icy mixture. The icy mixture can be made 1 day ahead, stored in the freezer covered with plastic wrap.

In a blender, combine the icy milk-and-cream mixture with the espresso and simple syrup. Blend until smooth. Spoon into decorative serving glasses and top with the crumbled cookies.
Simple syrup:

* 1/2 cup water
* 1 cup sugar

In a saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up 1 month.

Yield: 1 cup

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour