Tassimo Winter Warmer

by 13 Comments

Dusk happens almost with noticing as a backdrop to the twinkling lights in the shop windows. Leaves crunch underfoot, cloudy puffs of breath escape from exhilarated shoppers, and rosy cheeks provide a hint of excitement and the crisp Winter air. Battling through the front door amongst the excessive packages in cheap plastic bags splitting from overstuffing, the very thing needed is a warming drink.

Or a stiff one.

You could have both?

Tassimo Winter Warmer

You'll need:

  • 1 shot of espresso (1 Carte Noire Espresso Tassimo t-disc)
  • 1 serving of hot milk (2 for Cadbury's Hot Chocolate milk t-discs)
  • 1 serving of hot chocolate (1 Cadbury's Hot chocolate t-disc)
  • 1 shot of Kahlua (or other coffee or chocolate licquor)
  • squirty cream (I used Madagascan Vanilla Creme)
  • chocolate sprinkles
  • a stripy straw

Using my Tassimo T20, I added the ingredients in the order listed above before sinking down onto the sofa and enjoying my Winter Warmer.

As I am a Tassimo Blogger, I was sent the above Tassimo products to invent my own recipe.

Espresso Cupcakes & Cappuccino Frosting

by 15 Comments

I am a big fan of coffee flavours, but not actually of the hot drink. I adore coffee ice-cream, frappuccinos and flavoured chocolates but have a real aversion to it as a warm liquid. However, there is always room for coffee cake!

Espresso Cupcakes with Cappuccino Frosting

Espresso Cupcakes with Cappuccino Frosting

  • Makes: 12
  • Preparation time: 10 minutes & 10 minutes for frosting
  • Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • Cakes:
    • 4oz/120g self-raising flour
    • 4oz/120g caster sugar
    • 4oz/120g butter
    • 2 eggs
    • 1tsp vanilla bean paste
    • 1tbsp vanilla yoghurt
    • 1 shot of espresso
    • 1tsp espresso/coffee powder
  • buttercream:
    • 5oz/140g butter, softened
    • 10oz/280g icing sugar
    • 1-2 tbsp milk
    • 1tsp espresso powder
    • chocolate spread
    • cappuccino cream wafer rolls
  1. Cream the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy.
  2. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract, add a little flour if the mixture starts to curdle.
  3. Sift the flour in with and mix thoroughly.
  4. Stir through the vanilla yoghurt and espresso shot gently.
  5. Fold in the coffee powder.
  6. Divide into cake cases and cook in a preheated oven (200°C/Gas Mask 6) for 12-15 minutes.
  7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  8. Mix the buttercream, but before transferring to a piping bag with a star nozzle, smear chocolate spread around the outside of the bag. When the buttercream is piped, there will be a gentle hint of chocolate in the topping.
  9. Break a section of cappuccino cream wafer roll and place on the top of the buttercream.

Espresso Cupcakes with Cappuccino Frosting

—

Link up your recipe of the week

Tasty Tuesdays on HonestMum.com

Macmillan Coffee Morning

by Leave a Comment

A little while ago I was invited to be a Tassimo Blogger which involves me being sent new flavours to try out most months. It's great fun to try out different coffee blends, but the latest surprise parcel really struck a chord with me. This month, Tassimo would like us to hold a coffee morning in order to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, and have therefore sent several packets of Kenco Coffee (who are sponsoring the event), along with a few other bits and bobs accordingly.

As someone who has lost three grandparents, a great aunt and a great uncle to cancer, in addition to my own father suffering twice within the last six years, I know only too well the impact of this horrendous disease on families. Luckily we have never needed Macmillan with my dad, but they were there for us when my nan was dying and the job that they did was essential to helping us process what was going on at one of the single most painful events to happen to our family.

Macmillan is asking people to hold a coffee morning on Friday 27th September 2013 to help raise vital funds for their wonderful nurses. I'm doing mine on Saturday morning as I'm working on Friday.

Support packs are available by registering, and it's not too late to request one. The pack contains invitations, a plastic tablecloth, balloons, a donation box, support material, recipe ideas, and a fabulous 'guess the coffee beans in the jar' poster game. However, there's no need to have a pack to hold a coffee session; bake some cakes, boil the kettle, invite your friends over and raise some money to help fund these amazing nurses.

MacMillan Coffee Morning

I was sent some Tasismo products in order to hold a coffee session, I registered for the pack and I'm knocking up a batch of espresso cupcakes on Friday evening!

The One Where I Pretend To Be A Barista!

by 11 Comments

In my twitter 'bio' is the phrase 'full-time coffee-worshipper', and some days this is more true than others. Like last Tuesday when I had a house full of mess from my mum's birthday party the day before, a table full of ironing in preparation for our holiday the next day, and two suitcases which were, quite frankly, taunting me with their emptiness. I knew from the moment I awoke that the day was going to be sponsored by caffeine.

Therefore when the doorbell rang at 8.55, at around about the time I was holding my head in one hand and reaching to turn the kettle on with another, the courier which handed me this parcel was almost enveloped in the biggest hug of gratitude ever.

Tassimo T20 coffee maker

Isn't it wonderful?

Now this is not the first Tassimo that we have owned, I'll be honest. We had one when they first came out but after about five years we had a child and needed the surface space for the steriliser and other baby paraphenalia. On its move up to the attic it suffered from a drop and refused to work again in protest. Receiving the e-mail from Tassimo inviting me to receive one of their newer models to review was like a gift from God, especially last Tuesday!

The model we received is the Tassimo T20 and it is a very funky looking machine indeed, vastly improved in design from the first one we had which was bulky and cumbersome. This takes up only two-thirds of the space of the previous model, is far quieter and heats up significantly faster. It also has a nifty on and off switch on the machine, a huge improvement!

In the package from Tassimo was a pack of Earl Grey tea and a pack of Kenco 100% Colombian coffee, along with some drizzles and chocolate pretty bits to embellish the drink. As it was definitely a coffee day, I set about experimenting to see what I could come up with.

Tassimo T20

Using the machine is so easy! Each T-Pod has a barcode on it which is individual to the type of drink it is, this informs the Tassimo machine how much hot water to put through the T-Pod and also whether to let the T-Pod infuse with a few drops of hot water first of all. Put the T-Pod in, press the cover down, give the button a jab and it does the rest itself.

I actually poured the milk in carefully half way through the cycle; experience has taught me that if you put it in at the beginning then the sugar (which should also be put in at the beginning) doesn't dissolve properly, and if you put it in at the end then the wonderful froth from the Tassimo is lost. I also put in a teaspoon of the chocolate drops at the beginning of the cycle which melted into the hot coffee as it came out of the machine. This added a lovely mocha flavour to the drink.

I then drizzled caramel and chocolate sauce over the top of the froth, before carefully (so as not to break the surface tension of the froth and drizzle) placing a few chocolate drops and some chocolate popping candy on the top.

Et voila!

I give you the caramel mochacino; TBaM style!

Tassimo T20

And not an expensive coffee house in sight!

What do you think?

—

I was sent a Tassimo T20 to help me create this recipe as part of an ongoing project. My opinions, and love of coffee, is honest and unbiased.

Tassimo Badge

 

TheCoffeeandMe: EightPointNine.Com Designer Coffee

by 2 Comments

In my twitter profile it says (amongst other nonsense):

"Mum, wife, part-time teacher, full-time coffee-worshipper."

…and so I suppose it was always going to be a matter of time before I was asked to review coffee.

coffee

Eightpointnine are a coffee company who use FairTrade beans and create gourmet coffee, designed by and for you.

You'll notice the title of this post, as above in the left photograph, is called 'TheCoffeeandMe'? That's because they provide the option of naming the customised coffee; I didn't choose the name, in fact I forgot to name it so they did it for me. Nice touch hey?

Using a sliding scale to choose between fresh or spicy, light or rich, provides the perfect choice of coffee; mine contained 87g of Sumatran and 63g of Brazilian to reflect the mellow and spicy blend I requested. Following this selection, there's the option to configure the order with the grind (espresso, filter, cafetiere or beans), delivery day, and as a repeat or one-off order.

eightpointnine

For those less decisive coffee drinkers, there is a weekly subscription service where EightPointNine select and hand-blend a top class roast from their range of FairTrade beans showcasing the best coffees from around the world.

At £5.89 a bag it is more expensive than we'd usually buy however, the quality is superb and for a special occasion, or even as a present, it's a decadent treat.

I was sent this product for the purpose of this post, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

Friday 3rd August 2012 – 'Special Treat' (216/366)

by 8 Comments

20120803-195059.jpg
This was my mid-afternoon snack on day two of the Jenny Craig diet. The diet works bu having you eat six small meals to help keep your metabolism boosted and maintained. I was allowed a cup of milk and a snack bar for my break, and had to use one of my three allowances for the spoon of sugar, along with the free coffee. I'll admit that I'm finding this hard to be controlled, and boy was this coffee good!

Coffee Cupcakes

by 4 Comments

As we haven't made any cakes in a while and the weather is horrendous, The Boy and I have just been baking.

Coffee Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 110g self-raising flour
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 100g Stork Baking Liquid*
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tsp of espresso powder dissolved in a small amount of hot water.
  1. Cream the caster sugar and Stork Baking Liquid together. As the 'butter' is already a liquid, it is far easier to mix, especially for little ones. There's also a handy measuring marker down the side of the bottle for easy dispensing.
  2. Mix in the egg, add a little flour if it starts to curdle. Mine always curdles; this time? It didn't.
  3. Add the remaining flour and baking powder and mix.
  4. Stir in the coffee mixture. (I added 10g more flour to counter this additional liquid).
  5. Bake for 14 minutes on 180°C.
  6. Top with coffee flavoured buttercream (2 tsp of coffee added to a basic recipe. NB: I found that I needed a bit more than 1/4 Stork Baking Liquid to a bit less than 3/4 icing sugar. Incidentally, it is the best buttercream that I have ever made; smooth, creamy and the icing sugar didn't go everywhere.)
  7. Eat and enjoy!

I was sent the product marked * for the purpose of trial. My opinion (that it's really easy to use and made the cakes tasty and light) is honest and unbiased.

Listography: Top Five Mugs

by 14 Comments

I like Kate a lot. I think she's a little bit bananas and that's something I like in a mum and blogger. Sometimes her Listography themes are a little out there, but generally they work for me. My only problem is that I don't always have time to post before she shuts the linky. This week though, she's excelled herself:

Mugs

By anyone's benchmark, that's a little bizarre. However, as I read her post and scoffed to myself, I found myself visualising my favourite mugs in the cupboard and realising that she's right: I have favourite mugs that I used for specific things. And so, because I haven't done it in a while, I'm joining in with the Listography, but I will have you know that I consider this as ludicrous as when I posted a photo of the inside of my fridge.

Bought for me by my dad when I started teaching. To me, this is the only time he has ever indicated that he is proud of the job that I do. This is used for my cold coffees, normally in the afternoon when I need an extra strong and cold frappucino. I was furious with my husband when he chipped it.

Also an excellent mug for cold coffees, especially if I'm putting whipped cream and caramel drizzle on the top. Given to me by an ex-pupil, I was cross when Mr. TheBoyandMe chipped this one too!

My sister gave me this, nearly twenty years ago, so heaven help Mr. TBaM if he chips this one! Excellent for cold milk first thing in the morning.

Quite frankly, he chips this one, then he can move out now! Handwash only due to the gold edging, this was a present from the private school I went to, on their big 110 year anniversary.

This is the original twitter mug, anyone else who has made one since is merely in NameArt's shadow. I love my twitter addict mug, had it for a year but can't use it very often as I don't want my family to know my twitter name!

Now pop over to see the other entries:

Photobucket

Wednesday 10th August 2011 – 'Spressocino' (222/365)

by 3 Comments

Before anyone accuses me of giving my child coffee, I would like to explain that that's a caramel creme frappucino = full-fat milk blended with ice and a little caramel syrup. We were on our way back from Folly Farm when I declared that I needed a frappucino. Hubby agreed and The Boy demanded one "I need a spresso-cino" (which is what he calls my favourite drink). He was adamant so I relented. When I came out with ours (espresso added) he looked at it and said "You got a Caramel Coffee Frappucino!"

Do you think I need to have a little variety in my order?

Cool Words

by 9 Comments

I've had mild hysterics this afternoon. It resulted in frantic phonecalls to my husband, various engineers, and in the result of nothing else working, my mum who I cried at.

For the past month the freezer has been leaking steadily. Throughout the day there would be a gentle and occasional drip onto the lino (toddler safe!) below. Husband was notified of this and he said, "oh it's probably just a bit blocked, it needs defrosting." I reassured him that I believed it to be more than that, as the freezer is a frost-free model. Well at lunchtime I took The Boy's food out of the freezer and found it was quite as rock-solid as it should be, just as the milk in the fridge wasn't quite as the 3°C symbol on the display was leading me to believe.

Having emptied out all the food in the freezer (which is now currently sat in one of husband's colleagues own freezer, hope they're not having a party!), I was faced with removing the fridge poetry from the front. Either the repairman could fix it or we'd need a new fridge/freezer. If it was the former, it would be in his way, so needed to come off, and I don't need to explain the latter to you.

Problem is that those mini-poems and meandering thoughts have been written over the past nearly two years; since The Boy was born. So actually they're quite significant to us and I can remember when we wrote them. Like the time exhaustion had kicked in as new-parents and we'd discovered the wonders of Starbucks. Or the time that we weren't very impressed with The Boy's Christmas presents so we'd written a little note for nosey people to hint at them.

Either way, I thought I'd share them (click for a closer look).

What's on your fridge?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...