Chai Spice oatmeal

“I love sleep because it’s like a time machine to breakfast.”
— Bill Murray

Oatmeal and Fall go together for me like chips and dip strawberries and nutella.  It breaks the boundaries of breakfast however when you eat oatmeal  plain.  It is just not meant to be.  

A few years back I was hanging out in Portland with my guy and we went out to breakfast at a cute little place that served chai tea oatmeal.  Did I fancy it?  Oh yeah.  In fact so much that I began experimenting on how to add it to my repertoire for breakfast.  It sounded easy just chai tea bags and oats right? Wrong.  

The chai tea bags were good but not what I was looking for in my oatmeal flavor.  Subtly can be good in many things however rich steel cut oats beg for flavor.  Steel cut oats have the texture going for them and the healthy fiber thing but it has to taste fantastic as well.  Then there is the process of cooking those steel cut babies.  40 minutes...even I lingering in my pajamas in the morning drinking my coffee don't have that kind of time for breakfast.  Okay maybe some days I do😉 but if so then I just want to eat pancakes.😋

Can't be healthy every day.😜

Had to find a way to make oatmeal faster and with that chai flavor that popped.  So I decided I needed...

  • overnight cooking

  • fresh chai spices

  • a little sweetener

  • a bit of chewy crunch

and the chai spice oats with crystallized ginger was born.

  • As a side note this has been tested backpacking🎒🌲 and got a vote of yum👍 from even non-oatmeal lovers. Woohoo!🎉

Time to get down to the nitty gritty how to cook and add the stuff.  What do you make for breakfast?  Is it healthy and fast?  Unusual and different?  Do you prefer savory or sweet in the morning?  How about while backpacking?  What do you make for breakfast?

 Fill me in on the details in a comment below!

Crystallized Ginger from Trader Joe's

Ingredients:

Serves: 2

 

 

  • 1 cup steel cut oats

  • 1/4 cup crystallized ginger sliced or diced

  • pinch of salt

  • 1-2 cups water depending on your method of choice below

  • 1-2 teaspoons ground chai spices- You can make your own or get it here

  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup or more if you like it sweeter

  • walnut or almond pieces (optional)

  • 1/4- 1/2 cup warm milk

Instructions:

 

Step 1

If using a rice cooker the night before fill one cup of steel cut oats and place in bowl rinsing oats once or twice and then fill with 1 1/4 cups of water. Set timer for when rice will be done in morning and setting to porridge.  Don't forget to turn it on!

If using a small crock pot use 1 cup oats to 2 cups water and turn on before going to bed and let cook overnight. (You can find these small crock pots at Goodwill for very cheap)

If cooking in a pot in the morning buy Quick cooking steel cut oats that will cook in 5-7 minutes.

Step 2

Slice crystallized ginger and prep 2 teaspoons of ground chai spice the night before.

Add warm milk, chai spices, and dash of salt to cooked oats. Stir.

Top with crystallized ginger, maple syrup and nuts of choice.

Enjoy with your favorite cup of Dark Roast Coffee!

Tips

  • To cut the crystallized ginger spray oil onto knife before slicing in order to keep the knife from sticking to the ginger

  • Set your coffee and rice cooker on a timer for the same time the night before and you will have breakfast at exactly the hour you want!

  • No Trader Joe's watch this video on how to crystallize your own ginger.

milkshakes

“Take what people give you. Drink their milkshakes.”
— Wally Lamb

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cup Milkshake

Summer ☀️is slowly fading and fall🍂 is coming to Seattle but that doesn't mean we can't have milkshakes as the sun still shines.  I know many of you who don't live in Seattle only know that it rains☔️ here all of the time and while that is the hype to keep the tourists at bay or at least keep them hanging out in Pike Place Market🐽🍇🍐☕️ our sunny days of summer are numerous and fantastic.  The autumn season brings cool evenings and mornings perfect sleeping weather.  Can you tell I wanted to sleep in this morning? Not happening yet as the daylight calls and the sun shines.

Not sure what happened to summer it seemed to come and be gone full of 

picnic planning 🐜, barbeques,

backpacking trips🎒🌲, outdoor movie nights 🎥,

and ice cream in a bowl 🍧 or on a cone.🍦

Therefore milkshakes before fall hits seemed like a good plan.  I tried a few flavors but I always come back around to something with chocolate.  Strawberry is out of my plan as it does not ever appeal to me.  Sorry to all of you strawberry milkshake lovers.🍓😖  I just don't understand you please convince me!

I don't eat ice cream in the cold months even if I have it in the freezer.  I am one of those rare people so I have heard that can let ice cream develop ice crystals if it sits in the winter at my house.  So it was important to use up any ice cream left in the freezer now before it gets too cold.  A good excuse to make a milkshake.

 Being that chocolate peanut butter ice cream is my favorite and I had dark chocolate peanut butter cups on hand (very dangerous) from Trader Joe's I decided upon the best of both worlds.  Vanilla ice cream and dark chocolate peanut butter.  

Can't go wrong with these flavors don't you agree?😋

Makes: 1 large shake or two small ones

Ingredients

  • 5-6 miniature dark chocolate peanut butter cups

  • 2 1/2 scoops vanilla ice cream

  • 1/4 cup milk

  • heavy cream for topping

Instructions

Step 1

Place a milkshake glass or two small glasses in the freezer one hour prior.

Step 2

Whip heavy cream until white peaks and using a kitchen aid and whisk or hand held balloon whisk.

Step 3

In a blender place peanut butter cups, vanilla ice cream and milk in that order. Blend until mixed well and thickened.  If you want it thinner add a tablespoon of milk at a time until thinness is achieved.

Step 4

Pour shake into frozen glass top with whip cream and a peanut butter cup or chopped pieces. 

Enjoy! Happy National Chocolate Shake Day!

 

Tips

  • Trader Joe's mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups are the best

  • Do not add ice as you will water down the milk shake if you want it thinner add milk little by little

  • Buy the best ice cream you can or make your own

  • Freezing the glasses keeps the milkshake cold even after it has been blended

 

 

 

Summer and S'mores

“If Facebook is Lucky Charms, Instagram is just the marshmallows.”
— Casey Neistat

I will be admit I am a bit addicted to parties, events,picnics, gatherings, dinner parties you name it.  I love planning them, seeing the smiling faces, watching people's eyes light up and most of all eating at them.  It is kind of funny considering after the planning, setup, food preparation, etc. I am pretty wiped and actually don't mind sitting back and just watching it all happen while silently sipping my drink, stabbing at my tomato or burning my marshmallow.

 The introvert in me likes the behind the scenes, get it all accomplished feeling and then observe from afar.  I think that is why I have fallen in love with photography.  I can have my eye behind the camera taking in all four corners of the little square and loving the moment. Sometimes the moment is captured just right and sometimes it is just fluff like a marshmallow.  But unlike a photograph where once captured you keep it, learn from it or edit it just the right way the marshmallow adapts to what we want from it.

A little burnt no problem it melts the chocolate.  A little gooey no worries now we will have great rice krispy treats. So when I knew I could not have a fire at our party for s'mores I asked the marshmallow "How do we adapt?"

 It was a Carnival-Circus theme Picnic so Pinterest being the party lifesaver of ideas, gave me the strong man barbell idea and my mallows adapted by becoming Strong Man S'mores.

 Having once attempted in the past to make my own marshmallows and failing miserably I decided to try again.  Success!

 Ina Garten did not fail me and her recipe and video for marshmallows gave me the courage to continue on with my idea.  If you decide you just want s'mores on a stick this will also work.  Until the next bonfire that is when the leftover marshmallows will get eaten.🔥😋

 

 

Marshmallows: Recipe credit Ina Garten

Ingredients

  • 3 packages unflavored gelatin

  • 1/2 cup cold water

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup water
    1 cup light corn syrup

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

  • Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Chocolate and Grahams

8 oz of dark chocolate chopped

1 small package of crushed graham crackers 

Instructions:

Step 1

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup cold ice water into a small bowl and allow to sit for about 10 minutes while it gels.  Cold water is needed for the chemical reaction.

Step 2

In a small sauce pan combine the granulated sugar, water, light corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup water and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Raise the heat to high and cook until on a candy thermometer the mixture registers 240 ° F  Remove from the heat.

Step 3

Place the dissolved gelatin mixture into your electric mixer's bowl and attach whisk.  On slow speed to prevent splashing of hot syrup  slowly add sugar syrup into the gelatin.  After combining increase speed to high and whip until the mixture is very thick about 15 minutes. (I set a timer) Add the vanilla and mix in until blended. Maybe 30 seconds.

Step 4

While whisking with your electric mixer, using a sieve dust an 8x12 pan non-metal pan with confectioners sugar aka: powdered sugar. Dust thoroughly. When marshmallow batter is done whisking pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan and then dust all over again with powdered sugar.  Allow to rest without covering overnight until it dries out.

FYI: This might me a little messy at this point and you will not be able to get all of the marshmallow out of the bowl.

Step 5:

Day two or 8-10 hours later; Cut around the pan with a knife and dump the marshmallows onto a cutting board.  I like to place the board over the pan and then holding both flip together.

Step 6:

Now comes the fun part!  Using the smallest biscuit cutting ring you have cut the round circles out of the marshmallow to make the dumbbell ends.  Do not throw away the leftover marshmallow cuttings! (See tips below)

Step 7

Using a straw that has been cut in half stick one marshmallow on either end. You are ready for the chocolate.

Step 8

Place crushed graham crackers in a bowl ready for dipping.

Step 9

Using a saute pan with high edges and a metal bowl that will sit inside fill the saute pan half full with water and place over medium heat.  Place chopped chocolate in the bowl and allow to melt.  Having your marshmallow dumbbells ready dip each bottom of the marshmallow then roll the dumbbell in the melted chocolate.

Step 10

Allow chocolate to drip off and then place ends of each marshmallow lightly into crushed graham crackers

Step 11

Allow bells to rest overnight or at least until chocolate hardens.  Cover and bring to your party!

Tips

  • Freeze leftover edges of marshmallow in a ziploc for later roasting or making small mini marshmallows for hot chocolate.

  • Crush graham crackers by placing in a ziploc bag and smashing with a mallet.

  • Trader Joe's Dark Belgian Chocolate is my favorite! Comes in a pound

  • Never underestimate the power of s'mores😋

Love hearing your s'mores stories and ideas.  How do you adapt s'mores if you can't have a fire?  Or what are your favorite gourmet s'mores?  Do you hate or love marshmallows?  Why?  Please share your stories, anecdotes or ideas with me in the comments below!

Or if you just want to share this post please do so!  And don't forget to have a great summer!😎