Juanita's Southern Ice Tea
Being a northerner, I didn't like Southern Ice Tea when I first
tried it. In the northwest, Oregon, we don't sweetened our ice
tea - but it seems to grow on you.  Now I crave it. Juanita's recipe
is so easy and is wonderful!

3 cups boiling water 
1 family-size tea bag or 3 regular-size tea bags 
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar or to taste 
5 cups cold water 
Ice cubes 
Pour boiling water over the tea bags; set aside 5 minutes. In a large
pitcher, add sugar and pour warm tea over sugar; stirring until sugar
is melted. Add 5 cups cold water and stir until well mixed. Cool and
serve in tall glasses over ice.

Yields 1/2 gallon. 
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Mayan Hot Chocolate

1 chile pepper, cut in half, seeds removed  (with gloves)
5 cups light cream or whole or nonfat milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 to 2 cinnamon sticks
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate or 3 tablets Mexican chocolate,
   cut into 1/4"pieces
2 tablespoons sugar or honey, or to taste
l tablespoon almonds or hazelnuts, ground extra fine
Whipped cream 

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat water to boiling;
add chile pepper.  Cook until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Remove
chile pepper; strain water and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cream or milk, vanilla
bean and cinnamon stick until bubbles appear around the edge. Reduce
heat to low; add chocolate and sugar or honey; whisk occasionally until
chocolate is melted and sugar dissolves. Turn off heat; remove vanilla
bean and cinnamon stick. Add chile-infused water, a little at a time,
tasting to make sure the flavor isn't too strong. If chocolate is too
thick, thin with a little more milk. 

Serve in small cups and offer ground almonds or hazelnuts and whipped
cream.

NOTE FROM JUDI:  Follow the recipe as presented and adjust according 
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Mexican Hot Chocolate

In central and southern Mexico, people commonly drink chocolate twice
a day year-round.  Having a layer of foam on hot chocolate is as
important today in Mexico as it was in ancient times. Mexicans believe
the spirit of the drink is in the foam. The chocolate is whipped
to a froth with a carved wooden utensil called a molinillo and served
in mugs.

6 cups milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 ounces unsweetened Mexican-style chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
Stick cinnamon (for optional garnish)

In a large saucepan, combine milk, sugar, chocolate, ground cinnamon,
and salt. Heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has melted
and the milk is very hot.  (Do not let the milk come to a boil.) 

Beat 2 eggs in a mixing bowl. Stir in one cup of the hot mixture
into the eggs, then return this mixture to the saucepan.
Cook 2 to 3 minutes more over low heat, still stirring. 

Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Beat with a molinillo or a rotary beater
until it is very frothy. Pour into mugs, garnish with cinnamon sticks,
and serve. Makes about

6 (8-ounce) servings.
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Old-Fashioned Lemonade
Just like Grandma used to make!

Juice of 6 lemons (1 cup) 
3/4 cup sugar or to taste 
4 cups cold water 
1 lemon, sliced 
Ice cubes 
In a large pitcher, combine lemon juice and sugar; stir to dissolve
sugar. Add water, lemon slices, and ice cubes; stir until well
blended. Serve in tall glasses over ice.

Variation: To make limeade, substitute fresh lime juice for lemon juice. 

Yields approximately 6 cups. 
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Peppermint Float Punch
This punch is always a hit at gatherings. It's like drinking a
peppermint float. I always make this punch a couple of times during
the Christmas holidays. I don't think that you can find an easier
punch recipe to make.

1 gallon vanilla ice cream, room temperature 
Peppermint extract to taste 
Green food coloring 
3 to 4 (liter-size) bottles 7-up 

To serve, mix ice cream with peppermint extract and green food
coloring in a punch bowl.  (Very carefully add peppermint extract. one
drop at a time - a little goes a long way.)
Add 7-Up to ice cream mixture. 

NOTE:  You can keep adding 7-Up to the punch if you need more volume
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Rhode Island Coffee Milk/Coffee Cabinet

Rhode Island may be a small state, the smallest state to be specific,
but it is the only place in the world where you can get Coffee Milk.
If you travel more than ten miles from the state border, no one will
know what you're talking about and will probably laugh at you.

2 tablespoons coffee-flavored syrup*
1 cup cold milk

* Autocrat Coffee Syrup is the preferred syrup in Rhode Island.

In a large glass, add chocolate syrup and milk; stir well. Taste and
add more coffe syrup to taste.

Makes 1 serving. 
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Blue Margarita

These margaritas are beautiful to look at as well as delicious!


1 teaspoon coarse salt
4 ounces tequilla
1 ounce Triple Sec
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 ounces blue Curacaco
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
2 1/4-inch slices star fruit for garnish
1 lime, cut into wedges

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Place tequilla, Triple Sec,
lime juice, blue Curacaco, and sugar in the shaker; shake hard for
30 seconds. Fill the prepared glasses with ice cubes. Strain the
margarita into the salt-rimmed margarita glasses. Garnish each
with a slice of star fruit or a lime wedge.

NOTE: To create a salt-rimmed glass, take a lemon or lime wedge and
rub the drinking surface of the glass so it is barely moist. Dip
the edge of the glass into coarse or Kosher salt.

Makes 2 serving. 
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Egg Nog Punch
Very good egg nog recipe for a large crowd during the holidays.

2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened 
4 cups hot coffee 
2 (liter-size) bottles 7-Up 
4 cups whiskey 
1 cup light rum 
4 cups commercial egg nog mix 
Ground nutmeg 
In a punch bowl, combine vanilla ice cream and coffee, blending
until ice cream is melted.  Add 7-Up, whiskey, rum, and egg nog mix;
stir until lightly blended. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
NOTE: More 7-Up may be added. 
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Lemon Drop Martini

This is a very sweet and lemony drink tht came into vogue during
the 1970s in California.  It is now a favorite drink of the West Coast.
Think of the lemon drop candies! After making and sampling many
different recipes, my husband and I declared this recipe our favorite.

1 1/2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Ice cubes
Superfine sugar for dipping
Twisted peel of lemon

Mix the vodka, Triple Sec, sugar, and lemon juice in a cocktail
shaker half-filled with ice; shake well (supposedly the cocktail is
to be shaken 40 times to make sure the sugar is well blended). Pour
strained liquor into sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnish with
a twisted peel of lemon.

NOTE: To create a sugar-rimmed glass, take a lemon wedge and rub the
drinking surface of the glass so it is barely moist. Dip the edge of
the glass into sugar.

Makes 1 serving. 
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Mint Julep
Mint Syrup: 
1 cup sugar 
1 cup water 
1 bunch fresh mint sprigs. 

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water. Boil for 5 minutes,
without stirring.  Pour over a handful of mint and gently crush the
mint with a spoon. Refrigerator syrup mixture overnight in a closed
jar. Remove mint leaves and continue to refrigerate. This syrup mixture
will keep for several weeks.

For Each Serving: 
Mint leaves 
Crushed ice 
2 tablespoons mint syrup 
2 tablespoons water 
3 ounces bourbon 

Crush a few mint leaves in the bottom of an 8-ounce glass; crush
mint with a spoon.  Then fill with glass with crushed ice. Add
mint syrup, water, and bourbon. Stir until glass is frosted. To
serve, garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.

Makes 8 servings
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Tom and Jerry Batter
This is a wonderful recipe. It is a Christmas tradition for my family. 

NOTE: I know that they say you shouldn't use raw eggs anymore! We
do and have for many, many years. Just be sure and purchase
"fresh" eggs to use for this wonderful drink.

6 eggs, separated and room temperature 
2 1/4 cups superfine sugar, divided 
Salt to taste 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 cup powdered milk 
Boiling water 
Rum, brandy, or whiskey 
Nutmeg 

In a small bowl, beat egg yolks until thick. In a large bowl,
beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/2 cup sugar slowly
into whites; fold into egg yolks.
Add 1 2/4 cups sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Gradually beat
in powdered milk. Store, covered, in the refrigerator, and use as needed. 

To serve, place 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into a cup or mug,
add boiling water and liquor (use either rum, brandy or whiskey);
stir until well blended. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
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