I am a coffee lover - maybe an over-the-top coffee lover - and a confessed purest - I do-not-dirnk-burnt-old-coffee!
It is the one thing I can't deal with - poor coffee. I am polite with other's coffee offerings and may sip some but I can't enjoy it.
So generally I rely on making my own - at home - one cup at a time.
Pictured is a combination of two cool coffee ideas I am going to explain.
One is how to make good iced coffe.
The other is to make your own homemade pumpkin-spiced milk for coffee (or other uses).
It is September 25th as I am writing this and it is still hot enough my coffee in the morning is iced. So here is the trick I saw some years ago on the correct way to make iced coffee and it is more about chemistry. You can make a pot or a cup at a time using the ratio below.
Iced Coffee
Receptacle of Choice
Normal amount of ground coffee (this is one of the key points - so whatever amount of coffee you use - keep it that level)
About HALF of the water normally used
Fill receptacle with ice cubes - normal size not mini.
Process as usual and voila - iced coffee to which you can add creamer etc of choice.
Here is the chemistry: if you simply add ice to already brewed coffee it dilutes it but does not capture the flavor / oils. When the HOT coffee in the above recipe hits the ice it "captures" the flavor. This was genius when I saw the video and I have been making it this way when the temps call below 80 for some year now.
Enjoy!
Pumpkin Spiced Milk (REAL Stuff)
When fall starts to beckon and all the pumpkin-spiced goodies show up in stores and Starbucks, I drop my 'tropical' mentality and go looking for ways to use pumpkin in recipes.
And I confess I LOVE pumpkin lattes. But I don't love the chemical concoctions companies like Starbucks use to make the flavor.
So of course I went looking for homemade versions and I found two which were the basis for my version -- FoodNetwork and Libby's both had okay sounding recipes but they were not good enough and they also were designed to make 1 or 2 coffees at a time calling for hot coffee immediately. I wanted to have a batch of pumpkin milk on hand.
My Pumpkin Milk For Drinks
This makes 1 cup (I make up big batches based on how many serving sizes are in a small can of pumpkin puree and adjust the other ingredients).
2/3 cup milk (I use whole milk, but you can use any milk product you prefer)
1/3 cup pumpkin puree* - make sure it is the 100% kind and not pumpkin-pie filling which has other things added
2-4 teaspoons of organic sugar (or any sweetener you prefer - I usually use 3 teaspoons)
1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (go ahead and play around with PP spice combinations that equal 1/4 teaspoon - ginger, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon are the usual components)
1 teaspoon vanilla [I left this out in original post]
Optional: Whipped Cream
Blend all ingredients except whipped cream well. Store in the refrigerator and use as desired.
Pumpkin Milk Punch
My wonderful guy is not a coffee drinker, nor is he into much alcohol, but one day I asked if he would like a glass of Pumpkin-Spiced Milk Punch (he is a big milk drinker and does enjoy the rare eggnog), so I made up a glass for him and he really enjoyed it. Alcohol is optional.
1/4 cup of My Pumpkin Milk
3/4 cup of regular milk
A jigger +/- of brandy or other similar liquor to taste
Optional: Whipped Cream
GARDEN
Some of the seeds have sprouted from my sowing this past 10 days or so, Radishes up in 4 DAYS!!!. The carrots, dill and cilantro are visible, so are some of the lettuce/greens mix I put in. Yippee - fall off to a great start.
Oh by the way - we got 2.3 inches out of the storm Sunday/Monday - about half of our usual Monsoon totals. I am hoping for more this next 2 days. I have mentioned with the crazy weather pattern since mid Winter which "delayed" spring and summer, that with the "non-soon" as some called it with virtually no rainfall, that maybe, just maybe the "monsoonal rains" would also be delayed. Monday's total seems to show that.
Have a great week!
P.S. If you missed the OCTOBER planting tips post - here it is.
To have the planting info at your finger tips - all the time - you can purchase my planting calendar through links on my website.
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
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