4-1/4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon loose black tea
1 cup milk, hot
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste

Bring water, cloves and cinnamon stick to a boil. Remove from heat and add tea. Cover and let steep 4 minutes or longer if stronger tea is desired. Strain tea. Stir in hot milk and sugar to taste.

2 cups orange juice
1 1/2 cups apricot nectar
1 cup frozen, sweetened strawberries

In blender, process ingredients for about 20 seconds, or until smooth and frothy. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

1/3 cup apple juice
1/2 cup (4 oz.) soft tofu, drained
1 cupfresh or frozen berries
1 banana
4 oz. nonfat fruit-flavored yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
4 ice cubes

Place apple juice, yogurt, tofu, berries, banana, and honey in a blender. Cover and process until well blended.

While the blender is still running, drop ice cubes into the blender one at a time (through the hole in the lid) until smooth.

Pour the smoothies into tall glasses.

Serves: 2

Serving size: 1 1/3 cup

1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon, sliced thin
1 orange, sliced thin
1 bottle red wine (750 ml)
2 oz. brandy
Sliced strawberries, pineapple, peaches, nectarines or any other fruit you want to see float, optional

In a pitcher, mix the sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon, orange and wines and brandy.

Refrigerate the mix for as long as you can stand it. ideally overnight, but at least 3 hours.

Toss in the additional fruit just before serving, then fill each glass with ice and sangria.

2 fluid ounces vanilla vodka
1 fluid ounce cranberry juice
1 fluid ounce pineapple juice
1/2 fluid ounce amaretto (almond flavored liqueur)
1/2 fluid ounce white creme de cacao

Pour the vodka, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, amaretto, and creme de cacao into a cocktail shaker over ice. Cover, and shake until the outside of the shaker has frosted. Strain into a chilled martini glass to serve.

1-2 shots espresso
1/2 cup milk
2-3 oz milk or dark chocolate
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon Bailey’s Irish Creme
1 tablespoon Irish Whiskey

In a small saucepan, combine milk and chocolate and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Add sugar. Pour over espresso. Add Irish Whiskey and Bailey’s. Top with whipped cream.

Alternatively, you could just heat the milk and add 2 tablespoons powdered cocoa, or Nestle’s cocoa, if you really want to make it easy.

8 cups of low-calorie cranberry juice cocktail
3 cups of unsweetened pineapple juice
Artificial sweetener equivalent to 1/3 cup of sugar
4 cups of low-calorie ginger ale

Combine juices and sweetener. Chill and stir in ginger ale, which has been well chilled, just before serving; add ice cubes.

Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Calories 20 per serving
Exchanges: 1 serving = 1/2 fruit

2 cups chopped or grated carrots
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
3-4 ice cubes

Place only chopped or grated carrots in blender and turn on HIGH. Through lid, slowly drizzle in about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pineapple juice, allowing the carrots to be pureed until smooth.

Slowly pour in remaining juice with honey. Allow to blend until smooth and somewhat frothy; then with blender on HIGH, add ice cubes.

Blend until ice cubes are blended smooth. Stop blender, add yogurt, return lid and blend until thoroughly mixed.

Pour into chilled glasses and enjoy a great taste with power and energy.

Makes 4-10 oz. glasses.

8 cups boiling water
16 bags Chai black tea (Stash brand)
1/2 cup Spiced rum (Captain Morgan)
1/2 cup vanilla vodka (Stoli Vanil)
2 cinnamon sticks, plus more for serving
2 cups sweetened condensed milk (Eagle brand)

Pour boiling water into a 4 quart slow cooker. Place tea bags in slow cooker and secure lid with tea bag tabs hanging outside. Let steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and discard. Stir in rum and vodka. Add cinnamon sticks. Cover and cook on low setting for 2 hours. Stir in condensed milk and switch to warm setting for serving.

Serve in Irish coffee mugs with cinnamon stick swizzles.

Serves 10

1 1/2 cups brewed coffee, cold or at room temperature
2 6-ounce containers plain low-fat yogurt ( 1 1/2 cups )
2 medium ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
3 to 4 ice cubes
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
2 tablespoons honey, or to taste (use more or less depending on the ripeness of the bananas)

Place all ingredients in a blender container. Cover and blend on high speed for 1 minute, or until smooth.

Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.