Cinnamon Honey Iced Coffee

Welcome to my latest vice.  Lately, this is truly how I make it through the latter half of my day.

Cinnamon Honey Iced Coffee
Recipe adapted from How to Make Iced Coffee cookbook
Prep time: 5 minutes   Chill time: 8 hours

3 1/2 cups cold water, divided
1/2 cup coffee grounds
Milk, optional
Honey
Cinnamon

1.  Pour 2 cups of cold water into a jar and add 1/2 cup ground coffee.  Close the jar and shake it a little to mix it up.  Refrigerate at least 8 hours, or overnight.

I used my canning funnel to make sure I don't get grounds everywhere.

2.  Add 1 1/2 cups of cold water and shake to combine.  Line a sieve with a coffee filter and slowly pour the coffee over this to strain out the grounds.

Pour slowly so you don't overflow the filter.

3.  Pour the strained coffee into a covered pitcher or jar and add enough milk, if using, to reach your preferred lightness.

Yes, I like my coffee LIGHT and SWEET.

4.  The amount of honey you add will vary depending on how sweet you like your coffee.  I add about 1/4-1/3 cup, but admittedly, I don't measure this.

A little cinnamon goes a long way.

5.  Sprinkle in 1/8-1/4 tsp cinnamon and shake well to mix.  Pour over ice and enjoy!

Bacon Jam

No, the title is not a typo.  I really did make bacon jam.  In a slow cooker.  And angels began singing.

The world is now a better place.

Bacon Jam
Recipe from Martha Stewart

1 1/2 lbs sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
2 medium yellow onions, diced small
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup brewed coffee

1.  In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

Let us pause a moment to savor this truly glorious sight.

2.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet (reserve for another use); add onions and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.

3.  Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, and coffee and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add bacon and stir to combine.

I know, it doesn't look like much at this point.

4.  Transfer mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on high, uncovered, until liquid is syrupy, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Transfer to a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Let cool; the liquid will thicken as it cools.  Refrigerate in airtight containers, up to 6 weeks.

Pulse a few times to break it down, but not too much.  Still want some bacon bits!

Ok so let's just first talk about the elephant in the room here: this sounds WEIRD.  I'm totally not disputing that one.  I mean, come on, jam has always been associated with fruit; a sweet treat to put on toast and sandwiches.  Jam is peanut butter's best friend.  But BACON jam???  Whoa.

I was intrigued.  Not only because I happen to LOVELOVELOVE the combination of sweet and salty, but also I've always said that everything is better with bacon.  How could I not at least give this recipe a whirl?

My taste buds are THRILLED with this whirl.  Of course it's salty from the bacon, with little bits of that wonderful bacon-y crunch.  You also get this sweetness from the brown sugar, maple syrup, AND the caramelized onions.  That's right, the onions really come through with that sweet glorious flavor they get from getting happy in bacon fat.  I can also taste the cider vinegar in this, which helps to balance out the sweet and salty with just an edge of a bite.  This has such FANTASTIC flavor!!

So now begs the question, what do I do with this?  I could let myself be intimidated by the weirdness of this condiment.  Or I could take a step back and ask, well, what dishes do I like with bacon?  This is awesome on an English muffin with some egg and a little hot sauce.  Spread a little of this on your cheeseburger for a new twist on a bacon cheeseburger.  This would make a creative addition to a cheese platter.  Use it on a grilled cheese sandwich.  Or how about trying this in place of traditional strips of bacon on a BALT (bacon-avocado-lettuce-tomato) sandwich?  When you take the time to think about it, there really are lots of options for this jam.

Old School Brownies with Walnuts

I had a realization yesterday: Fat Tuesday is upon us.  What???  Already??  How can it already be Fat Tuesday??  Now, I'm not a big Mardi Gras person but I do like to have fun with Fat Tuesday and bringing all kinds of goodies into work.  It just makes the day extra fun, extra special, and gives everyone something to look forward to.  Gotta love Fat Tuesday

So now what do I do?  For some reason "DESSERT" kept popping into my head but I hadn't planned on making any crazy special desserts this week.  Brownies would be good but I didn't have any mixes at home.  ..........wait a minute.  What's in a mix?  Flour, leavening agent, salt, sugar, cocoa powder.  What have I got in the pantry at home because I just happen to love to bake oh-so-much?  Flour, various leavening agents, salt, sugar, cocoa powder.  YESSSS!!  It sounds crazy but I could totally make brownies from scratch!  Yes, I know.  I sound crazy.  I suppose I could have stopped by the store quick and grabbed a box of my trusty Betty Crocker but, come on, where's the fun in that?  And this is Fat Tuesday we're talking about here.  I wanted something special.  I dug through my recipes quick and came up with this little gem that I'd tucked away almost exactly a year ago.

The contents of my double boiler: butter, cocoa, coffee

Brace yourself.  These. Are. GOOD.  And the only way they are possibly good for you is that they make you happy.  Happy is good, right?  Be happy.  Make these.

Old School Fudge Brownies with Walnuts

Recipe from Joy the Baker

 

3/4 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup butter

2 Tablespoons strong coffee or water

1 2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate bar 

NOTE: When it comes to nuts or chocolate chips in my baked goods, I don't measure.  ;)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan. 

2.  Combine butter and cocoa powder in a small bowl, and place over a pot of simmering water. Make sure that the simmering water down not touch the bottom of the bowl (you only need an inch or so of water; just enough to boil and get some good steam going). Add the coffee or water and stir to melt the ingredients. 

This is what happens when butter, cocoa, and steam meet.  It's ok to drool.

3.  In a medium sized bowl whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Add the vanilla extract. When the butter and chocolate have melted and come together, slowly stir the chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture.

Sugar, meet eggs. Eggs, meet sugar.

4.  Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Fold in the nuts, saving a small handful for the top of the brownies if you like. 

Brownies are better with nuts.  Yes, I'm in That Camp.

5.  Pour the batter in the pan, sprinkle with chocolate chips or chocolate chunks and remaining nuts. Bake for 18-25 minutes. 

There are no words for this one.  Just drool.

6.  Remove from pan and cut into bars.

These fulfilled every rich, decadent, sinful wish I was looking for in a Fat Tuesday recipe.  Would I make these every time I wanted brownies?  No.  But they are WORTH IT for that special occasion where you just want to step it up a notch.  Or two.  Mine came out extra fudgy-like so that they were pretty a cross between a brownie and a piece of fudge.  Totally amazing.