Cold Brew Coffee

An early Mom's Day gift from the kids gave me the best lattes I've ever had today!  Allegro Coffee is full of flavor when brewed in my French press but this.... THIS... this is completely amazing.

You need 12 ounces of coarse ground coffee beans, 7 cups of cold, filtered water, and 12-24 hours.  I use La Duena beans by Allegro which is a medium roast that is a sweet and chocolately coffee.

You basically layer the coffee beans and water, allow it to sit, filter it into a glass pitcher with an airtight lid, and enjoy over two weeks. The result is a coffee concentrate that is smooth and intensely flavored.

The kit Jen and Bub got for me is Toddy brand.  It requires no electricity (after the coffee beans are ground) and it is super easy.

I tried to drink it straight up to get the true flavor first and, apparently, I'm not woman enough.  But, a shot poured into hot soymilk is so smooth, rich, and creamy.  I always take an iced latte to work too and drink it mid-morning.  Today, when I sipped from my straw, I was knocked out by the flavor. Much wow.

Big Ticket Muffins

Today is the day Jen buys her tickets to Scotland!  It's exciting. It's anxiety inducing.  I'm so proud. I'm so worried!  But mostly, I'm excited for her.  Things are coming together better than she could have dreamed!

I'm so happy to have her here for an overnight to firm up plans together.  Here is a new muffin recipe for her freezer to have breakfast for the upcoming week.

Preheat oven to 425 and grease muffin tin.

Combine the ingredients below in a large bowl:

2 cups GF baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Dash of salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine the ingredients below in small bowl:

One mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup melted Earth Balance stick margarine
1-1/2 cups vanilla Soymilk

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until well combined.  Spoon into prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Maple Delight

Jennie loves a website called food52.com. It has recipes, shopping, articles, contests, and tips and all related to food!  She is constantly sending me recipes and I finally tried one today.  What a sweet, delightful treat this valentine weekend!

Here is a link to the recipe:

http://food52.com/recipes/24572-salted-maple-honeycomb-candy#comments

But here's what I did:

1-1/4 cup dehydrated cane juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon baking soda
Coarsely ground sea salt

Set your one teaspoon measuring spoon and baking soda out and handy.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly brush with oil.

Combine water, sugar, and maple syrup in medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir just until sugar is dissolved.  Clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pan and boil/cook until the temperature reaches 300.

Quickly whisk in the baking soda until combined.  It gets all puffy and cool!

Scape and pour out onto your baking sheet.  Do not smooth out or spread. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Set in cool place to harden.  When completely cool, break apart with your hands.

Bananas For Cinnamon Rolls

Another Tumblr inspired recipe.  Damn you Tumblr for always making me hungry at all hours of the day or night!

I'll admit this was a little messy but it was easy to clean up so...  Worth it!

I made up the sauce, not being able to have cream cheese frosting and the kids said it was a win.  It also tastes good with nut butters.   Mmmmmmmmm....

The Tumblr posted recipe used premade, canned biscuit dough.  I, of course, had to make our own.

So, this may have started out as a cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting I saw on social media, but it is all mine made gluten free and vegan and from scratch.

Melt 1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine in a small bowl
Mix 1 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon in another bowl.
Grease a mini muffin tin

Set the above aside.

Place a sheet of foil on oven rack.  Preheat oven to 400.

Biscuits:

2-3 cups GF baking mix
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Dash of salt
1/4 cup Earth Balance stick margarine, cut into pats
3/4 cup vanilla Soymilk

In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups baking mix, baking soda, and salt with a fork.   Add the margarine and cut in with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly.  Add the Soymilk.  Mix well.  Slowly add enough extra baking mix to get a batter that just comes together in your hands.  You need to be able to grab some, roll in melted margarine, and then in the cinnamon sugar.

Set up your assembly line:  margarine, cinnamon sugar, greased pan.

Grab teaspoons of dough, roll in margarine, then cinnamon sugar.  Place in a mini muffin well.  Repeat until pan is full.

Place pan on the foil in preheated oven.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Carefully remove pan from oven (my cinnamon sugar was all over top of pan). 😮

Remove from pan onto a sheet of foil.

Banana sauce:

1 medium ripe banana
1/4 cup vanilla Soymilk
1/4 cup So Delicious coconut vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons sugar

Heat the above in a small sauce pan.  Mash with potato masher.  Serve over rolls.