Tea Latte

Why go out to a coffee shop for a tea latte when you can make one at home at a fraction of the price? I think the best part of making these at home yourself is you can experiment with your favorite teas and even make your own simple syrups to use!

If you've got an espresso machine, you can use that to make this drink a bit more "authentic" with steamed milk and tea shots.

Tea Latte

Ingredients

• 6-8oz brewed tea
• 2-4oz hot milk
• Vanilla syrup (to taste)

Method

With espresso machine:

1. If using an espresso machine, steam the milk and syrup and set aside.
2. Pack a scoop of tea leaves as you would ground coffee and pull your shot(s).
3. Pour the tea shots into the milk and serve.

Without espresso machine:

1. Combine all hot ingredients in a mug and serve.

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Simple Cinnamon Roll Filling

I was watching Everyday Italian the other day and Giada was making hazelnut cinnamon rolls. Now, I am not a fan of hazelnut but got to thinking how good walnuts might be in its place. Next thing you know, I'm making cinnamon rolls with apples, cherries, and walnuts.

One of the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had, if not the best, were those a coworker brought in at work. Let me tell you, they were so good I think I ate three of them (and they were HUGE)! There's no way I'll ever get that recipe and I'd be lucky to stumble across anything as good.

If you're not into making bread dough, try store bought dough as Giada recommends. Otherwise, any sweet dough will do. Roll out your dough into rectangles.

Simple Cinnamon Roll Filling

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• Dash vanilla extract

Optional mix-ins:

• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/4 C dried cherries or cranberries, diced
• 1/4 C walnuts, chopped

Method

1. Mix ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Add optional mix-ins, if desired.
2. Spread evenly onto dough, then roll, cut, and bake as normal.

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Stollen

When it comes to desserts, David Lebovitz is someone I trust unconditionally. His blog is good, his information great, and recipes phenomenal. Last time I was looking around his site, I saw his recipe for stollen and just had to make it. And hey, 'tis the season, as they say. Mine turned out deliciously and look surprisingly just like his.

I looked around for other stollen recipes but they all seemed to use candied fruits (more like a fruitcake) and that just wasn't appealing. Then I was going to blend recipes, but they used varying ingredient amounts with different yields. In the end, I basically followed his recipe, so I'll just link it here. Of the slight changes I made:

• Substitute Grand Marnier for the rum to soak the fruits
• Omit the candied ginger (due to its extreme price) and citrus peel (due to its apparant unavailability at grocery stores around here)

My only complain is not knowing when the bread is done cooking. Sure, he suggests using a digital thermometer, but come on, it's bread! Mine ended up being slightly overcooked I think, but delicious none the less. The recipe makes four loaves which makes it great for gift giving!

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Bagels

I had my first cheese bagel the other week and was blown away by how delicious it was. I decided I needed to make my own, as spending $1.50 for an impulse snack seems unnecessary, especially since bagels are so easy!

Here is my favorite bagel recipe: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_bagels

I've made this recipe several times, last time I believe was around Mother's Day for brunch. They are really easy to make, especially if you have experience working with yeast, as this can sometimes be tricky.

To make these "cheese bagels", simply sprinkle with shredded cheddar after brushing with egg, and bake for the specified time.

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It has been a long time since my last posting and a lot has happened since. Two books I've read recently have really changed my perspective on food--Food, Inc and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I definitely recommend both books, but they really make you think.

Ideally, I'd love to be able to grow and prepare more of my food, but that's not really realistic. I have, however, been enjoying making my own applesauces, chai tea, and bagels in recent weeks, and right now, that's about as good as I can do.

One recipe I did learn from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is for yogurt cheese. It's a bit like a soft cream cheese. Simple drain yogurt over several layers of cheesecloth overnight. I like to salt mine as well to bring out the flavor. Spread over bagels, English muffins, and so on as you would cream cheese. It's tangy, easy to make, and a fresh alternative to cream cheese.

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