Good morning!
Q and I were up at 3:00 AM this morning, so I have been go-go-going ever since. We finished eating/burping/pooping (him, not me) at almost 5:00 AM, which I figured was a reasonable hour to start my day, so I made breakfast and got right to work… well, after a quick, early-morning adventure.
Breakfast
I made myself a delicious breakfast, but, unfortunately (or should I say fortunately?), I ran out of iced coffee, so I went to Marylou’s to buy one.
After starting my day at 3:00 AM, I needed an iced coffee. Even though I drink decaf 95% of the time (because of colitis, pregnancy, and now breastfeeding), it just makes me happy… the taste of cold, creamy iced coffee gets me going and starts my day off on the right foot. (The sticker on the handle of the coffeepot in the photo above says “decaf,” since Mal and I brew two different pots and we don’t want to get them mixed up.)
At Marylou’s, I ordered a Hawaiian Chocolate Nut (also known as “Almond Joy”), which is a new favorite of mine. Well, actually, I re-discovered my love for it. It used to be one of my go-to flavors back in the day, but I kind of forgot about it until recently. Breakfast was eggs, toast with mashed avocado, cantaloupe, and blueberries.
Speaking of iced coffee, I received a great question from a reader the other day, so I thought it might be helpful to share my response with you guys.
Hi Tina!
I had a quick question for you: how do you make your own iced coffee? I mean, I obviously can brew a cup of coffee but was wondering if you put a different grounds vs. water ratio than regular coffee.
Thanks!
I actually learned this little tidbit from a Starbucks event last summer…
So, when I make my iced coffee, I just brew a regular pot of coffee in an automatic drip coffeemaker (like I would for hot coffee) and then I add ice to it. (Well, now I’m adding chocolate and vanilla almond milk iced cubes to my iced coffee, which is the most delicious thing ever. Really, you need to try it. Trust me. Do it. You’ll love it.) Anyway, the only difference is that I pick a REALLY strong and flavorful type of coffee. When you brew iced coffee (and hot coffee), it’s all about the strength/boldness/flavor of the coffee beans, so adding a ton of coffee grinds to your coffeemaker won’t make the coffee any stronger. You’ll just have a lot of grinds in there, and it’ll probably make a mess. For a pot of iced coffee, I use 12 cups of water with 12 tablespoons of strong coffee. Basically, a 1:1 ratio, and it turns out great!
Side note: Mal and I know all about cold brew coffee, but we prefer our method in our automatic drip coffeemaker. We think it’s easier and we like how it tastes. We also drink A LOT of iced coffee, so brewing a big pot and drinking it within a few days works great for us. And Mal is a weirdo and generally doesn’t like cold brew coffee, which I don’t understand at all. How can you not like cold brew coffee?! (He thinks it’s weak and watery. I disagree.) Anyway, that’s why we make iced coffee the way we do.
Questions of the Day
Which do you prefer: Hot coffee or iced coffee?
What do you like in your coffee?
P.S. My juice and smoothie book comes out today!!!!!
