Free Coffee at McDonald's in Canada Oct.31-Nov.6

Free small coffee all this week from McDonalds! 

No purchase or coupon necessary,  just go up and ask for a small coffee however you happen to take it.

We'll probably go every day this week since we have a McD's just a block away instead of making coffee at home in the afternoon, it will also be a nice treat when we go to pick up groceries tomorrow. Their coffee is surprisingly decent and you can't beat free!

Vanilla Soy Mocha

Bleh. It's dreary and rainy and chilly and I want a mocha. Starbucks is too far away especially since it's pouring out and spending the $4+ for a tall mocha with soy and added vanilla syrup isn't really within the budget right now. I'm reserving my Starbucks treat for when they have Gingerbread again closer to Christmas.

So I'm going to try this DIY style and hopefully it's good. I have vanilla soy, I have chocolate syrup and I have coffee concentrate normally used for iced coffee. Sadly I do not have whipped cream or chocolate shavings. Boo.

So I'm starting by microwaving 1/3 cup coffee concentrate and 2/3 cup vanilla soy milk until it's nice and hot. I left just a bit of room for the chocolate sauce and a dab of cream. I also had to add a bit of simple syrup because I like my stuff super sweet.

Holy crap, I just remembered we have these! Mmmmm, sprinkles!

The verdict: Not quite Starbucks quality, maybe because I'm not normal and always get a ton of whipped cream on my drink, even if it's made with soy. That may be the problem, it just doesn't taste creamy or vanilla-ey enough, it's still quite enjoyable and better than a lot of other coffee shop drinks I've had.

Iced coffee

In the summer when its already hot and sticky when you roll out of bed, an iced coffee is just what you need to get you going without altering your morning routine too much. Iced Coffee is refreshing and still packs a kick like a super strong cup of coffee. Pioneer Woman posted her Perfect Iced Coffee recipe today but it's pretty complicated. This is how we've been doing iced coffee for the past couple months.

This takes a little more preparation than our iced tea recipe and costs more but not as much as one from a coffee shop or convenience store. McDonalds has iced coffee for $1 right now and that would be a cheaper option.

Ingredients:
Coffee
Whole milk, Vanilla Soy or cream
Simple Syrup
Ice

Directions:
Start by brewing some double strength coffee. We use a coffee press and use 10 scoops of fresh ground coffee and fill the pot with boiled water. If you use a coffee maker just double the usual amount of grounds.
Let it steep all day and cool completely before pouring it into a carafe or pitcher and keep it in the fridge.

To make a glass of iced coffee: fill a glass with ice and add a few tablespoons of simple syrup. Add 1/3 to 1/2 the glass of the chilled coffee base. Fill the rest of the glass with Milk/Soy/Cream. Add chocolate syrup if you have it.
Stir and enjoy.