London Fog

I basically drink only 3 different things, black coffee, tea, and water. Rarely will you find me doing anything fancy with any of those beverages, and when I say fancy, I mean like adding extra flavor or sweetners or anything that involves an extra step besides drinking the water, brewing the coffee, or steeping the tea bag. What can I say, I am a simple drink gal. So this drink is a little out of the norm for me but you know what, it is my new favorite afternoon drink, especially on these cool damp spring days when I really need the warmth and a little coziness. Perfect for curling up on the couch with a blanket and good book and listening to the rain fall.

Ok so what exactly is a Lonfdon fog? Well it is bacsilly just milky early grey tea or what some call a earl grey latte. And yeah I know, I do not need to tell anyone my discovery of the goodness of a mug of milky tea but there is one little ingredient that changed it from a simple “ yeah whatever duh “ to a cup of something special. .It is the tiny splash of vanilla extract. It adds another depth of flavor that I have not experience before with tea and just makes it so very delicious. I am kind of obsessed with it at the moment.

So if you are like me and want or need a little tea inspiration, well here it is. A little something fancy, or at least fancier then plain black tea.

To the tea!

The stuff. An earl grey tea bag (decaf if you want), plant milk, vanilla extract, and sweetener of your choice.

First step is to brew tea which I really think you all know how to do so do that.

And add the sweetener if using now.

Add the vanilla to the milk. If you want a slight froth, shake it up in a jar for a minute. For a more pronounced foam, you can use a milk frother if you have one or a hand blender. (Hand blender works great to create a good foam.)

And then you pour in the milk, (scoop foam if you made some) and thats that.

Drink your hot tea. Enjoy the spring weather!

-C

---

London Fog

makes one drink

• 1 earl grey tea bag (or a serving of your favorite loose leaf)

• 1/4 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon (more or less to taste) maple or honey or any sweetener you like

• 8-10 oz boiling water

• 1/4-1/2 cup milk of choice

Place tea bag into your favorite mug and pour in boiling water. Let tea steep for 3-4 minutes. Remove tea bag if you want or for a stronger cup leave the tea bag in. Mix in sweetener if using.

Place milk and vanilla in a jar and shake for a minutes or two until you get a decent amount of foam. If the milk is foamy but with big bubbles, tap the bottom of the jar on the counter a few times and the bubbles will condense. If you have a hand blender or frother you can use those for more pronounced foam.

Once you have you frothy milk pour it into the tea. Scoop foam on top.

Drink.

Coffee Oat Frappuccino

This stupid freaking hot humid heat, it makes me hate everything (of at least very strongly dislike). I don’t know how to deal but I am trying. One thing I am doing is to just eat and drink everything cold.

Now I am not typically a cold coffee drinker (I love ice coffee but find that whenever I drink it I can’t pace myself and if is gone in like 2 seconds. I need more time, like at least 2 minute with my coffee. So I always go hot. What I should do is drink a hot and and iced at the same time but that is just crazy talk. And I have done that.), but this coffee thing I made is making me want to drink all the coffee frozen. It’s coffee which is my life blood, creamy but not like thick and gross, and cold, which right now is a life necessity. A real damn treat especially when just looking outside makes me want to smack the sun. Shit do I hate this nasty weather but what I don’t hate is this coffee, in fact I am obsessed with It and it’s all I want to eat/drink for the rest of the heatwave.

Now to the cold coffee oat frappuccino!

The stuff. Strong brewed cold coffee, oats, ice, and a couple really soft sticky dates.

Start with the oats in the blender ans blend until a flour consistency. Add in the dates (use whatever sweetener you want) and half the ice and half the coffee. Blend until frothy. Add in the rest of coffee and ice and blend for like 30 more seconds.

Its now blended and icy and delicious and you can drink it now but. If you can do it, stick the whole blender in the freezer or pour the frap into a cup and stick in freezer for an hour or so because it can get even icy-er.

Pull the blender out (or pour slightly more frozen frap back into blender) and blend for another 30 seconds. It is now super icy deliciousness.

Pour into glasses and drink. It’s to only thing you need to drink/eat for the rest of the summer.

-C

---

Coffee Oat Frappuccino

makes 1

• 12 oz of brewed coffee (cold or even frozen)

• 12-14 normal sized ice cubes

• 1/3 cup old fashion oats

• Sweetener of choice like 2-3 soft dates , a couple teaspoon of maple syrup, or sugar

Place oats into blender and blend until flour consistency. Add in sweetener or dates and like half the coffee and half the ice cubes. Blend until mixed. Add the rest of coffee and ice and blend until completely incorporated.

Now either drink it as is (which is delicious) or for an even more icy consistency, place the blender (or pour the frap into a large cup) into the freezer for an hour of so. Then take it back out and and blend until a smooth frozen treat.

And then drink that right away.

Strawberry Oat Milk

One of the most redeeming qualities of summer is the fresh, super sweet, strawberries that grow in the early part of the season. Bright red little gems that I go and hand pick from a strawberry field (early in the morning because who wants to be in a beating hot field in he middle or the day?), eating one berry for ever two I pick. Hands stained red. Belly full of berry happiness. It’s times like these that I am glad for summer.

And now that I have strawberries, I can make strawberry milk. Have you ever had it? This strawberry milk is nothing like the milk made from the nasty and crazy sweet fake pink syrup (strawberry syrup reminds me of my little brothers when they were little. They would drink cups and cup of the fake strawberry milk and I always thought that they were gross. But not just because of the milk…hehe). No this strawberry milk is oat milk with fresh strawberries and taste just like a berry explosion of goodness in your mouth. Its smooth and creamy and tastes like real strawberry, like it should.

A true summer treat. And it is so easy to make, almost as easy as squirting syrup into a cup.

Now to the strawberry oat milk!

The struff. Strawberries, oats, and water.

Only thing you really need to do is remove the greens from the berries.

Then pop them into a blender with water and oats and blend until smooth and creamy. That is it. Now you have strawberry oat milk.

Pour into glasses, garnish with a few berries (or a bowl to snack from) and that is that.

Summer milk.

-C

---

Strawberry Oat Milk

• 3/4 cup old fashion oats

• 2 1/2 cups cold water

• 1 cup fresh strawberries

• 1 tablespoon sweetener or a couple dates (optional to add sweetness)

Note. For a thicker and creamer milk just add another 1/4 of oats.

Remove greens from strawberries and toss them into a blender with the oats and water and any sweetener (if using). Blend until smooth.

Optional. Pour through a strainer or nut milk bag to remove any grittiness. I do not do this.

Pour into glasses and enjoy.. I like to add an ice cube or a cut up frozen strawberry into the milk to make it really cold.

Milk can be stored in a jar in fridge for 2-3 days.

Fenugreek Ginger Tea

Besides begin a coffee addict, I am also a super big tea drinker. At least 1, if not like 3 cups a day. And when I say cups, I mean a 32oz ball jar of steaming hot water with a tea bag of some sort in it. And sure, I will use the same bag twice or leave in an old bag and add a new bag. Or with loose leaf, I’ll end up just eventually swallowing it all. What can I tell ya. That’s my truth. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyway, tea. I have a shit ton. Bags and loose leaf, but sometimes what I would call "conventional tea flavors” do not sing my fancy. That is when I will dig around in my spice jars and pull stuff out to make or add to a tea.

Fenugreek. A seed. A great tasting seed. I usually use it in my chilis and curry dishes, but lately, I have also been brewing it up with (and without) fresh ginger to drink because it is fantastic. Ginger of course is spicy and earthy, but fenugreek, while also being really earthy, also has a sweetness to it and tastes kind of like real maple syrup. Now doesn’t that sound great? That’s because it is great.

So if you are feeling a little something different and tasty and maybe just so happened to have some fenugreek in the old spice cabinet, give this tea a try. A perfect for and cosy drink for cold winter afternoon.

To the tea!

The stuff. Water, fenugreek, fresh ginger, and an orange.

Dump water into a pot and add in fenugreek seeds. Place on the stove and bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer.

Cut up the fresh ginger into small chunks and take a few ribbons of peel from the orange.

After the fenugreek has had a 5 minute head start in the water, add in the ginger and orange and keep simmering for another 5 to 10 minutes. (longer time for stronger tea)

A tea decoction.

Strain the tea into cups, squeeze in a little fresh orange juice, and go curl up o the couch.

It’s tea time.

-C

---

Fenugreek Ginger Tea

makes 2 cups of tea

• 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds

• 1 inch chunk of fresh ginger

• an orange (optional)

• 4 cups water

Place water and fenugreek seeds in a pot and place on stove. Bring to a boil then turn heat down to simmer for about 5 minutes. Cut up ginger into small chunks and peel a few ribbons of orange zest and place into pot. Continue to simmer for another 5-10 minutes (longer for stronger tea). When you are ready to drink, strain into cups, squeeze in a little fresh orange juice, and drink.

Banana Oat Smoothie

It’s a smoothie. And no, we have never really been smoothie people in this house, but what can I say, sometimes smoothies happen, especially when you have about 20 ripe bananas in the fruit bowl with no room in the freezer and no need for 7 loafs of banana bread.

So I smoothied. And I like it (a lot).

This is a smoothie of simplicity. Nothing fancy. Simplest of simple. Straight to the point. And all sorts of good.

You might think, does this simple smoothie you speak of taste very good? Yes, yes indeed it does. It is all sorts of fantastic. Basically if you like creamy, nutty, oaty, bananery things, you will like this. And it’s a perfect breakfast, snack, dessert, or just wanting a little treat like thing that is not garbage food. A smoothie of all smoothies with the most basic ingredients. And takes about 15 seconds to whip up. Can’t complain about that.

To the smoothie goodness!

The stuff. A ripe banana, some old fashion rolled oats, a pinch of salt, water, and a smidge of maple syrup if you want it.

Everything goes into blender.

And blended until smooth. Hence the word smoothie.

Pour it into a cup (or if you are feeling primal, drink it straight from the blender… it’s totally cool)

And done.

A banana oat smoothie.

Let the good time roll!

-C

---

Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

makes 1 smoothie

• 1 very ripe banana

• 1/3 cup raw old fashion oats

• 1 1/2 cups water

• pinch of salt

• a tablespoon or two of any sweetener you like (optional)

• a pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Place everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a cup, sprinkle with cinnamon if you wish, and drink right away.