Gifts from the Kitchen: Cardamom-Orange Coffee {To Go}

December 22, 2011 By

cardamom orange coffee to go

My friend Sheila of Alice and the Mock Turtle knocks my socks off with her creativity. Her active mind is always churning with ideas and new ways of looking at things to come up with such unique solutions and fun stuff of all kinds.

One of her recent blog entries totally blew me away with its simplicity and just sheer genius! She used empty tea bags to create individual instant coffee bags and dressed them up for gift giving. I didn’t even know you could buy empty tea bags!

Anything with the word coffee instantly grabs my attention, so I was all over this idea like white on rice (or brown, I guess I should say) and I started thinking about how I could incorporate this into my gifts from the kitchen for Christmas.

And since I can’t leave well enough alone, I began dreaming of different flavored coffees - my own coffee blends, so to speak - that could be placed into these little tea bags for sheer coffee-drinking pleasure. Cardamom-Orange Coffee to Go is the result of that mental brainstorming.

coffee bag

Sheila had found these amazing press-and-seal tea bags that you can iron after filling to create a completely sealed envelope of coffee. For some reason which I can’t remember now, I opted to go with Teavana’s PerfecTea paper filters instead. These tea bags don’t require any ironing (not my favorite chore), but neither do they have any way to seal them at all. I found that for my own use, simply folding over the top (as they were designed to do) was sufficient, and not even one teeny tiny coffee grind found its way into my coffee.

For gift-giving, though, I wanted to be sure that the envelope didn’t spill, so I simply used a doubled length of thread and a needle to make a running stitch through the top of the folded filter. I left a 3″-or-so length of thread on either side and tied those together into a knot. Not only did this keep the coffee grinds from spilling out of the bag, but it also created a useful handle for pulling the filter in and out of a cup of hot water. And it gathers, so it can be used to help squeeze out all the coffee goodness! The whole process took maybe 30 seconds for each coffee bag (and I am by no means a proficient sewer!).

Unfortunately, it’s too late for you to order the tea bags in time for Christmas at this point, but they may be available at your local Teavana store (or other tea specialty shop). If you can find the tea bags, filling them up is super quick and easy, making them a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer!

Some gifting suggestions:

  • in a coffee-themed basket for a coffee lover (with mugs, coffee-themed decor, flavored syrups, etc.)
  • in a tin full of home-baked goodies
  • with homemade (or storebought if you’re running out of time!) biscotti
  • by itself in a jar, as Sheila suggested, together with cream and sugar
  • in a portable re-usable coffee mug (I did this for a friend)
I had some small “transparent archival plastic bags” (similar to these, except not self-sealing), that I used to hold the coffee bags, both to help keep the coffee fresh, and to give it a nice clean look. You can just use a plain old zip-top plastic bag if you don’t have anything like that, or a jar, like Sheila used.
And just to make it all the more elegant for gifting, I even created some tags to go with my original coffee blend. I made it into a PDF just for you, friends! Cardamom-Orange Coffee {to go} label
Now… what to put in the coffee bags?! You can just use some plain good quality coffee beans, like Sheila did, or you can get all adventuresome with me and try out some exotic homemade naturally infused flavored coffee blends! I’ve been working on this cardamom-orange coffee flavor for a couple weeks now, so I’ll share it with you, but the sky is the limit as far as what you can put into the coffee to flavor it. Pretty much any spice or dried (dried to the point where it can be powdered) fruit can be added to the coffee beans to produce delicious flavored blends. If you experiment and come up with an awesome new flavor, tell me about it so I can try it, too!
And here’s a tip: the easiest way to get dried orange zest is to take the peels from an orange or clementine and set them out in a single layer on a plate to dry. When they’re completely dry, run them through the coffee grinder. I even just added a couple of the pieces of orange peel into the grinder with the whole coffee beans.

Cardamom-Orange Coffee

Ingredients

  • For each serving, you will need:
  • 1 TBSP coffee beans, your favorite roast
  • 1/2 tsp dried orange zest
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Instructions

  1. Combine all 3 in a coffee grinder and grind until fine. Brew in 6 oz of hot water.

To use the tea bag, just place about 3 tsp of this coffee blend into the bag, seal as desired (or as required by the manufacturer), then place in a coffee mug. Pour 6 oz of hot water over the coffee bag and allow it to steep for several minutes, or until desired strength. I found that the tea bag filter limited the strength of the coffee, so any more than 6 oz of water resulted in a rather weak cup of coffee.
Once you have your little tea bags full of this yumminess, you will have super QUICK coffee at the ready wherever you are. You can fill your to-go cup with hot water , place one of these babies in there and run out the door!
Just as EASY as plain old coffee! OK, dealing with the paper filters is a little more effort, but not much.
Purchasing the filters is some additional expense that I normally don’t have, but for gift-giving, it can’t be beat! Definitely a CHEAP option for all the coffee-lovers in your life. And it’s way CHEAPer than buying the famous nationwide-brands line of naturally infused flavored coffee blends. Or even their instant coffee (does anybody really pay that much for instant coffee? You do? May I ask in the name of heaven WHY?!)
Infusing your coffee with natural elements like orange zest and cardamom is a lot HEALTHY-er than purchasing the artificially (read: chemically) flavored kinds available elsewhere.

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Pumpkin Muffins… but Savory!

October 17, 2011 By

pumpkins spice nice pumpkin muffins

I will be the first to admit that these pumpkins will not win any beauty contests. Thanks to the oats, they have a crumbly texture and bumpy exterior, and thanks to the lack of eggs and sugar, they don’t bind together and rise quite as well as a good little muffin should. But before you turn around and head back out the door - or off to your next blogging adventure - they do have a redeeming quality!

Two, actually:

  1. They have no sugar.
  2. They are moist and delicious! Dee-lish-us, I tell you!

These ugly little savory muffins have amazing flavor that is the perfect accompaniment to an autumn soup. I served ours with potato soup, and it was a match made in heaven. So who cares what they look like? They taste good, and after all, that is the point.

pumpkin muffins

Ugly Savory Pumpkin Muffins

adapted from love food eat

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 TBSP vinegar

Instructions

  1. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, stir together the wet ingredients until well combined.
  3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring just until combined.
  4. Scoop batter into greased muffin tin and bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

pumpkin muffins
Muffins are such a great QUICK bread that you can serve with soup or salad for a light dinner or lunch.

And so EASY, too! Just be sure not to overmix the batter, or they will get really tough.

This particular recipe takes a lot of pumpkin, so it’s not necessarily CHEAP (depending on how much you paid for said pumpkin). Around here, that’s at least a couple dollars. However, this time of year is the cheapest pumpkin’s gonna get, so now’s the time to make them!

These muffins are probably the HEALTHY-est I’ve ever made. They have no sugar, use whole grains, and are largely based on a very healthy vegetable. Very healthy, indeed!

Linking to Tasty Tuesday and…
Beauty and BedlamHearth & Soul Hop Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays

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Iced Tea: Your Way

June 3, 2011 By

Today is actually breezy and cool but this past week has been one long heat wave with temps in the 90s and more. Perfect for sitting in the shade, shooting the breeze… and sipping iced tea.

I went to a local blogger meet-up yesterday, hosted by DC area Dunkin Donuts, and had a chance to try their new iced teas. If you’re out and about and hankering for some iced tea, I definitely recommend their peach or raspberry flavored iced teas, which are drinkably delicious (I know, I just invented a word, how cool is that?) and refreshing just as they are without any sugar or other sweetener whatsoever. As compared to McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A iced teas which are mostly sugar with a little bit of tea.

If you’re home, though, and have 5-10 minutes to spare, there’s no reason not to make your own pitcher of drinkably delicious sweet tea. I’m not even going to pretend that I know how to make the perfect pitcher of iced tea, because I am well aware that there about as many methods of making iced tea as there are people. I will show you a yummy twist on sweet tea that I think you will enjoy, but first let me share my readers’ favorite ways to make iced tea:

Marika likes to make hers “old school”: black tea over ice with no sweetener.

Mary Jo changes hers up by using Celestial Seasonings berry teas in the summer, brewed this way: ‎4-6 teabags in about 5 cups water, bring to almost boil and turn off to steep, add 3/4 cup sugar and cold water to equal 1 gallon.

Missy gets fancy by pureeing frozen peach slices (she also suggests strawberries, blueberries, or mango chunks) and adding the puree to already chilled tea.

Ann and Shalene follow the classic method of boiling 6 tea bags in a saucepan of water, bringing to a boil, then adding water to fill a gallon pitcher.

Amy at A Little Nosh does a slight variation by putting the tea bags straight into the pitcher and pouring the boiling water over them, then adding ice and/or cold water to fill the pitcher.

When Shalene has time, she likes to make sun tea by placing 10 tea bags in a gallon container full of water and setting it outside in the sun to brew.

Heather puts the microwave to work with 1 cup of water and 3 tea bags for 2 minutes, then adding to a gallon of water.

Recommended brands include Lipton and decaf Luzianne. My readers must mostly be Northerners because sweet tea was not a favorite! I am from Maryland, which is decidedly undecided about whether it is the North or the South, and my iced tea reflects that: sweet but not too much so. “Real” sweet tea is too sweet for me, I usually only add about 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup at the most to my pitcher of tea.

And now… if you want to try something different with your tea, here’s my variation!

Recipe: Sweet Peppermint Tea

Ingredients

  • 1 Lipton family size iced tea bag
  • 2 Celestial Seasonings peppermint tea bags
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 1/4-1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 cups cold water

Instructions

  1. Place the tea bags in the bottom of a 2qt pitcher, removing any paper tags. Pour boiling water over all and allow to steep for several minutes. Remove tea bags without pushing on them, and stir in sugar until it dissolves. Stir in vanilla. Add cold water and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8


To be honest, I never measure when I make tea, so those water, sugar, and vanilla measurements are approximate. I know I fill a 2 qt pitcher, and I know I give one good squeeze of the vanilla bottle, and I know my sugar scoop is a scant 1/4 cup (I use one scoop worth for myself, and 2 when I’m making it for company). I also like to use half sugar and half honey.

If you like to leave out the sweetener until serving, I recommend using TrueVia or liquid Stevia instead of sugar substitutes like Equal or Splenda, which are chemicals not easily digested by your body.

Homemade iced tea is so QUICK, there is really no point in purchasing those chemical-laden powders (that don’t taste like real tea anyway), or bottled teas like Lipton.

It is so EASY, too, especially since you make it to your own taste, not somebody else’s. I admit that it actually can be more difficult than it should be to make iced tea for company since everybody has a very individual taste when it comes to their tea, but if they don’t like it the way you drink it, oh well. The more left over for you!

Making iced tea from your own stash of tea is so much CHEAPer than buying it made or even buying the powder, especially considering it’s the real deal! Even organic tea is not that expensive.

Tea is very HEALTHY for you. I haven’t seen any studies that compare the relative healthiness of cold vs hot tea, but I imagine they are similar since the tea itself is usually hot brewed to start with in both. No matter what kind of tea you use - black, green, white, red, or herbal - it will be full of antioxidants that will help your body fight off disease. Just keep the sugar to a minimum, and avoid the artificial sweeteners.

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Orange + Chocolate = Tastebud Heaven

March 22, 2011 By

Have you ever had a chocolate orange? They’re more readily available in Europe than here in the United States, but you can still find them around. If you’ve never had one, and you come across one - snatch it up! It’s pricey, but it’s worth every penny (well, once in a while anyway!).

It’s been a loooooonggg time since I’ve had one, but I remember well the amazing (and yet unlikely) combination of chocolate and orange. Whoever first put those two flavors together was a genius! Lately, I’ve been experimenting with the combination myself… and having a great deal of fun in the process! This morning, for example, I treated myself to orange chocolate pancakes. Wow. Orange juice in the batter and shaved chocolate stirred in - to die for!

Mostly, though, I’ve been experimenting with an orange mocha drink, or perhaps better entitled, “Chocolate Orange Cafe au Lait“. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.

The orange flavor is more of a faint reminiscence than a full-on tastebud explosion, but that’s probably a good thing considering all the other stuff going on in this drink. It starts with a simple syrup, to which is added a very basic hot chocolate, and a splash of coffee, all topped off with whipped cream (if desired). Once you’ve made the syrup, you can enjoy more Chocolate Orange Cafe au Laits for the next couple of weeks (if you don’t share! and I wouldn’t blame you.).

Chocolate Orange Cafe au Lait

Orange Simple Syrup:

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

rind from 1 small orange or clementine

Mocha:

1 TBSP cocoa

1 TBSP water

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup brewed coffee

whipped cream, optional

To make the simple syrup, bring water, sugar and orange rind to boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to steep as long as you’d like. Strain and store in refrigerator.

To make the cafe au lait, stir together the cocoa and water in the bottom of a large mug until you have a smooth paste. Stir in milk. Heat in microwave on High for about a minute. Stir until well blended; stir in coffee and 1-2 TBSP of simple syrup (or to taste). Top with whipped cream (if desired). Enjoy!

Once you’ve made the simple syrup, assembling the drink is super QUICK: quicker than standing in line at the coffee shop at any rate!

It’s very EASY, too. (That’s why being a barista doesn’t require any kind of culinary expertise!)

It’s also much CHEAPer than purchasing a fancy drink at a coffee shop (or even cheaper than purchasing store-bought orange simple syrup, especially since you’re using a part of the orange that is typically discarded).

It’s a lot HEALTHY-er than coffee shop drinks, too, because all the ingredients are natural, and you can use organic ingredients too!

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Winter Warmth in a Mug

January 14, 2011 By

Hot Milk

Usually, my go-to hot drink is coffee, followed very closely this time of year by hot chocolate. Hot tea is a distant third and the occasional hot simmering cider is always a nice treat. Hot milk, though, has never been in my repertoire of hot drinks.

Until now.

Now it’s one of my favorites, right up there with hot chocolate. Easier, though, to make from scratch (although making hot chocolate from scratch is not super difficult) and in a jiffy. And soooo soothing… you might fall asleep immediately after imbibing!

If you are one of the (un)lucky ones who have been dumped on liberally by snow this year (I’m one of the very lucky ones who has managed to miss it all for the most part!), you will want to keep this recipe handy and make sure you have plenty of milk in your fridge for the next snow storm. After a round of romping through the white stuff, this hot white stuff will hit the spot!


Soothing Hot Milk

1 cup whole milk

1 TBSP honey (or to taste)

1/8 tsp cinnamon

dash of grated nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a microwave-safe mug. Heat for one minute and 30 seconds or 2 minutes. Stir until honey is melted and spices are incorporated. Sip and relax!

You can also make this on the stove-top simply by placing all the ingredients in a quart-size saucepan and heating over medium heat, whisking constantly until it bubbles around the edges.

You can vary the flavorings to suit your taste: add a little vanilla extract, or try some more exotic spices like ginger or cardamom.

This is one of the QUICKest homemade hot drinks, just as quick as a packet of hot chocolate or hot tea.

It’s also super EASY! Can’t go wrong with this one!

It’s just as CHEAP as making hot chocolate from scratch (which requires milk), but not as cheap as hot tea or coffee because it’s mostly milk. If you don’t mind buying a little extra milk, or cutting back your milk consumption in other areas, this is not a bad deal.

It’s very HEALTHY! You can’t get too much more straight-forward than these ingredients, all very beneficial each in their own way. Honey is still a sweetener, so it’s important to remember that, as healthy as it is, you should still limit your consumption of it. However, in my opinion, it’s the healthiest sweetener possible, and ideal for hot drinks.

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Baby, it’s Cold Outside: Time for a Peppermint Mocha!

December 7, 2010 By

Is it frigid where you are? Is the wind whipping around your place like it is mine? If so, I have the perfect prescription to warm you up: a nice hot cup of Peppermint Mocha!

And you don’t even have to leave the warm and cozy comfort of your home to go get it at your favorite coffee shop, because you can make it yourself in your comfy cozy kitchen.

I have visited this idea before, but the recipe I shared then is only useful if you have these hot chocolate pods handy. I didn’t have any today, but I was seriously in the mood for a good peppermint mocha, so I had to come up with a different method.

There are essentially four elements necessary to create a peppermint mocha:

  • peppermint flavor
  • chocolate flavor
  • coffee or espresso
  • milk
The coffee and milk are easy, no problem there. Peppermint and chocolate are a little trickier! Once (a long time ago) I tried just putting a little dash of peppermint extract in my coffee. YUCK! That was NOT a successful experiment. Since then, I’ve seen recipes online that call for exactly that, but I can’t bring myself to try them because that awful taste is still in my mouth. I personally think that the peppermint extract (like vanilla extract) needs a “carrier”: something that will deliver the flavor without the yuck factor. Also, like vanilla extract and medicine, it needs a little sugar to help it go down.
Enter Peppermint Simple Syrup.
That’s the easiest way to get a deliciously sweet peppermint flavor without the overpowering sensation of heavy-duty mint. In order to make your peppermint mocha, you’ll need a little peppermint syrup. But don’t worry; it’s not hard and it won’t take long! And the good thing is, you can use this syrup in any hot or cold drink that could use a little extra holiday flavor: hot chocolate, hot tea, ginger ale, club soda, etc. etc..
By the way, simple syrup is essentially made of equal parts sugar and water. I like to use raw sugar, but you can use any kind (except powdered). I also cheat sometimes and use less sugar, just because that’s how I roll.
Peppermint Simple Syrup
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp peppermint extract
Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and add peppermint extract; simmer for at least 15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes. Cool slightly.
Simple, huh? And now that you have your simple syrup, you can continue with your main task, Peppermint Mocha. I’ve given you both stove-top and microwave instructions below, so you can choose your preferred method. Stove-top is green and microwave is red.
Simple Peppermint Mocha
2 TBSP peppermint syrup
3 TBSP cocoa
3 TBSP water
1 cup strong coffee or espresso
1 cup milk
Stir together cocoa and water in a small saucepan {in a glass microwaveable 2-cup measuring cup} until a paste forms. Add milk and bring to a simmer (not a boil) {microwave approximately 2 minutes, stopping after 1 minute to stir}; simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat {from microwave}. Add coffee or espresso and peppermint syrup. Add more syrup to taste. Pour into two small mugs or one very large mug. Top with whipped cream if desired, and/or crushed peppermint candy or candy cane.
Once you have the simple syrup made, it’s a very QUICK process. And if you make one cup’s worth of simple syrup, you will have enough for quite a few more servings of peppermint mocha, saving time in the days to come when you get really crazy with the holidays.
It’s EASY, no question! (That’s why they call it “simple”!)
It’s certainly CHEAPer than buying it at a coffee shop! I think it’s also cheaper than other methods, which call for gourmet syrups, or packages of instant hot chocolate and other things. This recipe uses very basic ingredients that most people already have in their pantry.
It’s probably the HEALTHY-est version of peppermint mocha you will find anywhere. To be honest, in the past I’ve made it with a package of instant hot chocolate, and a candy cane or peppermint candy. Not healthy! Basic ingredients are not only cheaper; they’re also usually much healthier.
Did you like the mug and saucer set in my pictures? You can find them for yourself (or one for a friend) at Dayspring. They are only $12.99; a great price for a great gift! Dayspring has an entire line of additional dishes, and even kitchen accessories, in the same design, priced from $9.99 to $19.99. Some pieces are on sale right now, so check them out!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

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Fall Fest 2010: Spiced Cider… Want a Sip?

November 23, 2010 By
A long time ago, I think when I was a teenager (a very long time ago, indeed), I started making spiced cider for my family on special holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s since become a tradition, at least for me! I don’t know if anybody else still wants hot spiced cider, but for me the holiday is not complete without it.
When I first began making it, I used a recipe, but after making it a few times, I just kind of started dumping stuff into the pot. As long as there is cider (or even apple juice in a pinch) and some holiday spices, it’s all good. I even like to add cranberry juice sometimes for an extra kick, or a small amount of lemon juice.
Most of the time I make it in the crock pot, which is perfect, because it frees up the stove for other important things like boiling potatoes for mashed potatoes and the like. The slow cooker is also convenient because you can set it going pretty much at any time that is convenient to you, as long as it is a few hours before you plan to serve it. Otherwise, if it’s on low, you can let it go for quite a while.
Of course, the stove top is definitely an option, but it’s not as convenient. You have to keep a much closer eye on it, and the longer it sits on the stove, the more it will simmer and burn or evaporate away.
I did my best to come up with some accurate measurements for you, but there are two things you should keep in mind:
  1. The spices can definitely be adjusted to taste. If you love cinnamon, use the full amount or more, but if it’s not your favorite, reduce as much as you want.
  2. This is hardly an exact science. Increase the sugar, use half cranberry juice and half cider, add some additional spices, take away any spices you don’t want, etc. etc. Completely flexible! So do it your own way!

 

Holiday Spiced Cider
1 gallon apple cider
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp allspice berries
6 2″ cinnamon sticks
Place all ingredients in slow cooker and set on low. Serve as soon it’s heated through, although allowing it to heat in the slow cooker for a while will blend the flavors and bring out the spices more.
For an elegant touch, serve with cinnamon sticks as stirrers.
The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it ahead. All you have to do is rinse out and dry the apple cider container, and set it aside until the cider is finished to your satisfaction (at least a few hours on low). Allow it to cool until it is room temperature or close to it. Use a mesh strainer to remove the spices.
Place a funnel over the opening of the apple cider container. It might be useful to place the mesh strainer over the funnel as well to catch any remaining cloves or berries. Pour the cider carefully through the strainer and funnel into the gallon container.
Store in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, you can do either of the following:
  1. Reheat one cup at a time in the microwave.
  2. Heat the contents of the entire container in the slow cooker (this will naturally take some time).
  3. Heat the contents of the entire container in a large pot on the stove.
It is perhaps not as QUICK as using a packet of mulled cider flavoring, but if you use a slow cooker, you can forget about it once it’s mixed together.
It’s very EASY, just as easy as using one of those afore-mentioned packets.
Well, a gallon of cider isn’t exactly CHEAP, not in my book anyway, but if you’re really on a tight budget, you can use apple juice instead. (Nothing beats the cider, though, it’s definitely worth the splurge for the holidays.)
It’s one of the HEALTHY-est holiday drinks you can indulge in throughout the season. There is sugar in it, to be sure, but not much: that 1/2 cup is spread throughout approximately 16 servings.So enjoy guilt-free!

 

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International Fare: Russian Blini, Greek Yogurt and Cardamom Coffee

October 18, 2010 By

Every year in October, my church has a “Missions Banquet”, where, ideally, everyone brings a dish representing their ethnic background. Both my DH and I have a lot of mixed European blood, but we also each have a strong presentation of one particular European country that dominates the mix. My mom is 100% Finn, and my DH’s mom is mostly Greek, both of which provide a great deal of inspiration for a variety of delicious ethnic foods. On top of that, I spent some time in Russia in my teen years, and gained an appreciation for a variety of Russian foods, my favorite of all time being blini.

Blini are kind of like the Russian version of crepes, or very thin pancakes. They can be served with savory or sweet accompaniments. Caviar is a favorite (not for me, but for people who happen to like caviar!), and sour cream (or plain yogurt/kefir) is also very common. Smoked salmon is popular, and I recall once having them as a snack for tea in a Russian home, served with jam. In my brief research, it seems like there are about as many different recipes for blini as there are people in Russia, but I use a recipe very similar to what was taught to me by a friend in Russia.

I am no blini expert, so I will just give you the ingredient list that I used, and then direct you to this site, which has very specific instructions for the method that is a lot more precise and helpful than I would be. In Moscow, my friends would say that the first blin was for the cook, meaning that the first blin never quite turned out the way it should. When I make them, the first 2 or 3 are for the cook!

Here is the ingredient list that I used (more accurate, I think than the one in the link above. My recipe doesn’t have buttermilk or kefir, but you can certainly substitute part of the milk with either of those).

Russian Blini
2 eggs
1 TBSP sugar
1/3 tsp salt
3/4 flour
2 cups milk
1 TBSP oil

Whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, and then stir as you slowly add the milk. Mix until smooth and well blended - no lumps of flour. Stir in oil. Continue as directed here.

The other component of my international potluck offering was Greek yogurt. Oh. My. Word. I’d eaten Greek yogurt from the store before, but this was homemade, and WOW! It was sooooo good. The best yogurt I’ve ever had. I made my own yogurt with whole milk in my yogurt machine the day before, but you can use any plain yogurt.

Greek Yogurt with Honey and Vanilla
2 cups plain yogurt
1 TBSP honey
1/2 tsp vanilla

Line a strainer or colander with cheesecloth (or…. paper towels, she whispers embarrassedly. No cheesecloth here, so I had to make a quick substitute. And no, there were no flecks of paper in the yogurt!). Pour the yogurt into the colander or strainer and place over a bowl. Allow to sit for several hours to drain out all the liquid in the yogurt (I left mine in the fridge for a large part of the day). You should have almost a sour cream consistency with the remaining yogurt.

Remove yogurt to serving bowl, and stir in honey and vanilla until well blended. Prepare for bliss… and taste!

SOOOO EASY, and aside from the draining time, very QUICK too. It’s a great CHEAP dessert (or snack or breakfast) AND it’s very HEALTHY to boot. And did I mention that it’s fabulously delicious?! A winner in my book!

My final contribution was cardamom coffee, a nod to my Finnish heritage which I have already blogged about, so you can read here if you’re interested.

I think I have just given you the components for a yummy breakfast… Enjoy!

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More About Coffee

May 11, 2010 By

You’ll have to forgive me. Coffee is a passion of mine, so it’s easy for me to go on and on about it. There’s so much to say about it, too! Seriously, there are entire blogs devoted entirely to the subject of coffee, so I think I can be excused for allowing a few posts on the topic on my own blog.

I used to drink my coffee with a splash of non-dairy flavored creamer; you know, the CoffeeMate or International Delights kind. Then, in an effort to improve my diet, I began to read books, websites and articles about nutrition, and I stumbled across a description of non-dairy flavored creamer that didn’t really sit well with my stomach. I forget now what book it was, but the description has stuck with me: flavored liquid margarine. Yuck. By that point, I had been avoiding margarine for a while already, and it struck me as rather hypocritical (not to mention disgusting) that I continued to use a margarine-like product while studiously avoiding margarine itself. Such a revelation led me to give up the non-dairy flavored creamer (although I will admit, in the interest of complete and total honesty, that when I encounter said creamer at someone else’s house or at a special event, I can’t help but indulge in a little bit) altogether, and left a rather sad and empty hole in my coffee heart.

I am not one of those people who can drink coffee black. I have, when forced to, but it’s not my favorite preparation. I even weaned myself from sweetened coffee, and can now happily drink unsweetened coffee with a splash (or two) of half and half or whole milk. However, I still like to enjoy a variety of flavors in my coffee, without artificial flavors or other unnecessary ingredients. I tried making my own flavored “creamers” or sugars but that was too much of a pain.

It turns out that the simplest way to add a little flavor to your coffee is by adding it to the grounds before you brew. People around the world enjoy their coffee this way, and it is about as healthy and natural as you can get. And tasty, too!

My favorite flavored coffee is actually a recent discovery by my sister, and it’s the one featured in the picture above: cardamom. I tasted some made by my sister and searched heaven and earth (OK, well a few grocery stores) until I found cardamom and made it for myself. Let me tell you, heaven in a cup! Apparently, this special coffee treat is a favorite in Arab countries. It’s also a nod to my Finnish heritage as Finns add cardamom to just about everything and they are prolific coffee drinkers as well.

I found the cardamom at an Amish farmer’s market for half the price it was available in the store. I believe my sister said she found it for a reasonable price at Whole Foods market.

To make cardamom coffee, all you do is add some ground cardamom to the coffee grounds before you brew. I use a coffee press, and I like to think it intensifies the flavor, but you can employ any coffee-making method with great results. A little bit of cardamom goes a long way - I use 1/8-1/4 tsp for one full French press, which makes about 2-3 8oz cups of coffee.

Cardamom isn’t the only spice you can add to your coffee. I’ve tried all of the following in various itinerations and they’ve all been delicious:

Ground cinnamon
Whole cloves (ground cloves were a bit much for me)
Ground nutmeg
Vanilla

If you like the taste of ginger, you could try dried ginger as well.

Of course, there are other healthy ways to flavor your coffee… but I’ll leave that for another post, because it’ll give me an excuse to talk about coffee some more!

It’s QUICK: just as quick to add a spice before you brew as it is to add flavored creamer afterwards.

What could be EASY-er?

It is CHEAPer by far than purchasing the bottles of flavored creamer, or flavored syrups.

It is so much HEALTHY-er, too. No hydrogenated oils, no artificial colors or flavors, no preservatives, and most importantly, no margarine.

Picture from Autopilot at Wikipedia.

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Of Cake and Coffee

May 7, 2010 By

It was my birthday recently, and you know what that means: Cake! And plenty of it! None of it made by me, thanks to my dear DH, who shelled out the big bucks to get it from a local bakery. Remember that bakery with the awesome donuts? Yeah, that bakery. Turns out they also make awesome cakes. Check it out:

Beautiful, isn’t it? And large. Thankfully, there were many guests available to help eat it, so that we only took a small portion home. Not that it wasn’t delicious, because, oh my goodness it was so delicious, but because… well, surely, you understand, I don’t need that much cake.

And, in the midst of all our celebrating and cake-eating, another cake arrived:

Talk about a beautiful cake! And this one I could take home in its entirety without worrying about my waistline! Food for the eyes and not the stomach.

Since my friends and family were so generous to me, I got quite a few birthday presents, and plenty of birthday shopping money. I spent it wisely and used a portion on a new French press. You may recall my love affair with the French press, which, alas, ended when my press fell off the counter and onto the floor, shattering in a million pieces. I promptly ordered a replacement online, not realizing that my replacement was only large enough to make one (espresso-sized) serving at a time. Oops. Not wanting to waste anymore money on my addiction, I settled for a regular old drip machine that I acquired at a swap party. I was happy enough, but you can bet the first thing I bought with my birthday money was a nice, brand-spanking-new large French press.

It’s a beautiful thing.

And with my beautiful new coffee press, I decided to try something new, at least new to me: cold-brewed coffee. One of my favorite hot-weather drinks is iced coffee (iced tea is a close second), which I usually make with chilled regular coffee and milk. It’s much easier, though, if the coffee is cool to begin with! Cold-brewed coffee can be kind of a tricky process, but not if you have a French press! Using a press eliminates the need for multiple jars, strainers, spoons and what-have-you and really simplifies the process.

Here’s what you do:
1. At night, before you go to bed, place ground coffee in the French press. The amount depends on how much you want to make and how strong you want it to be, but the general rule is 1 part coffee to 4 parts water.

2. Add lukewarm water to the ground coffee. Gently stir the coffee grounds and water together, and place the plunger on top (don’t push it down).

3. In the morning, push down the plunger. Pour the coffee over ice and add milk or cream to taste.

The only trouble with cold-brewed coffee is that there is no way to dissolve sugar in it. Many people find that iced coffee doesn’t require sweetener, and you might also find that the cold-brewed method results in a less acidic and less bitter coffee that doesn’t rely on sugar to render it more palatable. If it’s really not sweet enough for you, here are a few options:

1. Try stevia. It’s now sold in regular grocery stores under several different labels. It’s a natural calorie-free sugar replacement that dissolves easily in cold liquids.

2. Honey will dissolve to a certain extent in cool or lukewarm liquids, but you will probably still end up with a small pile of it at the bottom of your glass.

3. Simple syrup, which is often used in iced tea, can also be used in iced coffee. It’s also easy to make: just boil equal parts water and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the desired amount of syrup into your coffee.

4. Use sweetened condensed milk to both replace the milk or cream and to add sweetness. It will also add an additional taste to your coffee, so you may not like this if you’re a coffee purist. However, many people all around the world drink coffee with sweetened condensed milk as a matter of course, so it’s a very popular option.

Is it QUICK? Well, certainly in terms of time, cold-brewed coffee is not as quick as any hot-brewed method. However, because you can put it together and let it sit overnight, all the work is done while you are sleeping, and you can wake up with a nice refreshing glass of iced coffee. If you forget or can’t set it going at night, just keep in mind it needs at least 3 hours to steep, just in time for an afternoon pick-me-up.

It’s certainly EASY! It is just as easy as making regular hot-brewed coffee in the French press. Even easier, because you do not have to heat the water. And as I mentioned, using the French press eliminates the need for dirtying extra dishes and the messy process of straining.

It’s just as CHEAP as any kind of coffee. It’s certainly cheaper than purchasing iced coffee at your local coffee shop.

The eternal debate: Is coffee HEALTHY? I have read reports of numerous studies about the affects of coffee and caffeine on the body, and despite the arguments that persist, they all seem to arrive at the same conclusion: coffee (and caffeine) in moderate amounts (no more than 2-3 cups a day) has no negative effect on the body and in some cases may have a positive effect. To your health!

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