Showing posts with label holiday drinks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday drinks. Show all posts

Sunday, May 26, 2024

Coffee Recipes for Coffee Lovers

My mother and her siblings (her brothers and sister, my aunts and uncles) have all passed away. All I have now are my memories. One fond memory that I have of one of my aunts is that her favorite way to drink coffee was a tall glass of iced coffee. My sister always loved iced tea. I had no idea people could drink iced coffee. Imagine my surprise! She didn't make it fancy. Just some coffee, cream, sugar, and lots of ice. If you happen to be an iced coffee lover, I found some recipes to take your coffee-loving to another level.  I want to try the Iced Caramel Latte. Although? I've heard a lot about how delicious Vietnamese coffee is. I might try that too!  

Link to the recipes are below following my blurb about the history of coffee and coffeehouses.


Image Credit:  Coffee Mug Warmer





History of Coffee and Coffeehouses

My research on the history of coffee was surprising.  Did you know its origins are traced back to Ethiopia? I grew up in the generation where Juan Valdez from Columbia was in your kitchen cabinet. Ethiopia? Not Columbia? It was quite fascinating. There's even an Ethiopian legend. 

  • A goat herder named Kaldi discovered coffee after noticing his goats became energetic after eating the berries from a certain tree. He shared this discovery with a local monastery, and the energizing drink quickly spread among the monks.

From Ethiopia it spread to Arabia and by the 15th century, coffee plants were cultivated in Yemen, and Sufi monks used coffee to stay awake during their night prayers. Coffeehouses started showing up in cities across the Near East. People gathered there for fun and intelligent banter, kind of like Mars Hill. Only on Mars Hill the intellectuals and philosophers probably drank wine instead of a cup of coffee.

Around the 17th century, thanks to the trade routes, coffee made its way to Europe. Coffeehouses began dotting the European landscape and were used for socializing and intellectual discussion.

18th Century and beyond? Coffee was being cultivated in the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Brazil became the world's largest coffee producer by the mid-19th century. In the 20th century Colombia, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, and Vietnam emerged as major producers.




Fun Notes About Coffeehouses:

  • Kiva Han, is a coffeehouse which opened in 1475 in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). Turkish coffee was served strong, black, and unfiltered, brewed in an ibrik (a small pot with a long handle, specifically designed for brewing Turkish coffee, buy on Amazon).

There are two (2) famous coffeehouses in Europe:

  1. Caffè Florian in Venice, Italy, was established in 1720. Notable figures such as Lord Byron, Goethe, and Charles Dickens hung out there.

  2. Les Deux Magots in Paris, France, founded in 1822, was known to be a favorite spot for Hemingway, James Joyce, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. La dee dah!

Today coffee beloved drink served worldwide, hot or cold. I can't tell you how many Korean dramas I've watched where the characters order “Iced Americano”. Coffee is one of the world's most popular beverages, and it's enjoyed in various forms and preparations, from espresso to cold brew.


REFERENCES:

The History of Coffee.” National Coffee Association of U.S.A., Inc., https://www.ncausa.org/About-Coffee/History-of-Coffee. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.

Myhrvold, Nathan. “History of Coffee.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 May 2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-coffee.

Paajanen, Sean. “The Evolution of the Coffee House.” The Spruce Eats, 4 Mar. 2009, https://www.thespruceeats.com/evolution-of-the-coffee-house-765825.

MacDonnell, Kate. “The History of Coffee Houses: Centuries of Cafés!” Corner Coffee Store, 24 Feb. 2021, https://cornercoffeestore.com/history-of-coffee-houses/.

Lush, Emily. “17 Historic European Cafes Worth Travelling For.” Wander-Lush, 11 Sept. 2020, https://wander-lush.org/beautiful-historic-european-cafes/.

Sophie. “11 Coffee Houses in Europe with a Classical Taste for Culture.” Tourism on the Edge, 19 Nov. 2024, https://www.tourismontheedge.com/coffee-houses-in-europe-with-a-classical-taste-for-culture/?form=MG0AV3.


  • Would you like to know how to brew coffee with an ibrik?  Click here.



9 Easy Iced Coffee Recipes to Elevate Your Morning Routine






* * *
Here are some more coffee recipes.  I love cheesecake! But the strawberry cheesecake latte is a bit too much for me. I won't be trying this coffee recipe.

7 #HomeCafe Coffee Recipes On TikTok That Will Make You Feel Like A Barista



15 Holiday Coffee Recipes That Will Keep You Warm This Winter



Do you have a favorite way to enjoy your coffee?

I asked the ChatGPT AI assistant about the different or "unusual" ways people drank coffee instead of the typical cream and sugar.  This was the response.
  1. Kopi Joss (Indonesia):

    • This is coffee with a twist—literally. A piece of burning charcoal is dropped into the coffee, giving it a unique flavor and reducing acidity.

  2. Egg Coffee (Vietnam):

    • Known as Cà Phê Trứng, this concoction blends coffee with a creamy mixture of egg yolk and condensed milk, creating a rich, custard-like topping.

  3. Cheese Coffee (Sweden):

    • Called Kaffeost, it's coffee poured over chunks of cheese called juustoleipä. The cheese softens and absorbs the coffee, making for a unique, chewy treat.

  4. Cascara Coffee (Global):

    • Made from the dried husks of coffee cherries, this drink is brewed like tea and has a fruity, slightly sweet flavor, different from typical coffee.

  5. Civet Coffee (Kopi Luwak, Indonesia):

    • This controversial and expensive coffee is made from beans that have been eaten and excreted by civet cats. The fermentation process in the cat's digestive system is said to enhance the flavor.

  6. Bulletproof Coffee (Global):

    • This high-calorie coffee is blended with butter and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, popularized by the ketogenic diet for its purported energy-boosting effects.

  7. Lemon Coffee (Italy):

    • Known as Espresso Romano, this involves serving espresso with a slice of lemon, which is believed to enhance the coffee's flavor.

  8. Mazagran (Portugal):

    • An iced coffee drink that combines coffee with lemon juice or lemonade, sometimes with a splash of rum.

  9. Soya Sauce Coffee (Japan):

    • In some regions, coffee is flavored with soy sauce to add a savory twist to the drink.

  10. Spiced Coffee (Middle East)

    • In countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey, coffee is often brewed with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves for a rich, aromatic flavor.

Coffee is a versatile beverage that can be enjoyed in countless ways. 


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Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Wassail is a Wonderful Way to Celebrate Winter and the Holiday Spirit!

Did you know that a cup of warm wassail is very soothing to a sore throat? Yes. One time it was a Christmas holiday and I was under the weather. I had a sore throat and my daughter came over and made some wassail in a crock pot. I took one sip and it felt so good going down my throat. Who knew?

Sore throat or not, a drink of warm wassail is delicious, especially during the wintry months. There are so many recipe variations.

"Wassail is a beverage of hot mulled cider, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, a Medieval Christmastide English drinking ritual intended to ensure a good cider apple harvest the following year." (Source: Wikipedia)

The Christmas tree and other decorations are up and I am counting the days until December 25th. For this blog post, I simply must share a wonderful wassail recipe that a friend shared with me in response to a question I asked about celebrating the Winter Solstice. I know some people don't care too much for eggnog but most people really enjoy a delicious wassail drink.

Celebrate the Winter Solstice with this Wassail Recipe by Spiderdust Core out of some apples (not the whole way through), stuff them with sugar, put a bunch of cloves in an orange, and then roast all of the fruit for half an hour. Put the roasted fruit in a gallon of cider with some cinnamon sticks, allspice, some pieces of crystallized ginger, a few pieces of star anise, and then grate some nutmeg over it all. Optional: Throw in some fresh or frozen cranberries. Let it simmer on low all day long. People can serve themselves as they please. The longer it simmers, the better it gets.


“Here We Come A-wassailing (or Here We Come A-caroling) is an English traditional Christmas carol and New Year song, apparently composed c. 1850.  (Source)

More Wassail Recipes:


















* Original acrylic elf painting, Wassail: Santa's elves at workbench, Woodworking tools, Alphabet letter W, Gift for Dad, Fantasy Christmas ~ Found on Etsy

Friday, November 25, 2022

Foodie Friday : Happy Holidays! Who Wants Egg Nog?

Just creating this blog post as an excuse to share a pretty picture. In my house, a few of my kids really love eggnog. Funny because in the family I grew up in, I only remember one of my siblings making sure that there was eggnog to be served around Christmas time.  

December 24th is National EggNog Day!



I never make eggnog. If I do buy it or if my son buys it, we don't have a particular brand.  We get whatever is in the store.

Eggnog?  It's like fruitcake.  You either love it or you hate it. Sharing some links to eggnog recipes you may want to try and/or suggested brands you may want to buy.

And remember.
Alcoholic drinks become non-alcoholic drinks when you don't add the alcoholic beverage to the recipe! So if like the recipe but you don't want the alcohol, just don't put it in there!


If you have a recipe, would you care to share it?































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Previous #FoodieFriday posts?