Step-by-Step: Amazing Spiced Chai Concentrate – Tasty Kitchen Blog Warm spices, strong tea and steamed milk swirling around in my tummy make chai lattes a favorite during the winter months. It warms me from the inside out in a way that puts coffee and tea to shame. Unfortunately, the chai concentrate from certain coffee chains is too sweet. It never occurred to me to make my own chai. Here are the ingredients you’ll need: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, star anise, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg, orange zest, tea bags, brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Start by bringing 4 1/2 cups water to the boil on the stove. Then you need some orange zest. The recipe says to use a piece of ginger. Once the water has come to a boil, remove the pot from the heat and add the tea bags. Then add your cinnamon sticks (we only add two—it just looks like we’re using four because we broke them in half). Then add your star anise and seven cardamom pods. Then add the rest of the spices: the whole cloves, freshly ground pepper, zest (or peel), smashed ginger, and freshly grated nutmeg.
Raspberry-Goat Cheese Meringues Recipe 1. Preheat the oven to 275F. Line 1 or 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. 3. 4. The meringues can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks; the cookies can be assembled, covered and refrigerated a few hours before serving. This recipe is adapted from Gorgeous Cakes. Prairie Paper & Ink: How to Make a Glitter & Re-Inker Ornament I showed this to my Stampin' Up! club ladies and promised I would post the instructions (w/ pictures) on here for them and my other customers - I hope y'all will try these out - they're SO easy and the results are so fab!! Clear Glass Ornament Dye Re-inker (Stampin' Up! ink used for these - I do not know how other types of ink will work with this as I've only used SU Classic re-inkers) Water (optional) Paper Towel Rubber/Latex Gloves Fine Glitter (I use SU! Dazzling Diamonds Glitter for these) Small Powder Pal OR scrap paper shaped into a funnel Small container (to drain the ink into - I used an empty plastic film container) Remove the top and hanger of the ornament (be careful as you're doing it as the glass is very thin and the hanger pops open as it's pulled out) Put on your gloves before moving to the next step. STEP 2: (optional) ***If you skipped step 2 and want to use just re-inker - add approx 20 drops to your ornament Pour the ink mixture into the ornament. STEP 7: (optional)
Brazilian Lemonade This is my most favorite drink. Ever. Maybe I’d feel differently if I drank (as in alcohol), but there is nothing I love more than a warm, breezy afternoon and a pitcher of Brazilian lemonade. I didn’t try it for a long, long time because I was very put off by putting sweetened condensed milk in with citrus fruit. It starts off with fresh, juicy limes. You pop them in a blender with some sugar water and pulse just a few times. Pour the mixture from the blender through a strainer and into a pitcher, thus saving all of the flavorful liquid. Then the secret ingredient: sweetened condensed milk. Brazilian LemonadeOur Best Bites Ingredients: 4 juicy limes (try and find ones with thin, smooth skins; they’re the juiciest and the thin skin cuts down on the chance of your drink being bitter) 1 c. sugar 6 c. cold water 6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk Instructions: Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.
Celebrate World Nutella day with Nutella Truffles We all have our favorite days of the year, be it Christmas, Thanksgiving, your birthday, whatever. Well February 5th would have to be would have to high on my list. Want to know why? Two of my favorite bloggers Sara of Ms. Nutella TrufflesPrintable recipe 1 (12-oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/4 cup Nutella 3/4 cup finely chopped, toasted hazelnuts Wax paper or parchment paper Method: Microwave first 3 ingredients in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals.
Cannibalistic Pumpkin Carving Tutorial I thought I would try my hand at carving the popular cannibalistic pumpkin that I've seen so many times before. Just as I was starting out, I realized that this was a good opportunity to document it with my camera. So below is a little tutorial I put together for anyone who might want to try this out. It's not too difficult if you are just patient and take it slow. STEP 1: The first thing you want to do before setting out on this is to get the proper tools and items. 1. STEP 2: Take your washable marker and draw out the face on the big pumpkin. STEP 3: Grab your large knife and cut a hole in the top of the large pumpkin for the cap. STEP 4: Take the cap off and set it to the side. STEP 5: Get your children involved by having them scoop out the insides. STEP 6: Once you get all the seeds and innards out, then get your spoon and scrape out the extra stuff that clings to the side. When you are done, your pumpkin should have a smooth inside all the way around.
Eggnog Recipe : Alton Brown Directions Watch how to make this recipe. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Cook's Note: For cooked eggnog, follow procedure below. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Contains Raw Eggs: The Food Network Kitchen suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs due to the slight risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness. Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown, 2005
The Farmhouse Table Spoon bread is like a cross between a souffle and polenta, and if you like cornbread (or even if you don’t–this might change your mind) you’ll love spoon bread. It’s a little more trouble to make than cornbread, but the extra trouble is worth it. It’s a very light, tender type of cornbread–due to the cooking of the cornmeal in milk and the folding in of egg whites, which adds the airy softness. Spoon bread likely goes back in history to the early settlers dealing with what was available to them in the New World–corn–and trying to adapt their recipes. It’s a side dish, it’s a dessert, it’s a bread–and it can even be a main dish, as you’ll see below in my tamale pie with spoon bread. As a bread, by the way, it’s not the kind of bread you can slice. Printer-FriendlyHow to make Spoon Bread: 1 cup cornmeal (yellow or white) 3 cups milk, divided 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 tablespoon sugar* 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt 2 egg yolks 2 egg whites Remove from the heat.
Friday Faves: Halloween DIY Roundup Halloween is 16 days away! Are you doing anything fun? I’m trying to convince Stan to go to Salem, but I’m not sure it’s in our budget. I’ve never been there for Halloween! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 20 Unique Pumpkin Ideas via c.r.a.f.t. 7. I can’t wait for Halloween Knights tomorrow at the Renaissance Faire! Like this post? Fried Green Tomatoes, Freezing Herbs, and Overwintering the Garden The garden gate stands open now, nothing much left to protect within. Peas, zucchini, squash, green beans, peppers, and tomatoes are like a long-ago dream. Our garden wasn’t particularly abundant, but it did serve us well enough since I didn’t have a pressure canner to preserve any massive surplus anyway. I’ve been gifted with a “new” fifty-year-old pressure canner this week, which I’m going to try out on some half-price green beans from the market. I’ll be ready for next year’s garden! We’ve got a line on some free horse manure, but for now, “poopy” straw from cleaning out pens is a cornerstone of our overwintering plans. The goats are helping, as are the chickens. Coco, you are NOT helping. Stop laying on your back staring upside down at them through the chicken wire! I hope she doesn’t distract them from pooping. The poopy straw makes its way onto the razed garden. Leaves and kitchen scraps (my sort of shortcut composting until I get a compost bin built) will go onto the garden, too.