31 Pins: Day 29

Pinned this one a while ago and have been wanting to try it out.  The bridal party had a large serving plate to sign at my cousin's bridal shower and I believe another cousin's wife did this with her kiddos.  I was going to get some dishes/mugs at the dollar store, but ended up having just what I needed right here at home... thank goodness, because this hurricane weather is getting pretty crazy!

Original pin:

The original pin led me to an Etsy shop with some cute gifts.  I googled "baked sharpie mugs" and came up with this link for directions.

As you can see, I collect mugs and tea cups.

Found these beauties at an antique store in town for 10 cents a piece a few years back.

They look the same but have different manufacturers.  The one on the left has a bull on it. :D

I found a big mug/bowl so E could get in on the action.

We tried different colors and metallics.  The gold and silver were pretty dull, but the bronze worked nicely.

 I was having trouble deciding what to write or draw, and Josh suggested making one for coffee and one for tea.  I did not like the idea at first (this is normal), but then it started to make sense.  Normally, I pour myself a nice, big mug of coffee in the morning.  But, by the time I get to the second half it is freezing cold.  I thought, if I use a smaller cup and let the coffee sit on the warmer while I drink that, then I can have another small cup (that is HOT) when I am ready!  {They say you should not reheat coffee for whatever reason.} 

I baked them in the oven while we were making supper.  Those are asparagus on the top rack (drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt).

You can see the big mug below on the bottom rack.  I figured, why not save some energy??

The site I found mentioned that using the dishwasher was out because the marker did not seem to hold up in there.  So, I will be hand washing.  And if it comes off, I can just redo it and add more.

31 Pins: Day 24

Can you tell I am getting a little "burnt out"?

Of course Pinterest is not working, so I am unable to show you the original pin at this time.

So, here it is.  My completed pin for the day.  Coffee cup, coffee beans, tea light.  

Supposedly the heat is supposed to activate the scent of the coffee beans, but I did not really notice much of a coffee smell in the kitchen.  I guess I should expect a few duds. :)

31 Pins: Day 11

One of my few coffee-drinking friends was visiting with her littles today, and she helped me to pick today's pin... Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

Original Pin

Who wants to pay $3-5 (or more) for one of these babies?  Not me....  Well, I guess if it is in a quaint cafe free of children, it might be worth it. ;)  

Anyway, if you can't get out of the house, you can set up your own little bistro and enjoy a home made version of this fall favorite.

The results:

Ingredients: milk, vanilla, canned pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, espresso/strong coffee, sugar (click the original pin above for the specific amounts)

While brewing the coffee, place all other ingredients in a saucepan and do not quite bring to a boil.

Pour into a blender and and blend for about 2 minutes.  This is how the froth forms.  (Make sure to hold the lid down so you don't make a mess, lol).

Pour the milk mixture into your favorite mug first (this makes two 10 ounce servings, so it will need to be a bigger one).  Then, on the side, pour in the coffee so as not to disturb the froth.

I think she liked it!

Difficult rating: EASY

Expense rating: CHEAP

Taste rating: Delicious!!!

"Cookies & Cream"

Remember the Tiramisu Cupcakes I made the other day?  Well, I had a bunch of extra whipped cream left over that was calling my name from the fridge.  When I was deciding what to eat it with/on, I had a flashback of celebrating my best friend's birthday at a local restaurant and eating "Cookies and Cream" for dessert.  This delicious dish consists of a warm brownie, ice cream, hot fudge/choc. syrup, and whipped cream.  I had everything but a brownie mix....  

This is not a problem, however, with about a gazillion recipes at my fingertips.  I googled "home made brownies" and scrolled down to the blogs.  The word "espresso" caught my eye and I went with it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Brownies-with-Espresso/

The only thing I did differently was the coffee element.  Of course I did not have any espresso powder, but I have coffee.  Like the tiramisu, I ground the coffee fine and made it in my French press.  It did add extra liquid to the recipe, but it did not seem to affect it drastically.  I halved the recipe because Josh is not home to help eat them.  Unfortunately, I forgot about this "halfing" when it came to the salt, baking powder, and vanilla.  :(  

On the bright side, the extra salt balanced the extra sweetness when I topped it with the ice cream and chocolate syrup.  The home made whipped cream perfectly complimented this dessert!

Simple, Delicious, Individual Tiramisu Cups

When I think about making tiramisu, I get really excited.  But then I remember that no one sells marscapone cheese in my town (and I don't really want to pay an arm and a leg for it anyway).  And then I remember that it has alcohol in it (which I don't have and don't want to buy).  And then there's the decision to actually use Lady Fingers or pound cake...

Thankfully, this recipe takes all of the guesswork and worry away!  It's from Betty Crocker (http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/tiramisu-cupcakes/2a46af22-cb14-4087-8f07-87ac29d142b5?src=SH), but we made a couple of adjustments.

• The Brandy was replaced with Apple Cider Vinegar.
• Instead of using espresso powder, I ground some coffee beans extra fine and threw them in my French press with a small amount of boiling water.  Then I measured 1/3 cup of that to mix with corn syrup and spoon over cupcakes.

Also, instead of just "piping" the cream cheese/whipping cream mixture on top, I cut a small, cone-shaped hole in the middle so it was on the inside, too.

At my house, "piping" means throwing frosting, deviled egg filling or whatever into a plastic bag, cutting the corner off, and squeezing it out. :)

End result:  They are DELICIOUS and REFRESHING!  Thanks to "Teesa" for her inspiration and expertise (and patience)!