Considered opinions Archives - Page 24 of 29

April 25, 2013 Amy

Good evening, Dear Readers:

Boy, have I got a new shrimp dish to tell you about, and it’s quick easy and fairly cheap. Best part: you can’t screw it up! (My favorite part.) A few days ago I received the May issue of Martha Stewart Living, and with it was an Everyday Food supplement. (You can download it at that link!!)

The theme of this issue is “get more from the store.” One section discussed using store-bought baking mix–yes, Bisquick–to make homemade muffins four ways: Lighter Blueberry, Banana-Walnut-Date, Chocolate Cherry (I’d almost go off gluten-free for that one) and “kitchen-sink muffins,” swapping out the blueberries for a half cup grated carrots, and adding in a quarter cup of golden raisins, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and chopped pecans, plus some cinnamon. New uses for familiar stuff. Love that–it’s what made Everyday Food so great.

There are two features on stuff from the canned goods aisle, canned tomatoes and oil-packed cat food, I mean, tuna. When buying it for my late kitty Catmandu, all the tuna was in either water or soybean oil, so you would be looking for imported Italian tuna, that they describe as “worth the splurge.” Sorry, y’all, it all tastes like cat food, OK? Cat food with an Italian accent is not, in my opinion, “worth the splurge,” but if you like tuna, go for it. A splurge is that gluten-free cupcake I had at Frost Bake Shoppe last week.

Since tomorrow I return to the land of the employed for a while, I made something delicious that will likely be either lunch or dinner tomorrow, along with two Chocolate Chip Brownie Larabars. (I’m enjoying my favorite things before I start the yeast-free diet.) The Syclovir/Yeast Control arrived today, so I’ll be working getting yeast-free situated this weekend, including baking some yeast-free brownies. I haven’t had any since last summer. And this evening I made an Everyday Food recipe from this new issue that is yeast free, gluten free, sugar free, and almost fat free.

On page 14-15 (and it is available online) is a recipe for Three Ingredient Marinara. Yes, three ingredients and it’s quick and easy. The recipe next to it is Spicy Shrimp Marinara, and it takes about ten minutes to make. Admittedly, I did not use the entire 1.25 tsp of red pepper flakes; I just shook a few in.

SOOOO delicious!! You make the marinara, then when it’s nearly done, cook the shrimp according to the recipe, take the shrimp out and dump the marinara in.

I have long told folks that when I cook with tomato sauce, my kitchen looks like a crime scene. I’ve got the yellow tape around the stove while the dishwasher washes up the first batch of dishes. I’ll finish cleaning up that crime scene in a little while.

One of the ingredients is a 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes. Of course, what I think of and what they think of are two different things. I think of the 28-ounce can at HEB that was $1.07 when I bought two on Tuesday. What Everyday Food thinks of is a $3.59 can of San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy or a $4 can of Muir Glen Organic. (Some cans are closer to $5, depending on where you buy them.)

Let me tell you a secret: I have a soup recipe from Suzanne Somers’ first book that uses a chicken carcass and that same 28-ounce can of tomatoes, among other things. For years, I bought the HEB brand (which was 79 cents when I started buying them in 2004.) A couple of years ago I got the leftover turkey carcass from the office holiday luncheon, and did the same thing with it–turned it into a pot of the soup. This time, I bought the fancy imported organic Italian tomatoes instead. Know what? The soup tasted exactly the same. No difference. Not better, just exactly as I’d made it for many years. I gave two neighbors and a co-worker a container of that soup, and they all loved it. And that was the last time I bought a pricey can of peeled tomatoes.

If you make this quick, easy and tasty marinara sauce for any reason, use your own judgement when buying those tomatoes, OK?

Checking the Everyday Food blog, they also have additional uses for extra marinara sauce. I like the recipe for baked eggs in tomato parm sauce, and might make it this weekend.

Now, if you’re curious about what dinner finally looked like, well, this is the delicious Spicy Shrimp Marinara:

A basic salad of lettuce, (yes, THAT lettuce) tomato and cucumber with a bit of oil & vinegar with salt:

Dessert, one of my favorites–huge strawberries sliced down to a manageable dice, sliced with a sprinkling of Somersweet:

They were on sale, and the size of Roma tomatoes. That’s why I diced them like that.

Strawberries are very special to me. When I was a little bitty kitty, my grandparents used to take me with them to Ponchatoula, Louisiana to get strawberries by the flat. We would get bunches of them for the family, stacking them carefully on the back seat for me to guard. One of the ladies working there handed me a huge one and said, “look, this one Easter-egged itself!” Like I said, I was a little bitty kitty then, but I still love strawberries. I’d love to be able to make a lovely strawberry dessert for my grandmother, but. . .well, she passed in 2005, so I can only think about making something for her.

Truth to tell. . .she was particular, and probably wouldn’t like it, nor the shrimp dish. Gourmet food is my forte, my grandmother wasn’t wild about new interpretations, like a chocolate ricotta pudding with strawberries in it.

Louisiana strawberries are the best, followed by Texas’. California’s, unfortunately, aren’t quite as good by the time they get to Texas. But that’s a highly prejudiced opinion on strawberries, too.

Anyway. . .tomorrow is Friday, and if you’re in the mood for something quick, easy, and a little different, give this Spicy Shrimp Marinara a try. If you read and follow the directions, you can’t screw it up!

Happy Dining!

Considered opinions

More Adventures in The Woodlands

April 18, 2013 Amy

Good evening, Dear Readers:

Please continue to pray for the good people of Boston after the horrific attack on Monday. I saw an article online about how they went about misusing a pressure cooker for this incident. Simple, quick, and lethal. I’ve never bought one myself, but now I don’t think I want to. At least we know if we see one lying about somewhere, well, you know.

Also this evening, reports of an explosion here in the Lone Star State, in Waco at a fertilizer plant. Not much is known yet. Please keep Waco in your prayers as well–the casualties are much higher.

Anyway. . . .

As close friends of mine will tell you, I have a thing about The Woodlands, TX, a somewhat exclusive “planned community” north of Houston. It’s everything Clear Lake could be–clean, intelligent, well-designed, and thought out. I know that sounds like I’m being a snob, but I don’t mean to–I just like to go to The Woodlands. It’s beautiful with lots of trees, and so very nice. These last two days were opportunities to spend a little extra time there. I really did pick a doctor up there, but not because she’s in The Woodlands. She’s an excellent wellness doctor, recommended by Suzanne Somers (long story), and a smart lady, too.

Bragging rights: today’s BP was 120/70; pretty good for someone “over 21” and not on medications. OK, I’ve gained a few pounds back, but that’s temporary, and the least of my worries right now.

There is an area in The Woodlands called Panther Creek. I would like to move there, being a “human feline” (cat person) as I am. (That’s a joke.) But only if there are real panthers walking around; otherwise, it’s just a name. There were people out playing golf in that area, even in the misty rain that kept the wipers going all day. Would have been a nice picture, but other drivers would have been a bit miffed if I’d stopped on Woodlands Parkway just to take a picture. Next time.

I should head up there one day just to spend the day; hotels offer weekend packages in The Woodlands. Since the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion offers great concerts, a hotel room is a great idea after the likes of Def Leppard, Chicago, or any other performance. I was exhausted after Def Leppard–what a show!– but drove myself home and made it safely.

So today I went back to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch again, but I either forgot or bypassed Joan’s Broccoli Madness, or maybe they just didn’t have any. That’s OK–I made it to the chili. Theirs has beans in it, so you know it’s not REAL Texas chili, but it’s pretty good, so I give them credit. After lunch I headed to the nearby Container Store, a place I wish I could live in–everything you need, it’s so neat!

Yes, I know–you don’t get organized by buying a bunch of organizing thingies. I didn’t actually, I bought a few things that I have a use for soon. Such as this item from OXO Good Grips made to clean water bottles of all kinds. Saw it on Facebook the other day, and knew I needed one. I got it because I have one of those large double-walled plastic cups with a straw and a screw-on lid. Use it all the time, keeps water cold for a long time. I discovered that black mold grows and develops in the rubber gasket and the threads at the top. I tried to clear out the straw with hot water and soap but didn’t have anything that cleaned it completely. This kit solved that problem, and now I’ve cleaned the whole thing using all three brushes. Highly recommended!

Since I’m slated to return to the land of the employed soon, I found this little item for carrying salt and pepper in your lunch bag:

If you are thinking the tops come off the unit, think again:

One piece with interlocking lid parts, and they end up closed like this, with plugged holes for safe transport. Neat, huh? (I bought two for good measure, and they were cheap.)

After I left the doctor’s office, I found my way to the Frost Bake Shoppe on Waterway, not far away. (Although I don’t know that much about the topography, I am learning my way around The Woodlands.) Dr. Davis’ office has ordered cupcakes from them on occasion, and they were at the recent Wheat Belly Luncheon passing out samples of their very delicious gluten-free chocolate cupcakes. (They also were liberal in letting me sample during the luncheon.) So today, I made it to first their Waterway location within walking distance from that Marriott. DUH. I could have gone there after the luncheon but didn’t realize it was there. So I asked about the other location, which, coincidentally, was across the street from where I was headed next: the foodie’s cult favorite Trader Joe’s!

This is what I actually had, being the newly gluten-avoiding person that I am:

They call it “Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.” No kidding. Now, it’s a baked cupcake, but it’s intended to taste like raw cookie dough. Go figure! This is what it looks like when you peel the paper off:

How about that? You bite in–somewhere–and you get a bite of soft cake and nearly liquid creamy icing. Not too sweet, is totally satisfying and melts in your mouth. I’m sorry, you just don’t get this kind of incredible taste from a grocery store. They’re freshly baked and hand-frosted every day. Like a wedding cake, it’s not something one would have every day.

Did I mention that it’s gluten-free? Yes. They can make any variety of cupcakes gluten-free on request, but in the store, they are whatever the baker chooses to make that day. No complaints! I’ll write more on them in a separate post–and post more pictures, of course. Here’s one more:

Isn’t that beautiful? All fondant. . .they’ll make anything you want.

If I could have brought home a cupcake for my two neighbors, I would have. But now that it’s basically summer here in Houston, the icing would have melted all over the floor by the time I got it home.

Trader Joe’s, for those who aren’t familiar, is a California-based specialty grocery store, that’s, well, what I’d call quirky. In a nice way. I was in Seattle 2 years ago and never made it into one, but everyone kept telling me, “you gotta go to Trader Joe’s, it’s so great.” I won’t dispute that–but I will also add that it won’t change your life overnight. Glad I went, great place, and will make it a regular part of my in-town shopping, too.

I did ask to take pictures in the store, but they asked me not to. I agreed, but have shots of some of the products I bought after I got them home. It’s a small store in The Woodlands in the Indian Village area, so I don’t know if that’s the norm or what. (No sign of anyone named Sanjeev, either, or is that not what they meant?) Their stock is mostly store branded, but they do have some national brands as well. Nice people, very helpful, and they enjoy what they do.

I bought stuff I would normally buy, but this included Trader Joe’s branded products that were, by the description, the same as national brands, but less expensive. I saw but did not purchase, a clamshell package of two fennel bulbs completely trimmed and cleaned for $1.99. Trust me when I tell you I definitely WANTED to, but could not remember all the ingredients for my favorite coleslaw recipe, which calls for fennel bulbs. (It’s in Suzanne Somers’ third cookbook on page 220, and is absolutely delicious.) I also bought a bottle of their Italian olive oil, $4.99, and of course, a requisite shopping bag, as I’ve done on several occasions while visiting out-of-town grocery stores like another favorite, Publix.

Their produce section yielded these beautiful little jewels, as well as the best price on Manchego cheese I’ve seen in a long time, as well as goat cheese which will become a Corsican omelet now that the mint is growing back.

Guess where some of those gorgeous heirloom tomatoes went? Yep, on top of the last jar of lettuce, with freshly whizzed-up dressing, which was perfectly crisp nearly one week out. Woo hoo! Don’t worry–I bought more lettuce to seal up in those jars. Here’s the rest:

All told, I spent about $39. Now, this is not retail therapy in the Galleria; these are foodstuffs and sundries I would buy anyway at my local HEB, Target, or Walmart, with the cheeses being a bit of a splurge. Sometimes I go to my local Bed, Bath and Beyond to get sundries because I have coupons that come in the mail. On an ordinary day, it would cost more in gas to drive up there to get these items than I would save by getting them there. However, I was already in The Woodlands today, and there are two more Trader Joe’s in the city, one of which is close enough to be convenient to the Houston Buddhist Center. So just like IKEA and Central Market, I can, if I want, do a little shopping at Trader Joe’s after a Buddhist activity.

Don’t YOU plan your shopping trips that way?

Dear readers, I hope you have enjoyed my adventures this week as much as I have. I’ll write again soon. I’m getting tired and need to hit the sack. Tomorrow I have phone calls to return and fresh lettuce to pack into jars for the week. Today and tonight, though, even though I have stuff scattered about, and the cat’s fussing about her food again, I count my blessings, one and all, and if you’re reading this, I encourage you to do the same.

Enjoy, and happy dining.

Considered opinions,Desserts,Health & Wellness,Tools of the Trade,What's for Dinner?

Odds & ends and an update on the lettuce experiment

April 16, 2013 Amy

Good evening, Dear Readers:

First, please say a prayer for the city of Boston. They’ve suffered a horrible tragedy, and while I make snarky remarks from time to time, this is not one of them. Not when it comes to what happened yesterday–using an ordinary kitchen pot, no less. Please, keep them in your prayers, they need it right now. Thank you.

I’m a little late updating you, since the sink backed up in the HeatCageKitchen last weekend, and I’ve been trying to catch up ever since. Today, I headed to The Woodlands (suburb just north of Houston) for a doctor’s appointment, and am going back again tomorrow for a different reason–they couldn’t do two things in one day. A late lunch at the beloved Sweet Tomatoes, studiously avoiding anything like croutons, baked goods or anything with wheat in it, with an extra helping of that delicious Joan’s Broccoli Madness, (raw broccoli, raisins, chopped walnuts, bacon, sunflower seeds and a creamy garlic dressing, also gluten free) and it was a pretty good day!

Also in The Woodlands Mall is a wonderful little place called Oil & Vinegar. As you might imagine, they sell. . .oil and vinegar. However, this is NOT the stuff you get in the grocery store. No, this is extra virgin olive oil infused with things like rosemary, black and white truffles and blood oranges, as well as and a selection of vinegars with things like pomegranate, cranberry, strawberry and fig; the newest is cranberry. My favorites from here: lemon oil and raspberry balsamic vinegar; blended together, they taste amazing.

There are only 15 O&V stores in the USA, two in Texas (and one in New Orleans, surprisingly.) The Woodlands Mall store is run by a very nice couple, Karla & Anton Kharoufeh, who have been open for 3 or 4 years to my knowledge (likely longer, I’m slow to catch these things.) They have a number of other small food items, herbs & spices, chocolate and other desserts as well as gourmet gifts supplementing the oils and vinegars in large containers lining the walls. O&V is a great place for a foodie to visit, and Miss Karla is always welcoming.

So I get to go back tomorrow, and will try to make it to Trader Joe’s, a grocery store well loved in the northwest. I’ve never been, and didn’t have time to go when I was in Seattle two years ago. Also want to see about visiting Frost Cupcakes for a gluten free chocolate cupcake. Or two. Dunno if I’m going back to Sweet Tomatoes; I’ll decide that tomorrow.

Also passed through a bookstore and flipped through Nigella Lawson’s new Italian-inspired book, Nigellissima. I’ll get it eventually, but today, I just looked through it. What did I find? Something gluten free! (There is actually a gluten free cake in her last book, Nigella Kitchen, Flourless Chocolate Lime Cake with Margarita Cream, on page 281, so it’s not her first.) Specifically, something called Olive Oil Chocolate Cake. Oh, I’m not waiting for my birthday for this one. Whenever I do acquire this book, that will be the *first* thing I make! Yes, there is the requisite chapter on pasta (Giada de Laurentiis wrote a whole book just on pasta) but there are other delicious looking recipes as well. Like that cake. Beautiful book in the classic Nigella style with an Italian flair. I’ll keep you posted.

OK, back to the original topic. Lettuce in a jar. This is a serious subject.

So I have one jar of lettuce left in the fridge now, and it is still sealed from last Thursday night. As I write this, it’s Tuesday, and so far, so good, for six days out. I had some twice this week using two of the jars of lettuce I sealed up. I am happy to report that the lettuce was perfectly crisp and tasty as it was when I sealed it up last week. The remaining jar in the fridge looks to be the same, and I will likely finish it off this week, maybe wait until Thursday or even Friday. I don’t see any browning or limpness from outside the jar, and I anticipate that it will stay that way until I open it.

If by Thursday the lettuce is still as tasty and good as it was, I’ll soon be making lots more salads in jars for a week at a time.

Now, if you’re a bit skittish about putting the dressing in the bottom, especially if you’re going to be transporting it somewhere, there’s also a solution: Dressing To Go, a little silicone bottle with a tight-sealing lid that holds 2 ounces of salad dressing. I got one last summer, thinking I would need it for work. . .well, I still have it, anyway. Haven’t used it yet, but it’s a solution. I actually saw someone buying little bitty one-serving containers of bottled salad dressing in Target, and suggested the Dressing To Go bottle. Buy a regular or larger size bottle of your favorite, and use the little bottle to take it with you. MUCH cheaper than single-serving sizes! (Dunno if they actually did it or not.)

Sorry to be so short, but I’m tired, and have a long day tomorrow. Just wanted to give an update on the lettuce, and brag a bit about my adventure.

Next time I’ll tell you about the Zombie Outreach Response Team I saw today. . .later!

Considered opinions,Ingredients

Happy Easter, Passover, Bunny Day, and Sunday!

March 31, 2013 Amy

Hello, Dear Readers:

As I’ve said a few times, I’m a Buddhist, since 1986. Therefore, Easter, Passover, and most other holidays aren’t part of my individual faith. However. . .that doesn’t mean I ignore them, especially if there’s food involved. I mean, why? No need to be rude if someone offers you a macaroon or king cake or something. . . .

Is your church group doing something for Easter? Egg hunt, having an Easter Bunny on hand, or maybe some other kind of spring-related celebration? Bet you’re not having the Easter Bunny jump out of an airplane. Well, someone is. . .and it’s a man who teaches Navy SEALS to jump out of planes, in a bunny suit. I mean. . .that’s a manly man you do NOT argue with, OK? He can kick your butt wearing that bunny suit, and you will address him as “Sir.”

Anyway. . .

I grew up Catholic. Didn’t meet anyone Jewish until I went to college. At Loyola in New Orleans. What I know about kosher is what folks have told me over the years (and the bits I’ve seen on TV), like what kosher salt is really for. (Of course I use it–doesn’t everybody?) I’ve never been to a synagogue. The only reason I know about Rugelach is because they’re in Barefoot Contessa Parties on page 69.

I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone who is Jewish. I am only proclaiming my lack of information about Judaism, particularly as it relates to the culinary arts. Nothing more, I promise!

Imagine my thoughts when I came across Raspberry Rugelach. I saw them in Central Market on Friday, and I *almost* got some, but. . .it had wheat flour in it. Raspberries in dough? Oh, yes. . .but are they kosher for Passover with flour in them? I asked the lady next to me if she was Jewish. Well, if she was, then she would have known if the rugelach was kosher. But she wasn’t, and she didn’t. Maybe next year. The cream cheese threw me off–I thought to be kosher for Passover it couldn’t have flour. Maybe that’s Hannukah or Yom Kippur. Again, I’m the *last* person to ask about that sort of thing; I was just hoping for no flour.

In the same book on page 176: Apple Crostata, a delicious dessert that’s good any time of year. (It too has wheat, in the form of flour.) I’ve never had anyone turn it down. Me included. Hey–it’s for special occasions. I’ve taken it to Thanksgiving a couple of times, and to a birthday party once–there is rarely any left. I think a couple of years ago I had one slice left and gave it to my neighbor, who finished it off quickly and enjoyed it as much as everyone else did.

Now, Easter is also wonderful, because there are chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs and chocolate, well, everywhere. YUM! And those chocolate eggs filled with peanut butter? I’ve craved those once or twice (but not in a while.) I’m trying to stay away from sugar/carbs as much as I can; but sometimes, only chocolate will do. Like this, for instance, found in Central Market on Monday:

Chocolate sold by the pound at Central Market

YEAH, BABY!!

I don’t remember the brand, but I can tell you it’s fancy, possibly from France. This weighed at least 2 pounds and was nearly the size of a brick. This is not a candy bar. Well, not in the traditional sense, but it is for me. Trust me when I tell you I sent this picture to my neighbor, and I was SOOO tempted! this brick is about $10, if I remember correctly; might have been $15. She texted back, “Don’t.” I didn’t. But I thought about it real hard. That’s a lotta chocolate, and even Giada de Laurentiis would be hard pressed to resist.

If someone left that in my Easter basket, I’d be all over it. And I’d put it in a locked safe, too. IT’S MINE!!!

Now, a couple of years ago, I was on a business trip in Washington, DC. Yes, the nation’s capital. There were six of us–four from Houston, one from Florida, and one from California, a younger bloke we sort of tortured a bit. We were walking around somewhere and had dinner in a nice restaurant and dessert in a gelato shop. However, we passed a little shop I found out later was called Edibles Incredible, a DC favorite. I couldn’t resist a little more chocolate (I think I had sugar free), but I had to go back in when I saw this baby:

Peeps Sculpture, May 2011, Edibles Incredible, Washington, DC

Yes, dear readers, those are hundreds, if not thousands, of marshmallow Peeps, in what one might call a “sculpture,” or as they called it, a “display.” Whatever you call it, that’s a lotta Peeps. OMG. I’m not a particular fan of them, but I HAD to take that picture.

It was absolutely gorgeous, and about 10 or 15 feet high. Heck, I didn’t measure it, but it was way taller than my five-foot-three frame. It was huge–and it was a little bitty store! I forget what kind of chocolates I bought, but it was just a couple, and of course, handmade and very delicious.

Speaking of Easter. . .my mother used to tell the story that her engagement ring was a true surprise hidden in a chocolate Easter bunny, and she nearly threw it away. Whoops. . .fortunately, somehow, a very expensive diamond ring (very 1950’s) was saved and the folks got married some time after that. They’ve been married something like 55 years now.

It’s been many years since I’ve had a chocolate Easter bunny, much less an Easter basket, but that’s OK. Sometimes when I’m having a day. . .only some chocolate will do, you know?

And on Monday, all the Easter candy goes on sale 50% off. The thrifty mother will have a secret freezer to stash them in so that the kids don’t know when she bought it. The chocoholic will simply go shopping and make himself or herself very happy.

I’m going to try and behave myself.

Happy Easter, Passover, and Happy Dining!

Considered opinions,Cookbooks,Desserts,Holidays,Ingredients,Special Occasions

Macchiato Saturday Night!

March 30, 2013 Amy

Happy Saturday Night, Dear Readers:

Well, as I described in my last post, I have fallen in love with Starbucks’ Hazelnut Macchiato, a drink best described as a liquid hazelnut-flavored candy bar. Much as I enjoyed it and want more, but am not paying $3.50 for a 200-calorie sugary coffee drink. Not for a while yet. (No, I don’t want YOU to buy me one, either.) And besides, I’m still reading Wheat Belly, and want to avoid sugar as much as I can. . .sometimes I don’t. After seeing the term “non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,” or NAFLD, and its graphic description, I figure backing off sugar and being a bit paranoid about it (as well as wheat and soy) is probably a good course of action.This drink is made with a syrup as well as plenty of sugar, so, that’s for a special occasion, just like wedding cake is.

So in my quest for replacing the sugar-laden coffee drink I crave with something less sugary, caloric and less expensive, I put my thinking cap on.

Sometimes that cap is on too tight, but that’s another blog post.

I’ve been using my 12-year-old cappuccino machine a little more lately, and while it doesn’t froth quite the way it used to, I think, it certainly works for my purposes. Besides, when I went looking at new, more modern cappuccino machines, I decided the one I have works just fine.

Why do I have a 12-year-old cappuccino machine? When I was married to what’s-his-name (1996-2001), he got it in his furry little head that we “needed” one. (Where he got ideas like this is beyond me, but it wasn’t the first time, or the last.) I think I bought the first one, but it may have been one of our lovely wedding gifts. He knew how to use the metal kind you put on the stove, but not the electric kind. It fell to me to learn how to use it, and so, I did.

Then one early morning I made a cappuccino to hold me over until the regular coffeepot was finished. It was then that I knew I was truly addicted to caffeine. I’ve been on and off caffeine in the years since, but after my doctor told me to quit last year, I did, because one cup of regular tea in the morning was causing way too many problems.

The original machine was white, and when it finally gave out, I got us another one. Right before we called it quits. So I’ve had it ever since. I use it occasionally, not every day, and only when I have fresh milk. Dunno if almond milk would work, but maybe I’ll try it.

Anyway. . . .

What I came up with was to get some sugar-free hazelnut flavored syrup and see how well it would work. I’ll tell you about that shortly. Really, macchiato means “marked” in Italian, and the drink is simply a shot of espresso with some frothy milk on it, and some syrup or something on top. I got the definition here--it was the first thing that came up when I did a search. So my version is really more of a cappuccino, not so much a macchiato.

So here we go–this is the equipment:

Ready to brew!

Alessi is the only decaf espresso I can find in Houston, and it seems like Central Market is the only place I can find it now. Darnit. The small Torani syrup cam from Cost Plus World Market, so that if didn’t like it, I won’t be stuck with a huge bottle of something I just wanna throw out.

The latte mug is filled with hot water so the coffee and steamed milk stay warm. (I learned THAT the hard way and now do it anytime I make coffee.) The milk pitcher was taken out of the freezer just for this picture and went back in when I was finished shooting it. So while the milk is getting really chilled, I turned on the machine (that knob on the upper left.) And so after a few minutes of listening to some really weird noises, the brew process started:

As you can see, there is a third mark in the middle that indicates when to flip the knob around so that you can froth milk. Once the dark brew starts going down into the pot, it happens pretty fast. When the pot fills up to that point (just over 2 cups), it’s time to froth milk:

Please pardon my hard-workin’ dishpan hands. Like the very nice Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, I am always in need of hand cream. Remember, idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.

Mine froths milk pretty good, but it doesn’t seem to be as frothy as it used to. Of course, you could have other problems more important than this one. (Yes, I do.) Up until recently if you put your hand under there instead of milk, it would not only blow very hot air very hard, you would move your hand because it would get burned. Now, not so much. But it still froths milk pretty good.

Yeah, I worry about this kind of thing from time to time. Keeps me from worrying about bigger, scarier stuff.

So when the milk is frothed to perfection, I dump out the hot water (usually back in the kettle for tea later) and then pour the steamed milk into the cup, holding back the foamy part with a big soup spoon. Just like they do in Starbucks, except I’ve never worked there. Usually I do that and put in my accoutrements (3 packets of pink stuff and frequently a drop of vanilla extract) first, but if not, I add it at this stage. In this case, I added two tablespoons of the hazelnut syrup, but I think three would have been perfect. When the espresso is finished brewing, I dump that in, then put the frothy milk on top, using a rubber spatula to get all of it out of the pitcher.

Have you ever tasted frothed milk? Then you’ll know why.

Now, most cappuccino aficionados sprinkle ground cinnamon or ground nutmeg on top of the frothy milk. Not me. Used to do that and one day decided to go all Giada and sprinkle cocoa powder on top. So Drs. Frasier and Niles Crane can fuss all they like at the Cafe Nervosa. . .me and Giada will be chillin’ with chocolate.

What you get looks like this:

Yes, that cup describes one of my philosophies. It also makes me a hypocrite because I have an unfinished fall/winter suit hanging up, and another one to make. I should have finished those by now and working on the “some other time” small projects. It’s March, I should be making spring stuff. Stitch ’em up, move ’em out, you know? I have a Donna Karan suit that’s been waiting to be made for three years now. But at least the cup reminds me I can go back to it any time I want.

Anyway. . .

How does it taste? Well, not EXACTLY like the one from Starbucks, but it’s a pretty good substitute that I can be happy with. The Torani syrup contains Splenda, which is something I normally avoid because of its chemical composition, and I’ll try another hazelnut flavoring without sugar, sucralose or aspartame in it.

So if you’re considering having something a little different, you are welcome to use my example and follow my blazed trail. Cappuccino really is good, and so I’m glad I have a machine to make it with, and I’ll consider adding different flavorings if I can find them easily.

Meantime, I’ve got to go wash up my cappuccino machine.

Happy Dining!

Considered opinions,Drinks of all kinds,Health & Wellness,Ingredients,Special considerations

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