UPDATE: black gold: cold press iced coffee

UPDATE SUMMER 2014: this recipe makes ready to drink iced coffee, NOT a concentrate. for a concentrate, simply follow the same procedure but use 1/3 cup coffee beans (whole) to 1 1/2 cups of water.

i'm putting my coffee snob hat back on today to teach you about a little secret: cold press iced coffee. iced coffee gets a bad name for itself, with its watered down wimpy taste, but not cold press. it's magical, smooth and delicious. black gold. cold press coffee is brewed cold for a long period of time so it's never hot and never needs ice. this is the way caribou makes their iced coffee and it's a trade secret i've never forgotten!

the cast of characters: 

(will make one gallon)

6 oz coffee

1 gallon cold water

metal filter

giant spoon

plastic wrap

2 (1) gallon pitchers

the process:

first tip: make this at night. it's going to brew for 12 hours so if you start at night it will be ready in the morning (and NOT the middle of the night)

weigh out your coffee. i use my trusty postal scale. add a jar or bowl and then zero out the scale. 

you'll need six ounces of coffee. aren't those beans just beautiful? 

set your grinder to coarse and grind up your beans. 

same grind you would use for french press. (french press...cold press...get it?) 

you'll end up with big beautiful coarse pieces of coffee. dump the coffee into your one gallon pitcher. 

add enough water to cover the grinds & stir the mixture. fill the pitcher with water. you want to make sure the water goes all the way to the one gallon line, so the coffee will come to the very top of the pitcher. 

cover the mixture & set it out on your counter for 12-16 hours.

less than 12 hours and the coffee won't have its full flavor.

more than 16 and it will start to taste bitter.

this does not need to be refrigerated but shouldn't be left in the sun. 

wait patiently for 12-16 hours. 

if you're smarter than me you'll make this at night and spend most of that time happily asleep. i was not so smart, so i had to strain my coffee at 2:00am. i'm sorry for the terrible pictures!

after 12 hours, a lot of the coffee will have floated to the top. use a giant spoon and remove as much of it as you can. once you touch the mound of grinds with the spoon, they will start to settle back to the bottom, so you only have one shot to get as much as you can!

pour the rest of your sludgy mixture through a metal coffee filter into your second one gallon pitcher. 

(a strainer lined with a paper filter will work but the end result won't be nearly as delicious. if your coffee maker didn't come with one of these guys in it, go out and spend the $3. you won't be sorry.)

this part is tricky to photograph and do all at the same time and since this was 2:00 am my usual photographer was fast asleep! i also didn't yet own two one gallon pitchers so there was a lot of container shuffling. basically a giant mess. 

here it is in all its glory! cold press iced coffee. store it in an airtight container (caribou uses this one and we do too!) in your fridge & enjoy! 

cold press iced coffee tastes best when enjoyed black. drunk from a mason jar. with a green straw.

also delicious: half & half and a little bit of white chocolate syrup. 

linked up here & here!

instaFriday!

this week things have quieted down a little bit. i'm getting used to life all alone in the church office since our associate pastor moved last week. thankfully it shouldn't be for too long, since our senior pastoral candidate is visiting this week and he seems like a great fit for our church! 

 we attended a potluck meal with the pastor and his family which meant coming up with something pretty to feed everyone! 

enter beautiful rainbow fruit salad. grapes, blueberries, honeydew, kiwi, banana, mandarin oranges, strawberries, raspberries and tiny marshmallows {which make any fruit salad better} it stayed beautiful for the first 5 minutes and then was a mixed up pile of deliciousness. 

also on the menu this week were breakfast for dinner {dutch baby pancakes with peaches} and my go to work snack {oat squares & bittersweet chocolate chips}. yum!

after being m.i.a. for a while the deer have been visiting a lot this week. 

sometimes the pup thinks maybe she wants to be friends with the little deer and the deer occassionally think this might be okay, right up until the moment where maddie decides she wants to play! 

that lil lady in the bottom right decided to follow me to the mailbox and then block my route back to the house yesterday afternoon. i'm happy to see deer in the yard, but secretly i'm afraid one will try to box me so i'm much happier watching them from the deck than being in up close and personal! 

more crocheting this week!

 i'm continuing work on the giant blanket. when i started the project for our bedroom we only had a full size bed, since then we have upgraded to a king so the blanket got huge! it will probably take me years to complete, especially since i discovered i had a calculation wrong and have to do double the squares i had written down. oops...

another tiny baby gift in the works- flip flops!

seriously in love with this pattern from two girls patterns.

and finally a little something i'm cooking up for the shop for this fall! think cozy home accessories!

a little real life ridiculousness for you! my second job for the summer is at lick-a-dee splitz scooping ice cream & making various desserts and i absolutely love it! after sitting {mostly} by myself at church all day it's a welcome change to be around lots of happy people at the ice cream shop. this pic is me on my dinner break in the back room. such a happy place to work!

most of the time up here thrifting is a jackpot full of treasures but there's always the scary scary stuff that just begs to have it picture taken and then be left alone! 

things i passed up this week include a bucket o dog sweaters, a giant neon snowmobile suit and scary wig lady over there. luckily there were some treasures to be found, but those will be in their own post soon!

have a wonderful weekend. any exciting plans? my good friend katie from food, wine and mod podge happens to be coming up to the woods this weekend so i'm going to spend saturday morning with her before heading in to lickadee for the evening!

linking up over here with jeannett again! 

insta-friday

so here's what happened this week. warning- lots of food pictures ahead! 

basil pesto and my new favorite pasta variety. gemelli. google tells me that it's two strands of pasta twisted together which explains why it's a little more substantial. and delicious. making the pesto made me long for summer when i could pick basil out on the porch instead of paying an arm and a leg for it at the store. come on summer!

friday night is crafty ladies night at my house. 

i started having weekly get-togethers with women from the area this winter when it was dark and dreary and lonely up here in the woods. plus it was before Christmas and we all had gifts to finish up.

 these nights are now the best part of my week. sometimes it's 9 or 10 of us and sometimes it's just me and my friend jen but every week it is an inspirational time of fun and fellowship. 

and it wouldn't be a party without fruit dip! this fruit dip recipe is special, it's not your usual marshmallow fluff dip...oh no, it's special. recipe coming soon!

here we are in the middle of craft night last week. 

painting, sewing, crocheting and bunny making. there's always wine, desserts and often 90s pop music. sweet hubby banishes himself to the basement with the pup and rides his bike on the rollers while watching the tour of somewhere european. 

these friday nights are such a blessing to me!

lake michigan whitefish tacos! beer battered and served with cilantro, lime and pineapple. kind of amazing. 

i bought this fabulous little green vintage watch a few years ago for $1 because it didn't work and i finally got around to replacing the battery. hooray for telling time!

our few weeks of summer are gone and we're back to our usual spring weather- cold and wet. perfect for tomato basil soup and grilled cheese. the soup recipe is a new one i found on pinterest. and it was delicious!

i've started pulling out all my vintage finds for cataloging and pricing in order to list them in the new little shop: northwoods vintage. these dishes are going to be hard to part with! i found the whole set and love them, but can i really justify having a set of autumn dishes? i think i can!

i'll leave you with this one. jedi pup is such a weirdo. but we sure do love her! 

linking up over here with jeannett!

an optimistic recipe

 one of my very favorite warm weather drinks is the iced white mocha. i usually hate fancy coffee drinks AND white chocolate but this drink is an exception. i recently rediscovered our stove top espresso maker and in an effort to make spring arrive i've started making myself iced drinks.  so without further ado here's how i make an iced white mocha {which coincidentally is very close to the caribou coffee recipe...but not close enough to get me in trouble for sharing my secret training!}

the cast of characters: 

coffee. good coffee. finely ground. 

{begin coffee rant} it doesn't need to be an espresso roast although it will taste more authentic if it is. espresso refers to two different things, one is a roast, one in a brewing method that involves high pressure and high temperatures. you can make espresso with any coffee. so long as it's good coffee. buy it whole bean and grind it at home. never, ever, ever no matter what anyone tells you, put your coffee in the freezer! so bad. little moisture droplets form and crystalize on the coffee then turn into moisture then back into ice. its bad news for the flavor and freshness. store your coffee in an opaque container away from the sun. {end of rant}
milk. it will taste better the fattier it is, but we use 1%. if i'm feeling totally crazy at a coffee shop i order a breve latte. that's a latte made with half and half. just so darn good. 

white chocolate chips. mini chips would be best but you can use regular old white chocolate chips or shave bits off of a white chocolate bar. the goal is tiny, uniform pieces.

ice. the bigger the pieces the better. melts slower & keeps your delicious drink from getting watered down too quickly. 

the process: 

yuck! yes i cleaned the stove immediately after looking at this photo. i'm a messy cook.

1. prepare your espresso. have you ever used a stovetop espresso maker? they're a fairly inexpensive way to make some delicious espresso! i didn't failed to document this part of the process BUT the wonderful kim of yellow songbird has already posted all about making espresso. go over to her post & see step by step photos!

the quick how-to: 

fill the bottom with water, to below the steam valve. 

fill the filter with very finely ground coffee and tamp it {pack it in}. i've found filling it all the way to the top makes slightly bitter espresso, so i underfill just slightly.
screw the lid on as tightly as possible. you want to make a good seal so the steam is forced up through the coffee grounds.
put the espresso maker on your stove at medium high heat and wait.
once the water starts boiling the espresso will force its way into the top chamber. at that point remove the espresso maker from the heat and let all espresso bubble up to the top. 

you will probably get 3 or 4 shots of espresso from your pot, but i only used this much. probably 2½ shots. 

2. dump some chocolate chips into your cup. not too many or they won't melt and things get gross. if i were one to measure i would guess we're looking at about 2 tablespoons? maybe 3.  

3. pour the espresso over the white chocolate chips and stir until melted. this will take a lot of stirring if you don't want sludge at the bottom of your cup!

4. fill the cup up the rest of the way with milk, add a few ice cubes to help it continue to cool, add a straw and you're done! if you're feeling adventurous, top this with some homemade vanilla flavored whipped cream. truly delicious. speaking of caribou coffee recipes... ;)

a quick note: you could easily change out the white chocolate chips for milk or dark chocolate chips & turn this into a regular mocha!

i'm linked up with what i whipped up wednesday at sugar & dots!

a recap, part 2: the move and beyond

so moving day arrived and we weren't quite ready! turns out we acquired a lot of stuff in the past 2 years and we needed a bigger truck. {this is what happens when parents call & request you remove all your belongings from their attic!} brandon spent a frantic few hours packing and repacking and creating space out of nothing and i decided what we could part with. i made a pile on the curb that included some furniture along with random stuff from the house. i went back inside to clean for a few minutes, and when i came out i discovered that my stuff in the pile on the curb had been replaced with hubby's fishing pole, golf clubs and baseball bat bag. unacceptable! sweet hubby was trying to save my junk by giving up his things. i made a few phone calls and found someone to come fetch the important things and store them until we could bring them home! after the madness of packing up our little house ended we were off!

usually when we drive maddie gets buckled into the backseat {otherwise she tries to ride in my lap} but on this trip every inch of the car was full. my little fuzz was such a trooper! she made it six hours in this tiny space! 

we arrived safely in wisconsin and were greeted by a whole group of people ready to help us move in. it was such a blessing to have help right away and they had also stocked our pantry and fridge! yet another sign of God's provision throughout this move! we began unpacking and settling in to our new rental house. it took maddie over a week to feel comfortable here. for the first few days she wouldn't sit or lay down or look out the window- she just followed me everywhere i went! eventually she got comfortable and realized that there were all kinds of exciting things to see if she looked out the window! 

maddie has just spotted a deer in the yard!

brandon's parents sent a half a semi-load of stuff to us. it included most of the toys hubby owned as a child, lots of toilet paper & paper towels, a giant case of shaving cream, a box of baking supplies {really the shipment could have been its own post but the camera was m.i.a. at the time!} and this beauty of a table! sorry for the ick photo- we have bad light after about 3 pm.  this dining room table seats 8 without any leaves {there are 3!} and used to sit in hubby's grandparents house. i love that it was theirs and i love that it's huge! 

the table arrived just in time because we hosted our first thanksgiving! my parents and sister {and sadie} came up for the weekend. it was wonderful to have visitors and only mildly stressful to cook thanksgiving dinner for the first time. we all survived the weekend and still loved each other in the end! 

included on the menu was this cranberry apple pie that i found on bake at 350. it really was as delicious as bridget promised it would be!

the weather turned cold. really cold. and i had the constant urge {still do} to create something warm with yarn. one of those projects was this tiny hat for a friend's baby. it's so rewarding to start with some yarn and end with something someone can wear! more crochet projects coming soon!

part ii was longer than expected so i'll finish with part iii {december} tomorrow!

chicken enchilada casserole

this is a favorite around here. it's easy, fast and very versitile! some days we make it with just cheese, other days with chicken or ground beef. i can throw in jalepenos, green chiles or onions. the prep time is less than 5 minutes, the cooking time less than 20. that's dinner on the table in less than a half hour! 

perfect.

chicken enchilada casserole

ingredients:

2 T vegetable oil

2 T taco seasoning

(alton brown's is my favorite. i lessened the salt a bit, tripled the recipe & keep it in a small jar)

1 chicken breast

(because we're cleaning out our freezer for the move & it's all i had. 2 would be more filling)

1 can enchilada sauce

(we use La Victoria. it has an authentic flavor, is inexpensive & gluten free!)

12 corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cheese

(or less if you like your arteries. we like cheese)

directions:

season chicken with taco seasoning & saute in a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. 

once the chicken is cooked through, shred it.

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

spread a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce in the bottom of your dish. cover with tortillas: two whole & one ripped in half will cover my whole dish. experiment to see what covers yours.

 begin layering ingredients: cheese, chicken, cheese, tortillas, enchilada sauce. repeat. 

i didn't have enough chicken for all the layers so i kept going with just cheese. 

after your final layer, pour on the last of the enchilada sauce and top with cheese one more time. 

when you zoom out a little you see what was really happening while i took pictures...

cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. 

remove foil and return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. 

devour.

a new obsession

cheap. easy. delicious. 

garlic hummus!

we've been buying it at trader joe's quite a bit lately & i finally decided i should try to make it myself. 

turns out it's SUPER easy. 

and super CHEAP! 

the recipe doesn't use tahini so it's not technically authentic but it's so tasty that i just don't care!

please excuse horrible dark pictures. i decided this needed to be posted asap

(before we ate it all)

ingredients:

2 cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans (64¢ each)

let's take a moment to discuss the fact that i didn't realize these were the same thing until this year, even though it clearly says so right there on the can...

5 cloves garlic (79¢ for the whole bulb)

juice of 1 small lemon (33¢)

2 T peanut butter (calculations tell me this is 8.7¢)

2-5 T olive oil (i'm not calculating!)

kosher salt

(total cost: $2.497 for about 3 cups!)

disclaimer: i don't measure things. i add ingredients and blend and taste. and add more. and taste. and so on...but i tried to pay attention this time so you could recreate the deliciousness!

directions:

drain the chickpeas. save a few tablespoons of the liquid.

add garlic cloves to food processor and pulse to chop them up a bit.

add all remaining ingredients (including liquid from chickpeas & lemon juice) except olive oil
 pulse until well combined.
add olive oil a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
stick a chip in and taste it to make sure you have enough salt and/or garlic (we like a LOT of garlic!)
done and done.
devour.

(hummus is not the prettiest, but it sure is delicious!)

adventures

details to come of our many adventures but i wanted to leave you with this little preview. i fulfilled a lifelong dream & went cherry picking. 

and now i have 10 pounds of cherries to use up. jam, pie filling, cobbler, etc coming up soon!

where is summer going?

i looked at the calendar and suddenly it was the middle of july! it's just starting to feel like summer around here (not the temperature....it's been hot for a long time) & i'm realizing it's halfway over! i had a mental list going of what i would like to accomplish this summer and it's time things got kicked into high gear. so without further ado, the summer to-do list!

summer 2010:
plant a vegetable/herb garden (there it is behind the monster!)

get the craft room organized once & for all
visit the french market (lots!)
have fresh flowers in the house at all times
go to baseball games (check! mlb. minor league. high school. summer ball.)
spend time in door county
make pesto with basil from our garden (5 times already!!)
visit the woods
do at least one craft show (whole post on this coming...i promise! i survived the rain...but just barely)

make the laundry area happier (in hopes of doing laundry more often)
catch up on the Bible study i wasn't able to finish earlier this year
go to california 
have people over for a barbeque
spend time with family
pick berries or cherries
visit the ocean 

visit the morton arboretum
eat lots of ice cream
spend extra time with my Nana
walk the dog more (goal: every night) (this helps us eat more ice cream!)
eat fresh sweet corn (soon!)
read through the Bible
take steps towards making craftee mcgee's a legit business(tax info arrived in the mail a few days ago!)
ride my bike
see the hawks WIN THE STANLEY CUP! (i know the picture is terrible- it was madness- but there's the cup!!)

visit cantigny
get tan (ha!)
go camping
read at least 5 books (5 wasn't enough. there's a list coming in another post)

looks like i've done better on my list than i thought! a bunch more of those will be crossed off this next week. and there's a post coming on the laundry room. and another on the craft room. hooray summer! i must admit i liked summer a lot better when it meant no responsibility!