The Hungry Hood: February 2014

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Iced Mocha

Lately I have been on the lookout for a good iced coffee and I think that I have found it in this recipe! I will start off by admitting that I am a little bit of a wimp when it comes to coffee. I tend to go for the sweet coffee drinks that are probably more sugar than coffee. I'm working on it though!

This iced mocha is delicious and I think it has a good balance of coffee flavor and sweetness (I even toned down the sweetness from the original recipe! I'm so proud of myself!) It is extremely easy to adapt this recipe to your taste by varying how much coffee, sugar, or milk you add! Let loose, play mad scientist, and experiment! I love this recipe because I can make it ahead of time and drink on it for a week, but it would also be great to make for a party!

To take this drink up a notch, I made some coffee ice cubes! I did this by freezing brewed coffee in an ice tray. It's super easy and prevents your coffee from getting watered down as the ice melts!

To make just under 3 quarts of this delicious treat you will need:

1/3 cup INSTANT COFFEE GRANULES
1/2 cup BOILING WATER
1 (14 oz.) can SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK (you could use fat-free to knock off a few calories)
1/2 cup CHOCOLATE SYRUP
3 cups COLD WATER
6 cups MILK (I used 1%, but you could use skim to knock off a few MORE calories)

Start off by putting the coffee into a medium sized bowl. Next, whisk the 1/2 cup of boiling water into the coffee. (I made a half batch of this iced coffee in the pictures, so that's why it looks like so much less!)

Continue whisking the mixture until all of the coffee has dissolved.

Whisk the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup into the coffee.

Pour the sweetened coffee mixture into your pitcher and stir in the cold water and milk. This is where tasting is important! If the coffee is too sweet add some more milk or water. If it doesn't have enough coffee flavor, dissolve a few tablespoons of the instant coffee in a few tablespoons of boiling water and mix it in.

Once the coffee is to your liking, chill it until it is cold (or just pour it over a glass full of ice) and then serve!

Iced Mocha

Ingredients:
To make just under 3 quarts of this delicious treat you will need:

1/3 cup INSTANT COFFEE GRANULES
1/2 cup BOILING WATER
1 (14 oz.) can SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK (you could use fat-free to knock off a few calories)
1/2 cup CHOCOLATE SYRUP
3 cups COLD WATER
6 cups MILK (I used 1%, but you could use skim to knock off a few MORE calories)

Directions:

Start off by putting the coffee into a medium sized bowl.
Next, whisk the 1/2 cup of boiling water into the coffee. Continue whisking the mixture until all of the coffee has dissolved.
Whisk the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup into the coffee.
Pour the sweetened coffee mixture into your pitcher and stir in the cold water and milk.
This is where tasting is important! If the coffee is too sweet, add some more milk or water. If it doesn't have enough coffee flavor, dissolve a few tablespoons of the instant coffee in a few tablespoons of boiling water and mix it in.
Once the coffee is to your liking, chill it until it is cold (or just pour it over a glass full of ice) and then serve!

I adapted my recipe from the following recipe: http://www.loriesmississippikitchen.com/2008/07/iced-mocha-latte.html

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Fajitas

Fajitas are so good and so easy! They are definitely a staple recipe in my family!

To make 2 to 3 servings of fajitas you will need:

1 BELL PEPPER, sliced into strips
1 ONION, sliced into strips
1 CHICKEN BREAST, sliced into strips
4-6 FLOUR TORTILLAS

Seasoning mix:

3/4 tsp CUMIN
1/2 tsp CHILI POWDER
1/4 tsp PAPRIKA
1/4 tsp CAYENNE
1/4 tsp GARLIC POWDER
1/4 tsp SALT

Start off by cutting the pepper, onion, and chicken into slices. Easy peasy! Then throw the onion and pepper into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the veggies until they start to wilt a little bit. Toss them occasionally so they don't burn on one side!

(This is where personal preference comes in a little bit though. If you like your fajitas to have really caramelized onions and peppers, then cook them longer on their own. If you like the veggies to still have a little bit of a crunch to them, then just cook them until they just start to wilt. They will continue cooking after the chicken has been added in.)

Once the onions and peppers have cooked for a bit, throw the chicken in the skillet! Keep tossing everything occasionally to make sure the ingredients cook evenly. (I know, throwing raw chicken into a pan with veggies might be weird to some people. It was hard for me at first too! But don't worry, everything will get cooked!)

While the chicken is cooking, measure out the spice mix. Set aside until the chicken is cooked.

Once the chicken is cooked through, sprinkle the spice mix over the onions, peppers, and chicken strips. Keep tossing the ingredients until everything has a good coating of spices!

Just before serving, steam the tortillas. I usually roll a damp paper towel up in a tortilla and then microwave it for about 30 seconds. When everything is cooked and the tortilla are steamed, serve it up!

Fajitas

Ingredients:

To make 2 to 3 servings of fajitas you will need:

1 GREEN PEPPER, sliced into strips
1 ONION, sliced into strips
1 CHICKEN BREAST, sliced into strips
4-6 FLOUR TORTILLAS

Seasoning mix:

3/4 tsp CUMIN
1/2 tsp CHILI POWDER
1/4 tsp PAPRIKA
1/4 tsp CAYENNE
1/4 tsp GARLIC POWDER
1/4 tsp SALT

Directions:

Start off by cutting the pepper, onion, and chicken into slices. Easy peasy!
Throw the onion and pepper into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the veggies until they start to wilt a little bit. Toss them occasionally so they don't burn on one side!
Once the onions and peppers have cooked for a bit, throw the chicken in the skillet! Keep tossing everything occasionally to make sure the ingredients cook evenly.
While the chicken is cooking, measure out the spice mix. Set aside until the chicken is cooked.
Once the chicken is cooked through, sprinkle the spice mix over the onions, peppers, and chicken strips. Keep tossing the ingredients until everything has a good coating of spices!
Just before serving, steam the tortillas. I usually roll a damp paper towel up in a tortilla and then microwave it for about 30 seconds. When everything is cooked and the tortilla are steamed, serve it up!