I Have to Ask - Is This a Problem?

Truth be told, I've got this little addiction, and I'm not even sure if it is an addiction, and even if it is, I'm pretty sure it's not a problem. But it's one of those lingering questions.

It's the 2nd week of summer vacation - no wait, the 3rd week - and I've got a delicious crutch. I really didn't come up with this crutch on my own. I wouldn't have found it at all if it weren't for a Target checkout coupon; a real zinger - buy one get one free, Starbucks Frappuccinos. I'm deeply in lust with iced coffees and frappuccinos, and I've learned that my boys like them too - without the coffee. It sounds sacrilegious until you consider the 'buy one get one free', and then I'm sure you'll come around to sharing with the kiddos too. The thing I do realize about Starbucks coffee - it's way stronger than what I make at home. The drinks probably have 10x more sugar and caffeine than what I normally drink. Not to mention the whipped cream, which of course I would never have at home, but never turn down at Starbucks. When you are paying $4 for a small coffee, what kind of crazy person tells them to leave out the good stuff? I'm sorry, a "skinny coffee"? Not even in my vocabulary. Suffice it to say, after I drink a frappuccino, I am flying high. I could tackle anything. I could clean the bathrooms, wash the floor, give haircuts and a piano lesson, take a trip to Costco, weed the yard, and have dinner with the in-laws; all in succession. This coupon was a sweet find, especially since we get a new one every time we check out at Target.

So, I've used these coupons a few times. It was about the 3rd or 4th time around when I noticed I might have a little problem, but who's counting. I hadn't had lunch yet when we took our little jaunt to Target. Now, I am not a person who skips meals these days. I might have a light meal, but I'll always make up every meal by the end of the day, even if I have to eat my lunch in peace at midnight. So I dragged my son over to Target to pick up something, and I had one of these coupons (yeah, that's probably the real reason we went). I polished off about half of the frappuccino, we checked out and I knew I shouldn't finish it because I was getting a buzz. But I couldn't bear to throw away the remaining dregs so I stuck it into the refrigerator when we got home. I was so full of energy, I could easily get in a workout. I was lifting weights and spinning on the elliptical with some seriously unusual gusto. It wasn't until a couple hours later that I realized I hadn't had any lunch. Nothing. That frappuccino had been my meal. Yikes. And the really scary thing is, the next morning when I woke up, the first thing I thought about was that remaining swig of frappuccino left in the refrigerator. It was really good - even the next day - is that disgusting?

I started thinking this thing I have going with frappuccinos isn't a problem if I can make them at home, a little weaker and a tad healthier, so I found a couple recipes. And if I share great recipes and everyone else is drinking them too, I'm double-sure it's not a problem. A little disclaimer about my recipes in general - I like simplicity. I want something easy and fast, so there aren't any fancy ingredients or time consuming steps. (Unless you count waiting for coffee to chill, but I can do that while I do 513 other things.) So, if you have some favorite kitchenista ingredients, by all means use them!

First, you need cold coffee. This is made strong and sweetened, then refrigerated for a few hours. I keep a metal thermos in the door, so I can whip up an iced coffee in the afternoon.
COFFEE: Make double-strength coffee by brewing with twice the coffee required by your coffee maker: That should be 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per each cup of coffee. Stir in 1T brown sugar per cup while coffee is hot. Chill well before using.

Frappuccino Recipe
(makes 2 tall drinks)

3/4 cup sweetened double-strength cold coffee
1 cup milk
2T chocolate syrup
2 cups ice
To make drink, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until ice is crushed and drink is smooth. Pour into two 16-ounce glasses, and serve with a straw.

Iced Mocha Recipe
(bonus - no blender!)

3/4 cup milk (use 2% or add a splash of half & half to skim milk)
3/4 cup sweetened double-strength cold coffee
2T chocolate syrup
crushed ice

You can adjust the sugar and chocolate syrup to your taste...I hope you enjoy!