Cheap & Tasty Holiday Brew

Hi my favorite readers! It's that time of year when thoughts of pumpkins, spices and all good nices come to mind. It's also the time when food manufacturers bomboard our marketplace shelves with a variety of tasty goodies. One of those goodies is pumpkin spice coffee and beverages. Instead of spending big bucks on any of these manufactured brews....make your own. It's cheap, easy and oh..so tasty.

When preparing your morning coffee brew, or espresso, place a pinch of spices on the top of the coffee. Cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg – these are the traditional holiday spices. Use any variety of spices to please your palate. Make certain to use less amounts of ginger, cloves and nutmeg since they are much more powerful than the cinnamon. I find using more cinnamon always works out best. You may find otherwise.

Simply brew your coffee as usual. The smell of coffee is always appealing. Adding the spices will add an additional pleasant aroma to the surrounding air. Who doesn't like that?

Go for it. Have fun and explore! Not only will your taste buds thank you, your pocketbook will be smiling. :)

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Naturally Decreasing Coffee's Acidity

There are a variety of coffees available that are labeled as “Low Acidity”. However, did you know that you can easily make your own? The answer comes from the herb world.

Peppermint, or any variety of mint, provides a natural acidity attacker. Either add some dried peppermint leaves to your coffee grounds. Or, pick some fresh mint and add the leaves before brewing your coffee. The amount of mint depends upon your taste. A small amount, the equivalent of three leaves, will not noticeably affect coffee's taste. Of course, a larger amount will provide a minty taste to your coffee.

In fact, mint-flavored coffee is very popular around the holidays. Instead of buying commercially-prepared varieties where you're really not certain what goes into the coffee....make your own.

Store your dried mint in a glass jar. Place a dated label on the jar. This helps prevent confusion once you acquire a variety of herbs. (Herbs have a tendency to look the same when dried.) Keep the jar in your kitchen cupboard.

If growing your mint, well...I'm sure you know how to grow it. Just pick off some fresh leaves, rinse them and use them. You can the leaves whole, chopped or broken apart. The decision is yours.

Make certain to take a good whiff of the mint prior to using it. :) It smells fantastic!

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Another Way to use Peppermint

Peppermint provides us with a variety of ways to enjoy it. It is soothing, tasty, and versatile. One way to enjoy it is as a coffee flavoring.

Go to your local grocery and buy bulk peppermint leaves. Not only does it smell delicious, but it tastes just as good. Store the leaves in a glass jar, away from heat.

Peppermint is traditionally known to help with digestion. Using it as a coffee flavoring helps decrease the coffee's acidic effect upon the stomach - it works wonders in my case.

Peppermint Coffee
(makes 24 ounces, 4 servings)

4 heaping tablespoons ground coffee
1 teaspoon peppermint leaves
24 ounces of cold water

Place into coffeemaker and brew until done. Serve with milk, if desired.