Jazzing up the Joe

Waking up and drinking a fresh cup of coffee in the morning is such a joy. There is something so sweet and satisfying about drinking coffee in your favorite mug while you are still in your pajamas. Coffee is an important staple in my household. It can brighten my day in an instant - as long as I have my frothed cream and sugar to add to it, and of course, my favorite mug.

I think coffee can stand alone with just a little bit of frothed cream and sugar, but every now and then I get in the mood to spice things up a little bit. When I started thinking about what I could add to my coffee, I realized the possibilities were endless - even though I found myself struggling to to make a decision.

Here are some ideas that I had or read:

adding a dash of vanilla extract to freshly brewed coffee (or another extract such as peppermint)
adding cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices to coffee grounds pre-brew

a dash of cayenne pepper to coffee grounds pre-brew (interesting?)
adding your favorite flavored syrup

salt
a cinnamon stick
a cardomom pod to freshly brewed coffee

almond or coconut milk instead of regular or frothed cream

Just some ideas to spice up your morning cup of joe!

Homemade Butter

Homemade butter really is one of the easiest and most satisfying items you can make in the kitchen. It is so much cheaper than store bought butter, not to mention fresher and better for you without all of those added ingredients, including yellow food coloring. Yuck! Homemade butter consists of one ingredient: Heavy Whipping Cream. It's very easy if you have a stand mixer, just put the heavy whipping cream in the bowl and beat on low to medium speed until the fat (butter) separates from the liquid (buttermilk). If you don't have a stand mixer, just beat with an electric mixer for about ten minutes. Another added bonus of making butter at home - you also will have fresh buttermilk! Once the fat has separated from the liquid, collect the butter and try to press out as much of the buttermilk as you can. You can do this by using a mesh strainer, but I have found it easier to just use my hands. After you've pressed most of the buttermilk out of the butter, run the butter under cold water to rinse any excess off. This step will help your butter last longer in your refrigerator. Place butter in a glass container and label with the date. I've found my homemade butter to keep for about a month. Place buttermilk in a glass jar and label with the date. This will only last a few days so you'll probably want to use it in your pancake batter tomorrow morning.

Sorry about not having any pictures to add for this recipe. Next time I make homemade butter I'll take pictures of the process.

Texas Caviar

This recipe.....I don't even have words. You know it's bad when you're at someone else's house and they pull this out of the fridge and you stop in the middle of your conversation to ask, "What. Is. That?!" 

Texas Caviar. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? Maybe I've been living under a rock. 

Here's what you're going to need: black beans, black eyed peas, corn, red and yellow bell peppers, a jalapeno or two, cilantro, onion, lime juice, some kind of oil, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Most of this you will already have in your kitchen. 

This caviar is so fresh. I think it's supposed to be a snack/appetizer but I could eat it as a meal. I could even eat it without tortilla chips. Honestly, I'm in love with this stuff.

Texas Caviar
Servings: 15 or so

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1 can yellow corn, rinsed and drained

1 can of petite tomatoes, rinsed and drained (or two small fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced)
1/2 onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1/2 C chopped cilantro

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cilantro

2 Tbsp. safflower oil (or extra virgin olive oil)

1 Tbsp. lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

a dash or so of cayenne pepper if you please (not pictured)

Mix all ingredients together and let sit overnight in a glass container for best results. Enjoy with tortilla chips!

The older this mix gets, the better it tastes. If you're making it for a party it is best to put it all together the night before so all the juices can marinate in the fridge. I only used one jalapeno when I made mine and it turned out hot enough. I also pulsed the cilantro and onion in the food processor because I was feeling lazy. Also, please please please PLEASE use latex gloves or some kind of protection for your hands when you are seeding and dicing the jalapenos. Jalapeno pepper burned hands are too painful to be overlooked here! 

Apple Walnut Flax Seed Bread

This bread is glorious. It can be a nice breakfast bread and it is sweet enough to serve as a light dessert in the evening. If you like the taste of apple, I suggest you just very roughly chop half of the apple up so you can really taste them when you are eating the bread. I chopped mine up too fine and I forgot they were there.

You could also use pecans instead of walnuts if you want to, just throw in whatever you have on hand. I didn't have 3/4 of a cup. I also added 1/2 cup of ground flax seed instead of 1 tablespoon. Why, you ask? Look at Facts about Flax here.

I got this recipe from the wonderful Joy the Baker. She has a new cookbook out.

Apple Walnut Flax Seed Bread

Makes 1 loaf
1 C All-Purpose flour
3/4 C Whole Wheat Flour (Or 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour and 1/4 Buckwheat Flour)
3/4 C Brown Sugar, Packed
2 t Baking Powder
1 t Baking Soda
1/2 Salt
pinch of nutmeg
2/3 C Buttermilk
1/3 Cup unsalted butter (**You can substitute butter for ground flax seed - 3 tablespoons of ground flax per tablespoon of butter)
1 t vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup grated apples
1/2 coarsely chopped apples
1 Tablespoon (to 1/2 C) ground flax seed
3/4 C coarsely chopped walnuts, divided (or whatever you have on hand)
cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
In a smaller bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and unsalted butter together. (**If you are using flax seed instead of butter, add it to the dry ingredients instead.)
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, slowly incorporating all ingredients together. Add grated apples, chopped apples, and half of the chopped walnuts to the batter and fold to incorporate.
Transfer batter to loaf pan. Sprinkle the rest of the chopped walnuts and cinnamon sugar on top.
Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes.
Let bread cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes before consuming.

Pumpkin Muffins

I made these muffins so I could still have a tasty breakfast without spending too much time in the kitchen before class. They taste so much better than those muffins that come out of a bag and you just add milk. No thank you. One can of pumpkin makes two batches of pumpkin muffins.

Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 C canned solid packed pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil (olive oil would work too)
2 large eggs
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1 1/4 cups sugar plus 1 T sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon

Eggnog Pancakes

These pancakes make me feel fancy.

Eggnog Pancakes

Recipe from Joy the Baker

Makes enough for two

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
heaping 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice
3 Tablespoons butter melted until browned
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract