Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

In the past, I have made iced coffee by simply brewing coffee, chilling it, and then adding milk/sweetener, etc.  WHAT AN IDIOT I HAVE BEEN!  In search of a more "fun" beverage to serve at an afternoon birthday party, I came across this recipe for cold brewed coffee.  Game changer.  I will never ever, ever go back.

The recipe was published back in the NY Times in June of 2007 and obviously is a winner!  It's pretty darn simple, the only disadvantage is that it requires time to "brew" so you have to plan ahead.  The actual hands on time is pretty minimal.

Ingredients:

• 1 c ground coffee, the darker roast the better (I used Trader Joe's Wintry Blend)
• 4 1/2 c water
• Milk/Cream
• Sweetner/Flavor of your choice

Directions:

1. Pour ground coffee and water into container and stir.  Cover and let sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

2. Pour brewed coffee through paper coffee filter or strainer lined with cheese cloth. French press might also work here?!

3. The cold-brewed coffee concentrate is now ready.  Mix coffee concentrate with equal parts water or milk. Sweeten as desired.  Serve over ice.  Serves 6. *You can refrigerate concentrate for up to two weeks.

I have a batch brewing on my counter as I am typing this blog.  I am completely craving it.  I loved the spices in the Wintry Blend coffee from Trader Joe's, but I am sure any coffee would be delicious. Just to point out the obvious, the more fat in the milk the more creamy your iced coffee will be. At the party, I pre-mixed with milk and 1/2 c sugar (served in a pitcher) and let people add their own additional milk, sugar, chocolate syrup, etc. 

Kool Aid Play Dough

Ingredients:

• 1 c flour
• 1/4 c salt
• 2 T Cream of Tartar
• 1 c warm water
• 1 T oil
• 2 packages Kool-Aid (I choose flavor based on the colors I want)

Directions:

1. In a medium sauce pan, add all ingredients and mix together thoroughly.
2. Cook on medium heat while stirring constantly.
3. Your dough will begin to form and change consistency.
4. When the dough has changed all the way through (just takes a couple minutes), remove from heat.
5. Knead for about 30 seconds.
6. Store in an airtight container.  Play Dough keeps a few weeks.

My helper measuring out the flour

Mix ingredients well in sauce pan (Lime flavor)

When dough changes consistency, remove from heat (Orange flavor)

Knead for about 30 seconds 

Clean up your helper and cooking station! :)

So, although this isn't technically a "food", it still qualifies for the blog because I actually have a recipe for it!  This is the best play dough recipe I have found yet.  It smells good and most importantly has a smooth texture.  I made this for years when Emma was little and now again that Owen is a toddler.  We made 4 batches in less than half an hour from start to clean up, and as you can see from the picture, Owen wasn't exactly helping things along :)

Protein Smoothies

Often we have to fuel fast after a tough training session, or just need breakfast in a jiffy. So, we like to make smoothies that can be quickly created, consumed or carried. There are FAR too many variations to list, especially considering seasonal fruit supplies - but you'll get the gist of making smoothies here.

You can make smoothies in a blender or the Magic Bullet.

Nat's Favorite
1 cup almond milk
1 cup ice
1 tablespoon almond butter
1-2 large bananas
1 tablespoon milled flaxseed

OR

1 cup low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt
1/2 cup non-fat milk
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 large banana
1 tablespoon milled flaxseed

Blend all ingredients and enjoy!

Greg's favorite
1 cup low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt
1/2 cup chocolate milk
5 large strawberries
1 large banana
Blend well!

Triple Berry
1 cup frozen blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries (from Costco)
1 cup almond milk
1 cup ice
1-2 teaspoons agave syrup
1 tablespoon milled flaxseed

Papaya Coconut Almond
1 cup almond milk
1 cup frozen papaya
1/4 cup frozen lemonade
1/2 cup coconut water
1 ripe banana
1 teaspoon agave syrup
2-3 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
Blend well!

The possibilities are obviously endless! If you want to make your smoothie "to-go" for a fast and healthy breakfast: just blend it up the night before, pour it in a water bottle, freeze it overnight and take the bottle out of your freezer when you wake in the morning to thaw. Voila!

No More Crying Over Onions

Here are two of my favorite tips for doing one of my LEAST favorite things in the kitchen... chopping onions. Blech... my eyes are watering at just the mention of it.

My first tip is something I heard from my friend Carla, tried myself (admittedly skeptical) and quickly appreciated and loved... cutting onions with swim goggles on.

As crazy as this sounds, it actually works. Not like makes you cry less, but no crying at all!  You look like a complete dork, but practicality wins out over fashion here.  This is not a glamor blog, it's a cooking blog, so have at it!

My second tip is something that I came about by total chance.  NO ONE had better confess that they knew about these before now because we might not be friends if you knew of such miracles and didn't share with me.

Ready for this tip that will change the way you look at spaghetti sauce (and many other recipes with chopped onions) forever?  Wait for it...

Hint... you'll find it here:

Please let me introduce you to Mrs. Fabulous herself (obviously these are female)....

FROZEN PRE-CHOPPED ONIONS!

Well hellooooooo, lovah! Do you die?  I DIE!  If onions could feel gratitude, I would kiss them all with big loving, slobbery smooches to show my appreciation.

They save so much time and hassle, it's ri.dic.u.lous.  I keep them stocked up in my freezer and cook with them all the time.  You add them frozen to recipes, so no thawing time needed.

It's okay to fall in love at first sight... I did too.

Dinner Club...How does it work?

Jessi, Natalie, and Tiffany swimming off the Kona beaches at the Ironman World Championships in 2009

We wanted to be sure to include a post about how our dinner club works.  Not because you're interested in getting one started (you might just be visiting for meal inspiration and delicious recipes - who could blame you?!?!), but we often get these questions and thought we'd answer them for prosperity.  Well, that and we think Dinner Club has become a necessity for all of us.  If you have any inkling to try it out, we definitely want to encourage you!

FAQ:

How does it work?

Each week all three ladies make a meal for our own family, plus the other two families.  We are responsible for the delivery of our own meal on the day we promise it to each other.

What do you do for people with different food preferences?

It's honestly probably best not to join into this kind of "marriage" with people who have really different food needs than your own, but often it's pretty easy to make accommodations.  For example, Natalie and her husband don't eat pork, and her husband doesn't eat beef.  We are all pretty happy to substitute for chicken or turkey because these aren't the only meals we eat all week and they are generally healthier substitutions anyway.  Tiffany and Jessi can't do Feta or blue cheese while pregnant, so Natalie substitutes parmesean or another hard cheese.

How do you manage the food storage containers that you deliver the food in?

In retrospect, we could have done this several ways, the easiest being each of us buy a set of dishes that had some visual difference.  It would be easier to return them to the correct person.  The reality for us is that it has never been a big deal and we have pretty much lost track at this point.  For some people this might be a bigger issue, thankfully not for us.  We have each stocked up on a few items to make it a little easier, but generally the dishes all circulate around and it's never really been an issue.  Also we use a lot of the Ziploc/Glad containers that no one is too invested in.

What do you include in the meals?

We generally include generous portions of a main dish and sometimes side dish (always big fans of having some leftovers for lunch).  We decided in the beginning generally not to include a vegetable/salad side dish (unless it is part of the main dish) because of the hassle factor and also because of the timing of when families eat the meal.  You may deliver it on Monday but if someone doesn't eat it until Wednesday, a salad may be wilted by then.  Occasionally, we include some kind of dessert or breakfast treat (like muffins or bread), but it's rare and definitely not expected.

Do you set-up a schedule or deliver on the same day every week?

Because of our busy lives and sometimes irregular schedules and commitments, we generally make the schedule week to week.  We try to let the others know at the beginning of the week what day we plan to deliver and what we're planning on making.  This way, we don't all deliver on the same day and it's not Mexican food all week long.  Doing a schedule would definitely be an option, but this allows us flexibility for family commitments, hair appointments, and all other important things in life.

Doesn't it suck making a huge meal every week? 

The obvious answer is yes, but having other meals delivered during the week makes up for it ten fold!  If you think about it, the time investment to make more of a recipe you're already making is much less than making 3 separate meals.  It's also a money saver - there's a lot less wasted food each week.  And we would all agree that we eat out less with homemade meals showing up on our doorstep.

If you have *any* other questions about what we've done or learned, we'd love to answer them in the comments section... so be sure to ask away!  Our answers aren't any silver bullets, but we are happy to share what's worked for us!

Veggie Bath Time

It's weekly tubby time at my house on Sundays. I swear it's not the only day we bathe, but it is the day I wash, dry, and package up all the fruits and veggies for the week.

As many of you know, I am a teacher. I make meeeeeelions and meeeeelions of dollars teaching the future leaders of America. (Sarcasm font inserted here). Seriously, I just got an email last week from Mrs. Leena El Amin who has a project for me worth 7.5 million pounds. YES! It's my lucky break - FINALLY!

So with my loads and loads of money, I struggle with shopping and buying organic. Obviously, organic/food co-op/homegrown is the way to go - but since I am trying to eat fresh (which is expensive anyway), buying everything organic is unrealistic. I try to prioritize, but one of my "tricks" is to wash everything in a cold water-vinegar bath. I fill up my sink 1/2 to 3/4 full depending on how many fruits and veggies, and dump about 4 c of white vinegar. Dump in all kinds of veggies and fruits (even works with berries and lettuce). Let soak for about 15 minutes, rinse and dry well.

This soak helps remove pesticides and bacteria. If you look at the leftover water, well don't, cause it will kind of make your stomach turn. Or maybe you should... to motivate you to do it every. single. time.

After I do this, I put everything in baggies and containers for the week. I'm floored at how much longer everything lasts!