Sweet Bubbly Espresso. Photo Courtesy of Frizz Coffee

Coffee drinkers rejoice! Houston’s is proud to announce the arrival of Frizz Coffee to our product line-up!

Produced in southern Italy, Frizz Coffee is the original sweet & bubbly espresso soda with pure cane sugar and a single shot of espresso rounding-out it’s very simple ingredient list. Frizz Coffee’s rich flavor tastes best when served cold, and even straight from the bottle. It can also be enjoyed poured over ice with half & half or cream. Frizz lovers say that it is a “must try,” and for those who are hesitant about the idea of coffee soda, rest assured that it tastes much better than you might think; especially when used in one of these delectable recipes from Frizz Coffee:

Frizz & Cream

• 1 bottle Frizz Coffee
• half & half or Cream
• Ice

1. Pour Frizz Coffee over ice.
2. Add half & half or cream, to taste.

Frizz Float

• 1 bottle Frizz Coffee
• Vanilla Ice Cream

1. Fill a glass with vanilla ice cream.
2. Pour Frizz Coffee over the top and enjoy!

Photo Courtesy of Frizz Coffee

Frizz Italian Cream Soda

• 1 bottle Frizz Coffee
• 24 oz cup filled with ice
• 1/2 oz Vanilla Syrup
• 1-1/2 oz Cream

1. Pour Frizz Coffee and Vanilla Syrup over ice.
2. Top with cream and stir. Mix it up by trying other syrup flavors!

Frizz Frapp

• 1 bottle Frizz Coffee
• 24 oz cup, chilled
• ice
• Smoothie Base
• 1/2 oz Caramel Syrup

1. Combine Frizz Coffee, Caramel Syrup, Smoothie Base and ice.
2. Blend and serve.

Frizz Mudslide

• 1 bottle Frizz Coffee
• Ice
• 1 shot Irish Cream Liqueur
• 1 shot Coffee Liqueur

1. Fill a glass with ice.
2. Add one Irish Cream Liqueur and Coffee Liqueur.
3. Pour in Frizz Coffee, stir and serve.

Photo courtesy of Frizz Coffee

Frizzkey

• 1/3 bottle Frizz Coffee
• Old Fashioned Glass
• Ice
• 1 shot Whiskey

1. Pour Frizz Coffee and Whiskey over ice.
2. Serve in an Old Fashioned glass.

White Frizztini

• 1/2 shot Kahlua
• 1/2 shot Vanilla Vodka
• 1/2 shot half & half or cream
• 1/2 bottle of Frizz Coffee

1. Mix all ingrdients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake, strain into glass and serve.

Black Frizztini

• 1/2 shot Amaretto
• 1/2 shot Brandy
• 1/2 bottle Frizz Coffee

1. Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake, strain into a glass and serve.

Have you tried Frizz? How do you drink it – over ice, with cream or flavored syrup? Watch for new recipes and join the conversation! #HowDoYouFrizz

The post Frizz Coffee – the original sweet & bubbly espresso! appeared first on Houston's Blog.

whip-it whipped cream dispensers from United Brands.  Photo courtesy of United Brands

There are many reasons why whipped cream dispensers make good sense, especially in comparison to its store-bought aerosol counterpart. One may ask, though, why buy a whipped cream dispenser when the up-front cost is so much more than using aerosols? Or Whipped cream from a can may seem more convenient and cost-effective, but at what cost to your customers? Let them see your commitment to high quality. And then let them taste the difference.

Hands-down, fresh natural cream with no preservatives or chemicals simply tastes better. You can choose to use only the best ingredients, resulting in a luscious, creamy goodness that will melt in your customers’ mouths and leave them wanting more! Believe me, they will notice the difference if you serve them real cream in place of the aerosol brands. And they will appreciate your desire to deliver superior beverages—even if the price of their favorite drink is slightly higher.

With a whipped cream dispenser, you can also serve up a variety of flavors of whipped cream. There are flavored whipped cream chargers available, but the options are virtually endless simply by using ingredients you probably already have on hand. Make hot chocolate with caramel whipping cream by sweetening the cream with caramel syrup. Or concoct a vanilla milkshake with strawberry-flavored cream topping. Mocha, butterscotch, chocolate, fruit flavors…if you can dream it then you can make it happen! Have a second dispenser on hand for a special flavor each week. Or celebrate special days with a little added food coloring—pink whipping cream on Valentine’s Day, green for St. Patrick’s Day, or orange for Halloween. The holidays will seem just a little merrier with your personal touch of flavor and color.

iSi Brand Whipped Cream Canisters (#02-0019)

Whipped cream dispensers are also a more environmentally friendly choice. Opting for a dispenser over the disposable aerosol alternative can go a long way toward significantly reducing your coffee shop’s ecological footprint. You will feel good about your decision to go green and your customers will notice your efforts too!

One may argue, however, that even though dispensers eliminate the need to purchase aerosol cans, one must still purchase (and thus dispose of) chargers. While this is true, the cost of the charger is substantially less than that of a dispenser. And since the size of the charger is considerably smaller than an aerosol can, the impact to the environment will also be significantly reduced.

There are a lot of decisions that factor into purchasing a whipped cream dispenser; cost is only part of the overall equation. But I challenge you to try one out for yourself before dismissing the idea. I think you will be surprised at the convenience, the smaller amount of waste, and, of course, by the exceptional flavor benefits that this handy device has to offer.

The post Why Whipped Cream Dispensers? appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Start the evening off right by serving up tropical smoothies, with the summer taste of fresh strawberry and banana, combined with the tropical favorite pineapple and coconut.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE

Photo courtesy of Coco Lopez.

Makes about 2 ¾ cups

Ingredients:

• 1 (15-ounce) can Coco Lopez® Cream of Coconut
• ¾ cup pineapple juice, chilled
• ½ cup fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries
• 1 small banana, sliced
• ¼ cup light rum
• ¼ cup lime juice
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cup ice cubes

Instructions:

1. In blender container, combine all ingredients except ice; blend until smooth.
2. Garnish as desired, Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers.

After buttering up your friends with a tasty cocktail, it’s time to move on to some snacks to ward off impending hunger.  Keep the theme going with some tasty sausage with Coco Lopez® Cream of Coconut.

TROPICAL SAUSAGE BITES

Makes about 40 appetizers

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds smoked link sausage, sliced
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 (20-ounce) can juice-pack pineapple chunks, drained, reserving juice
• ½ cup of Coco Lopez® Cream of Coconut
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 green or red bell pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and halved

Instructions:

1. In large skillet, brown sausage. In small bowl, stir together cornstarch, reserved pineapple juice,
2. cream of coconut, mustard and garlic powder; mix well. Add to sausage in skillet. Cook and
3. stir until thickened. Add pineapple, bell pepper and water chestnuts; heat through.
4. Refrigerate leftovers.

What’s better than a cookout on a hot summer day?  Fire up your grill and entice your friends with a taste of the tropics, all on a convenient kabob.

GRILLED CHICKEN KABOBS

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of Coco Lopez® Cream of Coconut
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons chicken instant bouillon
• 1 teaspoon marjoram leaves
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 pound skinned boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• Red or green bell pepper chunks
• Fresh pineapple chunks

Instructions:

1. In small bowl, combine cream of coconut, lemon juice, bouillon, marjoram,
2. garlic powder and crushed red pepper. In plastic bag or shallow dish, pour
3. over chicken and peppers; cover. Marinate in refrigerator 4 to 6 hours.
4. Remove chicken, pineapple and peppers from marinade; arrange on skewers.
5. Heat marinade thoroughly.  Grill or broil as desired until chicken is done, basting
6. frequently with marinade. Serve with hot cooked rice if desired. Refrigerate
7. leftovers.

And for the grand finale, how about a favorite with a twist?  Tempt your guests’ taste buds with an ice cream version of a piña colada before you send them packing.

PIÑA COLADA ICE CREAM

Makes about 1 ½ quarts

Ingredients:

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
• ¾ cup Coco Lopez® Cream of Coconut
• 3 tablespoons of light rum
• 3 cups (1 ½ pints) whipping cream unwhipped
• 1 (15 ¼ ounce) can juice-pack crushed pineapple, well drained
• ½ flaked coconut, lightly toasted

Instructions:

1. In large bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk, cream of coconut and rum. Stir in remaining ingredients.
2. Pour into ice cream freezer container.  Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
3. Freeze leftovers.

And so there you have it.  A coco-nutty, fun day filled with good friends, good food, and Coco Lopez® Cream of Coconut.  For these recipes and more, pop over to the Coco Lopez® website, and when you are ready to place your order, be sure to contact us at http://houstons-inc.com.

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