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Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

April 17, 2013 by 18 Comments

Piña Colada Smoothies | www.foodiewithfamily.com

 

Piña Colada Smoothies are my new go-to smoothie. They’re kind of fabulous.

You know how I’ve told you I was a picky eater when I was a kid? I was a total texture-phobe and I was dead picky about flavour combinations. My mom now says, “Hey, we just didn’t know you were gourmet.” My mom is the Queen of the Euphemism.

I must’ve been a righteous pain in the rear to feed.

The reason I’m confessing this (again) is that pineapple and coconut were both on my no-fly list. I didn’t like pineapple because of the stringy texture. I didn’t like coconut because the sum exposure I had to coconut in Northern Michigan in the 70s and 80s was the über-sweetened stuff in the middle of Mounds candy bars or in a macaroon. Both grossed me out, so piña coladas were a serious no go.

Fast forward to now and my insatiable desire to eat both of those ingredients. (Okay, I still dislike sweetened coconut flakes, but honestly, can you blame me?) I love the fruity, tangy, acidic pineapple AND its texture. I can’t get enough coconut milk -which I’m pretty sure is an ingredient given to humanity by the grace of God-, fresh coconut or unsweetened coconut flakes.

And piña coladas? Well, until recently they were still on my no-fly list because -frankly- I don’t really like alcoholic smoothies, which is what I always viewed piña coladas as being. Pardon me while I go bang my head against the wall for a moment, would ya?

THUD THUD THUD

Howzabout just omitting the hooch, dingbat?

The result of leaving out the high octane stuff was a creamy, dreamy, coconutty, silken pineapple, thick concoction that pretty much makes my eyes roll back into my head. Let me let you in on a little something… There is ZERO added sugar and there doesn’t need to be because the frozen bananas do double duty. They thicken the mixture to milkshake consistency and they sweeten it to boot. Oh and HEY! If you happen to be vegan or cutting back on dairy OR allergic to anything dairy, this is still kosher for you (small ‘k’ kosher because I make no claim to understand kosher law!)

It’s warming up out there, friends. You need this in your lives this summer.

Piña Colada Smoothies | www.foodiewithfamily.com

Double Bonus: If you have leftover smoothie (HA. Like that would happen here unless I plan for it.) you can freeze it in ice pop molds for some wicked good popsicles. You are welcome. Mwah.

XO

Rebecca

 

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Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

These super creamy, indulgent tasting, family friendly pineapple and coconut Piña Colada Smoothies will transport you to the tropics in a matter of minutes. Using only 3 easy-to-find and healthy ingredients just boosts the appeal of this naturally vegan, dairy-free treat!

If you've got a hankering to make this a true piña colada, you can stir in a shot of rum before serving.

Ingredients

  • 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice
  • 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
  • 3 bananas, peeled and frozen
    • Optional Garnish:
  • A slice of pineapple
  • a dusting of shredded coconut

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Divide between glasses and serve immediately!

Leftovers can be frozen in ice pop form.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/17/pina-colada-smoothies-vegan-and-dairy-free/

Filed Under: Beverages, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Instant Vanilla Chai Mix | Make Ahead Mondays

December 10, 2012 by 21 Comments

Tea has a way -unlike coffee- of making time slow down just a bit. This time of year and this season of life, I feel like time needs all the slowing down I can possibly get.

I’m trying, with varying degrees of success, to accomplish parenting and homeschooling five boys (two of whom are teenagers), being a good wife, running a home based business, maintaining a free-lance writing career including a newspaper column, participating in my community and its activities, and keeping in touch with family and friends.

God bless my friends. They are a patient lot. For some reason or another, my time management skills lately have been more strained than usual. In fact, I committed the unpardonable friendship sin.

I forgot a commitment and it’s even worse than it sounds.

My whole family -all SEVEN of us- were invited to dine with our friends Tim and Shannon and their four kids up the road. I asked Shannon what I could bring, and she sweetly informed me that she was making the whole thing. DINNER FOR THIRTEEN PEOPLE. I balked. I insisted she let me bring a pot of beans and some homemade salsa to go with the pulled pork she would be slow cooking. The plans were set. Later that week we would show up, beans and salsa in hand, and enjoy a friendly dinner all together.

Two days before our dinner date, I spoke with Shannon on the phone and she told me how another friend had forgotten to come to dinner one night and her kids were so disappointed. I talked about times it had happened to us and we commiserated. Are you feeling some foreshadowing here? Ugh.

The day of our dinner arrived and I completely forgot what I was supposed to be doing that evening. I was running late on a couple of writing deadlines, so after finishing school with the kids, I sat down -nose to the grindstone- and finished what was due. I submitted them, tidied the kitchen and started working on two other recipes I was developing that would be due in the next week or so. My husband called and uncharacteristically offered to bring home something for dinner. I jumped on it, ran some errands I had promised other folks I would run, then came back to finish the work I’d started. The Evil Genius arrived home -late!- with dinner in  hand. We all descended on it like locusts. I settled in to go through our new healthcare plan papers that were due the next day and the kids hollered, “Someone’s in the driveway… It’s Mr. Tim!”

… You know those scenes in movies where one thing suddenly comes into sharp focus and the rest of the background drops away in a blur? Yeah. That’s how I looked at my friend.

Tim had come down the road because to top everything else off, our phone had been busy for two days because of a problem with the line.

In that moment, all my friend cred washed down the driveway with the light rain that was falling. I felt like a giant jerk. I gathered the kids, pulled a brush through my hair and said we were coming up anyway. Half an hour late and fed. In their kitchen, our troops rallied at the sight of the beautiful meal Shannon had prepared for us. Our kids played together beautifully, and I apologized profusely.

What I wouldn’t have given at that moment for a time machine. Something that would’ve granted me extra time during the day so that I could actually consult my calendar (where the date was written in Sharpie marker) and think about what I was supposed to get done that day. Isn’t that the kicker? It was written down!

I took that as a sign that I needed to find a way to make more time in my holiday season. I’m partnering with Frigidaire who has invented -wait for it- a TIME MACHINE. Not an H.G. Wells type of time machine, granted, but it’s a time machine nonetheless. Frigidaire is giving the gift of time, both in the form of gifts to enjoy time and actual Frigidaire appliances! There are daily, weekly and grand prizes. The daily prizes are indulgences like spa gift cards, the weekly prizes are honest-to-goodness Frigidaire Double-Oven Ranges (Oh, how I’d love one of these!), and the grand prize? Sit down, please. Someone is going to win an ENTIRE SUITE OF FRIGIDAIRE APPLIANCES. Seriously, that would be a gift to remember, wouldn’t it? Click on over to the Frigidaire  app on Facebook and play to win! They have some hilarious free cheer cards you can post on Facebook, Twitter or email to friends and family, too.

That is so true I almost shudder a bit…

I have a little gift of time for you, too! Foodie with Family is powered by tea, glorious tea: morning, noon and night, loose leaf, bagged and instant. I just plain can’t get enough tea. I have a tea for every occasion and whim and I love it that way. Most days, I start the morning off with a stiff black tea- something of which the purists would approve. As the day goes on, I sip on black tea blends, mixes and then move into herbal teas like lemongrass and my perennial favourite, Sleepytime Tea.

When time is short, and I have a hankering for something sweet and warming, I reach for my homemade Instant Vanilla Chai mix. It’s satisfyingly homey. It reminds me of the store-bought instant chai mixes, takes mere minutes to put together and yields enough for a generous jar for yourself and gifts for your favourite tea lovers without breaking the bank. How can you beat that? With the time you save making this for gifts, you can scoot over to the Frigidaire Time Machine and be entered to win that sweet suite of Frigidaire appliances.

As for me? I’m probably going to take a couple jars of this up the road to my friend along with a big hug.

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Instant Vanilla Chai Mix | Make Ahead Mondays

Instant Vanilla Chai Mix | Make Ahead Mondays

Creamy, spiced, sweet instant vanilla chai mix hits the spot when you want something warming and satisfying in a hurry! As usual, homemade beats store bought hands-down!

Portioned into small jars with gift cards or instructions on the label, this chai mix makes a unique and affordable holiday or hostess gift for the chai and tea lovers in your life!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups instant unsweetened tea powder (I use Nestea.)
  • 2 cups granulated white sugar
  • 1 cup non-fat instant dry milk powder
  • 1 cup plain non-dairy creamer powder
  • 1 cup French vanilla or vanilla non-dairy creamer powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (This is optional, but makes the chai spicier.)
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until evenly combined. Process 1 cup at a time in pulses in a blender or food processor until it is a fine powdery consistency much like powdered sugar. Wait until the dust in the blender or processor dies down before removing the lid, then spoon into airtight containers for storage. Repeat until all of the mixture has been finely powdered.

Tightly covered, this mix is good for 6 months to a year, stirring every so often to prevent clumping.

For Gift Giving:

Divide the powdered mix between small 4 or 8 ounce jars. Label jars with instructions on how to prepare the chai.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/12/10/instant-vanilla-chai-mix-make-ahead-mondays/

This post is sponsored by Frigidaire.  I received monetary compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Beverages, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Peppermint Mocha or Hot Chocolate and a {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

November 29, 2012 by 231 Comments

Update: The Pick Giveaway Winner plug-in chose Pamela and Miranda as the winners. Congratulations, ladies! Please respond to the email I just send to you with your mailing addresses and details and I will send it onto our friends at Korin.com!

I promised a Peppermint Mocha to end all Peppermint Mochas today and I am a girl of my word. I also promised a giveaway, and that’s coming up, too, but first a word or two about the ne plus ultra of mochas.

This was inspired by my poor friend who went to a place that rhymes with Flickschmonalds and ordered a seasonal Peppermint Mocha because it sounded cozy and warm and Christmasy. She left with the impression of having consumed a cup of coffee laced with vinegar and sugar immediately after brushing her teeth. I knew I could do better for my friend.

And I did.

Oh. I diddlydiddid.

Flickschmonalds, Blartucks, and Punkin’ Gonuts have nothing on my Peppermint Mocha. It screams CHRISTMAS, and WINTER, and CUDDLY, yes, but it also screams I’M AFFORDABLE ENOUGH TO DRINK EVERY DAY. …though given the quantity of half and half in it, it may not be a well-advised decision. Mmmm. Half and half.

My word people. If I carry on like this there’s gonna be trouble in the fitting-into-my-pants realm. These taste so darned good that I don’t really care, though. On the plus side, there is some coffee in it (which turns me into MRS. HYPER which is why I keep TYPING IN CAPS. Somebody stop me.) which is supposed to boost your metabolism. So there. And also, can someone come scrape me off of the ceiling where I’ve been parked since beginning working on this recipe?

It’s not enough just to have the half and half, AND the Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce AND the coffee AND a thick cap of whipped cream. I sprinkle the top with crushed candy canes and use a chocolate covered peppermint stick as a swizzle stick. Apparently I have a thing for swizzle sticks these days.

Drive right past that drive-through window and straight to the store to buy your ingredients. I use Bogdon’s Chocolatey Candy Sticks for the job, but use whatever little peppermint sticks you can find. If it’s coated with chocolate? Well, buy two boxes -no- buy four. Those little puppies are seasonal and Peppermint Mochas are good all winter long!

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Peppermint Mocha or Peppermint Hot Chocolate and a {GIVEAWAY}

Peppermint Mocha or Peppermint Hot Chocolate and a {GIVEAWAY}

Try this ultra decadent, rich, creamy Peppermint Mocha for a wintery treat. There simply isn't anything better to have on Christmas morning than this frothy treat!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce
  • 6 ounces half and half (Whole milk can be substituted for a less decadent mocha)
  • 1 shot of espresso or 2 ounces double-strength brewed coffee (omit coffee if you're making a Hot Chocolate.)
  • whipped cream
  • 2 peppermint sticks (or 2 small candy canes), divided

Instructions

Brew the espresso into a standard sized mug (or pour the still-hot double-strength coffee into your mug.) Omit the espresso or coffee if you're making a Peppermint Hot Chocolate.

Heat the hot fudge sauce and Half and Half together in a canning jar in the microwave or a small saucepan until steaming hot. Use a small whisk or a milk frother to vigorously combine the two until the hot fudge sauce is thoroughly melted into the mixture and it is slightly frothy. Pour it over the espresso or double-strength coffee in the mug. Dollop a generous amount of whipped cream on top of the drink. Crush one of the peppermint sticks or candy canes and sprinkle over the whipped cream. Use the remaining peppermint stick or candy cane to gently stir the drink and leave it in place as garnish.

Enjoy!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/29/peppermint-mocha-or-hot-chocolate-and-a-giveaway/

Now for the giveaway! Do you see that gorgeous mug that’s holding the decadent mocha? Korin.com -one of my favourite online kitchen wares retailers- sent those Mugtails to me about a month ago. They have scarcely had an empty moment since. They’re so charming and so sweet and so pretty I haven’t wanted to put them on the shelf. The mugs are a beautiful stark white and the fawn and squirrel impressions in the mug are slightly thinner than the rest of the mug. When held up to the light, it comes through the shapes slightly. If you were to drop a tea light into the mugs, they’d be stunning!

For those of you who -like me- are mug crazy, these are the sort you wrap your hands around. The tail on the fawn mug is obviously not designed as a method to hold the mug. The squirrel mug’s bushy tail is perfect for holding the mug, but you can still cup your hands around it if that’s your preference.

Korin.com has kindly offered to give away one of the Fawn Mugtails (pictured above: ARV $16) and one of these adorable Squirrel Mugtails (ARV: $16).

 

The Fawn Mugtail is a standard sized mug that holds a generous mocha or tall cup of coffee while the Squirrel Mugtail is more of a demi-tasse, espresso sized cup. You’d still have room for a goodly cap of whipped cream in the squirrel cup if that dings your chimes… Just imagine these beautiful cups for holiday entertaining! How do you win? I’m glad you asked! Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry method you use so they’re all counted!

Mandatory Entry

Leave a comment here telling me which of the two mugs you’d prefer and tell me what you’d use to fill the mug!

Optional Entries:

You have until 9 a.m. EST on Monday, December 3rd, 2012 to enter! Winners will be announced here sometime on Monday. Good luck, everyone!

Disclosure: Korin Knives provided mugs for me to review and is giving two mugs away, but I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are mine alone!

Filed Under: Beverages, Desserts, Rebecca, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dark & Stormy Orchard | Spice Up The Holidays Announcement

November 23, 2012 by 9 Comments

It was a Dark & Stormy night in the orchard…

No, let’s start again.

“You poured your apple cider in my Dark & Stormy.” “No, you poured your Dark & Stormy in my apple cider!”

Hmmm. Closer, but not quite right. Let me start at the beginning.

I’m in a contest. (Ah, that’s better.) In the Spice Up the Holidays contest, nine of my fellow bloggers and I will be duking it out (virtually, ’cause I’m a lover not a fighter, man…) over the next couple of weeks to throw a party spiced up with the aid of Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum and Black Spiced Rum. We’ll all be developing recipes for an appetizer, a cocktail and a dessert that are oomphed up with rum.

This whole shebang will be judged by Spike Mendelsohn: the former Top Cheftestant and current Next Iron Chef contestant. Chef Spike. When I was watching him on Top Chef admiring his creativity I never expected to have him inspecting my food. Eep.

I feel obliged to tell you your left shoelace is untied, Spike. If you fell and got hurt, I’d feel guilty. What can I say? I’m a mother.

“Why are you doing this?” you might ask. Here’s why I’m all in; they will donate $1,000 to the charity of the winner’s choice. The generous prize package they’re offering the winner doesn’t hurt, but that donation to charity? That’s SWEET! That’s worth all the jitters and visions of abject humiliation. (Totally healthy self-image, I assure you. So long as I’m not in a swimsuit. Ahem.) Also? I love a challenge.

This week and next, I’ll share the recipes I’m making for this big par-tay of mine. I’ll share the plans and then photos of the party and then finally the name of the winner.  Judging by the competition, we are in for some spectacular food and cocktails.

Now that you know what I’m doing, let me tell you where you all come in to the picture because I need you.  I love having people over to share dinner with us, but I don’t do a lot of “entertaining”. As in get-out-the-nice-plates soirées. I need help. Big time. What do you do to make your parties fun/exciting/fancier-than-Chinet? I mean beyond getting the Legos off of the couch and the science experiments off of the table. Do you see how much assistance I need here?

Oh dear.

I think we’d better start with the drinks.

Ah, the Dark & Stormy. What’s not to love about that? Spiced or dark rum with burny ginger beer. That’s my kind of adult beverage. I couldn’t very well do a plain old Dark & Stormy for a competition, though, so I ran it through the orchard. Not literally, mind you. I don’t run unless something is chasing me with a big knife.

I added just the right amount of boiled cider syrup (a.k.a. apple molasses) to my gingery rummy concoction to make it seem like Captain Morgan got himself marooned on the Maine coast and made the best of it.

The tart, concentrated apple molasses add both flavour and perfume to the party. It’s a natural match for the cinnamon, clove, and nutmegy goodness of the Captain Morgan’s Black Spiced Rum.

My husband -who is most assuredly NOT a cocktail kind of guy- declared it delicious and drank the whole thing. He even SIPPED it. His pinky, however, was not up. That’s okay, there’s only so far a guy can deviate from the path before he has to rethink his life.

So please, whip up a Dark & Stormy Orchard for yourself and contemplate your best entertaining tips while you sip away. Pinkies are optional, but do share your ideas with me, please!

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Dark & Stormy Orchard | Spice Up The Holidays Announcement

Dark & Stormy Orchard | Spice Up The Holidays Announcement

Ginger, spiced rum and apples are a match made in the orchard. The classic Dark & Stormy takes Captain Morgan's Black Spiced Rum on a tour of the Maine coast with the addition of boiled cider syrup (a.k.a. apple molasses) and a cinnamon swizzle stick.

Ingredients

  • Per Drink:
  • a highball or double old fashioned glass full of ice
  • 1 tablespoon Boiled Cider Syrup (a.k.a. Apple Molasses)
  • 2 ounces Captain Morgan's Black Spiced Rum (Dark Rum or Original Spiced Rum may be substituted if desired.)
  • 11 ounces Ginger Beer (Use Q Ginger, Barr's, Reed's, or Papa's Hooch for best results.)
  • Optional: A cinnamon stick for stirring.

Instructions

Pour the boiled cider syrup over the ice. Follow this by adding the Black Spiced Rum and then the ginger beer. Use a cinnamon stick or spoon to stir lightly. Serve immediately.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/23/dark-stormy-orchard-spice-up-the-holidays-announcement/

Once you have your drink in hand, stop on by and say hi to my fellow competitors. They’re good people, people!

 Disclosure: I am a participant in the Spice Up the Holidays contest sponsored by Captain Morgan USA. I received products to use in my recipe development and compensation for additional ingredients but all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Beverages, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Dirty Chai | Make Ahead Mondays

November 12, 2012 by 11 Comments

Dirty chai sounds kind of wrong, doesn’t it? In a sense, really, it is. It’s the marriage of tea and coffee. …And in another sense, it’s a metaphor for my marriage. I am a tea drinker. My husband is a coffee drinker. In fact, he never voluntarily drank tea until he met me. I lived in a boarding house while attending college and one of the fellow boarding house residents was a part-time drummer who was sitting in with The Evil Genius’s band. When I met him, I thought he was cute and offered him a cup of tea. He accepted. Little did I know at the time that he hated tea, but he was apparently smitten enough with me to say yes.

In the years to follow, I realized just how much that gesture meant. In short, it was like a giant hubba hubba.

Anyway, back to the dirty chai. Dirty Chai is what happens when you spill an espresso into a perfectly good cup of chai, or -as my husband would say- pour a perfectly good espresso into a cup of chai. You see? It’s compromise. And this compromise is mighty tasty. Somehow they work -kind of like The Evil Genius and I- against all intuition. I guess it’s because it’s the strongest of both worlds. Chai packs a punch and so does espresso. It’s fortified chai (or espresso, depending on who in the Foodie With Family household you ask.) It wakes you up and gets you going.

This delightful concoction takes advantage of our homemade Spiced Orange Chai Concentrate which makes this the perfect Make Ahead Mondays post. Make double the concentrate and freeze half, two-thirds or three-quarters of it in mason jars. Pull out before parties or on Christmas morning and be so glad you’re the think-ahead type.

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Dirty Chai | Make Ahead Mondays

Dirty Chai | Make Ahead Mondays

Dirty Chai is what happens when you throw convention to the wind and marry tea and coffee. Earthy, sweet, spicy, creamy chai latte gets a high-octane kick from a shot of espresso. Drink adventurously!

Ingredients

Instructions

Heat the Spiced Orange Chai Concentrate with the milk and pour in the shot of espresso. Stir gently just a couple of times. Dust the Dirty Chai with ground cinnamon just before serving if desired.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/12/dirty-chai-make-ahead-mondays/

This is the perfect time for me to tell you a little something about the Syntia Focus espresso machine that the good folks at Philips Saeco sent to me because they wanted my opinion on their super automatic espresso maker.

I’m just going to get right to it and break down what we thought of it.

Pros:

  • It grinds coffee beans for you! No pods, no k-cups, no messy refillable versions of either of those. You buy the beans you want, pour them in the top, refill it when it empties, and empty the dregs receptacle when it fills. I like that. We used to fuss with re-fillable pods and the grounds were everywhere which caused me no end of crabbiness.
  • On the subject of the grinder. It’s quiet! We used to use a stand-alone grinder for my husband’s refillable pods and that beast made NOISE. I can’t hear the Syntia Focus’s grinder from upstairs but the other grinder used to wake me up.
  • It brews one cup at a time (or two cups of espresso. Or one long coffee!  Options!!) As a one-coffee-drinker household, that is fabulous. No wasted coffee from pots brewed and over-aged.
  • It cleans up beautifully and easily. Again? No messy grounds going everywhere. You empty the dregs container into the garbage, rinse it and the brew unit and let it air dry. Ta da!
  • It dispenses hot water! YAY from the tea lover. Now, granted, the water is not hot enough for a proper black tea (because that should be boiling), but it’s absolutely, positively perfect for green tea and white tea. That’s pretty amazing.
  • The steam wand froths milk perfectly which makes fabulous steamers for the kidlets. They love their milk frothed with a little chai syrup or boiled cider syrup.
  • This is from my husband (since I already outed myself as a tea drinker): The flavour of the coffee is without compare. He advises you to pick the best coffee bean you can, but whichever one you choose, the Syntia Focus will brew the best cup of espresso or long cup of coffee that it can possibly make.
  • The strength of the brew is adjustable with simple controls.
  • There is a little pre-ground coffee chute into which you can pour pre-ground coffee that’s different than the whole beans you keep stocked in the machine. If you like caffeinated coffee in the morning and decaf in the evening, this is the perfect solution!
  • Once you’ve read the manual, the controls are very intuitive.

Cons:

  • There’s no getting around it, it’s expensive. But if you’re addicted to coffee house drinks and buy them frequently, I can see this actually paying for itself in pretty short order.
  • Unless you preheat the coffee cup with a little steam from the steam wand, it brews a little cooler than my husband would prefer. He says if you drink it right away, it’s perfectly fine, but if you want to tarry over it a bit, you may need to reheat it. I had no such complaint, but I’m not the coffee drinker.
  • This is a machine that requires you to read the manual before you use it the first time. Is that REALLY a con? Only if you’re a manual hater. Like I said, once you’ve read the manual the controls are intuitive.

The Bottom Line:

It’s a cool piece of kitchen equipment and it makes my coffee drinking husband kind of giddy. Our former one-cup brewer to which my husband was absolutely devoted  has been relegated to the basement to make permanent space for the Syntia Focus.

Disclosure: Philips Saeco sent me a Syntia Focus for review but did not compensate me for this post. The opinions are all my own.

Filed Under: Beverages, Product Reviews, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

White Russian Milkshake

September 14, 2012 by 8 Comments

When I was in Oregon a few weeks ago, my friends were shocked- SHOCKED, I say- to find out I had never had a margarita in my life. They remedied that pretty quickly, let me tell you…

Everyone wanted to know why I hadn’t had one before. The truth is, I’m picky. I’m not a big drinker, so when I have one, I want to make sure it is a good one (and preferably not a strong one or I’m going to need to go to bed very quickly after having it. Zzzzzzzzz.) I didn’t dare tell them how short the list of mixed drinks I’ve actually had in my lifetime is. Honestly? I can count them on one  hand; Long Island Iced Tea (meh), Daiquiri, Gin & Tonic, Mojito, and now Margarita. I’m a sophisticated party animal, apparently.

One drink I’ve always thought sounded appealing was the White Russian. The thing is, I don’t go out for drinks and when I go out for dinner, I’ll have a glass of wine if anything at all. (I’m sounding more and more exciting by the moment, aren’t I?)

While I’m clearly not a real adventurer when it comes to mixed drinks, I do like to make alcohol-laced desserts. I love rum soaked cherries, flambéed bananas, Grand Marnier cheesecakes, and more. There’s something about the way spirits enhance sweets that just dings my chimes. I decided to play around a little bit with the classic White Russian* cocktail to turn it into a dessert.

*Before you ask, no. I hadn’t ever had a White Russian. That kind of thing doesn’t stop THIS gal from playing around with things, no-siree-bob. And I have a great reason for not having had a White Russian. I don’t drink milk.

A White Russian is usually nothing more than coffee liqueur, vodka and heavy cream (or half and half or full-fat milk.) “White Russian Milkshake!” said my brain. I don’t drink milk, but if it’s blended with a bunch of ice cream, I’ll toss it back faster than you can say “You’re nuts!” Because the White Russians look so pretty with their black and white layers, I opted to layer my milkshake instead of tossing all the ingredients into the blender willy-nilly.

What was the verdict from this unsophisticated lady? It was darned good. It was slurp it with a straw good. I highly recommend you give this creamy twist on tradition a spin!

This drink is to celebrate the anniversary of The Friday Cocktail over at Creative Culinary. Barb, unlike me, is a wildy creative cocktail creator. The fact that she invited me to be part of the party is both befuddling and flattering. Thank you for including this classy, drinking-wine-from-a-jar gal, Barb. Can I say bottoms up?

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White Russian Milkshake

White Russian Milkshake

Give this sweet and creamy spin on the traditional White Russian a whirl!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces Kahlua liqueur
  • 1 1/2 ounces vodka
  • 2 ice cubes
  • 1 cup vanilla ice cream
  • 1/2 cup-3/4 cup whole milk or half & half

Instructions

Add the vanilla ice cream and milk or half & half to the carafe of your blender. Fix the lid in place and blend until smooth and creamy.

Add the ice cubes to the bottom of a glass, pour both the Kahlua and the vodka over the ice cubes and then slowly pour the vanilla milkshake over the liquor. Serve with a straw and slurp!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/14/white-russian-milkshake/

 

Filed Under: Beverages, Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone (Starbucks Knockoff) and a Giveaway! | Make Ahead Mondays

August 27, 2012 by 127 Comments

 

Giveaway details below the recipe!

I got my dog fixed on my birthday.

It’s a glamorous life. Try not to be too jealous.

Because Frijole is a rescue dog (although some folks would argue that his inclusion in the dog category is in doubt considering he’s half daschund half chihuahua), we were invited to bring him to a free spay and neuter clinic about two hours from home. “Free” is one of my favourite words, so I grabbed the leash, the understandably unexcited dog, a cup of tea and set out at six in the morning on a Sunday to drop my pup off for ye olde snip-snip.

After depositing the dog (and a surprise attack of tears when leaving my sweet wittle puppykins in the arms of those strangers) I drove into town a little further and found the Holy Grail, Nirvana, Kismet, Shangrila…

I found Barnes and Noble in Elmira, New York.

Since it was my birthday, I gave myself permission to go a little wacky in the bookstore. Aside from living in a library, this is my idea of the ultimate in fun. I felt like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. I walked in, twirled around with my arms in the air, and sang (in my head.)

I walked up aisles. I walked down them. I tucked into ill-lit corners with piles of books by authors of whom I’d never heard. I sniffed new books.* I scoured the clearance and mark-down books. When I tell you I spent hours, I mean it.

When all was said and done, I carried my teetering stack of books to the register. While the clerk was scanning, scanning, scanning, I glanced at the time and realized I still had a couple of hours to go before I could pick up my now frijole-less Frijole. A glance to my right showed the semi-ubiquitous Barnes and Noble Starbucks, so I paid and scooted over there to spend a little air-conditioned time admiring my new acquisitions.

*Please tell me someone else loves the smell of books…

There are a couple of impulse buy food words that get me every time; citrus, lemon, lime, orange, berry and hibiscus. Lo and behold, Starbucks had a little something called a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher. I was all over that like my kids on chips. I ordered one at the counter and they asked, “Can we make that a venti?” I am not a Starbucks veteran, so I had NO IDEA what that meant, but I wanted to be agreeable, so I said yes. Heck. It was my birthday.

I watched while she mixed up my refresher, took it back to the table, took a sip and did what any self-respecting blogger does when she likes something. I posted a picture on instagram. Then? Then I did what any self-respecting member of my family would do. I vowed to learn to make it myself because at that point, I had learned what venti meant. It meant EXPENSIVE.

With the justification, “It’s for research!” singing in my head, I ordered a second venti Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher while tucking an information card in my pocket and asking the poor gal what went into the drink. She said “Green Coffee Extract, this hibiscus mix stuff, dried berries, water and ice”. All that was left was for me to slurp my drink, call my sister to tell her how she needed to try one, pick up my drugged and tender puppy and drive home for my annual birthday fried chicken extravaganza.

Being cheap (and living a couple hours from the nearest Starbucks) is a marvelous recipe development motivator. I ordered green coffee beans from Amazon.com, busted out my stash of dried hibiscus flowers and freeze dried berries and set myself to experimentation.

I opted to make my green coffee extract using cold extraction. This sounds far more difficult than it actually is. In short, grind unroasted coffee beans, cover with water, let it set in the refrigerator overnight then strain it. Ta da! Yes. It truly is that simple. I make a quart at a time, so I can have this whenever cravings strike.

While researching green coffee beans, I found out that green coffee is currently the golden child of the diet scene. Evidently, taking green coffee extract (in any form) jacks up your metabolism so that -all other things remaining the same- you metabolize your food more completely and therefore lose weight. Who knew?

Because cold brewing/extraction is a gentler process, I used my beloved new Krups coffee grinder/spice mill from BigKitchen to break the beans up just a bit. I didn’t need to obliterate them like you would for a regular cuppa joe, just break them open a little. Can we talk about why I love this grinder for just a moment? My husband is the coffee drinker in the house. I’m a tea drinker. For years, our coffee grinder has been ‘his’. I borrowed it once -just once!- to grind some spices and we both ended up unhappy with the results. My cumin tasted like coffee and his coffee tasted like cumin. The rest of my spice and herb grinding took place in the pestle and mortar. Sigh. This new grinder is mine, MINE I TELL YA, and it will never have a roasted coffee bean in it as long as it lives. The green coffee beans don’t count because they don’t have that strong flavour, aroma, etc… that you find in roasted beans. Additionally, green coffee contains about one-fifth of the caffeine of its roasted counterpart. This probably accounts for why I can drink it without having to be scraped from the ceiling.

So why do all this? Hibiscus and berries are bright and fresh and naturally vibrant pink and full of vitamins and minerals. Green coffee is a metabolism booster and makes you feel energetic without feeling strung out. Put them together with ice and water and you have a truly refreshing drink.

If you have a Starbucks lover in your life, a jar each of the hibiscus syrup and green coffee extract in a basket with a couple bags of the freeze-dried berries would make a wonderful gift!

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Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone (Starbucks Knockoff) | Make Ahead Monday

Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone (Starbucks Knockoff) | Make Ahead Monday

Zingy hibiscus and sweet freeze dried berries get shake-shake-shaken into homemade green coffee extract (yes you CAN do that at home!) and ice creating a fabulous knock-off of the Starbucks Very Berry Hibiscus Refreshers at a fraction of the cost.

Ingredients

    For the Green Coffee Extract:
  • 1 quart cold water
  • 1/4 pound green (unroasted) coffee beans
    • For the Hibiscus Simple Syrup:
  • 1 cup, lightly packed, dried hibiscus flowers
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups water
    • To Make a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone:
  • 2 cups of ice cubes
  • 1 tablespoon green coffee extract
  • 1-4 tablespoons hibiscus simple syrup (to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons freeze-dried berries
  • 2 cups water

Instructions

To Make the Green Tea Extract:

Add the beans to a scrupulously clean spice or coffee grinder, pulse the grinder about 10 times just to break up the beans a little. Empty the beans into a half-gallon glass canning jar or another similarly sized container with a tight fitting lid. Pour the cold water over the beans, fix the lid in place and shake a couple of times to make sure it is all good and distributed. Stash in the refrigerator overnight to extract.

After it has soaked for at least 8 hours, line a fine-mesh sieve with a coffee filter or a piece of cheesecloth positioned over a pitcher. Shake the green coffee and water mixture one more time and pour it through the lined sieve. Transfer the strained liquid to a jar (it should fit into a quart jar) and store in the refrigerator for up to a month, using as desired.

To Make the Hibiscus Simple Syrup:

Add hibiscus flowers, sugar, and water to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat. Stir frequently to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils, turn off the heat and add a lid to the pan. Let it steep for at least 20 minutes, but not more than 40 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter into a canning jar or pitcher. Store in the refrigerator in a tightly lidded jar or other stain-proof container. Hibiscus syrup WILL stain!

To Make a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone:

Add 2 cups of ice to a quart canning jar. Pour the green coffee extract and hibiscus syrup over the ice, add the freeze-dried berries and pour the water over everything else. Fix the lid tightly in place and shake vigorously for about 25 seconds. Pour into a pretty glass and sip. Heck, gulp if you want to gulp! This is good stuff and it's good for you!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/08/27/very-berry-hibiscus-refresher-clone-starbucks-knockoff-and-a-giveaway-make-ahead-monday/

Now let’s talk goodies, shall we? The folks at BigKitchen -the same ones who provided my best beloved grinder- are offering to give away another one just like mine to one of you folks.

 

Big cheer for BigKitchen! This is a work horse of a grinder. These are the details about this gorgeous piece of kit according to BigKitchen:

  • Minces fresh herbs and dried spices and grinds coffee beans from
    coarse to fine in seconds
  • Sharp stainless steel blades quickly chop for easy preparation of your
    favorite dishes
  • Pulse action button lets you determine the degree of fineness
  • Brushed stainless steel finish
  • Safety lock lid
  • 140W
  • Retails at: $29.99

I concur with all of that, but I’d add that it’s just plain gorgeous. It is super sleek and I do love stainless steel appliances. They are out of stock (sad trombone!) currently, but they do have one in stock for the winner of this giveaway and they’ll be back for the rest of the world very soon, indeed (happy cry from the crowd!) So how do you win?

For 1 Entry:

You need to scoot on over to BigKitchen and look around. For one entry, tell me here in the comments what you would be most likely to buy from BigKitchen.

For Additional Entries (Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry so we can have a truly random drawing!):

Like Foodie With Family on facebook, then come back here and say so.

Like BigKitchen on facebook then come back here and say so.

Follow Foodie With Family on Twitter and, well, you know, come back here and say so.

Follow BigKitchen on Twitter and… you know!

My word! That’s 5 different ways to win my favourite grinder. Make yourself a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher and start entering today! The giveaway will close on Thursday, August 30th with a winner to be announced on Friday.

BigKitchen was kind enough to send me a Krups grinder and offer one to give away, but all opinions are my own. I am not affiliated with Starbucks in any way.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Beverages, Component Foods, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Strawberry Wineade

July 25, 2012 by 20 Comments

I should begin by saying that serious wine snobs should probably look away. Quickly.

I’ll give you a second or two.

Are they gone now?

Okay, it’s about to get all kinds of classy in here. And by classy, I mean serving wine in jars mixed with juice. Yeah, baby. That kind of classy.

I have had a couple of very crazy weeks here with various groupings of kids going to various camps, preparing for my brother’s wedding, getting the house ready for company, and then there was some very fun travel for yours truly.

How fun was that travel? Let me show you a picture or two…

DSC_1582

DSC_1568

So yeah. That’s me. Do you recognize the digs? Yes? No? How about now?

 

Maybe you recognize the lady behind my right shoulder? (Stage right. Not your left. Oh dear. Did I just make it worse?)

Last weekend, I had the incredible joy and privilege of visiting my friend and food blogger extraordinaire, Ree Drummond, a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman. For a little over a year, Ree and I have been planning a weekend workshop extravaganza of cheesemaking, bread baking, and canning. I couldn’t wait to get out there and show folks how to make some of my favourite foods. What I didn’t know was that Ree, in the way she does, was planning a surprise! She brought in a group of women and fellow food bloggers I’ve become friends with on Twitter to take part in the fun. We drank wine, we whined, we ate, we cracked adolescent jokes about cutting cheese, we made cheese, we ate cheese, we made bread, we ate bread, we ate massive steaks and barbecue chicken. We canned, we cried, and in short, had a seriously grand time.

My word. There just aren’t enough words to explain how fun it was. I was delighted to find out that Bridget, Robyn, Wendy, Sandy, Amy, and Georgia are not only every bit as nice as they seem on their blogs, they’re *gasp* EVEN NICER. And pretty. Holy wah, folks. Have you ever seen such a pretty group of women?

But there is a reason I’m bringing all of this up. Two nights before I left, I made a batch of strawberry lemonade for my kids. It was hot out that night, and I poured some into a glass (okay, a jar)  that I’d been drinking out of moments earlier. The catch is that I forgot I’d been drinking white wine out of that jar. Like I said, classy.

The result was something so refreshing I ended up having another glass. Geez. Yes, it was still a jar.

It was delicious, it was light, it chilled me when I needed it most. As good as it was, I resolved to never, ever tell anyone about the fact that I was mixing strawberry lemonade and white wine. I guess I’m a prideful creature.

Then that weekend, at Ree’s, I was offered a glass of white wine mixed with French tangerine soda. It was good. No. It was guuuuuuuuud. After sipping with the ladies, I blurted out my strawberry lemonade/white wine transgression. When no one laughed me out of the Lodge doors and into the 115°F heat (Hey, Oklahoma… 115°F? Woah. I’m relieved to know the natives don’t even like that!) I figured I’d take the leap and share it here. So there you go, friends… My super classy, super chic, super refreshing wine thingy. If you’ve stuck with me this long, you’re either an oenophile who is absolutely horrified right now or you’re with me.

Either way, I’m glad you’re here. I love you people. MWAH. (And that’s not the strawberry wineade talking…)

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Strawberry Wineade

Strawberry Wineade

Super refreshing Strawberry Wineade is the result of a happy accident in hot weather. Fresh strawberry lemonade mixed with chilled semi-dry white wine over ice. There is NOTHING fancy about this other than the beautiful pink colour but it sure takes the edge off of the hot weather!

Ingredients

    To Make the Strawberry Lemonade
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 quart cold water
  • 1 cup frozen, hulled, unsweetened strawberries
    • To Make the Strawberry Wineade
  • 1/2 cup strawberry lemonade
  • 1/2 cup chilled semi-dry white wine

Instructions

Gently heat 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water together, stirring, just until the sugar is completely dissolved.Pour it into the work carafe of a blender and add the lemon juice, quart of cold water and frozen strawberries. Put the lid firmly in place and blend on HIGH until smooth. Pour into a pitcher or a jar with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To Make a Strawberry Wineade:

Fill a pint jar with ice cubes, pour the 1/2 cup of white wine over the ice and follow that with the 1/2 cup of strawberry lemonade. Use a chopstick or straw to stir gently.

Put your feet up in a classy way and enjoy!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/25/strawberry-wineade/

I’d like to thank Ree for the use of the pictures of me making cheese above. The picture of people taking photos of me making cheese is by Sandy Coughlin, The Reluctant Entertainer. For more of our cheesemaking shenanigans, read Ree’s fantastic post here.

Filed Under: Beverages, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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