PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE, ANYONE???

Starbucks version is the best in my opinion. And since it's my favorite sweet coffee on the face of the planet, I get all sad when they run out.

I do not feel this way about Gingerbread Latte. Really?  I mean, if gingerbread was all that good, wouldn't we eat it all year?

And yet we don't.

Draw your own conclusions.

So I wait, all year. It's a sickness, really. And when I was away from our Yankee Belle Cafe in big ol' St. Louis, I indulged DAILY....The hotel had a Starbucks and I had a gift card.

Can you say "SUH-WEEET????"   :)

Here at the cafe we make our own version, but I've seen Belle sneak into Starbucks to get one of THEIRS from time to time.

(and then she brings it back to me, bless her heart!!!)

Because that's the kind of friend Belle is.

But since Belle's not always around to be my errand girl, I've come up with a pretty sweet version with my Keurig.

First, heat two ounces of Italian Sweet Cream creamer in the microwave for 35-40 seconds.
Next, brew a pumpkin spice coffee from Green Mountain on the small (strongest) setting.
Don't wimp out, use the strong setting. Trust me here. Really.

Add one teaspoon of sugar.
Mix thoroughly or foam.

Top with whipped cream.

Feel free to drizzle either a touch of caramel or a sprinkling of nutmeg on top. Enjoy!

Have I mentioned I love my Keurig????

For Our Favorite Tea Drinkers...Let's Talk Tea

Missy, here. We don't want to be exclusive around here. We do love our coffee, of course. Ruthy and I are diehard coffee drinkers. And big Keurig fans. I have a cup of extra bold EVERY single morning with my Coffee-mate Sugar-free Hazelnut creamer and Truvia.

But we have friends in Seekerville who don't drink the stuff. And since I love hot tea, I thought I'd talk a little about it today. I'm becoming familiar with Republic of Tea. But I've also ordered from Adagio as well. Both have some wonderful varieties! And I love to use Teavana's German Rock Sugar. But beware! You'll want to eat it like rock candy! :)

I love the flavored Rooibos teas. They have bits of dried fruit and flowers! They're actually beautiful to look at and smell! And I love to mix in Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls (green tea).

So if you're going to make tea frequently, you might like to look at some of the gadgets like filters or teapots. I previously used a filter that just sits in your cup. But I eventually bought a really easy to use brewer, the IngenuiTEA, that lets you brew tea in the microwave. Once it's ready, you set it on top of your mug, and that opens a valve to let it drain into your cup, keeping the tea in the pot.

The tea and gadgets

Draining into cup

I wish y'all could have seen me when I was opening those little cans pictured above to decide which tea to make for this post. One of them pretty much "exploded" and tea went everywhere, including down my shirt! (Black tea is scratchy on your belly. Who knew?!) ;) What a mess.

I put my tea brewer in the microwave, then went to sweep up all the tea. And I hate to admit this, because I'd love you to think I'm really proficient at something as simple as making tea. But I have to share what happened next. I went back to the microwave, which I had set for 2 minutes (don't know what I was thinking!!). And this is what I found...

 Yes. Total disaster. Which only left me about three ounces of tea.

:)

You know, I think maybe it's time to buy some flavored tea K-cups for my Keurig. A lot less risky. Surely I couldn't mess THAT up! :)

So, any tea drinkers out there? What's your favorite type/flavor?

Yummy Pumpkin Bread!

Missy, here. Shhh...come closer...before Ruthy arrives. Let me tell you my secret for the very best pumpkin bread. It's quick, simple, and you can't go wrong. And yes, it's very, very yummy. My secret???

Pillsbury Quick Bread mixes! I buy multiple boxes and make loaves as gifts at Christmas. The only adjustment I make is to add just a bit more oil than the directions call for.

If pumpkin isn't your thing, try the banana bread mix (and add a mashed ripe banana and some chopped pecans or walnuts to make it even more like homemade).

Okay, now that I've shared that secret, you have to promise not to tell Ruthy. She'll shame me for sure. But not all of us can be Susie Homemaker like the Yank!

Okay, share your secrets with us. What's your best shortcut to a yummy home baked (or nearly home baked) goodie?

Set a spell!

Well, that's Mayberry talk.

Up here? In my neck of the woods???

They'd say:  "Take a seat, please."

In Manhattan:  "I'll be happy to seat you. How many are in your party? It will be just a moment."

In a local diner?  "Grab your favorite stool, Ruthy, if you can shake old Bill off of it."  Bill is a fictional cat made up for that example.

In a Greek restaurant?  Often you see an older woman or man, sometimes both, sitting near the entrance with a view of the kitchen. Watching.  That would be Mama and/or Papa, keeping a watchful eye out to make sure the waitresses don't pocket the coffee money for tips, keep the customers waiting, assessing if the kitchen neeeds help, wondering if their granddaughter is truly a princes...

I worked in a Greek restaurant for eleven years. Loved it, but when I saw My Big, Fat Greek Wedding???

Oh, yeah.

EXACTAMENTE!

Hey, that cute Southern Belle waitress is a little slow, isn't she?  But she's so stinkin' NICE that I cannot fire her.

Obviously I'm not Greek, LOL!

Sittin' on the Patio

The other day I mentioned heading to Starbucks for the pumpkin spice latte. Well, I thought I'd share a couple of photos. My daughter and I were enjoying a nice cool evening after a long day shopping at the mall. She had a brand new iPhone and wanted to snap photos.


After declaring me too shiny (see first photo, left), she powdered my face, told me to move so I covered a car behind me, then snapped the next shot. :) Yes, I'm sure we looked strange to people inside watching the whole thing! Nevertheless, we had a good time.

There's something special about eating outdoors. That's why Ruthy and I hope you'll enjoy our little cafe and our patio. Pull up a chair (and powder your face if needed!) and sit a while. Enjoy the nice fall weather as well as some of Ruthy's amazing pastries. And of course, a nice coffee.

Pie Crust - NO WHINING ALLOWED OR NEEDED, LOL!

Now you're thinking how can Ruthy make pie crust interesting.

She can't.

BUT SHE CAN MAKE IT TASTE PASTRY-FLAKY GOOD AND THAT'S THE MAIN THING.

SO:
4 cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Mix these together. With a fork. This is EASY-PEASY, no complaining allowed.

I like to use bread flour. I get the Baker's and Chef's from Sam's club... the 25 lb. bag. Yes, I'm THAT DEDICATED to baking.

But here's a more normal version, LOL! 

Then cut in with our handy-dandy pastry blender or two knives criss crossing each other:

1 3/4 cup Crisco

Mixture will look suspiciously like the topping for Dutch Apple pie only won't taste as sweet. Try it. You'll see I'm right.

Now mix in a smallish bowl:

3/4 cup water
1 egg
1Tablespoon vinegar

Add this to Crisco/flour mixture. Mix with fork until mixture leaves side of bowl. If too dry add a little more water.

Roll into ball.

Cut ball into 5 equal wedges or 4 if you like super-huge, ginormous pie-pans like I do.

Each wedge should be slightly flattened and rounded (pancake shape) and wrapped in plastic wrap. Each will make one pie crust. 

When ready to make pie, roll a flattened piece out on a flour covered table or countertop. I do not use cloths. Or boards. Or anything fancy. Just flour and a good, solid, kid-training rolling pin.

If it stops rolling EASILY (about six or seven strokes in) roll flattened crust up onto rolling pin, re-dust counter or table with flour (making messes is fun and crucial in a good kitchen) and then unroll the crust back into the fresh dusting of flour and keep doing this sweet maneuver until the crust is about four inches bigger than the pie pan...  This gives you room for sides and fluting.

(I love that word, Fluting)

Roll the crust up, around the rolling pin and gently unroll into pie pan. Sometimes it tears. Sometimes it doesn't. No biggie.

And if you mess up, this is the worlds MOST FORGIVING CRUST!!!!  You can re-roll and it still tastes wonderful. Flaky. Delicious.

I keep a bunch in the freezer. I wrap the small sections in plastic wrap and then pop them into a freezer bag and just pull out however many I need. They don't take long to thaw and presto-chango!!!  Pie crust.

It's Pumpkin Spice Time!

Missy, here. And it's THAT time of year again! Time for pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks! Since I know some of our readers don't live near a coffee shop, I thought I'd share a couple of recipes. My grocery store carries Torani flavored syrups. If you can't find pumpkin spice there, maybe you can order it online. Or substitute another flavor your grocery store carries.

Also, one of these recipes is for iced coffee. If your weather is getting colder, then warm the milk and don't add the ice. And if you don't have an espresso machine, make regular coffee double strength.

Enjoy! I'd love to hear what types of coffee you love. Or if you're not a coffee drinker, how about your favorite fall teas?

Note: these recipes are from www.Torani.com. You can search for recipes for all their flavor syrups.

Iced Pumpkin Spice White Mocha

Ingredients Medium:

1 oz. Torani White Chocolate sauce
1/2 oz. Torani Pumpkin Spice syrup
8 oz. milk
2 shots espresso*, chilled
ice

Instructions:

Combine chilled espresso*, milk and Torani in a tall glass filled with ice
and sir well.*If needed, 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee can be substituted for 2 shots espresso.

Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino

Ingredients Medium:

1/2 oz. Torani Pumpkin Spice syrup
4 oz. milk
2 shots espresso*

Instructions:

Steam milk and Torani together. Pour heated, flavored milk into a 6-oz.
cup and add brewed espresso*. Spoon a thin layer of foamed milk over top of
beverage. *If needed, 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee can be substituted for 2
shots of espresso.