Starbucks' Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

The days are turning cooler on a more regular basis.  This leads me to crave a hot drink in my hand.  A yummy, sweet, flavorful drink.

So my drink of choice lately has definitely been the new Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate at Starbucks.  I'm not a huge fan of coffee.  I like it moderately, but a lot of times I find it much too bitter for my tastes.  Thus, hot chocolate.

The first time I ordered this particular beverage, I didn't notice much - if any - of a difference with the "Salted Caramel".   But I think if you drink it with the lid on, I find that you miss out on the specialness of the salt.  (And it takes too long for the drink to cool down enough for me to actually drink it!)  So since I've been removing the lid, it's been much more noticeable.  The "salted" part anyway.  I'm still not sure the "caramel" part is strong enough.


I'm intrigued with the balance of sweet to savory in my diet.  Just the right amount of salt brings out the full flavor of the chocolate, something I've known about in cooking for some time.  (Hello, Wendy's fries dipped in a frosty!!)  It's this kind of "science" of food that I find most interesting of late.  How cooking & baking are really just chemistry, but a kind that I enjoy much more than anything I worked on in a high school lab!

I am trying to cut down on my sugar/caloric intake most days.  So this particular drink is a special treat!  Though I do order it "nonfat, no whip", which helps a bit.  And I don't miss those extra calories one bit.  The froth on top is just as yummy without the added "whip".

Have you tried the new Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate or Mochas at Starbucks?  What's your favorite new food combo?

Homemade Yogurt

A fabulous fellow blogger recently posted about making homemade yogurt and said I could repost for y'all here.  I'm going to try it myself very soon.  I promise.  I hope.  Enjoy!!

http://ifthesewallsspoke.blogspot.com/2011/09/homemade-yogurt-instructions.html

So first of all, this was not my idea.  I didn't even know it was possible to make yogurt at home without a yogurt maker (which would make enough to last about one DAY over here), or at least a lot of jars, temperature checks, storage space, blah blah blah.  I had looked into it, and thought it was way too time consuming and tedious for me to mess with (for instance, a very long tutorial on this site here).  Then, my friend Robyn, sent me this link:  here.  Robyn is a lot smarter than me, and a lot more kitchen savvy.  Plus, she likes to make stuff from scratch and she's thrifty.  See why I like her?  All my good recipes started from her, somewhere along the line! 

Anyway!  I finally sucked it up and tried it, and it worked.  Glory, Glory, Halleluiah!  She and I were both skeptical, because it was that easy.  So, I sucked it up again, and read thru the long, boring, tedious instructions on the first site.  Just to make myself feel better, I thought I'd better check temps and make sure I wasn't going to kill us all with rotten homemade dairy products.  Turns out, to start you only need to remember a few things, and once you've got a system, you won't have to check temps ever again. 

I have a big crock pot, I don't know what size.  I'm guessing it's between 6-8qts.  I should go fill it up right now and check, but I'm too lazy.  Laziness is what got me to this recipe in the first place, so think whatever you want about that!  Anyway, this is what I use.

• Big crock-pot, milk, starter yogurt.  

This is the yogurt I used for my starter.  This 6oz of yogurt costs $1 and contains 6 different strains of bacteria.  I thought, if I'm going to make my own, I may as well make some really good yogurt, right?  Once you've got your batches going, you don't have to buy another starter, you save back some of your own, and use that.  For every 8 cups of milk you use, you'll need 1/2 cup yogurt (4oz, for all of you who are math-challenged like me).

• Start by pouring 8 cups of milk into the crock-pot, set it on LOW, and leave it for 2.5 hours.  I discovered that mine cooks hotter than some, maybe because it's bigger?  Your goal is to get the milk to 185*.  I caught mine at 189* after 2 hours, so I wrote that down, and will never check the temp again for that step.

• Then, turn off (or unplug, if the knob fell off six years ago) and leave it for another 2.5 to 3 hours.  Again, you will just have to check temps and see how long it takes...your goal is to get the milk back down to around 110*.  Some people put it in the fridge to make it go faster, take the crock out of the warmer, put it outside...whatever.  I'm lazy!  So, I just unplugged mine, and left it sitting on the counter, and it took about 2.5 hours.  This is where other recipes get crazy with pouring into individual jars, setting up warm baths, packing hot water in coolers...too much work for me. 

• Once you're at about 110* remove about 1/2 cup warm milk and mix with your 1/2 cup starter yogurt.  I say mix, but I actually kind of fold gently.  Then, pour the starter + milk back into the crock.  

• Wrap the crock-pot (which now contains milk + starter, at about 110*) in heavy towels, and let it sit.  This is when the starter is going to make yogurt out of all that warm milk, and your goal is to keep everything warm while it's doing it's thing.  Since we like our house pretty cool, I decided to warm up my oven to 200*, then turned it off, then shoved that whole mess into the oven and shut it.  I figure it keeps the heat in a little better, plus it's out of the way.  Then I unplug my oven so I don't forget it's in there :) 

That. Is. It.  You can let it sit anywhere between 4 and 24 hours.  I've been letting mine go between 6 and 8 hours, and think the consistency and sweetness are great.  Plus, since I'm not checking the temp or keeping it heated, I figure 6-8 hours is probably the max I should go.  However, this last batch went closer to 13 hours, because I forgot about it...and it was fine.  It did have more whey on the top, which is OK.  There are all kinds of sites with info about the length of time you should let it incubate...like this one, if you care and aren't as lazy as I am :)

I store mine in quart containers, in the fridge.  We go through it so fast, I can't imagine it would do me any good to freeze it, but you can freeze yogurt! 

THICK!  And, cheap.  Holy thrifty goodness.  I owe Robyn $$ for getting me obsessed started.  With a $3 gallon of milk, you can make 6oz of that expensive yogurt for $0.15.  For real?  Let me check my math again... YES.  FIFTEEN CENTS vs. $1?  I am in.  Just don't forget to save some back to use as a starter for your next batch, otherwise you'll have to add another dollar... :) 

And yes, I'll probably stand a utensil up in the yogurt every time I make it, just because I'm so amazed that it's so thick and it worked!  Every time I open that container I feel like I'm cheating the system.  Take that, suckas!  We've been adding pureed fruit or homemade jam to ours, and making parfaits.  Anything tastes better when you call it a parfait! 

If you want to copy and paste, here's the quick version:

Heat 8 cups milk to 185* in crock-pot (approx. 2.5 hours)

Turn off and cool milk to around 110*

mix 1/2 cup starter yogurt with 1/2 cup warm milk-then add back into crock-pot

Cover, wrap, and let sit 4-24 hours

Viola!

Out of Gas

For my faithful readers and staunch supporters (yes, Judy - you!!):

I have had a hard time with the idea of blogging lately.  I've simply run out of ideas, motivation, etc.  I'm not entirely sure why, but it probably stems from the fact that I haven't really been "cooking" much lately.  I do make meals.  But they rarely start with much of a recipe.  They're mostly just "fish" or "chicken" with veggies or rice.  And I rotate the fish and/or chicken.  Sometimes I even throw in some pork or a different kind of fish.  Wild, I know!

So I'll try to work up some blogging steam and in the meantime, I'm just enjoying this perfect place that food has in my life: fuel to keep me going (tasty, tasty fuel) but not something that overwhelms my every waking thought.

Aunt Marti's Tailgate Time

Recently Jake’s aunt added me to an email list she has for sending out recipes on a regular basis.  Hallelujah!! What a fabulous idea, right?!  The first email was all about some great tailgating recipes she has, so I thought I’d share it with you all since this is the perfect time to start gearing up for just such an occasion.  I even have a friend who told me recently that his wife is about to be quite lonely due to the approaching football season schedule – apparently for four months he will be preoccupied with the sport.  Here’s to feeding him & trying to keep him happy!

Hello {friends}........time to start again with the recipes of the week.....since summer is nearing to a close and FOOTBALL is upon us I thought for the next few weeks I would share some great grill and tailgate food.......here are 2 recipes that are cheap and sure to please.......hope you ENJOY the recipes........


BEER BRATS

1 dozen brats
Enough beer of your choice to cover......lager is good
1 large sweet onion, sliced
1/2 stick of REAL butter

Put the brats in a dutch oven with the onions and butter, cover the brats with beer and bring to a boil reduce to simmer and simmer till the brats are cooked.  Remove the brats from pan and set aside the beer mixture.  Grill the brats till golden brown and then return to the beer mixture on warm till ready to serve.  Serve on your best buns with sauerkraut, onions, green peppers and your choice of condiment..........can't beat them.........

GRILLED SAUSAGE with SPICY SAUCE

Soak wooden skewers in water about 20 minutes.

2 pounds of good quality kielbasa or other smoked sausage.... cut into bite-sized chunks
red onion or green pepper
3/4 cup of ketchup
3/4 cup spicy brown mustard
1 TB. hot sauce

Preheat Grill to med.....Thread the sausage onto the skewers using a chunk of onion or green pepper to separate them.  Grill till slightly crisp about 3-4 minutes on each side.....mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and serve the sausage with.

I know – Jake has the best aunt ever, right?!  We are more than lucky to sit at her table from time to time.  I plan to pass on many of her other fantastic tips, so be vigilant, friends!

My New Best Cooking Ally

For the past few months, I’ve come to a new appreciation for Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix.  It is one of the few gluten-free, low fat / cholesterol cooking aids I was already familiar with, was cheap enough to stockpile, and could find lots of uses for.  Lately I’ve come to utilize it quite a bit.  It finds it’s way into several recipes, sometimes as a substitute for something else, sometimes as a brand new experiment. 

I have a deep & abiding love for shortcuts in cooking.  I don’t love to make stuff from scratch, simply because I’m lazy & it takes lots and lots of time, preparation and ingredients that aren’t always easy to just keep on hand.  Something like Onion Soup Mix comes in very, very handy then.  I can stockpile it in my pantry & it keeps for a very long time.  Also, it’s pretty cheap as far as gluten-free products go.  (Only the Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix is gluten free, not their other soup mix options, FYI.)

Here are a few easy recipes that I’ve prepared quite a bit lately using my new food pal:

Chicken, Onion & Potato Bake

2-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

4 large red potatoes, cut into bitesize chunks

1 medium onion

1 pkg Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix

3 T water

Mix everything in a large Ziploc bag and shake to coat.  Spread in a shallow baking pan (I use my round stoneware baker).  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Onion Chicken

2-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

1/3 C Miracle Whip (we use Light)

1 pkg Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix

Breadcrumbs*

Mix Miracle Whip & soup mix.  Spread onto chicken breasts and top with breadcrumbs, if desired.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

*I’ve been substituting Rice Chex crumbs for breadcrumbs and love the crunch.  Jake is not a fan, so we just leave them off for him, which he likes fine.

Onion Roasted Potatoes

1 pkg Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix   

¼ C olive or canola oil

2 lbs potatoes, washed & cubed (red potatoes work the best)

In a large bowl, add all ingredients and toss until potatoes are evenly coated.  Spread potatoes in a shallow baking pan.  Bake for 40 minutes at 450 degrees or until tender and golden brown, stirring once midway through. 

Quick Onion Rice Pilaf

1 ½ C Minute Rice

1 ½ C chicken broth

1 pkg Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix

Mix all ingredients together in a 2 quart microwave safe dish.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Stir and let rest for 1-2 minutes.  (This can be made with regular long grain rice: 1 C rice, 2 C chicken broth, 1 pkg soup mix.  Cook as regular white rice.)

A Perfect Saturday Morning

A few Saturdays this summer have been spent just the way I like them:  meet up with my friend Erin to head to the farmer's market and snag a cinnamon roll at Bliss Bakery afterward.  I haven't gotten to experience this routine nearly as much as I'd have liked to.  I can't believe it is already mid August!!  

But Erin & I have both been anxiously awaiting the farmer's market's fruit season and it is upon us FINALLY.  She and I have each gotten some good finds in the meantime, though we've both been extremely busy this summer so our farmer's market runs have been sparse to say the least.  Anyway, now we're finally coming together again and I'm certain we're going to find an abundance of the fruit of our labors.  (Get the fruit pun?!) 

This is our routine: we find a parking space, if there is one to be had - avoiding the pay garage if at all possible, though it's not always possible.  Then we start at the end of the market near 10th & Jackson and work our way through, going counter clockwise.  We check out all the booths before we make a purchase.  We like to know what each other is looking for so we can both be scouting the best product for the best price.  After we've made the circuit, we go back to the booths that we've selected as our top contenders.  

My favorite farmer's market finds:  cucumbers, tomatoes (if I can't get them through family & friends, which is indeed the case this year due to our weird, tomato-unfriendly weather patterns), zucchini (same exception applies), summer squash, melons - especially black diamond - and pork burgers.  Yep, pork burgers.  They are cheap & delicious.  And I grew up on them.  (Jake's not as big a fan, though I've turned several friends and their families onto them as well.)  

After we've made all the purchases we can stand or spent all our cash, we head over to Bliss Bakery on 11th & Jones, one block south of the market area.  We purchase our enormous cinnamon rolls, sometimes splitting one due to the massive proportions.  Erin usually takes one home to her hubby too, though my hubby's gluten free diet doesn't allow them and I don't want to tempt him.  Those rolls would definitely send him over the edge.

Today I'm making an exception to that rule.  Today our husbands and a few extended family members (my brother's wedding was yesterday - CONGRATS TO ALEX & KRISTINA SMITH!!! - so we have extra family still in town who are also lovers of Bliss) are joining us.  So I'm allowing him at least one of the gooey, delicious rolls to enjoy & savor.  It might be his last one for awhile.

What's your perfect Saturday morning activity?

Fish Faves

We've been eating a lot of fish lately.  We both love seafood (refer to my first posts!!).  And fish fits well with Jake's (and thus, my) new diet restrictions.  Mostly I've been buying tilapia and salmon fillets, prepackaged in frozen, single serve portions.  At Aldi I can buy a bag of about 6 fillets of either tilapia, flounder or salmon for $5-6.  I tried the flounder and Jake thought it was fine, but I wasn't a big fan.  

My favorite way to cook the fish is to bake it in my round stoneware baker (a pan with sides) at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  I usually season it with salt & pepper, maybe some olive oil and lime juice or some dijon mustard and honey.  If I use the olive oil & lime juice, we love to cut up avocado to top it with after it's done baking.  This is a fast, delicious, nutritious protein and goes well with rice pilaf and a veggie.  Most often we pair it with two kinds of veggies.  Usually this makes a really colorful plate, which I really enjoy.

Do you like fish?  How do you like to prepare it?