How to Make Knock off Latte's and more...

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CAFE MOCHA (Photo/Submitted)
PUMPKIN PIE LATE (Photo/Submitted)
FRAPPUCINO (Photo/Submitted)

February 6, 2013

How to Make Knock off Latte's and more...

Karen's Kitchen Karen Freeman The Daily Southerner Wed Feb 06, 2013, 03:10 PM EST

ROCKY MOUNT — One of my weaknesses is Starbuck's Grande latté with 3 packets of Splenda. However, I live in a small town, like Tarboro, that doesn't have a Starbucks and I'm a cheapskate and don't want to spend that kind of money on a regular basis. The answer to that is to learn to make your own. Obviously I am not the only one who has that I idea as I found recipes all over the internet. Many of the called for buying expensive equipment. If I have to do that, I might as well drive to Starbucks. So, these recipes don't require anything except blenders and pots. In a few cases they require a little patience. Find me on Facebook and let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Pie Latte

2 Cups Milk

2 Tbsp Canned Pumpkin Pie Mix

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Vanilla

1/2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 Cup Strong Coffee or Espresso

Mix the milk, pumpkin pie mix and sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly until hot. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, pumpkin pie spice. Transfer to a blender and blend on high or whisk until light and frothy. Divide into two large mugs. Add the hot coffee slowly, pouring down the sides of the mug. Add whipped cream and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice and enjoy!

Instant Coffee Indian Style

1 Tsp Instant Coffee

Sugar to taste, make a little on the sweet side

A few drops of water

3/4 cups of milk

Add 1 tsp of coffee per desired cup of coffee. Add desired sugar. Add drops of water to form a paste. This will form a dark brown gooey paste. Whip this paste, either by hand or with a small electric whisk, until it becomes light and foamy.

While whipping coffee, bring 3/4 cup of milk (per desired cup of coffee) to almost boiling. Once coffee is light colored and foamy, add to milk. Pour mixture back and forth from one mug to another until thoroughly mixed and slightly cooled.

If you do this in true Indian fashion, you will pour from a height of several meters. I don't recommend this as the milk should be almost boiling! Please be careful!

Foamy Cappuccino

1/2 Cup Milk (in a tall container)

1/2 Cup Coffee

Sugar to taste

Microwave safe glass

Blend milk for 30 seconds in a tall, preferably plastic, container using a stick blender. Pour the milk into the microwave safe glass, add the sugar and microwave on high for 1 minute. The milk will finish filling the glass. Slowly add the coffee, pouring down the side. Enjoy.

Café Mocha

1 cup brewed coffee

1 - 2 tablespoons homemade hot chocolate

half-and-half

whipped cream and cocoa sprinkles (optional)

1. In a small bowl, combine equal parts warm water and sweetened cocoa powder.

2. Stir until it forms a smooth syrup.

3. Pour 2 Tbsp. of the syrup into an 8 oz. cup.

4. Add a shot (1 oz.) of espresso or double-strength, dark-roasted coffee. (To brew double-strength coffee, use 4 Tbsp. of ground coffee for every 6 oz. of water.)

5. Fill the rest of your cup with steamed milk. (If you don't have a milk steamer, heat milk on the stove to between 140 and 160 degrees.)

6. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

Frappuccino

The first step you'll take to make Frappuccino at home is to brew your coffee. You'll need to use double the amount of coffee per serving. This will be about 2 rounded tablespoons of ground coffee per serving desired. The next step you'll take to make Frappuccino at home is to chill the coffee. This can take several hours but you can't use hot coffee for a Frappuccino. I usually put the coffee pot in the freezer for about thirty minutes, then take it out and leave it in the fridge for another hour or so.

Add the chilled coffee to a blender. For every 8 oz. of coffee, you'll need to add 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, 1/3 cup of milk and 3/4 cup of ice.

If you're adding flavored syrup, add about one tablespoon per eight ounces of coffee.

The final step is to blend all the ingredients until the ice has been completely crushed and you are left with a nice, smooth drink.

For an added twist top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Java Chip or Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino

1 Cup Milk (any kind you choose: Soy, Rice, Lowfat etc…)

1 Cup of Ice

1/2 Packet of the small box of INSTANT Chocolate Pudding

4 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips

Instant Coffee (your choice I like to use Taster’s Choice but any will do)

Whipping cream

Chocolate syrup

Double Chocolate Chip Frappe – Add the Milk, Ice Chocolate Chips and pudding to the blender and mix it until blended. (Optional: add about three tablespoons of half and half if you like in really creamy) Pour in a glass, add the whipping cream and top with the chocolate syrup.

Java chip Frappe: Do the same as above but add the instant coffee (individual serving) straight from the packet to the blender. Just the instant coffee grinds (not the coffee already made).

Hint: If it comes out too think just keep adding milk (by the tablespoons) until you get the consistency you desire.

Did You Know?

We are all familiar with the term, “Cup of Joe.” But many of us don’t know where it originated. It originally started in World War II when the American military name the G.I. Joes the big coffee drinkers in the nation. The first coffee shop was in Italy in 1683. The company has an annual growth of 25% since 1993. Currently there are 11,000 stores and there is long term growth planned for 30,000 more stores. There are actually five new stores opening every day. Starbucks serves around 40 million customers a week.

They offer health insurance to all their employees including the part-timers. The company is less than one-third the size of Pepsi and Coke. The company has $6.3 billion in annual sales. They have higher sales per square foot than McDonalds. A typical customer to Starbucks stops by 18 times a month! The company name came from the Starbuck Captain Ahab’s first mate on the ship in Herman Melville’s classic 1851 novel Moby Dick. The first store was opened in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market in 1971. It was set up by two local Seattle teachers and a writer and was called Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spices.

The company is so popular that Playboy magazine is working on a Women of Starbucks issue. Did you know that Starbucks is a non-political organization and does not support or engage in political or religious causes or activities? Allegations that Starbucks supports the Israeli government are false! It was thought that the Starbucks log represented Esther from the Old Testament. The Starbucks logo is based on a 16th century Norse woodcut a two tailed mermaid encircled by the stores original name.

The mermaid reflects the seafaring origins of the coffee traders of old. Starbucks uses its 2,500 employees at the company headquarters as taste-testers for the newest drinks. From 2000 to 2005, Starbucks tripled its U.S. store count from 2,700 to 7,500. Starbucks has decided to team up with SNL and will be uniting to sell the DVD to the public and it will be the only place you can buy this DVD set. It will be the first time that NBC Universal Television Distribution has created and marketed the exclusive release for any retailer.

(http://www.stumblerz.com/fun-facts-about-starbucks/)

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How to Make Knock off Latte's and more...
One of my weaknesses is Starbuck's Grande latté with 3 packets of Splenda. However, I live in a small town, like Tarboro, that doesn't have a Starbucks and I'm a cheapskate and don't want to spend that kind of money on a regular basis. The answer to that is to learn to make your own. Obviously I am not the only one who has that I idea as I found recipes all over the internet. Many of the called for buying expensive equipment. If I have to do that, I might as well drive to Starbucks. So, these recipes don't require anything except blenders and pots. In a few cases they require a little patience. Find me on Facebook and let me know what you think!

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