Category Archives: beverage

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Irish Coffee Milkshake with Whiskey Caramel

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Yes, it’s another ice-cream-drink…and yeah, maybe it was lunch yesterday. I hope you don’t mind, I’m just in the mood for stripey straws and swift-sweet-tooth-satisfaction…plus, this one is different because of the BOOZE factor.

It’s no secret that this weekend is a BFD for lovers of all things green, and pinching, and Ireland, and Guinness,  and corned beef, and whiskey, and drunk-stumbling camaraderie. As a certifiable hermit, I’m not one for crazy, raucous partying, but I do like to get down with a festive, boozey, treat to share with my favorites (you all included!). Enter this milkshake. It’s dead-simple, I mean…I know we can all handle making a milkshake, so think of this as more of a suggestive guide, rather than a recipe.

We’re blending together store-bought coffee ice cream, a little milk mixed with a little espresso powder, some whiskey (if I had any shame, I’d be real and use certifiable Irish whiskey…but I didn’t), and a boozed-up homemade caramel sauce. This shake has some of my favorite flavors ever–I mean, whiskey and caramel should just be BFF’s, right? plus, coffee? Get out. This shake is a quick indulgence for one, but can be easily adapted to make a batch of impressive, crowd-pleasing treats. Pop in a straw and knock one back!

Irish Coffee Milkshake

Makes 1 milkshake. 

I’m sure you guys know what a milkshake is all about and exactly how you like them, so ratios below are just a suggestion. Shake it up, add mix-ins, do yo’ thing. 

2 hefty scoops of your favorite coffee ice cream

2-4 tablespoons of milk

1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 ounce (or as much as you want) whiskey

whiskey caramel sauce (recipe below)

whipped cream to garnish

Begin by dissolving the espresso powder in the milk, add to a blender canister along with the ice cream, whiskey, and a generous drizzle of caramel sauce. Blend it up! Drizzle the inside of your glass with more caramel, pour in the shake, top with whipped cream and more caramel if desired. Cheers!

Whiskey Caramel Sauce:

adapted from THIS recipe.

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon golden syrup (or corn syrup)

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 ounce whiskey

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, water, and golden syrup, gently combine. Heat over medium-high until the mixture becomes a syrup and comes to a boil. Continue to boil until the syrup becomes a deep golden, brown caramel color–as dark as you dare before it burns. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in the butter, cream, and salt, until smooth. Return to heat if needed to create a smooth sauce. Whisk in the whiskey to combine. Pour into a heatproof jar and cool. Can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for a week.

 

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Blueberry Maple Ice Cream Soda

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One summer during high school, I spent a week with a family friend, Bobby, while her daughter and family were out of town. Bobby was a totally fascinating lady–she attended Berkeley in the 30′s where she studied micro-biology (a lady! in the 30′s! micro-biology!)…and, she introduced me to the ice cream soda, for which I will be forever thankful.

Before, the world of ice cream sodas consisted of the standard root beer float. After, I knew that the possibilities were endless. An ice cream soda is a super simple, old fashioned, soda fountain treat. It’s a simple mixture of ice cream, flavored syrup, and soda water. Here, I’ve paired super maple-y ice cream with a fruity blueberry syrup…because if we’re talking blueberry sans lemon, then I want it with maple. It just is. Adding soda water makes this drink effervescent and mixes the ingredients to create a creamy lavender color with streaks of pale maple ice cream and bright punches of deep purple.

This Blueberry Maple Ice Cream Soda is SO PRETTY and….it tastes like pancakes…enough said.

Blueberry Maple Ice Cream Soda

There will be enough ingredients to make several ice cream sodas…so, have one today, tomorrow, and the next day, OR share! 

Makes 1 ice cream soda.

2-3 medium scoops of maple ice cream (recipe below)

several tablespoons blueberry syrup (recipe below)

soda water

whipped cream (optional)

In a tall glass layer the ice cream scoops with spoonfuls of syrup. Pour on the soda water to cover, garnish with whipped cream and more syrup. Serve with a straw.

Maple Ice Cream

Adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home

1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup

2 cups milk

1 cup cream

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons cream cheese, softened

In a medium saucepan, heat maple syrup and bring to a boil. Cook, turning the heat down as needed if the syrup bubbles too much, until reduced by about half, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the cream.

Pour 1/4 cup of the milk into a bowl and whisk in the cornstarch to combine. Set cornstarch slurry aside.  Whisk in the remaining milk and salt with the cream and maple mixture. Return to heat and bring the maple and dairy mixture to a low boil. Quickly whisk in the cornstarch slurry to combine, bring to a boil and cook, whisking until thickened–about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl (preferably with a spout for easy pouring), and mix lightly with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the hot ice cream base until combined well.

Prepare and ice bath in a clean sink or large bowl. Pour the hot maple ice cream base into a gallon-size zip top bag, seal, and chill in the ice bath until cooled completely. Process the ice cream base in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Scrape into a freezer container and seal, freeze for several hours until firm.

Blueberry Syrup

1 heaping cup of blueberries, rinsed and dried

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

In a small saucepan, over medium-high, heat blueberries with sugar and lemon until berries burst and release their juices and the sugar is dissolve  Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and press the blueberry syrup through a fine mesh sieve, discard solids. Pour syrup into a heatproof jar, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

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Rose Lemonade Cocktails

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I’m a girlfriends kinda gal. Don’t get me wrong, I love the men in my life, but I cherish the company of other women. I love lady dates, lunching, shopping with a trusted ally, and, probably most of all, chatting the day away. I talk a lot, wonder out loud, take and give advice, muse about whatever, gossip about celebs and the like…etc. I tend to be a shy, awkward, weirdo upon first meeting, but my true nature is talker….not to be confused with walker.

If you give me a cocktail and pair me up a lady friend…before you know it, hours will have gone by and we will have covered a range of topics and bonded over rambling hours of conversation. This is exactly what happens anytime I get together with my pal, Megan. We happen to talk A LOT about blogging, drinks, pretty things, cupcakes, whether Ryan Gosling is hanging out around Detroit, puppy love, and pizza/burgers/tacos/food. It’s just what happens.

A few weekends ago we found ourselves snacking on charcuterie and chatting over cocktails. I was drinking Rose Lemonade with vodka. It was floral, refreshing, slightly boozy, and about the most romantic lemonade I’ve ever had. I told Megan I wanted to recreate it but it needed to be pink. She agreed. We share a lot of things in common and have similar personalities (friendly-awkward with a side of snark), and we both–unashamedly–love pink. So, I knew that if I was going to remake the prettiest tasting cocktail I’d ever had, I needed to make it pink and I wanted it to be a natural pink beauty. This cocktail gets it’s pink hue, naturally, from a few crushed raspberries in the syrup–not enough to impart a berry flavor, just enough to make this drink the rose-toned beauty of my dreams. There’s gin or vodka for a boozy kick, fresh lemon juice for tang, and a touch of rosewater for that floral, romantic something else. These drinks mix up perfectly in a pitcher and would be the best foil for an evening of patio-sitting and girl talk.

Rose Lemonade Cocktails

Makes about 4 large cocktails.

Feel free to leave out the booze and make these drinks friendly for everyone. As for the Rose Water the floral sweetness can quickly become soapy. A little bit goes a long way, so I suggest 2-4 teaspoons–depending on your taste. I found the bottle pictured above at my local Asian market in the Indian foods section. I don’t always love buying a specialty item for a single recipe and though I only used the teeniest bit, the bottle was under $2, so it was worth it. PLUS…I now have a whole bottle of rose water to play with in other recipes. 

For the pink syrup:

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

a handful of raspberries, about 10 (fresh or frozen)–crushed

2-4 teaspoons rose water

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, and raspberries. Heat over medium high to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before straining through a fine mesh sieve. Discard any raspberry seeds and solids. Stir the rose water into the cooled syrup. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Makes about 1 1/2 cups syrup.

For the Lemonade:

1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (I used about 8 lemons)

3 cups water

1 cup rose water syrup (use more to taste as desired)

Gin or Vodka

In a pitcher mix together lemon juice, water, and rose syrup. Stir well to combine. Best served with 1-2 ounces of gin or vodka (per drink) over ice.

 

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Vanilla-Almond Iced Coffee

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Well, it’s beginning to get too warm for hot beverages…which means it’s iced coffee season!

I am a big fan of iced coffee and a big fan of coffee dates…but, when I want an iced coffee every-single-day that the weather threatens to be warmer than 80*F, it can get a little pricey…and really, sometimes I don’t want to change from my grungy house wear (yoga pants and t-shirts with paint/mod podge splatters, holla!) to real-deal clothes.

Luckily, cold-brewed coffee saves the day.

I like my iced coffee all kinds of ways–black, creamy, creamy AND sweet, and sometimes flavored. I don’t really discriminate, the flavor of the day just depends on what I’m feeling. Lately, I’ve been mixing up this concoction with a hint of vanilla and almond. It’s the perfect treat for an afternoon pick-me-up when all I want to do is nap the afternoon away, but I can’t because I got schtuff to do.

Vanilla-Almond Iced Coffee

You can mix-up the creamer in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for a week. Feel free to change the flavors and ratios to customize it to your tastes. I love the sweetened condensed milk in the creamer, it lends that flavor that is reminiscent of Vietnamese Iced Coffee, one of my favorites. 

Vanilla-Almond Creamer

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup Half and Half

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Stir together all ingredients in a measuring cup. Pour the mixture into a container to store.

Cold-Brewed Coffee

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

A lot of recipes instruct you to leave the coffee mixture out on the counter. I’ve done it this way before, but I like to just keep it in the refrigerator so it’s already chilled when I strain it. I also like to make this in a 1 litre carafe, so I have plenty of cold coffee on hand for spontaneous caffeine fixes.

1 cup ground coffee (I like to use italian, french, or espresso roast)

4 1/2 cups water

In a large container (a beverage carafe works nicely), stir together coffee and water. Cover and store in the refrigerator or on the countertop for at least 12 hours (I usually go a bit longer). Set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, line the strainer with a coffee filter. Strain the mixture, you may have to do this in 2 batches. Alternatively, you can filter the coffee using a french press (I have to do this in batches for this amount of coffee). I personally prefer the coffee filter method so a lot of the coffee-ground-silt is filtered through.

To prepare: Fill a large glass with ice cubes, pour over coffee and as much creamer as you’d like. Add a straw for fun and sip-a-bility.

 

 

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Cocktail: Simplest Margarita

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So, I know that America’s favorite Mexican food and booze holiday has passed, but margaritas aren’t just appropriate for Cinco de Mayo…and I know it’s only Monday, but a girl can dream of the weekend, right?

Sean and I aren’t major party-people, we’re the stay-at-home type…but that doesn’t mean we’ll pass up any excuse to enjoy Mexican food (arguably one of our favorites) and cocktails. These margaritas are super simple–in both execution and ingredients. I mixed these up in a carafe so we had our cocktails ready to pour. One could easily double or even triple this recipe for a crowd. I’m not much of a blended drinks kind of gal–I like my margaritas on the rocks with a crunchy salted rim. I used flaky Maldon salt for these, to up the crunch factor…kosher salt is also a good choice, or that margarita salt sold in that sombrero shaped box.

There aren’t any fancy additives like bitters or top-notch tequila–though, I’m sure this cocktail would be elevated by either–just lime, water, honey, and booze. Fresh lime adds that tell-tale tang and cuts the sharpness of the tequila, while the honey brings it’s floral sweetness. Simple and refreshing.

Simplest Margarita

Makes plenty of cocktails for 2, just enough for 4. 

This is more of a ratio situation that recipe. It’s a 2:2:2:1 sort of concoction, 2 parts each Lime/Water/Tequila to 1 part Honey–Agave would be an appropriate substitution for the honey. I have also made these with grapefruit, subbing half of the lime juice for grapefruit. Also, if you can stand it, use fresh squeezed juice. 

1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (6-7 limes)

1 cup silver tequila (I used Jose Cuervo)

1 cup water

1/2 cup honey

salt for rims and lime wedges for garnish

In a glass measurer, dissolve honey in water. Pour lime, tequila, and honeyed water into a pitcher or carafe. Stir. Using a wedge of lime, moisten the edge of your glasses of choice and dip into a plate of salt to rim. Place ice cubes into the glasses and pour margaritas over the top. Toast and enjoy!

 

 

 

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So, this is the New Year…

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Dear 2011,

It’s been fun, strange, and terrifying, but most of all, exciting.

It’s been a year of change and discovery.

Thanks for everything.

Dear 2012,

I’m not big on resolutions, I feel like they’re just a set-up for failure. So, I’m keeping my goals for the year simple:

patience, patience, patience. learn some. 

eat a few new vegetables

be nicer to my body

get back into arts/crafts

learn to temper chocolate

try to remember that comparison kills joy

I’m looking forward to this new year. Let’s get into it.

Dear Friends,

I can’t even begin to get into how much your comments, and the fact that this little blog is even on your radar, mean to me. It’s a big, bad world of blogging and there’s a ton of things to look at, read, and be inspired by. Your support means the world.

I thank you from the deepest reaches of my little, ol’ heart. Truly.

So, to cap of 2011, I say we have a drink. I know many of us will be popping the corks off of some bubbly tonight and toasting to a brand new year with the ones we love the most.

My favorite guy and I will be staying in, after a long and much needed trip back home for the holidays. We’ll be lounging and sipping these cocktails with our pups. Soda water makes it bubbly, rosemary + ginger syrup bring aromatic, herbal sweetness, there’s a little squeeze of lime for some tang, and gin makes it all boozey and right.

Cheers!!

XO Cindy

Rosemary-Ginger Gin Cocktail

makes 1 drink

ice

2 ounces gin

1 tablespoon rosemary-ginger syrup

1 lime wedge

soda water to fill

Fill a rocks glass with ice and pour in the gin, syrup, squeeze the lime over the top, fill the glass with soda water and stir to combine. Toast and drink.

Rosemary-Ginger Syrup

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

2 inches ginger root, peeled and sliced

2-3 sprigs rosemary

Add sugar and water to a small saucepan and stir to combine. Add ginger and rosemary, heat to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Allow ginger and rosemary to steep in the syrup as it cools to room temperature. Once cooled, remove ginger and rosemary (strain if needed) and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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Recipe: Candy Cane Truffles

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Do you like candy canes? I never seem to get through a whole one, even when I was a kid. I would just suck on it until the end became sharp and spikey…then I would prod and torment my little brother with it.

Candy Canes…so sweet, so dangerous.

I do, however, like them crushed up so they become minty, crunchy, candy-cane-y sprinkles. That’s the best way to eat a candy cane in my opinion, sprinkled over some other sweet treat. Can you even believe I had to go to 2 different stores to find plain, old, peppermint canes?! The first store only sold those fruity, sour ones–they told me they weren’t even going to sell the traditional kind this year! I was baffled and told anyone that would listen all about it. They did sell pre-crushed candy canes in the baking section, but they cost way more than broken pieces of candy should. Like double the cost for half the amount of canes in a regular box. What the heck?! So, I went to a different store, got my canes, and smashed them with a mallet. Cost effective and stress relieving.

I’ve been planning on making these truffles for weeks now so I could stir them into a glass of hot milk for instant hot chocolate, but I’ve been waiting for our first snow and now that it’s here, it’s truffle hot chocolate time. I cut them into little cubes instead of rolling them into balls, it’s a quicker, easier process this way…plus, I think the little cubes are just so dang pretty.

And, I like pretty.

Candy Cane Truffle Hot Chocolate

I originally saw the idea to make truffles for hot chocolate here on Pinterest. These can be stirred into a cup of hot milk for a festive, warm beverage, or simply eaten as is. This recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, etc…just remember 2 parts chocolate to 1 part heavy cream. Viola! Truffle ganache! 

4 ounces heavy cream

8 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (chopped or chips)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

3 candy canes, crushed

hot milk (6-8 ounces per serving)

Line a small loaf pan with parchement, set aside.

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat to scald (just before it boils, there will be little bubbles around the edges of the pan). Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and cover (I just used a plate to cover my bowl) and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir vigouroulsy until smooth. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts until combined. If not all of the chocolate pieces are smooth and melted, fashion a double boiler out of a saucepan of simmering water and a heatproof bowl, gently heat chocolate mixture until smooth.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the loaf pan and smooth top. Sprinkle with candy cane pieces and allow to cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 30-60 minutes. Remove truffle from the pan and cut into cubes.

To make hot chocolate: Heat some milk in a pan or in the microwave. Place truffles into mugs (1-2 pieces per cup) and pour milk over the top. Stir. Top with whipped cream and more candy cane sprinkles as desired.

 

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Tea Time: Apple Cider Steeped Tea

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There are a lot of things I love about this time of the year in the northern hemisphere.

The cool weather, the sound of crisp leaves under foot, long walks (where I don’t end up sweating bullets!), the clothes, the smells, the baking and cooking, and possibly one of my very favorite things…warm drinks.

Like tea and hot apple cider.

I love them!

When I saw this brilliant idea on The Kitchn via the October issue of Martha Stewart magazine, I knew it would become an instant fall-time favorite. It combines two of the best hot beverages I can imagine and the results are simply perfection.

I have been drinking this nearly everyday and have tried it with both a spiced black tea (like this one) and a green jasmine. I love the sweetly spiced flavor and aroma that the black tea imparts, while the green tea makes for a light and floral scented cup. You could use any tea you fancy, I’d love to try it with a chai or orange tea. I also think that you could add a little shot of bourbon or rum for a twist on hot toddy!

It’s warming and seasonal and seriously good.

Apple Cider Steeped Tea

I like a ratio of 1 part apple cider, 1 part hot water, to 1 tea bag. You could use just apple cider for this and it will be even more apple-y and delicious. 

for one cup:

3 ounces apple cider (unfiltered, local stuff if you can get it)

3 ounces hot water

1 tea bag of your choice

Heat apple cider in a small pot on the stove or in a heatproof glass measurer in the microwave. Add hot cider, water, and tea bag to a mug and steep for 3-5 minutes. Cozy up and drink!