Kvass (Russian Fermented Rye Bread Drink)

Kvass (kvas, quass) is probably a bit of unusual drink to this part of the globe.

Indeed, if you read ingredients list: dried rye bread, water, sugar and yeast - it probably will not strike you as something delicious. However this is one of soft drinks which is, according to Wikipedia, popular in Eastern Europe countries, especially Russia, since ancient times.

It is not hard to prepare kvass at home: you just need 2 big cooking pots, a funnel, cheese cloth, rye bread (which can be a bit of challenge to find) and about 3 days. Any type of rye bread will work.

I recently discovered good borodinsky bread in nearby european store, we liked it a lot and now buying pretty often. I dice the bread leftovers and heels and dry them for 10-15 mins in oven; that way I always have dried rye bread for the next patch of kvass ready to go when I need it (and I also don’t need to throw bread out).

Prepared kvass can be stored bottled in fridge; serve it as soft drink or use to prepare okroshka soup.

Mulled Wine (Glühwein)

I was unfortunate to catch a cold another day, and somewhere in between sneezing and sweating I reminded myself of mulled wine - probably the best drink to warm you up and clear your sinuses.

Mulled wine, or gluehwein (how it is called in Austria and Germany) or glintvein (how it is called in Russia) is a drink prepared by heating red dry wine with various spices and citruses.

This popular in Europe drink is often sold during cold season around Christmas time on open air markets and fairs - it really helps to warm up.

Glühwein is very easy to prepare, if you prefer - use whole spices instead of ground ones, that will make straining part much easier, however ground spices work just fine. Enjoy responsible!

Uzvar (Dried Fruit Kompot)

Uzvar is a kompot made from dried fruits: mainly apples, pears and prunes, however various recipes include raisins, dried sour cherries and even dried apricots.

Even though this drink is traditionally served to Christmas Eve dinner in some countries of West Europe (e.g. Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Lithuania), I really can't find a reason why it can't be a great better choice to drink before all those sugary-artificially prepared sodas people consume so much those days.

Uzvar, or as it also called in ex-USSR countries – Kompot made from Dried Fruits, is very refreshing, tasty and easy to do. I highly recommend this drink to everybody, prepare it for your kids - they will love it!

Apple & Cranberry Kompot

Most of you probably wonders what the “kompot” is, as that is not very usual word in english speaking world. Some of you may also assume there is a grammatical error in the title of this post and I probably mean the apple & cranberries compote (stewed fruits, the dessert), however there is no error: kompot is a drink made of stewed fruits and/or berries, fresh or dried, or a combination of those, and it is traditional drink in many countries of Eastern Europe.

Making kompot is almost effortless, it takes not more then 20 mins (if you don't count cooling down time in) to get great fruit and healthy drink for you and especially your kids and I believe they will like it much more than those powder-produced drinks from bottles and cans people drinking so much nowadays.

Autumn is a time when fresh apples and cranberries are in every grocery shop and supermarket, Apple & Cranberry Kompot is one of easy way to prepare those two together and it goes good with Apple Cake.

Banana Milkshake

Even though the title says this it recipe for Banana Milkshake, this is very simple recipe can be used to prepare pretty much any kind of fruit milkshake – just replace bananas with strawberry or raspberries and vanilla ice-cream with any kind of ice cream you like and enjoy your very own taste of a milkshake.

I should also mention what milk and ice-cream (main ingredients of a milkshake) are good sources of calcium, which is an important component of a healthy diet. It is especially for children. Which makes milkshakes good drinks for kids: not only is it tasty so they love it, but also is nutritious.

So, whatever your goal is – to make sure your kid gets the needed amount of calcium or to remind yourself about the times when you were a kid - make a milkshake (it is easy)!