Custom Coffee

A couple things about me – I love a good coffee. I’m not a coffee snob, I embrace what I like and experiment with things I don’t know. I worked retail for a while in a mall with a Starbucks and it was there I developed a costly addiction to Starbucks coffee.

Not really an addiction – it was just part of my routine and habit. See, the mall opened its public doors at 8am (let’s say) but the stores opened normally at 9am. Retail workers were there at 8:30am to get everything set up before the doors opened so there was this feeling of comradery and calm between 8am-9am where only retail workers and some mall walkers were around.

And the Starbucks was open.

I liked the guys that worked there – I actually had a crush on this one guy. Since I worked across from the Starbucks, I could see him and there was a playful competition as to who could win his affections between the girls I worked with. I didn't win.

I started digging the flavored coffee and that big sugar cookie they had. Sometimes they had different shapes – like  flower for spring – but it was always this awesome sugar cookie. I loved the lemon or whatever with the taste of the coffee.

I did end up really cutting back when I did the math and found out I was spending a couple hundred dollars a year on coffee. I also gave up everything but a tall, regular coffee for lent one year and then I sort of never went back to the other stuff.

Fast Forward
When my sickness began winning more than the medical industry’s denial that anything was wrong with me, my big weekly outing was going to the local Starbucks for a sugar free Vanilla latte. It was the one thing I could look forward to, plan around and pretend like I was a normal person.

Getting myself together and remembering how to get to the Starbucks was pretty exhausting. I would have to take a couple naps afterwards. But, it was a victory. Always a victory. Again, the guys at the local Starbucks were pretty cool and even asked me about my PICC line and treatments once they got use to seeing me and weren't afraid to ask me questions.

Fast Forward Again
With all my medical expenses and general loathing of moving, I did actual miss my coffee. It can be expensive to get a raspberry latte every day. Or almond. Normally when I buy a flavored coffee I pretty much regret it and then I am stuck with a pound of some type of over-sweet coffee.

Solution? Season your own coffee with blends of cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg or whatever flavors you like. This doesn't just go for coffee – use these extracts in hot chocolate, tea, lemonade or your favorite mixed drink. You can even add them to salad dressings and meats if you are adventurous.

Play around with flavors you like.

Here are the items I use:

Trader Joe's Grinders

I tell people this is pepper

I get a lot a TJs, and, these grinders made getting a sweet fix easy. I have a feeling that these grinders are available only during the holiday season - as in the fall and winter rather than all year long.

However, once you know how to make this stuff, you can buy the ingredients.

This stuff is a perfect blend of sugar and flavor. For example, that cinnamon-sugar grinder makes your coffee taste like a snickerdoodle.

This means, I don’t feel the need to eat a bunch of snickerdoodles. I still will, might I add. I just don't don't feel the need to eat them. Or I just eat donuts. And basically everything. I really commit to gaining those 5lbs during the winter.

No sugar in Pixi Stix, either

Essential Cane Sugars
Essential Cane makes a line of flavored sugars that are quite good. I do know how to make my own flavored sugar, but, it can take a while.

Patient I am not.

Try a little raspberry sugar or even habanera to give your coffee a kick. If you make lemonade, add a little blueberry. I actually make sugar cookies and spice them up with this sugar.

Extracts
Good olde fashion extracts are another way to go, you just have to be careful because they can be very strong, contain alcohol and be less sweet than what you think. An extract is the pure flavor without anything else.

Translations: It's strong. I dare you to drink directly from a extract bottle.

You can get fake extracts or pure ones depending on your personal beliefs and tastes. Most people who have ever baked have at least a vanilla extract hanging around. They can be expensive so you might as well use them in your beverages. And pancakes.

Anyhow, with the right balance of sugar, a nice almond or mint extract can be delicious. Not for me. I hate mint. Almond I am all for.

Be Part of the Adventure
Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Cook For Others: Part 2

I had another chance to cook for people! You might remember by gypsy stew from Cook For Others: Part 1. This time, the request was helping my hunky-manfriend make some vegan chili for his coworkers. His supervisor is a vegan and he said he would bring in some chili that she could eat. I believe it was a potluck shower office thing.

Vegan
Being vegan means you can't eat anything with animal products. I lived as a vegan for a week - if you remember my Vegan Challenge post.

The key to making a stellar vegan chili rests on two things:

• Tomato paste: People underestimate the power of tomato paste which is a healthy, cheap way to thicken things. You can make everything that would have tomato sauce in it with paste.
• Proper protein crumbles: Key for texture, flavor and flare. You don't really want just "fake meat" you want a nice texture and well flavored food.

My Chili

Sexy

My man-friend was going to come over and help make the chili, but, he was having a roughish week and I got out of work first, so, I started making it. It's pretty simple. 

I know peppers can be expensive and go bad fast, so, I get them frozen and kept them in my freezer. You can pop them into a pot 

frozen.

I also did not make this chili that hot because that is something people can doctor up on their own and not everyone has the same definition of "spicy."

• Large onion - chopped.
• Garlic - chopped.
• Carrot - chopped.
• Olive oil.
• Red, green, yellow peppers (a good amount).
• Black beans with chilies.
• 12oz Tomato paste.
• Lightlife Smart Ground - Veggie Protein Crumbles (best kind out there!)
• Vegan veggie broth (optional)
• Thyme.
• Coriander - powder (one of my fav spices).
• Red pepper flakes.
• Chile powder.

You will need a dutch oven - I happen to have a Le Creuset French Oven. 

Saute up the onion for about 5-7 minutes in the olive oil. Then add in the carrots and peppers and continue to saute until the peppers are tender. Add in the garlic, coriander and thyme and mix that up all good and nice, maybe another minute. Add in the beans and protein crumbles and mix everything together until the crumbles are in their proper crumble pieces and not big chunks. Add in the can of tomato paste - the more you add, the thicker the chili will be. Add in some veggie broth if you want to thin it out. Add in the red pepper flakes to taste and any chili powder (I did not add much).

Let everything cook a bit and all the favors merge. Done. 

Results

Vegan chili?

I loaded the chili up in crockpot so it could be transported and kept warm for the shower.

I wrote down everything that I put into the chili so everyone knows what they are eating - it never hurts to know these things.

I really wasn't sure how it would go over since a lot of people see "VEGAN" and get scared I hoped I didn't hurt my man-friend's reputation and I hoped the vegan liked what I had made. As an omnivore, I thought it would be enjoyable to everyone. 

Other than I don't like beans and they hurt my tummy.

Noms!

Toward the end of the afternoon, I got a text from my guy stating everyone liked the chili. Really? 

Yeah, He sent me a picture of the remains. I think people really thought the protein crumbles made a difference. I'm glad it was a hit! If you ever need to make a sweet vegan chili, do it! I suggest to use the Lightlife Smart Ground - Veggie Protein Crumbles but you can alter anything else to make a fantastic chili.  

Be Part of the Adventure

Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Image Credit

TJ peppers from hungryforliving.com

Cook For Others: Part 1

People show love in different ways, in fact, understanding how people love is a key to understanding them.

My Subject
I am 100% to blame for my super-hot boyfriend being unable to lose weight - although he is working on some rock hard biceps.

Hang on. I need a moment.

My guy is basically forced to deal with me cooking for him - joyfully, too. I mean, I'm not super-awesome cook or something, I'm sort of a sniff-and-dump cook. I dump some stuff together, sniff some seasonings and add based on my nose.

Although, I have been doing this as a way to feed myself since the 2000s. I do come from a long line of great home cooks.

Finding People
Sometime it is hard to get in there for others. I think this is because we are trained in the rhotic of helping others more than the function. Sometimes it feels like things would be easier if the victim got him/herself together so s/he could figure out how to direct the people who have no clue what to do.

Making it Work
Being there for others shouldn't completely drain you or bring you to a place you can't get up from - though sometimes you have to throw yourself on the fire for someone. Anyhow, I learned it is good to have a couple things on hand so when someone needs you, you don't have to scramble.

These items include:

• Booze. 

Ok, there is more.

• Wine. 
• Tea. 
• Coffee. 
• Hot cocoa. 
• Muffin mix.
• Quick cookie recipe.
• Cheese.
• Blank cards.
• Soup recipe.
• Stuffed animal.
• Containers you don't ever expect to get back. 

You might want to alter the list if you have a friend who love something or has some specific comfort food - like chocolate. I don't really keep chocolate around. I don't like it.

Cooking for Others

It is rare to find someone or to have a relationship with someone who is down and out or dealing with a tragedy who is able to say what is most needed - a laugh, company or a meal. As my friend said when she was a new-new Mom:

Melissa: You have no idea how much I just wanted someone to cook us a homecooked meal!

I had no idea. So, when she was dealing with a hard week - I said I would made dinner and bring it over for her and her husband.

Cooking

I think cooking food it a good way to help families out - first, they don't have to worry about dishes or food to buy and ideally they have one or two healthy meals they just have to warm up. However, I'm also both vain and lazy, so, I figured out what I can make that is great and quick. 

Chicken Soup

If you don't know how to make chicken soup, you need to learn. Here's how you do it:

• 1 chicken or whatever pieces of a chicken you have.
• Vegetables - Carrots, onion, celery, parsley.
• Pot. 
• Parsley.
• Salt/pepper.
• Water. 

Chop up the stuff and put it in the pot. Cover with water. Simmer for an hour or whatever. You can make a huge pot and freeze part of it for whenever the flu season strikes. Once you nail this recipe you can add or subtract things you like or don't like.

Gypsy Stew

Basically how it looks

I got into what I call "gypsy stew" when I moved out - it started with a chicken, tomato and cheese stew and progressed. I don't like broth, I like something I have to chew and makes me think I ate a meal. I was also very poor. I mean, my parents had to send me money so I wasn't out on the street while I worked two jobs.

A gypsy stew is normally mixture of stuff you might have in your kitchen as a peasant. A lot of times, it is a mixture of foods and spices you might not normally put together - like beans and pear. They also are less brothy and more chunky - I like chunky.

Anyhow, this is the second type of gypsy stew I make:

• 2 15oz cans chickpeas or white beans, drained
• 3-4 carrots, thickly sliced (your call as how much you want)
• 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock (for thicker use less, for thinner use more)
• 1lb pumpkin or butternut squash (or a mix), peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 medium pears, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (can be underripe)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3-4 large garlic cloves – coarsely chopped (don’t dice)
• 2-3 medium ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped so fluid can cook out
• Handful green beans, trimmed and cut up
• A couple handfuls of blanched almonds
• Sweet paprika (not smoked)
• Thyme.
• Olive Oil
• Salt/Pepper
• Fresh mint (garnish)
• Red wine vinegar (to taste/garnish)

You will need your Dutch oven, a skillet and a bowl.

In the Pot:

• Combine the chickpeas, carrots in your Dutch oven and cover with stock, bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Add the squash, green beans, pears and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered until the vegetables have softened, about 15-20 minutes.

In the skillet (while pot is cooking):

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and garlic and cook until the almonds are golden brown. Transfer almonds/garlic to a bowl, leaving behind as much oil as possible in the skillet. Pace the garlic/almonds in a food processor or coffee grinder and grind until finely ground.
• Add the onion to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the paprika to the onions and stir for a few seconds. (I threw in a LOT of paprika because it’s good).
• Add the tomatoes to the onions and a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid and cook until the tomatoes soften and reduce, about 7 minutes. It’s ok if the tomatoes have some chunk, you just want all that tomato juice to be swimming around.

In the Pot (bringing it all together):

• Gently stir the tomato mixture into the pot with the chickpeas – you want to maintain some tomato chunk.
• Add the ground almonds/garlic.
• Add thyme - you can never have too much.
• Continue cooking until all the vegetables are very soft and the pumpkin is almost falling apart, 5-7 minutes longer, adding more broth if the stew seems too thick.
• (Optional) Stir in the vinegar. Add a handful of almonds for some crunch.
• Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper and/or vinegar if necessary.
• (Optional) Garnish with the mint and throw in some pear and almonds for texture.

Thoughts

This strew fed about seven people without too much trouble. You could stretch it out if you added more broth or another can of beans. Get some crusty bread and you got a winning combo. Overall, it is fairy cheap and filling. 

You could add apple or any range of spices to change the flavor. You can also add meat (the picture, for example, has meat since it is a recipe from Andalusian Gypsy Stew that has pork).

It was nice to cook for my friends - they all enjoyed it, even the meat-eaters. I, however, did not eat it because I can't have beans.

Another exciting thing thing brought back was the "food container exchange" where me and my friend down the street trade a container, each filling it with some food we made. I think the next bit I give him back is going to be cookies, but, you never know. 

Be Part of the Adventure
Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Image Credit
Strew picture from blogstew.net