coffee - Around My Family Table

Mocha Frappuccino

May 6, 2013 · by amft · 33 Comments

I’m gearing up for Mother’s Day and nothing screams brunch more than a lazy day with my family enjoying a late breakfast, early lunch than Mother’s Day. This year I’m planning a low key day with my kids and hubbyman with a few of my favorite treats! One of those treats, is a frozen coffee drink. I’m super addicted to any sort of iced coffee drink, so I’ve been playing around with duplicating a Starbuck’s Mocha Frappuccino. Let me just say, this was one recipe that I thoroughly enjoyed testing. My Mocha Frappuccino tastes just like the real thing, but there is a trick to keeping the frap from separating and I have the secret ingredient for you!

I’ve joined up with over 30 great foodies this week for #BrunchWeek! We are all sharing some wonderful brunch recipes and a HUGE giveaway (so keep reading past the recipe to find the other bloggers and the giveaway! Trust me…this is one giveaway you won’t want to miss! There are over $1800 in prizes from some fabulous companies and I’m so excited to be part of this awesome group of #BrunchWeek bloggers!

Let’s get back to that secret ingredient, shall we? The problem with making these blended coffee drinks at home is that they tend to separate quickly after being blended. The secret? Xanthan Gum!

Xanthan Gum acts as an emulsifier and thickener. Just a pinch added to your blended coffee will keep it from separating! Xanthan Gum can be a bit pricey but it is so worth it and you will only use a tiny bit for each drink. So instead of spending $4.50 for a blended coffee you will only be spending about $.50 for your caffeine fix! It’s also good to have around if you do any sort of gluten free baking for yourself, family, or friends! It’s a must have ingredient!

Mocha Frappuccino

3/4 cup fresh espresso or double strength coffee

3/4 cup milk (soy, rice, low fat, 2%, whole, etc)

4 tbls sugar

3 tbls unsweetened cocoa powder

pinch of xanthan gum (about 1/16 tsp)

2 cups ice

In a large blender add warm coffee, sugar, cocoa powder, and xanthan gum and process on slow speed for about 30 seconds. (The warm coffee helps to dissolve the sugar and completely blended in the xanthan gum.)

Add milk and blend for about 15 seconds just to combine. Finally, add in ice and blend on high power until ice is completely crushed and blended into coffee mixture.

Pour into a large cup and top with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup if desired.

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2013/05/mocha-frappuccino/

Check out all these other fabulous #BrunchWeek recipes that were posted today!

Beverages

Watermelon Rosemary Champagne Cocktail by Vanilla Lemonade
Pear Hibiscus Brunch Cocktail by Rachel Cooks
Strawberry Rose Sangria by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Pineapple-Basil Tea by The Kitchen Prep

Eggs

Tomato and Mozzarella Quiche by Love and Confection
Cherry Tomato and Chorizo Omelette by Katie’s Cucina
Asparagus and Bacon Quicheby Confessions of an Overworked Mom

Meat, Poultry and Fish

Bacon Canapés with Oranges and Maple Yogurt by Cook the Story
Chicken Bacon Ranch Panini by Sweet Remedy
Pancetta Wrapped Chicken by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Breads, Grains, Cereals and Pancake-type Yums

Spinach and Goat Cheese Muffins by Culinary Flavors
Overnight Blintz Bake by White Lights on Wednesday
Bananas Foster French Toast by by Cravings of a Lunatic

Desserts

Cinnamon Raisin Bread by Katie’s Cucina
Mrs. Lund’s Fresh Plum Cake by The Vintage Cook
Chocolate Chip Banana Bundt Cake by Take A Bite Out Of Boca
Strawberry Scones by Kokocooks
Strawberry Mascarpone Tart by Kelly Bakes

Fruits and Veggies

Honey-Watermelon Soup by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Brunch Week Sponsors:

We are so grateful to have such amazing sponsors for Brunch Week who have given us a fabulous bunch of incredible (INCREDIBLE!) prizes for our giveaway (giveaway ended 5/10/13). Show them some love and appreciation! California Walnuts, Lodge Cast Iron, Flavors of Summer, Black Gold Farms, Food and Wine Conference, #SundaySupper, Bob’s Red Mill, Whole Foods Orlando, and Stonyfield Organic.

Filed Under: beverages, coffee, df beverages, non-alcoholic, smoothies · Tagged: coffee, copycat, dairy free, smoothies, starbucks

Espresso and Sea Salt Cookies

April 12, 2013 · by melissa · 12 Comments

Espresso and Sea Salt cookies are the perfect sweet and salty treat. My name is Melissa and I am so excited to be a new contributor here at Around My Family Table. I am the owner of The Baked Equation in Phoenix and have a passion for nutrition. I can’t wait to delve into a new area of recipe development. More and more as a baker I am being asked if I make treats that are gluten-free, dairy-free, or egg-free. This can be quite the challenge.

Allergies are becoming quite the plague in our culture. Many people have to change their diets radically. Many parents and adults scramble to find little treats that they can indulge in once in a while. While allergies to food can be difficult, it is causing people to ask good questions about the ingredients in the foods they are eating. Food is the fuel for our bodies and our bodies were never meant to handle the chemical overload that is being placed on them today.

When making gluten free desserts, I love to add cinnamon. I think the cinnamon helps cut the after taste that you can sometimes get from gluten-free flour combinations. Don’t be afraid to change up the recipe. For example, if you do not like a strong coffee flavor in desserts, change the Via amount from 2 tablespoons to 1 tablespoon. Did you know that coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate?

Enjoy!

You can find Melissa here as well: The Baked Equation, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Espresso and Sea Salt Cookies

You'd never know these delicious Espresso & Sea Salt Cookies were gluten free, dairy free, and vegan. Moist and full of flavor!

2 Cups Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup organic earth balance spread

2 tbls. Starbucks Via {I used the Tribute blend}

1 cup powdered sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips {dairy free}

½ tsp vanilla

¼ cup mashed banana

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with Silpat mat or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl combine banana and vanilla.

Using a stand mixer, beat earth balance with Via powder until well combined. Add powdered sugar and brown sugar. Beat until combined. Mix in the flour mixture in small amounts until fully combined. Mix in chocolate chips on low.

Place in an airtight container overnight. **Don’t sample dough late at night, you might find yourself wide awake!

Remove container from refrigerator and let in come to room temp. Using an ice cream scoop, make cookie balls. Roll the dough in organic sugar. Place on the cookie sheet. With the palm of your hand, flatten the cookie dough.

Cook for 10-14 minutes depending on the size of the cookies and oven.

©Around My Family Table

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2013/04/espresso-and-sea-salt-cookies/

Filed Under: contributors, cookies, dairy free, desserts, df desserts, ef desserts, egg free, gf desserts, gluten free · Tagged: chocolate, coffee, cookies, dairy free, desserts, egg free, gluten free

Homemade Coffee Creamers

March 8, 2013 · by tiffany · 41 Comments

Hi! My name is Tiffany, and I’m so excited to be joining AMFT as a contributor this year! I blog at Offbeat + Inspired with my good friend Sarah, and we’ve enjoyed sharing our recipes, home projects and other goings-on with the world for almost a year now. I’m a 27-year-old Jersey native living in Kentucky with my husband and working in graphics design. I picked up a camera for the first time about five years ago and fell hard for that nifty little thing. I love to document life through pictures, sometimes to the dismay of my husband, but he’s a trooper. In the kitchen, I enjoy tackling tried and true recipes from childhood as well as venturing into the great unknown with creative takes on popular recipes or with inventions of my own. I’m inspired by anything and everything — as a die-hard Food Network fan, a patron of local eateries with unique menus and lots of character, and a believer that all things sweet and savory were created equal and have earned a spot on my dining room table.

The recipe I’m sharing today is for homemade coffee creamer. I love my coffee light and (somewhat) sweet. True coffee fanatics are cringing right now, but I can’t help it! I used to use flavored store-bought creamers but switched over to half & half and sugar because I wasn’t enough of a flavored creamer fan to keep buying it as a single-use ingredient. I really did enjoy the flavor variety though, so one day I hit the pantry to see if it was possible to concoct a homemade creamer recipe with ingredients I had on hand.

My baking obsession keeps the cupboards loaded with extracts, spices and cocoa powder, and my coffee and tea obsession guarantees a steady influx of half and half. I also keep sweetened condensed milk on hand for fancy dessert moods and candy-making adventures. These seemed like the perfect subjects for my creamer experiment, so I got to work.

I pulled out four 8 oz. canning jars and added equal parts sweetened condensed milk and half and half to each. I used up the whole can of milk and left about an inch of room at the top of each jar for flavorings and shaking space.

The flavors I created were:

Maple Almond – 1 tbsp maple syrup and 1 tsp pure almond extract
Cinnamon Vanilla – 1 tsp cinnamon extract and 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
Mocha – 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tsp espresso powder
Coffee – 1/2 tbsp espresso powder

Once the flavors were added, I screwed on the lids and shook them well before refrigerating. I labeled each jar lid with a sharpie and that was it! I chilled them for an hour, brewed some coffee and tested them out on my family. It was unanimous… we’ll be using homemade creamer from now on.If you’re working with powders like cocoa and espresso, shaking won’t be enough to get everything fully incorporated, so you’ll want to use a blender or food processor, mix, and then pour the creamer into your jar. If you prefer a rich creamer, you can substitute heavy cream for half and half.

Some other flavors I’ll be trying are:

Mint Chocolate Chip

Ginger Almond Spice

Chocolate Raspberry

I hope you guys give this recipe a try and enjoy creating your own homemade creamers!

What flavors would you create and what ingredients would you use to create them?

You can find Tiffany here as well: Offbeat + Inspired, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Homemade Coffee Creamers

4- 8oz canning jars

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Half and Half

see below for flavor combos

Add equal parts sweetened condensed milk and half and half to each jar. (I used up the whole can of milk and left about an inch of room at the top of each jar for flavorings and shaking space.)

Flavors

Maple Almond - 1 tbsp maple syrup and 1 tsp pure almond extract

Cinnamon Vanilla - 1 tsp cinnamon extract and 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

Mocha - 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tsp espresso powder

Coffee - 1/2 tbsp espresso powder

Once the flavors are added, screw on the lids and shake them well before refrigerating. Label each jar lid with a sharpie!

Chill them for at least one hour, brew some coffee, and enjoy.

Note: If you're working with powders like cocoa and espresso, shaking won't be enough to get everything fully incorporated, so you'll want to use a blender or food processor, mix, and then pour the creamer into your jar. If you prefer a rich creamer, you can substitute heavy cream for half and half.

Notes

!Other Flavor Combos to Try: Some other flavors I'll be trying are:

Mint Chocolate Chip Ginger Almond Spice Chocolate Raspberry

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2013/03/homemade-coffee-creamers/

Filed Under: beverages, coffee, contributors · Tagged: beverages, coffee, creamer

Top 10 AMFT Recipes of 2012

December 31, 2012 · by amft · 7 Comments

The end of of the year is always a great time to do some self reflection. I also do some blog reflection and see what’s worked, what hasn’t, what should change, and what should stay the same. As part of that, I always look back at what my top 10 recipes were for the year, so I bring you the Top 10 AMFT Recipes of 2012 . I find it fascinating to see what y’all like, don’t like, etc.

While I’m always striving to do better, I try not to get caught up on the day to day numbers that a lot of bloggers do. I usually check things out at the end of the month…make sure things are still in order and move on. Later this week, I have some HUGE news for y’all, but for now…enjoy the top 10 view recipes of AMFT in 2012 (compare to the top 10 from 2011). Happy New Year!!!

Did your favorites make the list?

10. Spicy Shrimp Alfredo

9. Peach Julius

8. Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

7. Red Enchilada Sauce from Scratch

6. Samoa Cupcakes

5. Homemade “Bisquick”

4. Classic Mustard Potato Salad

3. Slow Cooker Taco Meat

2. Pineapple Whips

1. Nutella Blended Coffee Drink

Filed Under: beef, cakes/cupcakes, coffee, desserts, how to, main dishes, pasta, picnics, salads, seafood, side dishes, smoothies, vegetarian, veggies · Tagged: breakfast, coffee, cupcakes, desserts, how to, potato, smoothies, supper

50 Shades of My Coffee

November 1, 2012 · by amft ·

Have you ever tried to make someone else’s coffee and it’s obvious you didn’t get it right. Hubbyman, bless his heart, does his best to make me a cup a coffee several times a week, but it’s just never quite right.

Why? Because I have my own formula for getting the creamer (or in my case International Delight creamer) perfect every time. What’s my secret formula, you ask?

Well, with a steady stream, pour the ID into the cup of coffee just until it starts to curl up at the top. It really is an exact science for me..LOL! Looks like I’m shade #30!

I really do love International Delights. My favorite flavor right now is the Hershey’s Chocolate Caramel. Usually, I’m just a straight laced plain or vanilla girl, but with weather cooling off, I’ve been craving something a little more interesting to get me through the day.

Which shade are you? Go to Fifty Shades of International Delight on Pinterest and find and share your shade of I.D.!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

Filed Under: foods, review · Tagged: coffee

Java Chip Ice Cream

July 2, 2012 · by amft ·

It’s hot here…like my flip flops feel like they are melting and sticking to the ground when I’m outside hot! So, I’ve given up my traditional hot coffee in the morning for iced coffee! Besides, I prefer iced coffee anyway.

Most of the time I like to make my own foo-foo coffee drinks when I can. However, sometimes we are rushed out the door in the morning with swim lessons, summer movie fun, and early morning play dates so I don’t always have time to make my own.

I was so excited to try the new International Delight Iced Coffee….I really wanted to try the vanilla flavor, but my store was out…so I opted for the original flavor. I figured I could add my own flavors if I wanted to. After my first glass, I knew I had to make some ice cream with it! It pretty much had everything already in it and would be an easy dessert on these 115 degree days!

I added the half & half just to up the fat content a little. I wanted to make sure it would be decadent enough for dessert. Feel free to use whole milk or heavy cream…whatever you normally have on hand. Use an automatic ice cream maker to make it even easier….don’t forget to pre-freeze your inner container! Okay, really…this is more like an ice milk than an ice cream, but it’s still really good!

Java Chip Ice Cream

Java Chip Ice Cream

2 1/2 cups International Delight Iced Coffee (Original Flavor)

1/2 cup half & half (whole milk or heavy cream)

1/3 cup chocolate chips, melted

Follow instructions of your machine for making ice cream. Add coffee and half & half to ice cream maker. When ice cream is 5-10 minutes from being done (it should be somewhat thick at this point), drizzle in melted chocolate. Let ice cream continue turning until done.

Serve immediately for a soft serve style or transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for a couple hours to harden.

(scroll down for printable recipe)

International Delight is celebrating summer by giving away 1,000 half gallons of Iced Coffee each day! Grab your free drinks here!

Now, it’s your turn to celebrate! Enter to win $500 toward your ideal Summer Party by completing these two simple steps:

1. Pin my Iced Coffee Recipe photo on Pinterest.

2. Come back! In the comment field below, tell me you pinned and share your favorite taste of summer!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine. International Delight Iced Coffee Sweepstakes and Rules.

Java Chip Ice Cream

2 1/2 cups International Delight Iced Coffee (Original Flavor)

1/2 cup half & half (whole milk or heavy cream will work too)

1/3 cup chocolate chips, melted

Serve immediately for a soft serve style or transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for a couple hours to harden.

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2012/07/java-chip-ice-cream/

Filed Under: desserts, frozen treats · Tagged: coffee, dessert, ice cream

Frozen Mocha Latte

March 21, 2011 · by amft · 6 Comments

This frozen mocha latte beats that big coffee chain’s frozen drink easily. It’s cheaper, I don’t have to leave my house, I control the ingredients, and honestly…I think it tastes better. Unfortunately, I make this way to often. It is my usual mid-afternoon pick me up on days when I am just draggin’. Putting it in the pretty glass makes all the difference too.

I probably shouldn’t admit this but my kids think I’m the best mom ever when I make this. They sneak sips from my cup and they think it’s some sort of chocolate ice cream dessert. If I know the kids will be sharing, I leave out the extra instant coffee granules. I figure the amount of coffee they get in the mocha coffee mix is less caffeine than what would be in a soda. {I’m so bad, I know}

You can use your favorite chocolate syrup, but I prefer to use my homemade chocolate syrup recipe. I promise it is super easy and scrumptious! You won’t go back to the store bought brand once you make your own….it makes everything taste better and lasts for a couple months in the fridge {that is…if you don’t use it up right away!}

I think this would make a killer Mud Slide! Add some Kalua or Bailey’s instead of the milk and give it a try. I haven’t tried that yet, but I can only imagine how tasty it would be on a hot summer night, relazing by the pool! Promise you will let me know if you give this “adult” version a try…I’m dying to know!

Frozen Mocha Latte

3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbls instant mocha flavored coffee mix
1 tbls instant coffee granules
2 tbls chocolate syrup
1 cup ice

Opt: Whipped cream and cocoa powder

Place all ingredients in blender and blend on high until smooth.

Filed Under: beverages, coffee, smoothies · Tagged: beverages, chocolate, coffee, dessert, smoothies, snacks

Cinnamon-Vanilla Coffee

December 28, 2010 · by amft · 3 Comments

My friend called me up last week, raving about what she had just made with her pot of coffee. It sounded so yummy, that I quickly made up a pot for myself. I put the baby to bed and then had a peaceful and tasty coffee house style drink without leaving my house. YUM!

Thanks Brenda for a great idea!

Cinnamon-Vanilla Coffee
1/2 pot of brewed coffee
1/2 a vanilla bean
3 sticks of cinnamon
cream, sugar, whipped cream (opt)

While your 1/2 pot of coffee is brewing, cut one whole vanilla bean in half. (Save half for the next pot.) Split the remaining half in half to expose all the vanilla seeds. Add the split vanilla bean to the pot of coffee along with the cinnamon sticks. Allow them to seep for 5-10 minutes.

Pour yourself a cup of coffee. Add creamer and sugar to your normal liking. Enjoy!

Note: You can easily make this for a whole pot of coffee. However, with whole vanilla beans being so expensive I was trying to stretch it and didn’t want to end up wasting any.

Filed Under: beverages, coffee · Tagged: beverages, breakfast, coffee, dessert

Coffee-Drizzled Cream Cheese Pie

November 12, 2010 · by amft · 2 Comments

Since my party also featured the International Cafe coffee, I thought I would make a dessert using one of them. I pulled this recipe of Nabisco’s site too.

It was easy and tasty. The additional of the coffee sure made this a unique tasting pie. It sort of reminds me of a cheesecake, but with coffee. YUM! I think I had too much fun doing the swirls on the top of the pie. You could totally make this a couple days before your party, stick it in the freezer, and then pull it out several hours before your gathering. I sure did!

Coffee-Drizzled Cream Cheese Pie

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp. MAXWELL HOUSE INTERNATIONAL CAFÉ Suisse Mocha Café

1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed

1 graham cracker pie crust (6 oz.)

Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl until creamy. Stir in milk. Remove 1/4 cup of the cream cheese mixture; place in small bowl. Stir in flavored instant coffee mix (I needed a little more milk to make it thin enough to drizzle). Drizzle 1 tbsp. of the coffee-flavored cream cheese mixture onto bottom of crust. Set remaining flavored cream cheese mixture aside.

Stir whipped topping gently into remaining plain cream cheese mixture, stirring just until marbleized. Spoon into crust. Drizzle with remaining coffee-flavored cream cheese mixture. Swirl knife gently through mixtures several times for marble effect.

Refrigerate 2 hours or until set. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 2 hr 15 min
Makes: 8 servings