Almost Famous Mocha Frappes

I saw this in Food Network's Magazine edition September 2010. It is a copy cat Starbucks recipe. It looked really good so I wanted to have a record of it to make time and again.

Source: Food Network Magazine Sept. 2010

4 servings

For the coffee:
3 Tbsp sugar
2 c warm strong coffee

For the Chocolate Syrup:
2/3 c sugar
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped
1.5 tsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla

For the Frappes:
1 c reduced fat milk
whipped cream for topping, if desired

Directions:
1. Make the coffee ice: Stir the sugar into the coffee until dissolved, then let cool. Pour into a 16 - cube ice-cube tray and freeze until solid, about 3 hours.
2, Make the syrup: Combine the sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan and slowly whisk in 2/3 c. hot water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking until the sugar dissolves, 3-5 minutes; do not boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate, honey and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cool.
3. Make the frappes: Puree 8 coffee ice cubes, 1/2 c milk, 1/3 to 1/2 c chocolate syrup and 1 c plain ice in a blender until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses, then repeat to make 2 more drinks. Top with whipped cream and more syrup, if desired.

Pomegranate - Apple Cider Toddy

I saw this recipe in the Cooking Light Christmas 08 edition. I really liked the recipe as it was, but I ended up making it really different. The changes are in italics.

Pomegranate -Apple Cider Toddy
8 Whole Cloves (I used 2)
2 cinnamon sticks
3 c. pomegranate juice (2 cups)
1/2 c. apple cider (2 cups)
1/3 c. honey (2 tbsp)

Place cloves and cinnamon sticks on a double layer of cheesecloth.
Gather the edges of the cloth and secure tightly.
Combine cheesecloth bag, juices and honey into a large saucepan and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and discard cheesecloth. Serve warm. ( In order to make my life easier, I put all of the ingredients in a large crockpot without the cheesecloth and cooked on low for 1 hour and then left the setting of the crockpot on warm for the remainder of the day.)