vindicated!

Ok, so I know I’m a pretty adventurous eater. Not that I’m into anything weird and if traveling in an Asian country I would probably be pretty cautious, but I’m certainly not afraid to try new things.

Coconut on oatmeal? Sure! Ginger maple syrup? Definitely! Cranberry ketchup? Tasty!

Anyway, one of my favorite combos is a little peanut butter (or other but butter)on a waffle with a little maple syrup for breakfast. It’s fantastic–I almost feel a little guilty–and it’s a great way to get a little protein in while decreasing syrup intake.

Andrew never fails to give me the usual eye-roll about it. While he’s come a long way, he’s still not a very adventurous eater.

Anyway, (and to the point of this post) Andrew announced this week that he was sick of yogurt for breakfast (the same day as he spilled it in his truck–go figure). I told him in. I uncertain terms that he needed to have a protein, somehow, some way, in his breakfast.

I hesitantly asked if he’d be willing to try my peanut butter/waffle/syrup combo, fully expecting him to refuse, despite the fact that he does, indeed, like all of the ingredients.

Surprisingly, he agreed.

I prepared a waffle for him, slathered it with sunflower seed butter (it’s what I have open at the moment), and drizzled it with a generous helping of maple syrup (he isn’t counting HIS calories!). Then, I cut it up for him and sent him off to work with it.

Imagine my surprise when, mid-morning, I receive a phone call from Andrew, and I quote:

“It was… (pause for effect) …amazing. I just thought you’d want to know.”

Yes, yes it is. Which is why I’ve been enjoying it for years now. And yes, I did want to know. Thank you for telling me, and I WAS RIGHT!

the answer to everything is Pasquale’s

Well, the Elm Street Bakery turned out to be a bust last night. Not through any fault of their own; we didn’t arrive until after 8:15 due to Andrew’s basketball game and they had sold out of all their dinner items. So, in true Layer fashion, Andrew suggested Pasquale’s…

Let me just pause here for a minute. For the Layers, Pasquale’s really is the answer to everything. Get home late from being out of town? Order pizza. Abigail home from college for the weekend? Order pizza and wings. Bored around lunchtime on Saturday? Go to Pasquale’s. Seriously. We had it four times in three days once. Don’t get me wrong, I love their pizza and wings… I just try not to eat it all the time.

Anyway, back to last night. Normally, we don’t even go out to eat for Valentine’s Day because of the crowds; I usually make a nice dinner at home, but with my busy schedule lately, I didn’t plan anything. Elm Street was really only supposed to be dessert, but Andrew wanted real food.

So, we head over to Pasquale’s (after I bought a pink and purple M & M cookie at Elm Street, you know, in case Pasquale’s didn’t have any desserts I wanted.)

We exchanged gifts, and in true V-day tradition, Andrew got me an assortment of Fowler’s chocolates:

I was so incredibly proud of myself; I cut a piece of andrew’s pizza in half and did the same to my dessert and put it in to-go box and out of sight right away. I even had a glass of Lambrusco as well!

BTW, Andrew LOVED his bag of junk food. But you what he said when we got home? That he was glad I got the small bags of chips and things so he wouldn’t eat too much. Awww, music to my ears.

homemade coffee creamer

So, I’m trying to kick my coffee creamer habit.

I know, this is drastic. Very. But it just means I’m one step closer to going all-organic, all-natural, all-local… At least for the most part. I, obviously, eat out with no problem, and when I saw that an organic pork loin was $15.99 a POUND at Wegmans last night (should’ve bought the one from Arden Farms yesterday morning at the co-op…grrr), I almost passed out. Seriously, I had to double-check to make sure the price was right. Yup, it was… And I’m sorry, I’m willing to pay more for organic produce and milk, but be reasonable people! FIVE TIMES the price is insane!

Anyway, back to creamer. If you’re just joining me, you can read about my thoughts on coffee creamer here.

A little bit ago, a friend of mine left a comment here on the blog about Deliciously Organic’s homemade coffee creamer recipes. I was intrigued, to say the least. I’ll be honest, I always felt a little guilty touting all this healthy-food info, all while keeping my fridge stocked with something so blatantly UNhealthy. (When I say ‘unhealthy,’ I’m usually referring to something processed or from a box, as opposed to actual fat and calorie count. Real food is what I’m after, not necessarily low calories.)

Anyway… I decided I’d give it a try. I finished up what remained of my Cinnamon Sugar Latte flavored creamer and purchased the ingredients to make the Cinnamon Streusel flavor. (I’m a huge cinnamon fan.)

Whole milk, heavy cream, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla and almond extracts. Simple enough. One of my main concerns with making my own creamer is that it won’t last as long in the fridge, since it isn’t chock-full of artificial stuff and preservatives, obviously. I ended up making the whole recipe (end product is about 2 C), and I’ll see how long it lasts.

You heat the milk and cream just until it starts to steam, then add your flavorings. The recipe recommended straining out the spices, but I didn’t have anything fine enough (note to self: buy cheesecloth), so the cinnamon that didn’t settle to the bottom make it in. It has since settled to the bottom in the container (below) so it’s not a problem in the coffee.

I have one of those handy-dandy Tupperware salad dressing shakers that I don’t use (I usually make so little at a time that I just whisk it together in a small bowl), and I thought it would be perfect for this, and it was. The 2 C fit perfectly and it seals well with a great pour spout–hurray!

And the verdict on the creamer is…

….unfortunately, only so-so. It’s not as sweet, which isn’t that bad since it’s probably better for me to get used to a less-sweet cup of joe, but I still want SOME sweetness. In terms of texture, the creaminess of it was great. And there are definitely hints of cinnamon and the extracts, but overall, I don’t think it added much flavor. So, I think I’m going to try another recipe next time. Or adjust on my own. I’ve been adding about a teaspoon of sugar to my cups in addition to the 2 tbsp (72 calories = about the same as the bottled kind) of homemade creamer. Deliciously Organic has some additional recipes that seem to have a different ratio of cream to sweetener, so I might try one of those next (after calculating the calorie-count!) to see how I like it.

However, making my own creamer has made me wonder, do I even NEED a flavored creamer? Wouldn’t sugar and milk or half-and-half do just fine? Maybe. But I do want to enjoy my coffee, and I really like tasting a distinct flavor. Which brings me to my next point: the flavor of coffee.

One day, when our little Keurig bites the dust (it’s actually starting to make some funny noises), I’d like to get a really nice coffee maker and grind my own beans. I mean, if I’m going to have a cup every morning, I’d actually like to (one day) be able to really TASTE the coffee itself, and have an appreciation for a certain type of bean or roast. I mean, if I’m going to grind my own beans and make it in a french press or something like that, I don’t want to dumb-down that hard-earned flavor with bottled crap!

So, perhaps I’m just starting out on this journey to transition from Kuerig coffee with creamer to good coffee in a coffee maker. For now, I think I’m still interested in experimenting with homemade recipes–one that will give just enough sweetness and actual flavor, without breaking the caloric bank or pumping me full of artificial ingredients.

I’ll keep you posted! Happy SUPER BOWL Sunday all–I’m off to the pool for a swim before church 🙂