Cold Brewed Coffee

You know the saying about necessity being the mother of invention? Well, here is a case in point. I guess one could argue that this isn't about necessity and I certainly didn't invent this but I'm excited about it and wanted to share.

Last week was a good week with the exception of one day. I'm sure good things happened but it was one of those days where the not-so-good eclipsed the good for me. The last straw was when I knocked my beloved french press off of the dish drainer. I had already broken a drinking glass that afternoon and shattering my french press resulted in me dissolving into a puddle of tears. Weeping would be a better description. I recovered and my sweet husband cleaned up all the glass. This week is going much better but is sadly devoid of coffee. Coffee is a wonderful thing, the smell is intoxicating, it warms the soul and is an excellent conveyor of cream. Real cream. We don't drink coffee everyday but when the weather is grey and cold (like this week has been) and each day bring a thunderstorm and steady rain (like this week has), I start wanting a good hot cup of fresh coffee.

Yesterday afternoon I remembered a recipe, directions really, for cold brewed coffee made in a glass jar. Unfortunately it takes 10 to 12 hours to brew so it wasn't much help yesterday but today I got crackin and made myself some. I ground enough fresh coffee beans to measure 2/3 of a cup of grounds and mixed that in a quart jar with 3 cups of filtered water. Stirred it up good and set it on the counter to brew. It's hidden behind the vinegar and olive oil since it seemed like something my little darlings would like to explore (read: pour out all over my kitchen floor). In the morning I will be able to strain it and stir a tablespoon or so of the brewed coffee into a mug of hot water and then stir in my cream. I can hardly wait!

Chai

When cold wind whips around our little house and I find myself wearing my old sweater and wool socks all day, it's time for a little something hot to sip. I love a good hot cup of tea, somedays it's hot cocoa, others call for steaming coffee with a generous pour of cream. Only last year did I discover chai. Yummy creamy hot milk in exotic spiced hot tea. It's so very easy to make and if you can find a source of bulk spices, it's very inexpensive.

Last week as I was herding the chickadees to bed, I stopped and filled a pan with two cups of fresh water. Into that I dropped a cinnamon stick, two cardamom pods, five cloves and five black peppercorns. While I tucked everyone in, it simmered fragrantly on the back burner. Twenty minutes later I took a break from sewing the lining of Cubbie's new diaper bag to turn off the heat and drop in two tea bags to steep. By the time I finished sewing the name tag onto the top of the bag, it was ready. All I had to do was strain it into my waiting mug and stir in some raw sugar and warm whole milk. Perfect! Want to come over? I'll make you some.

Tea and Tea Cups

Curling up under a quilt with a steaming cup of hot tea and a book has been my antidote to the endless gray skies and cold weather that have inhabited the world outside my windows. In this picture you can see one of my favorite tea cups and also one of the first I had in my collection. When I open my cupboard there are multiple kinds of cups and mugs to choose from, depending on my mood. There are thick old diner mugs, one that is tiny, perfect for enjoying a "half a cup" of coffee. Several are hand thrown pottery mugs including one made by a wonderful friend in her pottery studio. I have a pair of tea cups with matching lids I use for herbal teas. The most special part of my collection though is the set of mismatched tea cups I inherited from my grandmother. She ran the china and bridal registry part of their jewelry shop and at her house she used the extra pieces from the store for her everyday dishes. When I was preparing to set up my own house, she and I went through her "extra", extra pieces and I chose twelve settings of china for my future home. Now that she is gone I love to look at all the beautiful patterns and remember my Mamaw who used fine china to serve every meal because that's what she had. Whoever thought making do could be so elegant? So when I am feeling elegant or missing my grandma I get down the stacks of miss-matched tea cups and saucers and search through them for the perfect one for that day and brew myself a cup of tea. Comfort in a cup!

Homemade Marshmallows!

What? That doesn't look like marshmallows to you? Oh yeah, sorry but I forgot to take a picture of the final fluffy little marshmallow cubes. You'll just have to use your imagination. I was too busy packaging them up to send to our neighbors with hot cocoa mix on Christmas Eve while four of my kids were cutting out gingerbread cookies and eating the icing. At least I don't try to do too many things at once! Ha ha. These make perfect gifts for people because they are so surprised by them, I mean, whoever heard of homemade marshmallows? If you don't tell them how easy they are they can keep on thinking you are Martha Stewart, which is where I got this recipe, by the way. So they are fun, easy, inexpensive and full of healthy things like egg whites. We do need our protein! Really they aren't full of much healthy but for Pete's sake, their marshmallows. At least they have no blue dye. It's in those jet puffed babies, read the label. The only thing you'll need besides pantry items is unflavored gelatin. You can find it by the Jello at the grocery store. It comes in a little box with 4 packets in it. You will need 3 of the packets. This irritates me because now I have a box with 1 packet in it lurking in my cabinet. But what can I do? I guess I'll have to get over it.

Homemade Marshmallows

2 Tablespoons 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (3 packets)

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup hot water

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

cornstarch for dusting the cut marshmallows

Soften gelatin in the cold water. This will turn into a fairly solid clump of gelatin but never fear, this will go away. Mix sugar, corn syrup, hot water and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook to soft ball stage (234 degrees on a candy thermometer). My mom taught me to test my candy in a cup of cold water and that is the most reliable way for me. All you do is dribble a bit of the mixture into a small cup of cold water and see how it hardens. For soft ball, you should be able to gather the syrup into a ball that slightly flattens when you lift it up out of the cold water. This is much easier for me than testing a thermometer and fiddling with trying to keep it in the pan right. Besides, with the cold water method you can sample the tests as you go along. Can't exactly throw out that little ball of syrup can you?
While your syrup is cooking, beat the egg white to soft peaks. If you have a stand mixer you want to use it for this or find a strong man to help you. Flatter or bribe, do whatever you need to do because you are about to need some help! After you decide the syrup is soft ball stage, take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla and the gelatin. It will bubble up when you stir it in but stir on. As soon as the gelatin is well mixed pour it into the beaten egg white with the mixer running. That is why you need a stand mixer or helper, that syrup is super hot!

Once you get the syrup mixture beat in, beat for 10 minutes (see I told you would need help). The marshmallows with triple in volume and be very fluffy. Pretty isn't it?

After 10 minutes, pour into a buttered 9 x 13 pan and cover with a piece of buttered waxed paper. If you do not butter it you will hate me and come looking for me, so butter away my friend. The paper smooths the top and gives the final marshmallow a nice square shape. After several hours you can remove the paper and sprinkle the top with cornstarch. This keeps it from sticking. Turn it out onto a cutting board and cut into strips then cubes with a knife. I put a 1/2 cup of cornstarch in a big bowl and toss the marshmallow in the cornstarch after I finish cutting a strip. This is very messy and sticky but fun. I keep them in a gallon ziplock bag and use them for smores and hot cocoa. Really, they are great, you have to try them!

New Southern Iced Tea

One of the things my "Mamaw" June was famous for was her iced tea. The tall Wexford glass, beaded with condensation, looked innocent enough but the elixir it held would put hair on your chest, as my dad would say. I know, a lovely image. She made it by the gallon in a pottery pitcher that had belonged to her mother-in-law and now belongs to me. In my minds eye I can see her measuring the loose tea leaves into her Corning Ware carafe to boil and steep for 20 minutes, then straining it into the pitcher to await the copious amounts of pure white sugar.

Anytime of day you could enjoy a glass of her tea whether you were her granddaughter there for the week or a neighbor dropping in for a visit on a steamy summer afternoon. No other drink signals summer for me like sweet tea. At my house we drink tea a few times a week and until this summer the secret of "real" tea eluded me. Unfortunately I can't remember the source but the secret is baking soda. I am pretty sure that Mamaw didn't use any baking soda because I watched her like a hawk whenever she cooked and nary a baking soda box was in sight. But considering that I don't have the magic touch, baking soda has come to the rescue.

In a kettle bring 3 cups of water to a good boil. Meanwhile place 3 quart size tea bags in a quart jar with a generous pinch of baking soda. Pour in the water and cover the jar. Steep for at least 15 minutes. Squeeze the tea bags really well and stir in sugar to taste. I have forsaken my southern heritage on the issue of sweet tea. A scant quarter of a cup is as sweet as I like it and I am sure Mamaw used at least a cup and a half in a pitcher of tea. It had a thickness to it, that is a bit much for me but I'm sure my kids would love it, especially the one who was drinking sugar from a glass. Anyway, stir in your sugar and add the tea to a pitcher, preferably a glass one and pour in 3 cups of cold water. Serve over lots of ice in a tall glass. By the way, I am loving chilling my tea in the vintage carafe shown above. A thrift store find, it makes me happy!