Featured Recipe...
Hi Michelle, I love your site, especially the free budgeting worksheets. Very helpful. One of the best ways I've found to remove a lot of wasteful spending from my budget is by making a serious effort to make my own coffee drinks. At $4+ each at a coffee shop, when I looked at where my money was going, I realized that an obscene amount was being put towards something I could do much cheaper for myself. I've come up with a stand-by recipe for an iced mocha that I think is pretty good. It's not a dinner meal recipe, but I thought I'd share it. It's inexpensive and does not require any fancy expensive espresso machinery, though I do recommend buying a coffee grinder and French press. I've had my French press and coffee grinder set for years, and that $30 total investment has saved me hundreds versus going out for coffee every day (for me, I'm saving $50+ a month). Enjoy!
Iced 'Mocha'
Makes 2
Heat 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Place 1 T. chocolate syrup (or more if you prefer) in the bottom of each of 2 tall glasses. Prepare strong coffee with the water and 5T coarse, fresh ground coffee, using a French press*. Let sit 4 mins., then press. Poor a small amount of the coffee into each glass, and use a long spoon to mix the syrup with the coffee until well blended. Add 1/4 c. of milk and plenty of ice to each glass. Pour remaining coffee over top and stir to combine. You may need to add more ice at the end. Serve immediately.
Try substituting other flavored syrups, such as vanilla or hazelnut, for the chocolate. They're inexpensive and available at many beverage stores, such as BevMo.
*A French press is $10-$20, available most general home stores, such as Walmart. And in my opinion, well worth the investment if you are a coffee fan. Use it with 100% arabica coffee, and its better than anything you can get at a coffee shop - at a fraction of the cost.
Submitted by Julia
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Yummy, Julia, I love mochas too, hot or cold! :o) We try to make our own coffee at home as often as possible...great for saving money. - Michelle
