Free coffee creamer problems

The facebook server is not able to take the traffic they are getting. So it is now 35 minutes past time and I can not get through! But I really want to try some new flavors so I am hanging tough! Oh yea! Perseverance! Plus I just love their creamers! So It will probably be worth it! Anyway, I will give you an update when I have something!
The Patient Cowgirl

Free coffee creamer!

Go to the Coffee Mate page on Facebook tomorrow, February 4th, for a coupon for a free flavored coffee creamer! Free Flavor Friday!

Log on at 9:00am Pacific time! Or 12:00 here in the Eastern time zone!

I hope you get a coupon!

The now Frugal Cowgirl! 

5th cup of coffee! Cappuccino!

Here is everything you will need! Hot brewed coffee, skim milk (and vanilla if you don't have skim milk), chocolate syrup, simple syrup, and a cute penguin cup. Okay any coffee cup will do!

Isn't the penguin cup cute though?

Just look at that cute little face!

I mean come on! I know you want a penguin cup!

Okay! Only one last photo of the penguin cup.

Done! 

Measure out about 4 ounces of milk into your carafe and put the carafe in the fridge until ready to use. You want that milk extra cold!

Now brew your espresso as usual. 4 shots is good for this cup. More or less depending on what you like. While it is brewing add about 2 Tbs of simple syrup to the bottom of your cup. More or less depending on how you like it. Then pour in your coffee.

Now froth your milk. Add a drop of vanilla if you don't have skim milk. Pour your steamed milk into your espresso holding back the froth.

Scoop the froth on top of your coffee.

Carefully make two circles on top with your chocolate syrup. Some of the syrup might sink into the coffee instead of staying on top. That is okay. Just put a little more in that spot.

Take any small stick like thing you can find (I use a meat thermometer) and drag it from the middle of the cup to the side five times. Wiping off your utensil between each drag.

Then, between each of your previous drags, drag the chocolate from the edge of the cup into the middle. Wipe off between drags. You should do this five times as well. 

When you are done it should look like that! Bam! A yummy, fancy, professional looking cappuccino! 

Cappuccino

• 4 shots brewed espresso
• 4 ounces of skim milk (if you are not using skim milk you are going to want a drop of vanilla extract)
• 2 Tbs. simple syrup
• Chocolate syrup

1. Measure you milk and pour into your carafe. Place your carafe into the fridge.
2. Brew your espresso
3. While the espresso is brewing pour your simple syrup into the bottom of your cup.
4. Pour the brewed espresso into your cup.
5. Steam your milk for 30-40 seconds.
6. Pour the steamed milk into your cup holding back the froth.
7. Scoop the froth onto the top of your coffee.
8. Make two circles of chocolate on top of your foam.
9. Drag your stick from the middle of the cup to the edge five times. (Wipe between drags)
10. Drag your stick from the edge to the middle in between your last five drags. (wipe between drags)
11. Enjoy you lovely coffee art! :)

The Coffee Addicted Cowgirl :)

I am a bad coffee blogger (Coffee number 4)

I know it is now Friday and I have still not posted Saturdays coffee. I am a bad coffee blogger. Okay here is the recipe. I don't have any pictures.
Instant Cinnamon Dulce Latte
The right amount of instant coffee for your size cup
1-2 Tbs brown sugar
Pinch of Cinnamon
A minuscule amount of nutmeg
Boiling water
Cream or milk
Ok. Here is what you do. Add the first 4 ingredients to your cup. Stir vigorously. Pour boiling water to the desired amount. Fill the rest of the way with cream. Stir and sip!
Now never make this, or drink it, unless you are really desperate for a latte fix, in a hurry! It tasted like a cheap gas station's attempt at a latte! Gross! I ended up pouring it out and drinking coffee with sugar and cream. I might would have drank my latte if I had not already had a pot of coffee on for the adults in the house.
It was not awful. Just not on my list of favorites!
At all.
It might could be better if it were tweaked a little. But I think I will let it be for now. I might go back to it another time.

Now for more recent news! Tomorrow is a coffee day! COFFEE! And once again I have no idea what I will make. Are you noticing a pattern with me yet?


Yea, me either.

I am open to suggestions. If I don't receive any inspiration I think I might go with a plain cappuccino! I can show you how to do cappuccino art! Fun and pretty! And sooooo much easier than it looks!
Signing off for now!
The Thriving Cowgirl!

Tomorrow is a coffee day! Again!

Coffee day number 4 tomorrow! I think I will do something soooo easy and fast! I want to make something fancy and decedent but we are heading on a day trip early in the morning to visit my grandma. So I need fast coffee on the go! I will take pictures as usual but I may not post anything until the next day. :( But I will get it to you. I have a new idea. But there is a down side. It involves instant coffee. I do not like instant coffee. It taste too much like gas station coffee. I like a good coffee that has a strong but not bitter taste that is delicious without sugar or creme or any other fancy stuff! But I just can not bring myself to drink instant coffee black! I just can't! Well I should be going now! I have to figure out my coffee plans for tomorrow!
The Thriving (and thirsting) Cowgirl

Drink number 3! Raspberry Latte!

Today we will be making an extraordinary latte! I am making mine a Raspberry one but you can substitute any flavor you would like!

Take one Tablespoon of your flavored syrup and put it in the bottom of your cup.

Then add one Table spoon of a simple syrup. I make mine with one cup of granulated sugar and one cup of water boiled together. I keep it stored in a air tight container in the refrigerator. 

I like to place my cup on top of the espresso machine because the steam from the brewing espresso will make  my cup warm. And I think that just makes a better latte! But that may just be me!

Get your milk measured out. I use about four ounces. Usually skim milk steams better but all I had was whole milk. But have no fear! I have a secret trick to making whole milk steam! Add one small drop of pure vanilla extract! Just one small drop and it will steam just like skim milk.

One more tip for making milk steam well. Put your carafe in the refrigerator while you wait to steam your milk. You want it and your milk to be very cold!

OK, last tip for steaming milk! Do not move your carafe around while steaming. Hold it at an angle under the frothing aid.

There now you know all of my milk frothing secrets!

Then brew your espresso!

Isn't watching espresso brew so much fun! It is so pretty!

When your espresso has brewed and you have frothed your milk pour them in at the same time. You must pour them in at the same time to get the texture needed for a latte!

Then scoop out the extra milk foam and place it on top.

And there you have it! I perfect coffee shop latte in your own home! And total I paid only about $1.31 for it! How awesome is that!

Here is the recipe!

Flavored Latte

1 Tbs flavored syrup

1 Tbs simple syrup

4 ounces of milk (skim is best. If you use whole add one drop of vanilla.)

2 servings of espresso

Preparation

1. Pour your flavored and simple syrup into your coffee cup.
2. Brew your espresso.
3. Steam your milk. (which should be very, very cold)
4. Pour you espresso and steamed milk into the cup with the syrup at the same time. 
5. Scoop the extra foamed milk out of the carafe and put it on top of your latte!

Enjoy!

I give this latte a five out of five stars! It is fast and easy! And it is great for when you are on the go! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! :)

The Thriving Cowgirl

Drink number 2! Macchiatto Brûlée

Oh! It is coffee day! Oh what a wonderful day! The sun is shining and so is my little espresso machine! :)

Let me introduce you to the cast member. On the far left we have my Mr. Coffee espresso machine (30 dollars on amazon!), in the middle we have coffee beans from Boca Java (Ocean Drive), and on the right we have my trusty little grinder!

Start by putting your frothing pitcher into the fridge. You want your pitcher and milk very cold when you steam it!

So I ground my coffee beans and tapped them into my filter. Oh! By the way if you don't have an espresso machine I am sure some strong brewed coffee will work just fine! I used to make all my drinks that way and still could but using an espresso machine is so much more fun!

I put it in the machine and make 2 ounces of espresso. The recipe call for only one ounce per cup but that is a small cup of coffee! This needs to get me through the week ya know!

While that brews I take my frothing pitcher out of the fridge and add 1/4 ounce of vanilla extract and 3 ounces of whole milk. When your coffee is done brewing froth this milk vanilla mixture until doubled in size. Do not move the frothing pitcher around. Just hold it at an angle.

If you happen to move it around, ya know because you are trying to take a picture or something, this will happen. You will have hot vanilla milk all over your counter. So don't do that! I just what you to know that I would never do move it around. I know what I am doing with my espresso machine. I just wanted to show you guys how not to do it. You see all that spilled milk up there. Yep, all for you readers! That is how dedicated I am to teaching y'all how to make coffee correctly!

Okay maybe I spilled it on accident. But why not make it a teaching moment! lol!

Or my my espresso machine was mad that I had not used it all week and it wanted to teach me a lesson.

I will leave that to you to decide.

Oh! I forgot to introduce you to todays coffee mug! This is today beautiful coffee mug! Isn't it lovely!

Once your coffee is brewed and your milk is steamed pour the coffee into your much. Then, holding back the froth, pour in your vanilla milk. Scoop the froth out with a spoon and spread it on top. Then lightly sprinkle one teaspoon of granulated sugar on top of the froth.

Now, if you are fancy, you can use a Brûlée torch to caramelize the sugar on top. I do not have a torch so I placed mine under the broiler on high for three minutes. Works just as well but makes your cup very hot.

Look how pretty it is!

My book says "Proper etiquette calls for tapping the hardened caramelized crust to break it into pieces that dissolve to sweeten each sip."

But I because I used more coffee than it called for I added some simple syrup I had made and left in the fridge. It needed to be a bit sweeter for my amount of coffee.

This is the wonderful cookbook it came from! Target or amazon sell it! I love it! I am sure I will share more wonderful coffee drinks from it in the future!

Here is the actual recipe:

Macchiatto Brûlée

Makes 4

12 ounces whole milk

1 ounce of pure vanilla extract

4 ounces espresso

4 teaspoons granulated sugar

Combine the milk and the vanilla in a metal frothing pitcher. Steam until the flavored milk has doubled in volume. Brew a single shot of espresso in each of four ceramic demitasse cups. Fill cups to just below the rim with the steamed vanilla-milk foam. Evenly cover the surface of foam in each cup with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Using a small butane-fuel torch, heat the sugar until it crystallizes and becomes golden brown, or place the cups under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

A Cowgirl's 52 Cups of Coffee takes no credit for the recipe. The recipe was found in the book Coffee Drinks by Michael Turnback.

Now for the rating on this cup of coffee. I will give it a 4 out of 5 stars. Had I used a stronger coffee I think it could have been better. But otherwise it was amazing! Plus to get to crack the top of your cup of coffee! How often have you done that? So wonderful experience and great taste!

The Thriving Cowgirl