Frozen Coffee

I'm going to experiment this afternoon.
Prep for today's experiment began last night when I brewed some coffee, let it cool, added a little heavy cream, and then poured it into ice cube trays and put it in the freezer.

Some time this afternoon (when the temp is supposed to hit 104f, 40c) I'll throw some of those cubes in the blender with a splash of Mexican vanilla, a bit of chocolate syrup, a little cinnamon, and a (healthy) shot of tequila. I may need to add a little milk or cream to get the right consistency, but I'm looking for my own take on a frozen Mexican coffee. If I were making it for guests I'd probably top it with whipped cream, drizzle a little more chocolate on it, and maybe sprinkle some more cinnamon. I don't need all that showy stuff for just me.
Freezing the coffee will keep it from tasting like watered down coffee the way coffee and ice eventually does.
It's 8am and already 82, feels like 97, so I'm looking forward to this frozen drink. I don't know if it will be too hot to enjoy it on the deck with a cigar or not, but I am looking forward to it with or without the stogie.

I'll let you know.

John

Breakfast Challenge

Try my fried oatmeal.
It's a fairly simple to make, healthy breakfast food and easily modified for my vegan friends.

Smash a ripe banana into a gooey paste
Add 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats, 1/4 cup of crushed walnuts, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and an optional dash of vanilla.
Mix well.

I make two small cakes (easier to flip than one large one--ask me how I know) and fry them on a griddle with melted butter. I never time it;  I just go by what feels right, turn them once, and cook them some more.
I serve mine with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey.

For vegan--just sub the butter with a vegetable oil or coconut oil, and the honey with some maple syrup.
Oats are naturally gluten free, but if you need to be gluten free, make sure the oats you buy are certified that way since most are processed in plants that also process wheat and aren't consider gluten free due to possible contamination.

Pretty darned tasty!

Try it and let me know what you think.

John

A Coffee Treat

A couple of years ago, my daughter gave me a home-made book of coffee recipes and a gift bag filled with ingredients to prepare the drinks contained in the book. This morning I decided to venture from my normal black pour-over and treat myself to a modified version of Thai coffee.

I still used a simple pour-over brew method and I still prepared an entire pot. For my daily coffee I grind 50 grams of coffee and use 1 quart of water. Today I added a stick of cinnamon to the water, as well as a tablespoon or so of honey, then heated it to just about boiling. I use a simple 1 quart pot without any temperature gauge. If I do let the water reach a full boil, I might let it sit for a minute before pouring over the ground coffee.
This morning I sprinkled the coffee grounds with the cardamom and poured the sweet, cinnamon water over. I added a bit of heavy cream -- delicious!

I find the sweetened condensed milk to be a little too sweet for my taste, so I use a bit of honey and cream. Also, I generally have honey and cream on hand. Made with decaf, it would be excellent with dessert. Add a shot of Kahlua or your spirit of choice and drink it as dessert! Or skip the sweetened condensed milk and pour it over a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

The recipe has you sharing the experience with a friend and this is a wonderful drink to experience with someone else. Because I have few friends that can sit and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee, I'll enjoy this pot solo.

Have a great caffeinated day!
John

Keeping it simple...

Last year we decided not to go crazy with the Christmas spending. We set a relatively low limit on spending and many of us made gifts for one another rather than buying something inexpensive. People were very creative and we managed a great holiday without the financial stress that often seems to accompany the holiday.

This year, we raised the limit a little bit but still wanted to keep things simple.
At this point in our lives, Chris and I generally buy what we want and can afford so our gifts are usually small and something that we'd like but may not have gotten around to buying yet. Chris got me a new face shield for my motorcycle helmet and a couple of other small items. I got her a couple of CDs and some socks.

Hannah and Daniel made me a really cool gift -- a notebook with coffee drink recipes and a gift bag full of spices and ingredients for some of those drinks. The notebook also has several quotations on coffee which I am sure to share with you on occasion.

I also got this appropriate coffee mug from Aaron's inlaws. Aaron and Jenny will be here next weekend for our gift exchange with them.

I also scored some coffee beans so I am set for a few mornings and some midday coffee drinks, as well!
Here are the drinks included in my gift book:

Banana Mocha Shake
Chocolate Tangerine Coffee Cooler
Chocolate Peanut Butter Iced Smoothie
Cold Brew
Eggnog Latte
Hot Coffee Masala
Iced Cappuccino
Iced Mocha Cola
Maple Coconut Coffee
Mexican Coffee
Orange Mocha
Tembleque Latte
Thai Coffee

I'll keep you posted.

John <><