I adore mornings. I love the sensation of getting bundles of chores and responsibilities accomplished before noon. At the same time, I’m not a morning person. I’m a natural night owl who comes alive once the world turns dark.
I want to discover the secrets of morning people! I wish I jumped out of bed at 5 AM to spend alone time with my journal and Bible, followed by a good exercise/yoga session. In my morning-person fantasy, I’d then whip up a healthy from-scratch breakfast so the kids rise to the delicious smell of food waiting for them. We sit down to eat together before I casually get myself out of loungewear and into real clothes. I put effort into my hair, do some chores, and then we all settle at the school table with chipper little grins on our faces ready to learn!
That isn’t happening. In all reality, I hit the snooze button for as long as possible. I give myself just enough time to roll out of bed, throw on some clothes, rally the kids to get dressed, pour bowls of cereal, and get us started on our first assignment as we eat. All of this happening while I’m still trying to wake up.
I have the ultimate love/hate relationship with mornings. I just don’t have that early bird drive in me. I’ve found, however, I can make the situation easier if I give myself a little something to look forward to. Admittedly, that is often in the form of food. Or in this case…a drink.
Knowing I had cold brew coffee steeping in the fridge gave me an extra push to get out of bed this morning. Coffee is the best part of mornings, and today I treated myself well!
I’m a hint of bougie in that I typically use freshly ground coffee (Counter Culture is my go-to!), and following an infusion, the recipe makes the taste even bolder and better. In this recipe, I used roughly two tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk for a rich flavor, and while the color lightened quite drastically I felt the sweetness didn’t overpower the dark and bitter taste. If you prefer no sweetness at all, it is perfectly okay to omit the sweetened condensed milk altogether. I too have days like that.
Infused Cold Brew Coffee
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Freshly ground coffee
- Water
- Sweetened condensed milk (to taste)
Instructions
- Fill a 32 oz mason jar with water and coffee. Seal tightly and shake until well mixed.
- Refrigerate over-night (at least 14 hours). After the coffee has steeped, pour the contents into a French press and push grounds to the bottom of the pot. Alternatively, use a couple layers of cheese cloth or coffee filters to strain the coffee.
- Drizzle sweetened condensed milk into the coffee, to taste.
Originally posted February 2021
]]>Valentine’s Day is a relatively minor holiday, but it’s one I look forward to every year. February is generally my least favorite month, and Valentine’s Day adds a little happiness to hold us over until the arrival of spring. Not to mention, celebrating love is fun, and now that I have kids I’m particularly eager to make it special. Every year I put little heart-shaped notes on their doors each night for the first two weeks of February. While it’s a simple gesture on my part, the kids love waking up to a new note in the morning, and express great disappointment when I inevitably forget a day. I love how the traditions of Valentine’s Day prove that it’s the simple things we do for one another that have the biggest impact.
But let’s talk about what we really love about Valentine’s Day: Chocolate.
Spare me the diamonds. The cards are nice. Flowers I love. But what I’m really eyeing this time of year is a box of candy. Preferably big ones that I’m not expected to share. I think kids 100% agree with me on this, though I don’t want to dwell on what this says about my level of maturity. So we also make yummy treats to enjoy throughout the month of February. Usually, we’re decorating sugar cookies in the shapes of hearts, X’s&O’s, and flowers. Other times we’re in the kitchen dying different desserts pink, red, and white.
Today we enjoyed a “hot love potion” beside a cozy fire. My daughter went bonkers at the sight of pink hot chocolate, and it amazed my son to discover strawberry milk exists.
White chocolate and strawberry milk may not be everyone’s favorite flavors (especially combined), but this concoction actually turned out pretty well. In fact, I rather enjoyed it!
More importantly, the kids guzzled it down and loved it. This is definitely a recipe for those with a child-like sweet tooth, or grownups looking to impress that special little person in their life.
I mean really. Pink hot chocolate is fascinating.
Hot Love Potion
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup White chocolate chips
- 1/4 Cup water
- 4 Cups Strawberry milk
- 3 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Red food coloring (optional)
- Whipped cream
- Valentine's themed sprinkles
Instructions
- Add chocolate, water, and sugar to a small saucepan. Melt over medium-high heat, stirring consistently until the chocolate is melted and the contents are well combined.
- Add strawberry milk and vanilla to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat immediately.
- For a bolder color, stir in food coloring. Pour into mugs, top with whipped cream and sprinkles.
Originally posted February 2021
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