And. . .

. . .Another reason why Holmes is cool.
Oh yeah. Drinking coffee. And Starbucks, no less! Look at that man's discriminating taste. I now feel totally justified in spending twenty bucks on Sherlock Holmes when it comes out on DVD, because I know my money is going to discerning, classy, responsible people. ;-)

And, as always. . .
This New Years made possible by Coffee!

The Great Pumpkin Saga

So, since I can't hit a Starbucks every day, I've really, really been wanting to get some canned pumpkin so that I can make those pumpkin lattes at home! However, when we went to the grocery store, they were actually sold out of canned pumpkin. At a Wal-Mart supermarket. Apparently they were also sold out of pumpkin at my Nana's grocery store in Florida, and she says it's just been a bad year for pumpkin, causing a shortage of some sort. (Which bodes ill for Thanksgiving). Whatever the cause, I was forced to take pioneer methods and make my own. Seeing as we have two pumpkins from our garden, I chose the smaller one and decided to make my own pumpkin puree. You cut up the pumpkin into halves or quarters, put it in a pan, cover it with tinfoil (this takes a lot of dexterity and meditation--believe me, it's not that easy!) and then bake it at 350 until it's soft and the edges are browned and wrinkled--just like baking a squash, if you've ever done that. Then you manage to scrape it out (don't believe Internet stories that you can just peel the skin off) and puree it in the blender. My online sources assured me that after having fresh pumpkin puree I would never want to go back to store bought, but I'm not quite that enthusiastic. It took forever for the pumpkin to cook! I finally bumped it up to 375.

I found this inside the pumpkin, growing in the rows of seeds. Apparently one sprouted. . .and started growing. . .and turned green. . .all inside the pumpkin. Which seems impossible to me, but whatever. You can see the trailing white tail it has, that was almost rooted in the pumpkin guts, I pulled it out and could feel it separate from the pumpkin. Too weird for words, I know. Although perhaps professional pumpkin puree-ers see that sort of thing all the time.

I thought it was interesting how the pumpkin was whiter and softer at the top, and then got yellow and firm--an entirely different consistency altogether. Very pretty.

Also, I decided to be very thrifty and roast the seeds. You can see I got quite a lot from one small pumpkin.

And they're an excellent excuse to take yet another close-up of something.

Ah, yes--the puree. I'm going to freeze it instead of canning it, which seems way over the top and entirely unnecessary to me, when I have a much simpler method of preservation. Until the power goes out, of course. Aha! Now for the most important part. . .the only thing that got me to even look twice at that pumpkin in the first place.

Here is the pumpkin latte mixture in the pot:

And the lovely end result! Two delicious pumpkin lattes. Although I will admit, I decided it needed more pumpkin than the recipe called and it was a little chunky. And I got distracted trying to explain the concept of a matching mug to an anonymous family member and the mixture boiled, which may have made the coffee taste a little strong. But otherwise, completely delicious!

Coffee Quotes

Here are some good quote I have run into, various places. I'm posting these because apparently I have damaged my sciatica exercising and subsequently am almost completely paralyzed on my right side from the hip down. Which means when I do manage to walk, I sound exactly like a larger version of my three-legged cat. Or at least that's what my father says, and apparently it's very amusing, although I don't see the humor in it.
So here I am, bored and in pain, and what better way to make it better than to think on coffee??

Coffee, according to the women of Denmark, is to the body what the Word of the Lord is to the soul. ~Isak Dinesen

Nancy Astor: "If I were your wife, I would put poison in your coffee.
Sir Winston Churchill: "And if I were your husband, I would drink it."
(Possibly the funniest exchange of wit EVER!)

The powers of a man's mind are directly proportioned to the quantity of coffee he drinks.
~Sir James Mackintosh

Schlendrian: You wicked child, you disobedient girl, oh! when will I get my way; give up coffee!Lieschen: Father, don't be so severe! If I can't drink my bowl of coffee three times daily, then in my torment I will shrivel up like a piece of roast goat.
Aria
Lieschen: Mm! how sweet the coffee tastes, more delicious than a thousand kisses, mellower than muscatel wine. Coffee, coffee I must have,and if someone wishes to give me a treat, ah, then pour me out some coffee!
~J.S. Bach, "Coffee Cantata"

I would rather suffer with coffee than be senseless. ~ Napoleon Bonaparte (Ah, yes--how well I understand him, in my present situation!)

And the next quote, from my dear friend Mark Twain, which fills me with continuous doubt when I think about travelling to Europe (despite the reassurance of others who have been there since the illustrious Mr. Twain):

After a few months' acquaintance with European 'coffee' one's mind weakens, and his faith with it, and he begins to wonder if the rich beverage of home, with it's clotted layer of yellow cream on top of it, is not a mere dream after all, and a thing which never existed. ~ Mark Twain

Coffee

Coffee leads men to trifle away their time, scald their chops, and spend their money, all for a little base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking nauseous puddle water. ~The Women's Petition Against Coffee, 1674

Ah, yes. The Women's Petition Against Coffee.Now, if you're like me, you're probably thinking: what the heck was wrong with those sharp-tongued crabby 17'th-century women? Now, what could have made them so spiteful and bitter?
I say, it wasn't the demoralizing effect of the plague, the destruction and havoc wreaked by the Great Fire of London, or their lack of legal rights--no! It take a different view.
It is common knowledge that women were not allowed in coffee-houses in those days. Well, they were clever women, and knew exactly what they were missing out on. What's a girl to do when deprived of something? Well, if it isn't possible to gain access to it yourself, the only other option is to see that nobody else gets any, either!

That being said, I will now share some recipes that are so wonderfully delicious they would have even melted the hearts of our scathing Londoner ancestors, the anonymous coffee-haters.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

And here's a recipe from my mom that I haven't actually tried yet, but intend to do in the very near future. It looks impossibly delicious.

Pumpkin Spice Latte
makes enough for two generous servings
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp canned pumpkin
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla (yes, the recipe says tablespoons!)
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (OR 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and pinch of ginger)
1/2 cup brewed espresso (OR 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee)
whipped cream for garnish, if desired

Combine all ingredients and cook over low heat until flavors are combined. Pour into large coffee mugs, garnish with whipped cream (optional), and serve with ginger snaps. Think FALL!

"The discovery of coffee has enlarged the realm of illusion and given more promise to hope."
~ Isidore Bourdon

Iced Coffee

While I previously believed I'd learned the real trick to making a good iced coffee (keeping a nice simple syrup handy in the fridge, so that you never have to stand and stir in sugar granules into the cold coffee, for ten minutes) I think I've discovered something even better recently.
Sweetened condensed milk!

1-2 cups of chilled strong coffee
4-6 tbsp of sweetened condensed milk

Mix these together in a nice glass (if it's a clear one you can try and make designs) and add ice cubes. Whatever happens, don't skimp on the condensed milk, or it will just be disgusting. Add until your coffee is a pleasing, creamy caramel shade, which is the best indicator for the proper amount of condensed milk. And don't be ashamed to, like Winnie-the-Pooh, taste the condensed milk liberally to make sure it hasn't gone bad while you're mixing the coffee. ;-)

If possible, make some unsweetened coffee ice cubes. But if, like me, you've somehow managed to lose your circa-1990 ice cube trays, and have subsequently decided you don't want any other trays in the world, you can use regular ice--it will just dilute the coffee as it melts. Most people don't care, but this deeply disturbs me.
Also, I find that drinking iced coffee with a straw makes it taste so much better.

"No coffee can be good in the mouth that does not first send a sweet offering of odor to the nostrils."

~Henry Ward Beecher

Mocha After Eight

This is probably one of the most delicious coffees I've ever tasted. It's like a peppermint patty in a cup, only better. And this is coming from someone who isn't particularly crazy about the chocolate-mint combination. From Sherri Jones' book "Coffee Cafe."

1 oz of fresh espresso (I just us strong coffee)
1 oz of mint syrup
1 tbsp chocolate powder
1 cup steamed milk
Fresh mint leaf

Blend coffee, syrup, and chocolate powder in preheated cups. Add the steamed milk. Garnish with chocolate powder and a fresh mint leaf.
~
You can easily make your own mint syrup (I did) by adding about a cup or more of mint leaves to a simmering simple syrup, which is made by simmering equal amounts of sugar and water. Or you can add the mint after taking the syrup from the heat, it doesn't matter. And of course you'll have to strain it.
I increased the amount of coffee that I used in mine, because 1 oz just isn't enough. Besides, I think equal parts syrup and coffee would just be too sweet.

"No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness."

~Sheik Abd-al-Kadir