Friday, October 26, 2012

DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte

Maybe it's the cooler weather, maybe it's seeing the leaves change colour, but sometimes you just got to have a pumpkin spice latte to sip and savour. But when that time hits, you may not want to spend $5 for a cup of coffee (I'm looking at you Starbucks...), or you might run the risk of getting disappointed when you ask for one at the counter, and are told that they ran out of the spice blends, or that the promotion ended for the season (I'm looking at you Second Cup, at two different locations...). Luckily, I found this recipe on the interwebs, so I won't get screwed over by Corporate Coffee again.
Ingredients

1/2 cup espresso
1.5 cups milk
1 tsp.vanilla
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp.ginger
1/4 tsp.nutmeg
1/4 tsp.all-spice
1/8 tsp.cloves
1 tbsp.maple syrup
  1. Set up stove-top espresso machine over medium heat. It should take about 8 minutes to brew 1/2 cup.
  2. In a small saucepan, whisk all spices, vanilla and maple syrup into the milk. Treat this like risotto and don't walk away, always be stirring. Keep heat medium to medium-low to avoid burning the milk or curdling.
  3. When steam starts to rise from the milk, turn heat off but continue stirring.

    Optional: if you have a frother, now's the time to froth up your milk.

  4. When espresso is brewed, pour milk mixture into mugs, and add espresso overtop.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

No Fuss Thanksgiving dinner

For foodies, Thanksgiving is more than a long weekend. It's a time to show off some new recipes for family and friends, or an excuse to head out to their favourite restaurant and sample the Thanksgiving menu offerings. But for people who are already intimidated by cooking, or don't have the time or money to spend on a fancy meal, it's just another day to call for take-out or throw a frozen entree into the microwave. Thanksgiving dinner doesn't have to be an ordeal. Here's a way to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal without driving yourself crazy, or running yourself ragged.

Turkey

If cooking an entire turkey is too much of a hassle, buy individual turkey pieces or a turkey breast roast. Just follow the cooking instructions on the bag, or ask the butcher at your supermarket how long each piece should be cooked. If you want, you can slice the roast before serving it to your guests; as long as everything tastes good, no one will mind not seeing the turkey being carved.


Mashed Potatoes


A package of instant potatoes can be used in a pinch, but be sure to add lots of butter to mask the from-the-package taste (I recommend also adding Farm Boy's Authentic Steakhouse Garlic Dressing. After trying it, you won't be able to eat real or processed potatoes without it).


Gravy / Cranberry Sauce

Some people may turn their noses up at using something out of a can, but unless those people head to the local fish market to get the catch of the day whenever they want a tuna sandwich, they're only fooling themselves. For presentation purposes, the cranberry sauce can be sliced or mashed up a bit to remove the cylindrical shape. Once the gravy is heated and put in grandma's gravy boat, only the most discerning of eaters will notice it wasn't made with pan drippings and meat juices. 

Stuffing


There's a reason why Stove Top is a holiday staple. Take advantage of it.

 




Baked goods

Everyone loves the smell and taste of fresh baked goods. This can be achieved by using either the services of the Pillsbury Dough Boy, or your neighbourhood bakery. Most decent supermarkets have a bakery in-store, but if I may make the suggestion, I recommend a trip to the Murray St. or Bank St. location of  The French Baker (NOTE: the Bank St. location is no more.). While you're there, treat yourself and pick up some dessert.




A bottle of wine or two, your fanciest plates, cutlery and the proper place settings will round out your Turkey Day spread. Remember that even with a few corners cut here and there, the day is about being thankful for what we got. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

This entry was inspired by a feature in Garth Sundem's book "The Geeks' Guide To World Domination".

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