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Pick Your Own Elderberries and make juice
In the months of September to October the nature in Denmark is packed with many delicious fruits and berries, like apples, pears, elderberries, blueberries, raspberries and so on. This is not just Denmark, in the most of the world these kinds of fruits are picked at this time a year. We always take advantages of this great opportunity to make some delicious food from all these fresh ingredients.
See also: How to make delicious Elderflower Juice
We personally think it is a lot of fun to pick our own berries, and then we also have the opportunity to get the best quality ones. Picking your own fruit and berries is also something the kids tend to find funny. Therefore, it is a great opportunity for parents to teach kids about the forest, and the nature in general, and then later teach how to cook delicious food by ingredients found in it. That is a nice way to spend your Saturday!
See more: Recipe for homemade Rhubarb Juice
If you don't have the opportunities to pick these fruits in the nature by yourself it is possible to buy already picked berries from your local farmers’ market/greengrocers. The great thing about the wild berries is that they are normally not sprayed with any pesticides or other bad stuff. When that said, always pick those berries that aren't close to busy road or other polluting things. Remember to wash and clean the berries thoroughly.
Healthy Elderberry Juice
This recipe for elderberry juice is easy to make and it has a super delicious taste. The concentrated juice can be mixed with cold water in the ratio 1/3 and a couple of ice cubes. However, the juice can also be drink hot maybe with some rum - some people say that should keep the cold away. In general the elderberries are said to be very healthy and that they contain many good vitamins, and that is just a bonus to the great taste. You can serve this cold drink together with a piece of this delicious chocolate cake or some homemade chocolate chip cookies.
Elderberry Juice
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg elderberries (remove the largest twigs)
- 12 apples
- 1 liter water
- 800 g sugar
Instructions
- Wash and clean the elderberries thoroughly. Cut off and remove most of the branches and twigs. You can leave on the smallest ones.
- Wash the apples and remove the core. Slice them.
- Put the elderberries and the apples in a large saucepan and add all the water. Let it boil for about 30 minutes or until all the juice is extracted from the berries.
- Put a clean tea towel or similar inside a strainer. Place the strainer on top of another large saucepan or bowl. Pour the elderberry juice in the strainer and use a spoon to press the berries so that you get all the juice out of them. Let it sit until all the juice is passed through the tea towel and strainer.
- At medium heat, heat up the concentrated juice in a saucepan and add the sugar. Continue heating and stirring until all the sugar is dissolved.
- Clean some bottles in very hot water (preferred boiling water), and let them cool off. Pour the concentrated elderberry juice on to the bottles and close/seal them right after. This step is important if you want to make the juice last longer.
- Keep the juice refrigerated. You should be able to store it for quite some time. I believe when you have opened a bottle it will last for a couple of weeks.
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This recipe for a healthy banana and chocolate shake is the reason that you should always have a few bananas in your freezer. When we have some bananas that are starting to get a little soft and brown at the edges, we never throw them out like most people would do.
Read also: Recipe for Healthy Banana Pancakes
This recipe for a shake with bananas and chocolate is super delicious, it only consist of four different ingredients and it takes about 5 minutes to make!
Use frozen banans to make a healthy Banana shake
We just peal the ripe bananas, bag them in a plastic bag and freeze them so that they can be used at a later point - and by that saves some money from buying new ones. A frozen banana can be used for many different things like these healthy homemade banana pancakes - they are one of our most popular recipes.
Read more: How to Bag and Save Ripe Bananas
The frozen bananas gives the shake a nice, smooth and cold consistency and the cocoa gives it a delicious chocolate taste and color. If you want to add more sweetness to the shake think about adding a table spoon of date syrup or honey.
Healthy Banana and chocolate shake after your workout
This shake is perfect to be served right after a workout at the gym or maybe just as an late afternoon drink before dinner. When you have tried this shake, or the banana pancakes, you will never throw out bananas any more just because they are a bit brown, you will save them in the freezer.
This shake is super easy to make and very delicious, we hope you will try it.
If you are looking for a good afternoon snack, then consider a slice of this delicious bread topped with a slice of cheese or ham. The bread has 6 different kinds of grains, seeds and nuts and are really healthy and filling.
Healthy Banana and Chocolate Shake
Ingredients
- 2 dl milk
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 bananas (frozen)
- 1/2 tbsp honey (optional)
Instructions
- Pour all the ingredients in a blender and blend until it has a nice and smooth consistency. Add a little honey if you need a bit more sweetness.
- Pour the banana and chocolate shake in a large glass or two smaller and drink it when it is ice cold
Notes
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It is so easy to make your own Nordic rhubarb juice and this recipe only takes about half an hour to make and with only three ingredients! The recipe for Nordci rhubarb juice is so easy to make and highly addictive. When the juice is ready to drink you have the most beautiful pink juice you could ever imagine.
Read also: Nordic recipe for Red Berry Pudding
The juice is very refreshing and perfect for hot summer days. The concentrated rhubarb juice can be mixed with water and you will have some great juice but it can also be used in alcoholic drinks for the weekends. Only your imagination is the limit.
The juice can also be mixed with Elderflower Juice - and you will have a nice new version of the juice!
Rhubarb Juice
Ingredients
- 500 g rhubarb (1.1 lb)
- 2 dl cane sugar (Regular sugar can also be used) (1 cup)
- 1 liter water (1/4 gal)
Instructions
- Clean and rinse the rhubarb thoroughly and cut them into smaller pieces.
- Mix the rhubarb, sugar and water in a saucepan and heat it up to boiling point. Continue boiling for approximately 15 minutes.
- Pour the rhubarb, sugar and water mix through a strainer down into a large bowl. In this step it is difficult to extract all the pulp using only the strainer. If you want a completely clean juice you can use a tea towel (or similar) as a strainer. Use a spoon to squeeze out the last juice from the rhubarb.
- Clean some bottles using boiling water to make sure they are completely clean and that all bacteria are gone. This will extend the shelf life. Pour the concentrated juice on the bottles and keep them refrigerated.
- When serving the juice simply mix the concentrated juice with water or sparkling water in the ratio 1-4. Of cause this can be adjusted as you like.
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When you have a food blog you have to have a recipe for the best Mojito drink. Besides being my top one favorite drink it is also one of the most popular drinks in the world.
Keep reading and learn how to make the best Mojito of all time.
There is probably more than hundred different ways of making a Mojito drink. There is just so many different adjustments and tweaks where you are varying on the amount of the ingredients. However, the basic ingredients always have to be present which is white rum, lime, sugar, sparkling water and ice.
Read also: Recipe for Nordic Elderberry Juice
The recipe I have listed below has my personal favorite ratio of the basic ingredients for a Mojito which I have adjusted through many parties.
When making a great Mojito there are three important things that you have to keep in mind.
Crust Ice Cubes for Mojito
The first thing you have to be aware of.
I personally always use crush ice instead of normal ice cubes. This way you get a colder drink due to the larger surface of the crushed ice. Also, crushed ice looks really great in a drink if you ask me.
Also see: Rhubarb juice with only three ingrediens
You can make your own crushed ice is by placing some normal ice cubes in a dish towel, wrap the dish towel around the ice cubes and hit them gently with a hammer, a rolling pin or similar tool. The crushed ice should be added just after you have pressed the lime wedges and mint leaves. Make sure to protect the surface when hitting the ice cubes.
Be gently when making Mojito
Number two important advice.
When you have added the lime wedges, sugar and mint leaves to the glass, then you need to gently press the ingredients to release the delicious flavor from them.
Also read: The best recipe for Elderflower juice
It is important that you do this step gently and do not mash the ingredients especially the mint leaves. You want to avoid mashing and breaking the leaves in smaller bits as this only brings some unwanted flavor in the drink.
Keep slapping the leaves
The last advice I have to make the best Mojito drink.
When the drink is almost prepared, you want to decorate the top of it with some fresh mint leaves. Pick a couple of good looking leaves from the plant, place them in the palm of one hand and hardly slap your hands together.
This slapping of the leaves releases some delicious mint flavor into the air around the drink and gives the drink a nice scent.
The Best Mojito
Ingredients
- 1/2 lime sliced in four pieces
- 1 tbsp cane sugar
- 7-8 mint leaves (preferably the smaller ones)
- 50 ml white rum
- 3/4 of glass filled with crushed ice
- Topped up with sparkling water about 100 ml
Instructions
- Roll the lime on the table, cut away the tip of the fruit and divide it in half. Then slice it in another four pieces. Transfer the sliced lime to a glass.
- Pick 7-8 small mint leaves and put them in the glass together with the lime. Try picking the smaller leaves as they have the most flavors.
- Add one tablespoon of cane sugar to the glass.
- Use a drink muddler or the tip of a wooden spoon to gently press/tap the mint leaves, the lime wedges and the sugar. Make sure not to mash the leaves but only to gently press them. Mashing the leaves will bring out some unwanted flavor - so avoid this. Press the ingredients about 5-7 times.
- Now fill the glass 3/4 with crushed ice.
- Add the 50 ml white rum.
- Fill the rest of the glass with sparkling water.
- Use a spoon to gently stir and mix the ingredients.
- Finish off by topping up the glass with crushed ice and some mint leaves. Serve right away.
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On this blog post, I would like to share a fantastic recipe on how to make a homemade Kahlua or coffee liqueur as some would call it. Making a homemade Kahlua is actually something I learned from some good friends of mine. It all started out when there was a tendency in the group of my closest friends that we should drink White Russians before hitting the bars on Friday evenings. White Russian is a great drink, which is made out of Kahlua, vodka and heavy cream/milk - a creamy, tasteful and very delicious drink.
In order to save some money on the real Kahlua my friends investigated how to make a homemade version. I would have to admit that the first time I heard about homemade Kahlua I was a little skeptic. However, tasting the homemade Kahlua I had to take back my initial skeptic thoughts. This recipe is very easy to follow and the taste is simply fantastic and close to the original version. You only have to be patient - it takes about three and a half hours to make one batch of this coffee liqueur. However, most of the time you can sit back and relax.
Coffee for Homemade Kahlua
There are several methods to make the coffee for your homemade Kahlua. The most important thing is that you make a good and strong quality coffee. The preferred method is using a French press, which is a fantastic way to brew a good quality and strong coffee. However, if you want to make it really easy for yourself, then you can use a regular coffee brewer or instant freeze dried coffee - like I have done in the recipe below on this page.
Recipe for White Russian
If you have landed on this page for the recipe for homemade Kahlua you might probably also be interested in a fantastic recipe for a homemade White Russian drink. Making a White Russian drink is super easy and only take 30 seconds. The ingredient list is very short, you only need Vodka, Heavy Cream (or alternatively regular milk), and Kahlua - this homemade Kahlua is especially perfect when you want to make this drink. You simply just mix the three ingredients together in nice glass.
If you are looking for other places where you can use this homemade Kahlua, I have made a small list just below:
- Traditional Danish chocolate sponge cake - add some Kahlua to add flavor.
- Chocolate Mousse, added in the whipped cream
- As an extra falvor in homemade hot cocoa
- Drizzle over a large array of sweet desserts, to add another depth of flavor
Recipe for Homemade Kahlua
As mentioned above, it is actually easy to make a homemade version of Kahlua and you only need five different ingredients; water, sugar, strong coffee, vanilla essence and vodka.
In a large saucepan, you start by adding the water and then the sugar in an even layer at the bottom. Turn on the heat on low-medium setting. Without stirring, slowly let the sugar melt and mix with the water. While the sugar and the water is mixing, make a strong pot of coffee. You get the best result if you are using a French press to brew your coffee. However, you can also use three tablespoons of instant freeze-dried coffee in a cup of hot water.
When the sugar is completely dissolved in the water, add the coffee and the vanilla sugar/essence to the mixture turn down the heat and let everything simmer for about 3 hours. We are looking to turn this coffee and sugar mixture into a delicious Kahlua syrup.
After the 3-hours simmer time, remove the now thicker coffee syrup from the stove and let it cool down. The temperature must be below 78 C (172 F), which is the evaporation temperature for alcohol. If you add the vodka before you reach the temperature you risk that some of the alcohol will evaporate. Of course, by adding the vodka will instantly lower the temperature. However, it is preferred to wait until the syrup has the correct temperature below 78 C (172 F).
When the mixture is cooled down, add the vodka and your homemade Kahlua is ready to be served. Pour the Kahlua onto some clean glass bottles, which also looks good for your next party.
Homemade Coffee Liqueur (Kahlúa)
Ingredients
- 1 l water (1/4 gal)
- 0.8 l sugar (1/5 gal)
- 1 cup hot water
- 3 tbsp instant freeze-dried coffee (Nescafe Instant Gold or similar)
- 1 tbsp vanilla powder
- 0,7 l vodka (24 fl. oz)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, add water and distribute the sugar in an even layer at the bottom.
- Let the water and sugar simmer gently. Do not make the mixture boil and do not stir in it.
- While the sugar is heating/mixing up in the water; make a strong cup of coffee. This is done by dissolving 3 tablespoon of freeze-dried coffee in one cup of hot water. Alternatively, you can brew some strong coffee using a French Press with 6 tablespoons of regular grinded coffee beans. A French press will give you the best result taste-wise.
- When the sugar is dissolved in the water, add the strong coffee and the vanilla powder (or similar vanilla essence).
- Now let the sugar, water and coffee mixture simmer at low heat for 3 hours. This step is done without a lid. We are looking to evaporation the water making a thicker and sweet coffee syrup.
- Remove the saucepan from the stove and let the coffee syrup cool down.
- When the temperature is 78 C (172 F) or below, add the vodka. If the temperature is greater, the alcohol will evaporate which is unwanted.
- When the Kahlua is cooled down, it is ready to be used or poured onto clean bottles. Keep your homemade Kahlua in your fridge.
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We have once heard this saying - When life gives you lemons, make lemonade - and that's what we do several times during the hot summer period. This recipe for homemade lemonade is simple to make and it's very refreshing and delicious. You only need three ingredients to make this drink and it only takes about 20-30 minutes. We normally makes this lemonade when the summer is at its highest and the thermometer shows +25 C (+80 F) - at this time this lemonade with ice cubes is very refreshing and cooling.
This recipe for lemonade has a relatively sour taste, however, you can always leave out some of the lemon juice and add a little extra sugar - that's totally up to you and you preferences. Personally we love the lemonade a bit sour which gives an extra level of freshness to the drink. There is really not much to say about this drink - it's simple to make and very delicious - we absolutely recommend to try it.
Homemade Lemonade
1.5 liter (0.4 gal)
Preparation time: 30 min
Danish title: Lemonade
Ingredients:
5 lemons
1 dl (1/2 cup) sugar
1 dl (1/2 cup) water
about 1.5 liter (0.4 gal) water, for mixing
Instructions:
Step 1: Pour the sugar and 1 dl (1/2 cup) of water in a sauce pan, heat it to boiling and wait until all the sugar has dissolved.
Step 2: Press all the juice out of the lemons.
Step 3: Mix the sugar syrup and the lemon juice together.
Step 4: Before serving, mix the concentrated lemon/sugar juice with about 1.5 liter (0.4 gal) of water. Mix it all in a large pitcher, decorate it with lemon slices and fresh mint and serve with lots of ice cubes.
By Kim Nielsen
[lastupdated]
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This is a simple guide how to clean your blender in under 60 seconds. Smoothies and shakes are now a days very popular whether it's a healthy banana smoothie or a less healthy chocolate milk shake with vanilla ice cream. The great thing about a blender is that it's easy to use and very convenient when you want to chop or blend some ingredients fast. The down side by using a blender is that the pitcher and the lid gets dirty, even though you have only made one glass of milkshake. And then you have to clean the entire pitcher and lid. The easiest way is to use the dish washer, however it does takes up a lot of space.
This guide shows you how you can clean your blender in under 60 seconds with minimal work. When you are done using the blender, you simply just pour some hot water in the pitcher and add 2-4 drops of dish wash soap. Then you run the blender at high speed for 30 seconds. Pour out the water, rinse it and you are done.
How To: Clean your Blender in under 60 Seconds
Level of difficulty: Very easy
You’ll Need:
dirty blender
hot water
2-4 drops of dish wash soap
Directions:
Step 1: Start by pouring out most of what's in the blender.
Step 2: Fill the blender with 2/3 hot water and add 2-4 drops of dish wash soap.
Step 3: Run the blender at high speed for about 30 seconds.
Step 4: Pour of the hot and dirty water.
Step 5: Rinse the blender with cold water to get the rest of the soap out. Then use a dishcloth to dry it and you are done.
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Chai Latte is one of my favorite hot drinks in the winter. It is so nice to sit in the couch and drink a hot cup of Chai Latte. But in the summertime it is way to hot to drink warm things! So I have adapted Baressos variant of a Chai Latte Ice Blend. The recipe is very simple, and you only need three ingredients. Chai latte mix, milk and ice cubes. I use David Rio chai latte mix, but you can probably use other brands as well. I buy my David Rio Chai Latte on Ebay, where it is pretty cheap.
Chai Latte Ice Blend
1 big glass
Preperation time: 10 minutes
Danish title: Chai Latte Ice Blend
Ingredients:
1.5 dl (3/4 cup) milk
5 tbsp. Chai Latte tea (I use David Rio – Tiger Spice
250 g (9 oz) ice cubes
Instructions:
Step 1: Pour milk, chai latte tea and ice cubes in a blender.
Step 2: Blend until the ice cubes are crushed.
Step 3: Pour the drink into a big glass or into two small glasses.
Step 4: Enjoy your homemade Chai Latte Ice Blend in the sun.
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All the beautiful elderflowers are blooming in the end of june. Normally I am to slow – or maybe too lazy to pick them and make wonderful things. But this year I made it! I went down to the local park area where there was lots and lots of elderflowers. I gathered a big bucket of elderflowers – and there was plenty! I came home and rinsed the elderflowers. Then I added sugar, lemon slices and boiling water. Then I just had to wait 3-4 days before my elderflower juice was ready to drink – that is a very long time to wait! But finally my elderflower juice was ready to drink and it tasted wonderful!
See also: The BEST recipe for Elderberry juice
I mixed the concentrated juice with sparkling water, some ice cubes and a bit of strawberries on the top. You can also mix it with tap water, but you need to try the variant with sparkling water too – it is so good! If you would like to serve it as a drink for some guests try adding white wine and sparkling water to the elderflower juice.
Read also: My favorite Nordic juice recipes
My juice was made with caster sugar (fine sugar) and brown sugar (so it gets a little bit dark in the color). The brown sugar gives the juice a bit of a caramel taste, which I find very delicious. If you prefer the light color you can just use cane sugar or caster sugar.
Elderflower Juice
Ingredients
- 50 elderflowers
- 3 organic lemons
- 1 kg sugar
- 500 g brown sugar
- 1.5 liters boiling water
Instructions
- Pick the elderflowers. Don’t pick those that are close to roads or close to the ground. Clean the elderflowers by shaking of little bugs and rinse them carefully in cold water.
- Pour the elderflowers into a large pot or bowl.
- Rinse the lemons and slice them. Place them on top of the elderflowers.
- Pour sugar and brown sugar in the bowl. Add the boiling water.
- Let it cool off a bit and place it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Stir in the mixture from time to time.
- When the juice is ready pour it through a strainer into another bowl. Throw the elderflowers away. Then pour the juice through a clean cloth to filter all of the juice.
- Clean some bottles with boiling water and pour the concentrated juice on the bottles and refrigerate.
- Mix the concentrated juice with sparkling water and lots of ice cubes.
Notes
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