Cold drinks aren't solely available from expensive cafes!
Summer is here, the sun is... somewhere behind the clouds. I'm sure you're as tempted as I am to pop into cafes and buy a frappucino or an iced coffee. However, this luxury isn't necessarily only available at high prices, you can make your own and impress your friends as well as saving a lot of money. Below you'll find a step by step guide to making your own coffee frappuccino.
The Ingredients
- One can of squirty whipped cream
- Coffee granules
- Ice- crushed ice would be preferable but cubes work fine
Equipment
- Kettle or saucepan to boil water
- One mug per serving, reusing the same mug is possible
- Jug or easily pourable container
- Tall glasses or glasses which hold a large volume (one per serving)
- Straws
The Method
1. Prepare ice if necessary.
If making your own ice be sure to put it into the freezer at least few hours before preparing your Frappuccino
2. Make a normal cup of coffee. One cup = One serving
One teaspoon of coffee, boiling water, and milk! Depending on how many servings you wish to make, this will be equal to the number of cups of coffee you make. Pour all the coffee into a jug or a device which you can pour easily, and put in the fridge.
3. Leave Coffee too cool until luke warm
4. Pour all the coffee into a jug or a device which you can pour easily, and put in the fridge.
5. Wait until coffee jug is cold
6. Add a handful of ice into a glass
6. Fill glass with squirty cream
7. Add one serving of coffee into the glass
8. Top with squirty cream
9. Add a straw
10. Enjoy!
Warning:
Student Houses = Burglary Targets
It'll never happen to me right? That's the mind frame I had before my student house got burgled three times. That's right, three times. Even if you do have insurance which covers anything that's taken, the emotional trauma of unwelcome people breaking into your house and looking through your rooms is much worse than a missing laptop or games console.
I wouldn't want this to happen to anyone else. So below I have provided a few helpful suggestions to prevent those pesky burglars from getting their grubby mitts in your underwear drawer.
The burglars know who lives in your house
Chances are the burglars live in the area. They'll know who lives in your house and when you've all exited the property. Scary yes, but important to know. All three times when my house was burgled the members of the house had only been away from the house for a minimum of 24 hours. One of the times they watched me leave the house then broke in a few minutes afterwards, fortunately other members of the house were still inside and deterred the burglars from going into bedrooms.
Keep an eye out for any suspicious people outside your house. Look for people on mobile phones pacing up and down your road, they will be the signal to the other burglars to say when the coast is clear. If yours or other student houses have been broken into around this time, you will then be able to provide some useful evidence to help catch those responsible.
Be careful to not make it known outside your house that the house is empty, or give out any personal details such as burglar alarm codes or if you've accidently left your window open. All these can provide ways for any burglars seeking an opportunity to enter your property.
As the burglars will know which properties are student properties, they'll know that you're likely to be at your parents' houses during Christmas and Easter breaks, please try to not leave anything of value in your student property when you're away, as this is when they'll most likely break in.
Make sure your house is secure
The police who dealt with our burglaries were unfortunately a little bit useless. They never did thorough checks of the property and as the back door was usually open after a burglary they told us the burglars came through the door. However, as mentioned in a previous blog, http://bethweatherhead.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/renting-student-house-what-you-really.html student windows are often single paned and houses of 4 or more occupants are usually older properties. The burglars found it easy to break the locks from rotting window panes and could climb into the back of the house easily. The back door was simply opened from the inside for a more convenient escape. The broken fence as shown on the image to the right was also useful for them.
I feel that the best way to check the security of your house is to try to break into the house yourself. If you do find a way to break into your house without causing any substantial damage, contact your landlord and they should arrange new security measures. Keep your doors and windows locked at all times, if they must be unlocked for any reason make sure you are in that room during the same time. Blinds and curtains should be closed at night or when you are leaving the property for a long duration of time, as this prevents burglars from being able to see any valuables they can take. A burglary alarm is also a useful device to have installed in your house if possible.
You may not catch them
If the worst happens and you are burgled, from my own experience it is unfortunate to say that they are unlikely to be found. They know what they're doing, so stolen items are sold quickly and gloves are worn at all times. Make sure you have insurance and documented evidence of the valuable items you own. If you don't have receipts then be sure to take pictures of them in the property.
