like coffee, only better

 As I promised yesterday, today I will make your life complete (or at least significantly better) by sharing my oft-requested recipe for Coffee Punch. I can claim no credit for inventing the recipe; it was passed on to me from my mom's best friend, Miss Diane, and I can only assume she received the recipe from God Himself. Because I'm 95% sure this is what they drink in heaven.

First, our Cast of Characters:

Why yes, I do shop at Publix-- why do you ask??

You will need to gather:

-1 qt. of brewed coffee (cold. I made mine the day before and refrigerated.)

-1 qt. whole milk

-1 pt. half & half

-1 bottle chocolate syrup (24 oz)

-1 tub whipped cream (9 oz)

-1/2 gal. vanilla ice cream, softened

-a VERY LARGE bowl

NOTE: I used "lite" whipped cream, which is how I can pass off this dish as healthy. BOOM. Just like that.

First, mix together all of the liquids (first 4 ingredients). Stir 'em up. This basically gives you a beautiful chocolate milk-looking concoction. You know, you could probably stop here and drink up, but...why stop when there are so many delicious things you could still add??

Then you will want to glop in the whipped cream and ice cream.

And uh...that's it. You're pretty much done. Let it sit for a minute (if you can wait) so that the ice cream can get a little melty, and then ladle it into your cup (or tip up the bowl and chugalug-- I won't judge you) and die of happiness.

But Kristin is fancy, and as such suggested that we sprinkle a little cocoa powder on top. I couldn't argue with that.

Set it on your counter and wait for your friends to walk in and gasp WHAT IS THAT??? as they frantically fumble for cups and fight for a spot in line to get some. And then moan happy little moans as they drink it. Then you can pat yourself on the back and bask in the feeling that comes from making people happy. And pour yourself another glass. Or seven.

Final Note: This makes A LOT!!! In the picture above, I used only half of the ingredients because that's all that would fit in the bowl. So unless you're mixing yours in a kiddie pool (not a bad idea), you might want to do the same!