Coffee

Entries Tagged as 'coffee'

Honey Bee Chai (Vanilla + Honey)

3.04.2013

This being the second post on Chai Tea in the last 2 weeks (see: Chocolate Chai), it’s pretty obvious that chai has won me over. Most people feel very passionate about coffee or tea. Very rarely do I meet someone who has not declared a side and swears by it. I am one of the unusual cases that really really really loves both! I tend to crave coffee first thing in the morning and prefer the benefits of tea come afternoon. However, there are times when I’m not sure what I’m feeling and chai always does the trick. With a little caffeine from the black tea and bursting flavor from the spices, chai always hits the spot.

Chocolate Chai is amazing and I’ve been enjoying it as an afternoon treat or after-dinner sweet. But this new vanilla-honey tea has been perfect for all those times I’m craving something not as sweet. The honey gives it the tiniest hint of sweet while still having lots of spice from the clove / cinnamon / anise / ginger / peppercorn.

Give this drink a try. You may never go back to your standard chai ever again.

Honey Bee Chai (Vanilla + Honey)

2 cardamom pods, slightly crushed
1 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, sliced
1/8 teaspoon black peppercorn
2 cloves
1 star anise
1 inch of peeled ginger, thinly sliced
2 bags of black tea (or loose leaf black tea)
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons honey (add more if you like it sweeter)

Place cardamon pods, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, black peppercorn, cloves, anise, and ginger in a small saucepan with 2 cups water. Bring water to a boil and then let simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the tea bags. Let tea steep for about 5 minutes.

Strain liquid into a mug and discard leftover spices. Rinse out the saucepan and add milk and honey to it. Let the milk come to a simmer and use a whisk to make the milk frothy. Top off the chai with milk and cinnamon. Serve warm.

Song Pairing (a little Spencer Krug to get you through your Monday):

Homemade Pumpernickel Loaf

1.03.2013

As I mentioned yesterday in my post on Pear, Brie, and Spicy Brown Mustard Grilled Cheese, this is the first time I have ever tackled making homemade pumpernickel bread. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor complexity that went into this bread. Whoever first invented this must have either seriously known what they were doing or was trying to clean out their kitchen cabinet in the form of throwing everything into a loaf of bread. I like to think it may be my second theory.

This bread is not for the impatient. It has 2 rising cycles so I recommend whipping this up on the weekend when you are planning to be hanging around the house anyways. Or even if you weren’t planning on hanging out around the house all day maybe this can be your excuse? Don’t want to go visit that weird uncle you’ve been putting off seeing in St. Louis? Tell him you’ve got some bread to make that just can’t wait another weekend. He will…probably not understand but at least you’ll get some amazing bread out of it and your home will smell like a fresh bakery!

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Vegan Gingerbread Biscotti

12.21.2012

And its time to push on with the holiday baking! Yesterday I posted about those beautiful candied orange peels and last week there was the Peppermint Dipped Brown Butter Shortbread cookies…and now I’m here again with some biscotti! Are you sick of all the sugar yet? Yeah, me neither!

This is a perfect accompaniment to your morning cup of coffee [or tea] for you to enjoy on your lazy holiday mornings. They are firm but soften up beautifully when dunked in a big cup of coffee and give a wonderful gingerbread flavor tint to your cup of joe! I topped my biscotti with frosting since I had just made some for sugar cookies but feel free to drizzle with chocolate or caramel or whatever you are feeling!

Vegan Gingerbread Biscotti

adapted from Isa Moskowitz

1/4 cup molasses
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/2 cup coconut oil
4 Tablespoons of unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used my homemade stuff)
1 3/4 cup of flour
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking sheet.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the molasses, sugar, flaxseed, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into wet and stir until combined and crumbly. Finally, add in a the milk a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together (you want to keep the dough on the dry side so you may not use all 4 tablespoons).

Roll the dough out into a 11 inch by 4 inch long and place on greased cooking sheet. Cook for 30 minutes or until the edges just start to brown. Remove from oven and let cook for an hour.

Reheat oven to 325 degrees and use a sharp knife to cut diagonal strips into the biscotti log. Turn the pieces so that the inside part is facing up (this will help dry out the middle) and stick back in the oven for 20 minutes. Let cool completely to reach that desired crispiness.

Searchable Saturdays

9.22.2012

A picture of Tuko & Lake Monroe from our dinner picnic. We went on a hike/picnic Wednesday night which was the perfect cure for the mid-week blues.

Morning, Morning, Morning! Here are a few inspiring things I stumbled upon while enjoying my morning cup of chai:
1. My two favorite things have finally come together in a beautiful monthly package (and receiving surprises in the mail is up there as a favorite as well): music (more specifically- music on vinyl) and cooking. This adorably clever project sends you a monthly package filled with an exclusive 7″, recipe cards, and spices to accompany your dinner. How awesome is that?! Now if only I had come up with this idea…

2. I’m preparing for a blog facelift which means many hours spent looking at logos, fonts, and color schemes. Upon my ‘research’, I came across this font. SO cool!

3. I have such a weakness for cute typography and colorful visuals. Look at these adorable DIY birthday cards! Best part? You can print them out and give them to all those Fall birthdays you know!

4. Bon Appetit recently released an article on the science behind food pairing. Find it weird that there are some foods which seem to be absolutely irresistible together? There is probably a scientific explanation behind that!

5. Sprouting from a slight fantasy of wishing I had grown up as part of the Portland vegan food scene in the 90s, I have such a weakness for zines and hand drawn food photos. Not only does this Tea is Magical photo portray exactly how amazing tea is, it also looks like it could have been pulled from a 90′s art magazine.

6. I know I already mentioned the newest edition of Chickpea Magazine earlier this week but take a look at these photos to get an idea of the types of recipes in the newest edition!

7. With the weather changing, I am already starting to stock up on fun things to do inside to keep me busy during the looooooong, cold months ahead. Hop on over to DesignSponge to check out this amazing looking DIY foot soak made out of honey that will be perfect after a long day in the chilly Midwest.

8. The reasons I love fall are absolutely endless but one that I must point out is that it’s boot season. I am so. in. love. with. boots. My co-worker commented the other day that I’ve worn a different pair of boots every day this week. Guilty. I can’t help it! I need a pair in every color, ankle and over the knee, with laces and slip ons. Speaking of boots, I may already have a dozen pairs but I think these would be a perfect addition to my collection.

Okay, enough lusting over the internet for one day. I am off to pour myself another cup of coffee and get working on some pumpkin cinnamon rolls!

View from my bike. Peddling to friend’s house to make dinner together.

Mini Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

3.13.2012

It’s amazing how productive and relaxed you feel when you don’t have hours of homework nagging at your schedule. I woke up this morning with the intentions of doing nothing but whatever I wanted to and it was marvelous.

I whip these up in about 20 minutes while sipping on coffee and listening to an old ‘Bob Dylan’ record. It was such a simple pleasure and it was wonderful to have the house to myself for once (I have four roommates..). These little muffins are SOOO easy that they can even be prepared while still half asleep and without any stress.

I seriously thought they were fantastic by themselves but feel free to dip them in maple syrup if you’re feeling extra indulgent. Also, they are absolutely fabulous when still warm and the chocolate melts in your mouth but feel free to stick them in an air tight container and munch down over a few days.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Once well incorporated, make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in all of your wet ingredients (minus the chocolate chips). Use a whisk to whisk together the wet ingredients (it’s okay if a little of the dry mixture gets incorporated) then use a spatula to fold the dry into the wet until a thick batter forms.

Fold in the chocolate chips. Grease two miniature cupcake pans and fill each about half full (these little guys rise a lot!). You should end up with about 24.

Cook for 9 to 10 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean (they won’t brown on the top).

Enjoy with syrup and a big mug of french press coffee. And perhaps your favorite lazy morning cartoons (Scooby Doo!) or a Dylan vinyl.

Moody Monday

3.12.2012

Monday, again? Thankfully I have a semi-easy week with it being Spring Break…although I remember when spring break meant having a week off…now I only manage to have Tuesday and Thursday off and have to work the other days. Oh well, I like my job…alot..so no complaining.

Anyways, my Moody Monday post is about my huuuuuuuge brick porch that could be a house in itself. It’s absolutely amazing and I love spending all of my free time on it. It was so nice this weekend that I was able to not have one but TWO picnics on it!

On Saturday, Ella (my wonderful roommate), Tuco (pictured below), and I had a coffee date with biscotti and Turkish tea! Mmmm

And then last night, Wyatt and I had a dinner picnic full of yummy soup (post about this adventure to happen ASAP) and open faced sandwiches.

And my porch has the best view for me to lean against the brick and watch my boys play!

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

3.10.2012

This recipe evokes fond memories of when I first started learning how to cook. When I was 19, I moved down to Nashville, TN for the summer to try to pursue my music business career. It was the first time I had ever lived on my own and I had a tiny apartment all to myself. It wasn’t much but it was all mine and that was what mattered. I had a lot of goals that summer (perhaps to help with the fear of moving to a city where I knew practically no one) and one of them was to learn how to cook.

Don’t get me wrong, my mother is an amazing person but she didn’t appreciate when I would bake and get half the ingredients in the bowl and the other half on the floor. In my kitchen, I was free to create whatever I wanted without anyone being able to judge me. If I failed (which I did, too many times to want to admit) I could chuck it and start fresh without any criticism. And if I succeeded, I had yummy baked goods to offer to the neighbors in my apartment complex and try to make friends (the people below me smoked far too much and were always more than happier to try out my concoctions).

Anyways, this is one of the recipes from that summer; I remember being blown away by the fact that I was capable of making something so delicious. It’s funny to look back on it because I was so strict about following recipes word for word back then and I’ve managed to play around with so many times since.

Today was a beautiful sunny Saturday so I whipped these up while my roommate made some Turkish coffee that she acquired abroad in Jordan last year. We had a cute little tea [coffee] picnic on the porch this afternoon with these delicious treats!

Also, can’t wait to spend my lazy spring break mornings laying around and munching down on these with coffee.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 cup chocolate chips
powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep two baking sheets by buttering them and then brushing flour on top.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, cayenne, and baking powder. Stir to combine.

In another mixing bowl, cream the sugar, vanilla extract, and butter with a hand mixer. Once smooth, add the eggs and beat until well blended.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until stiff. Then add in the chocolate chips and almonds and (preferably with your hands because the dough will be stiff) knead until everything is well incorporated. Slit the dough in half and make two long logs on each making sheet. Dust both with powdered sugar and then use a knife to pierce slices about an inch from each other.

Cook for 35 minutes or until firm. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes. Use a knife to slip the pieces fully and turn them their sides. Put back in the oven for ten minutes.

Let cool completely and serve with warm, yummy coffee. Or have a tea party with your favorite pooch (like mine shown below).

Gingerbread Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

12.12.2011

To celebrate finishing my first exam of finals week, I dedicated my afternoon to baking festive goods and listening to Christmas Elvis albums. And damn, it was perfect. There is something about baking that is just so relaxing and it was a perfect ending to three straight days of studying.

Anyways, If you haven’t been able to tell yet, I seem to have this weird thing for cupcakes/muffins. Something about how they are in miniature form and easy to take on the go gets me everytime. I guess what I am trying to say is that I do realize that 1/3 of my posts are about cupcake and muffins but they always turn out so damn good that I can’t help it!

On another note, I found the original recipe for this muffin in Homemade by Yvette Van Boven which is a ridiculously inspiring cookbook. She does the most amazing photography in this book which makes me want to recreate everything in it (which I hope to, at least admit, to do over Christmas break).

Anyways, this recipe has the perfect balance because the muffin itself isn’t super sweet which is why the tangy cream cheese icing compliments it perfectly. I’d recommend this recipe for some type of breakfast or to go with your afternoon tea. It’s simple, easy if you’re in a hurry in the morning, and goes perfectly with tea or coffee. Plus, these taste straight up like christmas so how could they possibly be bad?

Gingerbread Muffins

4 oz. Butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all spice seasoning
1/4 cup milk

Icing:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup confectioner sugar
1 squirt of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and wet ones in a small. Grease a muffin tin or fill with liners. Fill liners about 2/3 full and stick in the oven. Cook for 15 t0 18 minutes.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the icing! Just mix all the ingredients together and lather over the muffins. Sprinkle cinnamon or allspice on top of each cupcake.

Munch down while dancing to Elvis Christmas tunes. Or over coffee while watching recaps from Kid Rock on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (if you’re feelin’ American). Uh yeah.