Decadent Hot Chocolate - Single Serve

You know that post I made, like, forever ago about the hot chocolate/cocoa? It makes about 5 servings and sometimes you just feel like one serving -- you know?

I always feel like just one serving. Of a drink. Not food.

Well, today I got home from the Y and felt like making myself some cocoa/chocolate while I enjoyed my great hair day (haha). Turns out we almost never have cocoa mix unless it's the dead of a snowy winter and we're going to be sledding all day, so I had (just had) to make myself some. I really like the decadent cocoa stuff, so I decided to make that except, um, one problem -- I can't make a single-serve mugful of that stuff.

Ohh WAIT.

I just did.

I cut the recipe in half, basically, and bingo, there you go -- Single-Serve Decadent Hot Chocolate.

Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 3/4 c milk (I used 1%, but any kind will do)
• 1/4 c heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 T cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 1/2 T gran sugar
• 2 T choc chips, semi-sweet (not important, but to get that not-quite-too-sweet flavor, semi is the best kind)
• 1/4 t vanilla extract

Directions

1. Mix milk, cream, cocoa powder, and sugar together. I used a measuring pitcher thing (Pyrex) because my whisk didn't fit in my cup and besides, it's easier when it's bigger. Much easier to whisk. So, whisk it all together or stir, it doesn't matter, but it's cooler to watch the cocoa powder mix in when you whisk it, so I'd suggest you whisk it. 
2. Microwave for 1:30m or until steaming (I microwaved mine for 1:30m and it was perfect -- just warm. If I had done it for 2m, it would have been tongue-burning hot, but as it was it was right there on the spot. Perfect!)
3. Add chocolate chips and vanilla extract, stir and then cover for 30s, to give the ch. chips enough time to melt a little bit. Whisk until smooth.

The chocolate stuck to the side of my measuring pitcher, so I'd say look at the edges to make sure it's all off. Unless your cup isn't glass and then bummer for you because once you reach the bottom, you'll notice streaks of chocolate on the side. Yich, it sounds really gross the way I put it.

But it's really delicious, and a little bit creamier than the original. If you don't like the taste of creamy in your drinks, I'd suggest you put in an 1/8 c and leave it at that. What I would do if I were you and didn't like creamy tastes in drinks, I'd try it first and see how I like it and then try it without so much cream. Or without cream at all. But that might fail -- I've never tried it without cream.

But that might be because I made it, for the first time, (and made it up, too) today.

Your thoughts?

P.S. I have a lot more recipes that I'm hoping to get around to posting so eek! Very excited but I'm technically still not blogging on here. I'm not coming back, but I'm posting occasionally. Just pretend I'm a guest poster...without a post host. Or whatever they're called.

5 Min or Less - Frozen Cappuccinos

I'm surprised I haven't posted this yet. I was sure (so sure that I even searched this blog just to make sure) that I had already posted this recipe.

If not, then I'll go ahead and do it, because everyone should have this recipe.

It's really good -- especially on a hot, hot melting summer day. The ones that are creeping up on us. Today it was -- is -- like, 70 out. It was terrific! I love summer. Cannot wait!

Serves: 4 (if you're serving in small glasses -- but it really serves 1, in a coke glass)
Time: 5 min, max

Ingredients

• ice cubes, a lot of 'em
• 1 t inst coffee
• 1/4 c white sugar
• 1/4 c cream
• 1/4 c milk

Directions

1. fill the cup you'll be using to serve with ice cubes, up to the brim. Pour into the blender.
2. pour in sugar, cream, milk in that order (saves cup measures and cream -- explanation later)
3. dump in inst. coffee
4. pulse on high till smooth, or until ice breaks down (about 5 pulses)
5. pour into cup(s) and

 
You know how I told you to pour the sugar, cream, milk in that order into the blender because it saves cup measures and cream? And how I told you I'd explain it later? This is the later. One, it saves cup measures because you only need one cup measure to measure those three ingredients because once you've gotten the dry ingredients out of the way, you can measure lots of wet ingredients and reuse as you please. Second, it saves cream because you know how cream is thicker than milk? Well, that means cream's going to "stick" to your cup measure and leave a lot behind, unlike the milk (unless you're using 2% or whole, or anything other than skim -- I use skim. Can you tell?) which just slides right on out -- all of that white water that people slap a label on and call "milk". Or, more accurately, "skim". So if you use cream and then pour the milk in after you've used the measuring cup, it will act as a cleaner-outer and clean out all that cream and dump it in with the milk, cleaning the sides of the measuring cup, too. Simple, right? You betcha. Enjoy those dishes that aren't as much as you'd use if you had used two measuring cups -- one for the dry, one for the wet. You can thank me later. Like, this later, in the comments. winky face.

Decadent Hot Chocolate | America's Test Kitchen

Okay, raise your hand if you don't like hot chocolate.

If you raised your hand, then why are you here.

And if you don't know that hot chocolate and cocoa are the same, join the club me neither. Wellll, ok, I wasn't that extreme.

I just never called it hot chocolate.

But since the recipe below (from America's Test Kitchen) called it hot chocolate, I will too. Besides, everyone where I live calls it hot chocolate, so why not blend in with the crowd? And really you have to admit that hot chocolate sounds much more richer than COCOA. Cocoa reminds me of this watery brown mixture that you manage to swallow in as little time as possible, burning your throat on the way down, that's so bland you don't even know why you like it so much. It's just because you don't want to add more and you don't want to pour it out after wasting about five spoons of the stuff that it's bland, though.

Yeah, that stuff.

Really, it was just because I was such a terrible penny-pincher and cocoa-mix-pincher. I just wanted to ration it properly so that the mix would last for weeks and weeks!

...and at the rate I was going, it would.

Anyway, last Sunday we made this and it was really really delicious.

Rich, creamy, sweet enough for me (I don't like bland, bitter, or not-sweet -- exception: black coffee -- so basically, in a few words: I don't like hot chocolate. Cocoa. Whichever it is that's not sweet normally), but not too sweet -- now there's a picture-perfect cup of hot chocolate!

Also, it has only a couple ingredients (win!), all of which you should be able to find in your house, even when the house is stripped bare of anything close to resembling edible-ness (double win!). Another thing, few ingredients means fewer dishes (triple win!).

Win win (or winwinwin) for all of us, emiright.

And all you need is a saucepan, lid, spatula, measuring stuff, ingredients, and a stove to make it. Easy!

So, to make this creamy, lucious, delightful, satisfying, fullfilling, refreshing, fills all your senses, delicious, mouth watering, you will fall in love, fruity tooty, tangy, tasteful, sweet, a pinch of lemon, tempting, dangerous drink *gasp of breath* follow the directions below. 

(sorry! I just saw this, and thought maybe it could be used to describe hot chocolate! Besides, "fruity tooty" is a fun word, especially when used to describe hot chocolate!)

Note: this is not America's Test Kitchen's exact recipe... I've changed it a little bit. I will probably not post the original, but you can probably find it online. 

Serves:  4
Time (start to finish):  10m, fast

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c milk (not precise)
• 1/2 c heavy cream (not precise -- just throw some in)
• 1 T cocoa powder (not sweet)
• 1 T sugar
• 1/4 c semisweet chocolate chips (I throw in a big handful)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Put in milk, cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in pan. Once hot, and looking puffy on the top, turn off the heat. Really, it doesn't need to look puffy, it just needs to be hot. Ask yourself if you would be comfortable drinking it the way it is...if you let it cool off a little bit? If so, you're ready for the next step. It DOES NOT need to boil -- just until it's steaming or a few degrees above what you're willing to pour down your throat. Just make sure it's not uncomfortably so. Your throat, though.
2. Once you've turned off the heat, put in the chocolate chips and the vanilla. Cover immediately after that so that the chocolate doesn't stick to the bottom.
3. Let chips melt about 1 min, then whisk smooth before serving.
4. When done, top with whipped cream and plop a candy cane in, for looks, or serve plain and

Caramel Milk Tea | gugutree

Admit it.

We've all, at one time or other, had too many teabags on our hands.

And for me, they're normally Lipton tea bags.

See, we make delicious sweet tea and we're not even Southern but it means we're always well-stocked with lots and lots of Lipton's black tea teabags.

Sometimes too well-stocked.

But in the winter, you know that the last thing you're going to want is iced, sweet tea. You know you don't want warm sweet tea, heavens no! You're going to want something warm, sweet, creamy, and delicious.

Good thing is, I've got just the thing!

Ingredients

• 1 Lipton tea bag, black tea
• 1 spoonful white sugar
• 1 spoonful light brown sugar
• about 1/4 cup milk
• about 1/8 cup cream
• 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Steep tea bag 3 min
2. While tea is steeping, in a small pot on stove, mix in
   
   1. vanilla
   2. brown sugar
   3. white sugar
   4. milk
   5. cream
   in that order. Vanilla tends to evaporate very quickly, so you'll need to have the brown sugar ready when you've put in the vanilla. Two teaspoons won't evaporate as quickly as one, and besides, it's yummier that way than with just one. Just trust me.
3. Let mixture in pot simmer and get hot, while on low.
4. Once hot, pour in tea, sipping every couple pours to make sure you like it so far and that it's not too Lipton-tea-y. 
5. Once poured, stir vigorously, allowing tea to be distributed throughout the whole mixture.
6. Pour into mug, and, for a fancier addition, top with whipped cream and salted caramel sauce on the top of the whipped cream. 
7. Serve, and

P.S. to enjoy even more, turn on some soft music, get in some cozy pajamas, get in bed or in front of the fire with your favorite, exciting book. My suggestion is "The Scarlet Pimpernel" -- excitement guaranteed! Also terrific characters *wink wink*. Also be prepared to really like this tea. Enjoy!

P.P.S. hopefully I'll be able to change the blurry photo for something a little more "in focus" to what I had in mind...pun intended. ;)

5 Min or Less: Quick Coffee

Ingredients

• 3-4 drops vanilla extract
• milk (if you use milk instead of cream, but I wouldn't advise it)
• cream, use generously (until light)
• light brown sugar
• hot water, medium amount
• instant coffee, medium amount (about 1-2 spoons)
• nesquik, to taste

Directions

1. Put coffee in mug, pour hot water over coffee
2. Mix all ingredients together and

P.S. Once done, the coffee should be sweet, creamy, coffee-cocoa like. It should taste like coffee and cocoa. And this recipe was on a slip of paper, very vague, without any measurements so all measurements are my very own. I'm guessing, here.
P.P.S. This makes the 15th coffee recipe! Aren't we loaded... or about to be!

Lipton Latte

Today I made tea.

Which isn't unusual, I make tea all the time.

But I wanted a different sort of tea and I found one!

I don't remember what I looked up on Google but I had told someone that I would make them tea that was different and had a "secret ingredient". It was vanilla. That was what I was planning on. What I wasn't planning on was making something like this!

Though let me just tell you right now so you won't be disappointed later on: this is like every normal tea except it has a different taste. But just barely. It's good though, try it, see how you like it.

Anyway, click here for the original. I made the "tea latte" but I'm calling it "Lipton Latte" because that sounds better. And I'm thinking of making the "milk tea the british way" because I'm curious to see how that turns out!

Here's the original recipe:

1. Add the teabag of your choice to a cup.

2. Boil water, then pour over the teabag.

3. Let the tea steep for at least 5 minutes to get the strongest flavor possible.

4. While your tea is brewing, heat a half cup of milk either by microwaving for 45 seconds (settings vary between machines) or by heating in a pan until it’s steaming.

5. Transfer the hot milk to a jug, and use a milk frother to get that extra-fluffy, foam effect. The desired amount should be about ½ inch thick on top of the milk.

6. Remove the infuser or teabag from your cup and pour in the milk.

7. Add an optional dash of honey or sugar for extra sweetness.

Here's my recipe:

Serves: 1-4

Time: 3-5 min

Ingredients

•  2 teabags (I use Lipton black tea)
• 4 spoons sugar, white
• 4-6 drops vanilla (extract, I believe...Kirkland brand)
• 1 pint water, hot (I use a little more...more like 3-4 cups)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 dashes milk (dashes as in I poured a little bit in, two times)

Directions

1. pour hot water over tea bags, steep 3-5 min (I steeped it 3 min, because I didn't have the recipe, but someone had already thrown the tea bag away when I came back to add 2 minutes to it...too bad)
2. heat milk for 1 min in microwave, froth with milk frother, whisk, or hand mixer. Milk froth should be about 1/2 inch high. 
3. pour hot milk into tea, leaving behind froth (I didn't mean to...but I was using the thing for gravy, as seen two posts ago -- the-directions-the-way-I-did-them #6) for later.
4. put cream, sugar, and vanilla in tea. The tea should be a light tan now. If not, stir the milk in so that it is. Stir until cream and vanilla is distributed, and the sugar is dissolved.
5. spoon froth on top, sprinkling either white sugar or brown sugar on top for decoration, serve immediately and

How to Make a Cafe Mocha | Buttered Side Up

So you thought you knew how to make mocha, did you? Good news, so did I.

Me, I normally pull out the instant coffee, pour hot water over it, dump in some Nesquik or a cocoa packet and there's my "mocha".

But this! Now this is going the extra mile!

I stumbled upon the recipe a while back when I happened to glance at the computer in passing and this recipe was open. I read it and looked at the pictures.

Boy do pictures help!

This recipe (or, the pictures in this recipe) looked absolutely delicious! I decided this would definitely be on my "To Try" page.

And it's about to stop being on my "To Try" page.


Or at least moved to "Already Tried" page.

Just kidding, don't have one of those.

So, anyway, I was thinking about a good, strong cup of coffee. Well, as you most likely know, instant just doesn't meet those standards. So I got to thinking and then I thought hey you know what shine Google, I don't need to look up "delicious simple coffee"! ...or something along those lines (yes, I admit it, that was what I was going to do if I couldn't think up a recipe)...

because I had a brilliant idea!

Or something along those lines.

Well, I knew I hadn't made a "To Try" page for nothing. I just looked through the list but do you know, I only have two recipes (coincidentally both from Buttered Side Up) with a coffee base!

Like, woht.

So, ok, at least I have two, even though that's not much. But my resolve: to get more coffee recipes on my "To Try" page that are actually doable and makeable and yummyable!

No, not "yummyable".

Forget I said that.

So, that was my big ordeal to find a recipe, and then there was my big ordeal to make the recipe, which is a totally different story.

As you should know if you've read the Buttered Side Up post, she lists two options for this drink: one that is milder and sweeter and one that is more intense. I thought I would try the more intense one because, well, that is what I was looking for in the first place. But then I thought about it (yes, I actually thought about it) and realized that it was probably harder or longer or required more equipment that I don't have (and probably never will have) so if that was the case, I would make the milder, sweeter version. *tear*.

More about that later.

Another thing she has is a notice sort of thing. She likes her coffee frothier. Because who doesn't. But she actually as equipment and I do not. So, instead of buying something on Amazon and waiting two days for it to arrive (two days is a long time for a coffee drink that was supposed to be quick), I decided I would just use a whisk. Yes, whisks do work because I used to always drink a frothy coffee and I would just dump in a bunch of cream and whisk away.

No, I was not fat. I just liked fat.

Or, fatty foods. Same difference.

And I don't have chocolate syrup so I'm using unsweetened cocoa because believe me I've got plenty of that. And maple syrup? Have that too. And since I'm not using chocolate syrup, I don't have to cut down or take away the maple syrup. *oh joy*.

She also says "I actually don't use a recipe most of the time when I make a mocha: I make it up as I go. Think of this recipe as a starting place and customize to your liking!"

Will I ever!

And no I don't have a coffee maker because I barely have any equipment.

Having second thoughts on the easiness of this recipe...

But I chose it so I'll stick to it.  I wish I weren't so sticky.

These things decided, I headed to the kitchen, recipe in hand. Well, no, not recipe in hand because I'm using a computer. But same thing, right. As I've always said (as of today): "I came, I saw, I conquered!"

Also, can I just say right now as a side note, I love her dishes.

There. That over, let us go, prepared, into battle!

Boy was it a battle.

First, let me list for you the ingredients and those that I have or don't have (including equipment!).

His

• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons half and half (in the negative)
• 1/2 oz. espresso, fresh or cold (no)
• 1/2 oz. maple syrup (HALF OUNCE!?!? HOLY SMOKES! and NO! at least, not for JUST ONE drink!)
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (yes)
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream (yes)
• 2 teaspoons cocoa/cacao powder (positive)  

Hers

• 3/4 cup half and half (no)
• 3 teaspoons cocoa powder (yes)
• 4 teaspoons espresso, fresh or cold (neither)    
• 2 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup (that's more like it! *sigh of relief* YES!)
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (yes)
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream (yup)  

So, looking at all that, it seems a little obvious that I will, in fact, be doing hers. The stronger version. Yay! So, no, I won't be doing his, I'll be doing what I set out to do in the first place. Which is very nice.

The directions and the way I did them:

1. I made myself some coffee. I had to make it instant *tear* because it's a big ordeal to make espresso, and I wanted quick, fast, easy, and making espresso doesn't fall under any of those categories. But since it's supposed to be strong, instead of dumping in one spoonful, I dumped in two. Smart thinking am I right? So I made that, covered it with a cloth so that it wouldn't cool off, and set it aside for later.
2.  Also, I decided that since I had cream and milk, why not mix them? So, I did half and half my way: I made 1/2 cup mixture of milk and cream and then poured it into a measuring cup. Apparently my math is wrong. I've known it for a long time, actually. But it didn't quite fill the 3/4 cup measure. So I had to make more. This time I was tired of it and had no clue how to make it full, so I just used my eyes. Apparently my eyes are wrong too, because there was still a little bit left in the measure. One half of me said oh well and good riddance! the other half said but that's not 3/4 of a cup. My second half won. I mixed up a teeny bit more (splash of cream, dash of milk). Had to do the procedure two more times! After doing that fun process, I dumped it into a small saucepan, and let it get hot.
3.  While the half-and-half-mixture-made-by-me was getting hot, I was too. I put the cocoa in a mug, poured 4 teaspoons of the instant *errr* over the cocoa, and stirred it just like she said. Of course, being instant, it's not thick at all, so I stared sadly into my thin mix. Oh well. I'll know better in the future if I don't forget.
4. Then I stirred in the remaining ingredients. No problem-O! And actually 2 1/2 tsp of maple syrup is a lot more than you think so, feeling guilty, I poured about 6 drops back into the container and 2 drops into my mouth. That made me feel better.
5. Looked at the directions. "Froth milk with hand frother". Or, in my case, a whisk. Check! But I couldn't really froth half and half when it's that shallow, so I poured it into my now-empty instant coffee mug (ha. ha. No, I had wayy over-calculated so I had a 7 oz. cup of coffee. errr. Instead I just poured it into a custard cup, and then a mug because it just barely fit into the custard cup, spilling half of it, and then I had to run and get a rag to mop it all up while it cooled. Errr. Should have used a custard cup to measure the half and half. So then I started to froth it and it splashed onto my arm. Apparently it didn't cool while I went to get a rag. Boy was it hot. All pretty handy dandy right.) and frothed it until my arms called a halt.
6. As slowly as I could, I poured the frothed milk into the mix of instant coffee, cocoa, and all the other ingredients that I'm not going to waste time listing, but I couldn't pour it slowly without half of it spilling down the sides, onto the counter! So then I just put it into a measuring cup with a spout (I think you use it to do something with gravy...?) which would have been VERY convenient for frothing (all the things I could have done to save time and extra dishes! *groan*) which stinks. Arrrgh. This better be fabulous is all I'm sayin'.
7. And, since I didn't have whipped cream and probably won't until Thanksgiving (not far off, thank goodness, because I make a special *booze* mixture! ...or, Mom does. but still...), I just drank it without the whipped cream which won't be as good, of course, but it's the next best thing.
8. Anyway, a couple minutes and a couple hundred dishes later, I sat down to enjoy my mocha. I would have enjoyed it better with whipped cream on top, but what can you do? I know what I can do--make some! Since the cream's best-by date is TOMORROW I decided why not use some of it up today. Better, right. So I made whipped cream (thank heavens not as complicated as the mocha) and sat down once more to fully enjoy my mocha. HA. HA. and more HAs. I didn't make any whipped cream because unfortunately, we were having ice cream sundaes, so no peace. Also, no whipped cream. Sigh.

My thinking: 
even though this was way a pain, it wasn't supposed to be and it was only because of me. I just made it a pain. And it really is delicious, even though it has a weird aftertaste. But I can endure that. I can endure anything, as is apparent after all the stuff I went through to get a cafe mocha.

Anyway, this was pretty good, even if it did have a weird aftertaste.

Also, relations make perfect guinea pigs don't you think?*

Anyway, I urge you to try it and see how you like it.
 
P.S. looked at this today (today being the 15th of October) and realized that I've posted 14 coffee recipes! That's ok. More coffee recipes, the better.

--
*if you don't know what I mean, Google "definition of guinea pig" and read the 2nd definition Google gives for a guinea pig. That's right: "a person or thing used as a subject for experiment."
 

Easy Pop-Off Mocha

Easy because you only need a few minutes, and you're sure to have the ingredients, pop-off because I always imagine the words "pop-off" when I think of going to sleep or just relaxing.

Don't look it up on Google.

...and mocha because Google's definition of the word "mocha" is "/ˈmōkə/ noun noun: mocha 1. a fine-quality coffee. 2. a soft kind of leather made from sheepskin." and since I know that this isn't a soft kind of leather made from sheepskin, I can pretty well call this coffee "mocha". Well it is a fine-quality coffee (if your coffee is fine-quality).

Ingredients

• 7 oz. coffee (dbl strength is great, inst. is fine, fine-quality is just right)
• 1/2 tsp unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1/8 (or 3-4 drops) vanilla extract
• 2-3 Tbsp fast caramel sauce (see "Add-Ons" page for fast caramel sauce recipe)
• 1/2-1 c milk

Also, a better (newer, updated) version will be arriving relatively soon only this time it will be called a relatively better name, "Caramel Mocha". Sounds more like something you would get at Starbucks than something that you would get from, say, a blog.

This blog.

Too bad. I like having my recipes ("my") sounding like they just stepped out of a 5-star restaurant. Like that's going to happen.

Another thing, this coffee isn't sweet at all, so the following is for your convenience.

for a creamier version:

• 1-2 Tbsp cream or
• 1/2-1 c whipped cream stirred in until dissolved

for a sweeter version:

• 3-5 Tbsp fast caramel sauce
• 1-3 Tbsp brown sugar dispensed directly into coffee or
• sweetened to taste (though not too sweet--this recipe isn't supposed to be very sweet)

for a creamier and sweeter version:

• 1-3 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
• add 1 Tbsp cream if it's still too milky
• sidenote: add 1 tsp inst. coffee if it's too milky, creamy, sweet, or all three

Directions:

• Add all ingredients, make sure it's dissolved.
• Make whipped cream (homemade is always the way to go unless you're pressed for time and then just don't make it at all--wait until you have the time to make whipped cream. You'll thank me one day).
• Put whipped cream on top of mocha.
• For fancier style, add chocolate or cocoa shavings or (and this is more preferable) drizzle caramel sauce on top
• Serve immediately (or whipped cream will start to melt) and

P.S. the not-sweet part has been tasted and thoroughly enjoyed by someone other than me (I didn't exactly enjoy it because I have been either blessed or cursed--depending on who you ask--with a sweet tooth) but I'm sure the sweet part will be just as good. Maybe. Because I haven't tried it I can't say for sure. But I will be able to say for sure during 2016's YRT. So yay. Also, if you've tried the sweeter version, comment below and tell me which sweet version you tried and if you liked it or not. And if you found this post confusing (I know I did), comment below. Tell me. ~grey

Coffee Craves

This is my every-day coffee with a little twist... ;) a twist that will make you crave your coffee every morning.

If you don't already.

I thought I'd already posted a recipe of my every-day coffee, but maybe not. I can't find it anywhere, so maybe I did but then I took it down?

Whatever.

Ingredients

• 1 spnful Trader Joe's inst. coffee
• 7 oz. (or so) water
• 7 oz. mug (bigger is fine, smaller is not)
• 1-5 dashes cream
• 2 spnfuls brown sugar
• dribble of Bailey's (that's the twist!)

Directions

1. Heat the water until it  whistles or until it comes to a rolling boil*
2. Pour water into mug
3. Put two spnfuls brown sugar in coffee
4. Pour in cream until light brown
5. Drizzle a tiny drip of Bailey's in. Any stronger and it'll be overpowering. You just want a hint of Bailey's

Bailey's makes coffee taste wayy better, trust me. But make sure that doesn't mean you put more Bailey's in because you think I don't know what I'm talking about when I say the Bailey's will overpower your coffee if you put too much in. No, honestly, it does becoming overpowering after a few drizzles (notice I didn't say drops because really I don't think drops make any difference whatsoever in your coffee). Ask me how I know.
So, make the coffee, sit down with a very good book (it has to be very good to match the coffee. Can I suggest "Mara, Daughter of the Nile" — by Eloise Jarvis McGraw — to you? It's so excellent—I've read it five times, I think?).
Anyway, read Mara while drinking coffee and

*I have no clue what a "rolling boil" is, it just sounds better than just plain "boil". ;) (Don't tell anyone I said that.)

5 Minutes or Less: Cocoa

I'm going to start posting something daily (every...mmm...Thursday - I'll be original!) called "5 Min or Less". Essentially. Anyway, here's the first.

Cocoa! I love cocoa. Very nice on a cold, snowy winter day in front of a crackling fire, as soon as you come in from sledding. Mmm, funny as it may seem, I miss winter. The season with all the best holidays! Christmas, Thanksgiving, Black Friday... ok, yeah, Black Friday is technically not a holiday. But you can make cocoa in summer, right? I just did.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp coffee (optional)

Directions

1. Put in all ingredients. 
2. Pour boiling milk (or water, but milk makes the taste richer) into cup
3. Stir and
4. Enjoy!

Or, if you don't like how it's not sweet, here you go. A problem solver.

You'll Need:

• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 4 tsp sugar (brown is better)
• 1 tsp coffee

Optional ingredients:

• 1 tsp Nestle's choc. milk
• 1 tsp coffee
• 1-2 c milk, instead of water
• 1-2 c water, instead of milk

Directions:

1. Put milk in mug
2. Put mug in microwave for 1-2 min (mine took 2:30 min but who's counting)
3. Put ingredients in
4. Stir and

YRT - Cold Coffee

Again, the link to the cold coffee recipe is in the title. Just click on it, and it should take you to the recipe. If it doesn't, comment below and tell me. I haven't rated this recipe yet, so that's why, if you came and stopped by to do the YRT with me today, you'll notice at the right side of this blog that it will have a "Today's YRT" thing and it says what the day's YRT is. It will also have the "rating" I gave the recipe. I know, it has a rating (I haven't even tested/tasted the recipe yet!), and before I've even "tried" it (I've tried all my recipes, but I don't remember what they taste like...all the more reason for me to have a YRT every year!) but I didn't want to take the rating away because it was too much trouble. And I want a smiley face that has a tongue sticking out right here, but I can't because it looks bad: :P    See? Anyway, that's today's YRT. Probably for the whole week, because I'm quite busy.

YRT - Milky Joe's

I've enclosed the link in the title, so if you want to go to the recipe we'll be trying, click on this post's title. It'll work. I promise. Anyway, "Milky Joe's" is the recipe I'll be tasting. Another thing, some people have been dubious as to whether it should be called "Joe-apostrophe-S" or "Joe-no-apostrophe-S". It should be "Joe-apostrophe-S", because the name was made because I used Trader Joe-apostrophe-S coffee, so there you go. Just in case any of you who are reading the title are also dubious. :) Anyway,

YRT - Creamy Caramel Coffee

If I'm going to be making something with coffee in it, why not kill two birds with one stone? That's why I chose to do two YRTs instead of just one--and because then I'll be closer to accomplishing my goal of finishing up all of last year's recipes...only closer. I'm probably not going to ever finish them all! But. Whatever. So, I'll be doing the "Creamy Caramel Coffee" (link opens up into new tab). Wonder if it'll be any good. We'll see!

White Mint Hot Chocolate

The "white mint" part is for the white mint stuff I put in it, and the "hot chocolate" stuff because I'm using chocolate milk mix to make it taste more cocoa-like and some people call cocoa "hot chocolate" so it's almost a play-on-words, emiright?

Aha, right, kay.

Obviously it's at it's best in front of the fire on a snowy day with a good book, but it sounds so cliched, I'll just give you the recipe and let the sleeping dog lie.

Serves: 1
Time: 3 min, max

Ingredients

• 2 spoonfuls TJ's inst. coffee (I know, I use it with all my coffee recipes...if you don't have TJ's, you can use Folger's. That's what I used before I tried TJ's and realized I liked it better)
• 1-2 Tbs. mint [white] chocolate  
• 1 spoonful Nesquik choc. milk
• 1 spoonful sugar

Directions

1. Put in the inst. coffee, Nesquik, and sugar
2. Put in hot, boiling water
3. Stir and 

One

 This recipe is a coffee recipe. It's the 7th coffee recipe I've posted. And I'm not even close to halfway through my coffee recipes. Trust me. It's called "one" because everything is one. Or you could call it "one coffee" because it's one coffee and everything is one and it's for one person. You just can't make it for two people. Drinking it by the fire on a snowy day is a way to make the coffee spectacular. Here's how to make it.

Ingredients

• 1 spoonful TJ's inst. coffee
• 1 spoonful Nesquik choc. milk
• 1 spoonful brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. mint white choc. (recipe coming--hopefully--soon...it's my mom's recipe, so I need to ask her for it before I can get it!)

Directions

1. Put in the inst. coffee, the choc. milk (without any milk, of course), and the brown sugar (or you can put the brown sugar in after you've poured the water). Then pour hot, boiling water over the mix. Then, put in the mint white chocolate, stir, and

P.S. You can also make a mix and bag it. For four servings, put in four of all the dry ingredients and put it in a baggie (I use Ziploc). Store it in your pantry/cabinet or counter. Just don't put it in the fridge, because that's useless. ;) Enjoy!

YRT - A La Cafè

For my first recipe for the YRT (I'm so so sorry that it's already March and I haven't done any of the YRT--I totally forgot) I'm going to do the first recipe from 2014: the "A La Cafè". If the link doesn't work, go to the side where the "recipe archives" are and you can click on the arrow next to "2014". Then go down until it says "march" and you can either click on that or you can click on the arrow next to "march" and it will have the name "Quick Drink". Click on that and it'll take you to the recipe I'll be testing. Or, you can save yourself the trouble and click on the link I gave you. That's the recipe I'll be testing.

Peppermint Mocha

(Coffee recipe #6)
Told you there would be a lot of coffee recipes coming through. And I haven't even posted half of them! They're all in a folder, all together, all waiting to be posted. Don't worry, some day they will. But for right now I have only one...just one. And just one post for it, too. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk (not a measuring cup, a real cup, that you drink out of)
• 1 dash peppermint mocha creamer (Coffee Mate)
• 1 teabag chai tea

Directions

1. Put milk in microwave 1-2 minutes.
2. Put in peppermint mocha.
3. Put teabag in and steep for 3-4 minutes (or whatever time you want)
4. Sweeten if desired and

English Toffee Mocha

This being the fifth coffee recipe, I thought it should have a rather extravagant name.

Also, it's the flavor of the cocoa I used.

It's really good.

It's much better than normal cocoa which consists of cocoa powder/one cocoa packet and hot water (or, if you're like me, hot milk). It's much better.

Here are the steps.

Ingredients

• 1 c 2% milk
• 1 small spoonful Trader Joe's inst. coffee
• 1 heaping spoonful English Toffee cocoa (Lisa's gourmet)
  (this is the cocoa I used for this recipe...you need it to make the recipe the right way)

Directions

1. Heat milk up in microwave or 1 min
2. Stir in coffee
3. Stir in cocoa
4. Serve and

Here's how to make your own 2% milk:
You'll need:
3/4 c fat free/skim milk
1/4 c cream* ("heavy whipping cream" to be exact but you don't need to be)
Directions:
Pour milk into a cup, pour cream in (make sure both ingredients are measured...see note below), stir, use it to make the cocoa recipe above. And enjoy!

*I use less than 1/4 cup...WAY less, because it seems like too much and I feel like I'm going down the fat road, so put as much in as you like, no skin off my nose, but I do suggest you use more like a tablespoon to three tablespoons of cream.

(If you want a more accurate recipe, like the one I use, as soon as the new page "Add-On Recipes" is posted, go there and it should be somewhere in there...if you can't find it, just do Ctrl+F and a bar at the bottom of your computer screen will pop up with a little bar at the left corner. Click on it and type in "2% milk" and it'll get you where the add-on is. Hope that helps!)

Mocha Coffee

I love this kind of coffee.

Not only do you not have to add sugar or cream to it, it's also enjoyable for those of you who don't like coffee.

Which is quite a few people, actually.

One of my friends only likes coffee if there was enough cocoa mix.

So, here's my version. It's very basic, only takes a cup and a spoon and a few minutes. And luckily, more and more often I have a few minutes, so I do it a lot.

It's really not a recipe, though. It's more of just something you can throw together. It doesn't take a genius, it only takes instant coffee and a packet of instant cocoa. And it's good. And you can make it at hotels because all hotels have either coffee or cocoa or, most likely, both.

Make it and try it. You don't need a recipe, but if you're not sure what to do, well, that's why I'm here.

Not literally, just figuratively.

Enjoy the fourth coffee recipe I've posted! Should be good.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg Swiss Miss inst. cocoa
• 1 spoonful Trader Joe's inst. coffee
• 3/4 c warm milk

Directions

1. Put cocoa mix and coffee into cup
2. Put milk in microwave for 2 min
3. Pour milk slowly into cup, stirring while you go (it takes care of the chunks of cocoa powder that come to the top after you've poured in the milk)
4. Optional: Put dash of cream in, serve and

Note: for an even easier no-work experience, try this. It's delicious! It's basically instant coffee and mocha mix all together in one big container of yum! This is 100% my own opinion and to some people it's watery. To me, it's not. Put in about an 1/8 of a cup in an 8 oz. mug and you should be good. Just play with it, see what you like in or out of it and you should end up on your head. Either way, give it a try. They sell them at Costco on the West Coast and trust me they're the best! Also, their cappuccinos are really good, too. But that's a different recipe. Enjoy! 

Summer Smoothies: My Own Recipe

What's a better summer treat than smoothies? Milkshakes, but that's not the recipe I'm going to give you.
How good is this recipe? (1-5 stars) ★★★★★
Prep Time:* 1-3 min
Total Time: 5 min?
Ingredients:

• 2 cups strawberries (chopped if you want, but since you're just going to put it in the blender, why waste time on that?)
• 2 cups mango chunks
• 1-2 cups mango nectar (sub: apple juice but really this recipe was made with mango nectar, so it's a lot better with mango nectar)

Optional Ingredients:

• 1 cup pineapple
• 1 cup mango

But...I used 1/2 cup pineapple and 1/2 cup mango nectar, so if you want, use that instead. The reason I did only one cup of each (instead of the usual two) was that the pineapple enzymes cut into your tongue and if you use more than one cup, it can hurt to drink more so instead of hurting your guests' tongues, just reduce it to 1 or 1/2 cup of both. ;)

Also, another ingredient I put in was a banana. I chopped it up and it came to about one cup. So put in

• 1 cup banana, chopped

I'll tell you what to do next soon. But first; make sure you put all the ingredients in at the same time, otherwise you'll have the problem I did: chunks of fruit on the sides of the blender so that when I poured the drink into cups, you got little chunks of fruit in the cup, too. So dump all the ingredients in (one by one or all together if you put all the ingredients in a cup) BEFORE you blender them all together and make one shebang of a drink. Now comes the directions.

Directions:
Uhh...blender, serve, and drink? At least, that's what I did. But if you want to know what exactly to do (or, if you always follow DIRECTIONS), read below.

REAL Directions:
Pulse all the ingredients in a blender until the fruit begins to break down (about 5 pulses), then blend on high until completely smooth. And then you serve. And that's all there is to it!
Thanks for reading.

P.S. You can add a few things, take off a few things. Bananas, it seems, don't exactly add anything to the drink, so if you want, you can just take them/it entirely out. Doesn't matter to me.