Thanksgiving Coffee from Africa

Have you recovered from your turkey coma yet? 

I think I'll survive. 

I'm posting quickly here to share the special treat I enjoyed on Thanksgiving. 

A while back I commented on my friend Amy's blog, (Amy runs an orphanage in Africa) and made a guess on her husband's and kids' costumes they were making for a fund raising event. As a prize for the most correct guesses, Amy sent me a package of African coffee. It took over a month to arrive. 

And was just a BIT travel worn! I was kind of surprised that everything was still intact inside. 

But once unwrapped I found a perfect bag of coffee. I am such a sucker for any food product packaged in a cloth bag. I'm still trying to think of something to do with the bag once I've used all the coffee. 

Even before I opened the plastic bag on the inside of the cloth bag I could smell the coffee. Boy, was it a STRONG aroma! I love strong coffee (I'll take it black thank you) but even I was a bit intimidated by the strength of the aroma. I bravely brewed a pot and oh, what a wonderful cup of coffee. Yes, it was REALLY strong and no fancy flavorings which I really enjoyed. 

I'm rationing this coffee since it's come so far and I enjoy it so much. Thanks Amy! I'm thankful for the opportunity to try something from the other side of the world. I'll pass on the termites though, thank you! 

Foody Friday - DIY Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos

Lately DR has been addicted to drinking Starbucks Frappuccinos. Harvest is usually a time when he hits the caffeine hot and heavy considering all the hours he's working. He's not a big coffee drinker and soda has been giving him heartburn this year. So he's switched to Frapp's and he goes through em' like crazy! 

 I LOVE em' too! They are sooo good! He brought home all these empty bottles from work the other day. I hated throwing them in the recycling and buying more from the grocery store. A four pack costs $5.50 after all. "Maybe I could find a recipe that's close." I wondered. 

And I DID!! 

I searched Pinterest and found this recipe. This blog has great photos to go along with making the Frappuccino too. Check it out. 

I thought there might be a bit of a difference in taste but there wasn't! It tasted just like the stuff I bought at the grocery! 

Here's the recipe; 

Mocha Frappuccino

1 1/2 cups strong brewed coffee*

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 

1 teaspoon ascorbic acid** 

6 cups whole milk OR 6 cups low-fat milk + 1 Tablespoon pectin***

* Regular coffee can be used. If you’d like the exact taste of the bottled version, Starbuck’s Espresso Roast gives that taste. Brew 2 cups of cold water with 1/4 cup espresso coffee grounds.

** Ascorbic acid is added originally as a preservative, but it does add that hint of flavor. It does not need to be used.

*** Pectin is used in low-fat milk to thicken it. If you use whole milk or raw milk, or if you just don’t want to, pectin does not need to be used.

I didn't use the fancy Starbucks coffee or the Ascorbic acid or the Pectin and it tasted just fine to me! 

But I'll have to see if DR notices the difference! I'm going to encourage a little white lie and let him THINK I bought it at the store. We'll see what he says! 

Foody Friday - Crockpot French Toast ..and Coffee.

School is here which means some rushed mornings at our house. Most days I have no problem at least fixing them hot oatmeal or fried eggs but on days when I go to substitute teach a hot breakfast is a luxury. My boys often get their own cereal, orange juice and apples in the mornings but cold cereal gets old pretty quick. It would be great if I the boys could make their own warm breakfast...without burning down my kitchen.

I've tried overnight crockpot oatmeal recipes before but honestly I wasn't impressed.

I did happen to find a crockpot french toast recipe that, with a little tweaking, works perfectly for our family on busy mornings.

First I start off by making some beer bread. My beer bread recipe is mixed up and in the oven in less than 5 minutes and takes just about an hour to bake. I can easily bake some in the evening while I'm fixing dinner.

Beer Bread

Mix together 3 cups of flour (I use mix of whole wheat and bread flour), 3 Tablespoons of sugar and 1 can of beer. Mix thoroughly and pour into a greased bread pan. Put in a COLD oven, turn oven onto 350 degrees. Bake for one hour. Makes one loaf. This bread is very dense.

Crockpot French Toast

I found the original recipe here.

I whisk up about 3 eggs, a cup of milk or so, some cinnamon and some vanilla. I slice up a  my beer bread and soak it in the egg mixture for a minute or so. Spray your crockpot with cooking spray and layer the egg soaked bread into the crockpot. After all the slices are in the crockpot I pour in any remaining egg mixture. Right before I go to bed I turn the crockpot onto low.

The next morning it's done to perfection and best of all the boys can help themselves to a nice hot breakfast.

I don't know about you but my morning is just not complete without a cup of coffee. Seriously, I just can't function until I get a shot of caffeine. Last week the unthinkable happened! I was washing my glass coffeepot and I dropped it in the sink and it smashed!! It was too late in the day to head to town, I knew I wouldn't be able to make it to town for the next couple days to find a replacement. I was desperate...a morning without coffee. Unthinkable!!!

Did you know you can brew a pot of coffee in your crockpot? Yes you can...I did for two days in a row. I measured out the coffee grounds and water in the crockpot at bedtime, turned it on low and had a POT of coffee in the morning. Granted I had to watch for coffee grounds but I got my caffeine fix!

 Ah...the wonders of a crockpot. What can't you make in a crockpot?

Foody Friday - Hot Coffee Steak

During Memorial Day weekend when we were at the Chuck wagon Gathering, I picked up a free booklet with some chuck wagon recipes contributed by the exhibitors. Of course I don't have a Dutch oven or any place outside to set a hot bed of coals to cook over but I was able to adapt Kim and Bob's Hot Coffee Steak (Running M Ranch, El Reno, OK) for my oven. Hmmm, coffee and steak? It turned out surprisingly well!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix a tablespoon each of salt, pepper and fresh coffee grounds.

Coat steaks well on all sides with the coffee ground mixture.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a skillet and sear steaks on all sides.

Place steak in a casserole dish and pour hot coffee to cover the bottom, covering about half of the steaks. Place in oven until cooked to desired doneness. I believe for medium well ours cooked for about 25 minutes, maybe a bit longer.

Yum...and VERY tender.

In case you do have a Dutch oven handy, here's the original recipe.

Ingredients; Rib eye steak, fresh ground coffee, pepper, salt, chopped jalapenos, lard, hot coffee

Coat steaks well with mixture of fresh ground coffee, pepper, salt and chopped jalapenos. Melt 2-3 Tbs. of lard or shortening in Dutch oven over hot coals. Add steak and sear on all sides. Remove half of the coals to use on top of lid. Pour in enough hot coffee to cover bottom of oven. Put on lid and add coals to top. Add hot coffee as needed. Cook to preferred doneness (5-10 minutes for medium rare). Let stand five minutes before serving.

Have you ever cooked over hot coals with a Dutch oven? I wouldn't mind trying it sometime!