I like to cook, but I don’t always like to go grocery shopping.
I like to cook, but I don’t always enjoy meal planning.
I like to cook, but sometimes I just wanna mix things up and try something new.
I don’t really know how to cook, but I want to learn. Help?
Sometimes, I don’t feel like cooking at all. I don’t even want to go pick up takeout. I just want food delivered to my door.
If any of those statements resonates with you, then you may want to consider a meal delivery service! Meal delivery services are cropping everywhere, and I feel like I’m just starting to get the hang of one when another new one pops up. I’ve tried four of the options offered in the SF Bay Area so far, so I can give you the lowdown on how they work, how they differ, and which one would fit your needs best! Here is my review of The Munchery, Gobble, Blue Apron, and Door Dash.
This stuff is so good. So, so, so good, and so easy to shake together in the morning! That’s right, I like to shake my iced coffee, boba-shop style :). From my relatively small batch of cold brew (I only made 8 cups of it, compared to The Pioneer Woman’s 8 quarts!), I’ve been able to make creamy, scrumptious Vietnamese iced coffee for myself a few times, my husband a few times, my mom, and my friend Jamie! They all really enjoyed it, and I think you will, too!
The main thing that makes this coffee Vietnamese is the condensed milk (pictured left), not to be confused with evaporated milk (pictured right):
While they are both canned dairy products, condensed milk is a thick, oozy, super sweet product
As for the “splash” ingredient, The Pioneer Woman recommends half-and-half, but I have experimented with splashing in both heavy cream and then whole milk, and I liked it equally well both ways.
After you’ve added all your ingredients, be sure to stir it up really well, otherwise the condensed milk settles on the bottom and it gets too sweet at the end (or the beginning, if you’re using a straw)… although I guess if it came down to it, you could just add more coffee and milk and then enjoy some more of this scrumptious beverage! :). If you like your iced coffee creamy and sweet, you have to try this recipe. So easy, so delicious!!
I stumbled upon this cold-brew recipe a few years ago and was dying to try it. But I disciplined myself and kept putting it off due to being pregnant or nursing. But my will eventually crumbled (years of pregnancy and nursing will do that to you) and I finally gave it a go! Now I daily face the temptation of sweet, delicious iced coffee every day in my refrigerator… ai yah. What have I done. But it’s SO GOOD! And SO EASY. You can just use the recipe linked above, but it’s kind of long so I figured I’d break the basic information down into two parts: 1) How to make a simple cold brew (this post), and 2) A great recipe for Vietnamese iced coffee using your cold brew (post coming soon!). YUMMMMYYYY!!!!!!
Back when I first read the recipe, I mentally boiled down the 1,242-word post down to these simple directions: steep coffee grounds in water. I guess nowadays the hip term for this process is making cold brew. It’s such an easy way to prepare coffee, and results in a smooth, less-acidic coffee after. After you filter out the grounds, then BOOM. There’s your cold brew. Done. Now you have coffee concentrate at your fingertips, ready to refresh you morning after morning! I love her idea of making a big batch so all you have to do in the days (or weeks) to follow is pour it over a bit of ice and really, you can be done. Anything to keep the mornings more simple!
After making your batch of cold brew, check out this recipe (link will work soon 🙂works!) for a great Vietnamese coffee using condensed milk. MMMM. Soooo creamy, perfectly sweet, and delicious! Enjoy!
Lord, help me. It’s been one of those weeks. I’m so. tired.
Sorry, blog,I have no energy for you right now. I’ll be back soon!
In the meantime, here is something I’ve been meaning to share for a long time: Giada’s Garlic Lemon Aioli recipe. It’s fanTASTIC. It’s my own little “dirty sauce” that I love to spread on anything, especially on paninis or for dipping veggies in. It’s the extra MMM you’re looking for to bring your sandwiches to the next level, and seriously pairs wonderfully with so many things. I mean, lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper– can’t really go wrong there, right?
Mix…
Yum!!!
This is our favorite panini setup right there with focaccia, pepperjack, arugala, tomatoes, pastrami, and some garlic lemon aioli.
I sprinkle some salt on top before grilling them and mm-mmm they always hit the spot!
Anyway I’m way overdue to get this on my blog, because I reference my own blog for frequently used recipes and I always tell myself “I really need to get the aioli recipe on there!” So here it is. Enjoy!
I promise I’m not becoming a super health nut (har har). But a friend wrote glowing reviews about making cashew milk on Facebook, and curiosity got the best of me. Plus, the recipe was promisingly simple: 1) Soak cashews for 4 hours, then 2) Add water and some simple flavoring and blend.
As she wrote about various types of nut milk, all-capped words like “SO GOOD!” and “AMAZING” stood out to me, not to mention “It tastes like chocolate milk even without the chocolate!!” (hazelnut milk, that is). Well if that doesn’t pique your interest, I don’t know what will.
Plus, I had this huge tub of cashews I had bought at Costco to make these grain-free waffles (thanks to a tempting photo from a friend on Instagram) and had plenty to use up. So last week, I threw a cup of cashews into some water and the next morning, I whirred it up to make the lovely bottled concoction pictured above.
It was YUMMY! Creamy, cool, refreshing. It reminded me a lot of how I like to jazz up my vanilla almond milk, since I add honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract to that, too. But much creamier. Although I’ve never attempted a nut milk from scratch before, it was a much easier process than I had expected. No straining or anything. That means few dishes, little hassle, and no waste! I thought my Vitamix had something to do with the super creamy and smooth consistency of the milk, but the original author of the recipe says any ‘ol blender will do.
I thought it’d be a one-time recipe experiment, but after I finished the last glass, I found myself craving more, so not only did I blend up another big batch and finish up the last of my cashews, but I got a WHOLE NOTHER TUB of the nuts so I could keep going! I’ve made several batches now. I’m kind of addicted to the stuff now. Who would have thought?? I feel healthy adding a glass to my morning breakfast– it’s easy protein and tastes darn delicious! I recommend. Try it and let me know what you think!
I always thought it took one of those super healthy, super “crunchy,” super moms to do things like make your own granola.
BUT HEY GUYS I DID IT! And it was pretty easy!! I didn’t do it because I was trying to be that mom. I did it because I had greek yogurt and honey and nothing fun to go with it, so I thought I’d try to find an easy homemade granola recipe, cuz y’all know I love a little crrrrrunch in my food. There are a lot of recipes out there, so I was just trying to find something where I already had all the ingredients in my pantry. I narrowed it down to one winner winner, and the results were delicious! It was just crunchy enough, and had a complex sweetness that wasn’t cloying or too straightforward. Yum!
I brought some to share with friends and someone immediately commented on the complexity of the sweetness. This isn’t something I usually notice when I’m noshing on granola, so I think that makes this a recipe worth keeping. I’m not honey expert, but I find that darker honeys seem to taste more complex, so I use my darkest honeys (buckwheat, and one I got from Paris) for this granola. The almond extract, vanilla extract, and coconut make a lovely combination I would have never thought to try on my own! I’ve made this recipe twice now, and love that I know exactly what’s in my crunch-a-munch. Hope you like it, too!
It is hot, hot, HOT in the Bay Area this week! I was at the farmer’s market this morning and found myself sweating buckets before I finished buying my first bag of white nectarines! In times like this, I find myself mulling over which beverage I’d find most refreshing: Milk tea? Iced coffee? Fresh watermelon juice? Frappucino? Smoothies? Of course, ice cold water is probably the cheapest and healthiest, so I most frequently turn to my trusty Hydro Flask
But it only temporarily satiates the desire for something chilly, sweet, and delicious slipping down my throat. So whenever I am able to carve out some time, I love to treat myself and Ben and our friends to one of these delectable beverages! They are each a favorite in a different way, so I highly encourage you to give them all a shot sometime! Now for the summer drink roundup:
I’ve never thought of myself as much of a grape person, but when my friend Hanna told me about this recipe, I knew I had to try it. Because I will pretty much do anything Hanna tells me to do. She has never steered me wrong.
Plus, it seems grape sorbet and I were fated to happen. You see, one Thursday, I was at Costco, and this sample lady kept calling out, “THE SWEETEST GREEN GRAPES YOU WILL EVER TRY IN YOUR LIFE! HAVE SOME GREEN GRAPES! THEY’RE THE SWEETEST GREEN GRAPES YOU WILL EVER TRY…” So of course I had to have some.
Maybe it was the clever packaging–they were called Cotton Candy Grapes–but seriously, when the juice squirted into my mouth, I felt like I was transported to a carnival. It may have just lasted for a second, but I swear the cotton candy taste was there. It made me very suspicious of the grapes, actually… but since they said ORGANIC and I happen to trust Costco very much, I picked up a basket.
Good decision, JoEllen. Because that left me with plenty left over to eat, even after tripling the green grape sorbet recipe.
The sorbet was bright and refreshing and would make an excellent palette cleanser. It was also very easy to make. I thought my grapes might be sweet enough without the extra sugar, but something about freezing foods makes them taste less sweet, so I’m glad I kept the sugar in the end.
These lemon bars are by far the most requested item I make. My friends love the buttery-tart combination and recently, I was asked to make a whole bunch of them for a wedding! Since I had to mass-produce these guys, I decided to go with… bottled lemon juice, something I hadn’t done for nearly a decade. However, in so doing, I discovered that bottled lemon juice is the key to making these lemon bars consistently tart and perfect in consistency!
Last weekend, my friends and I threw a super fun ocean themed baby shower for my friend Kim (and Dan)! Even though I helped to coordinate the event, I actually had to miss it because I came down with the flu :*(. SO SAD. But I am still so proud of how things turned out, and wanted to share some of my favorite ideas from the party!
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