Craving Coffee

A little over a month ago, a marketing rep from Community Coffee contacted me to see if I would like to sample and review some of their products...Of course!!! They must have known that I was (and still am) on a huge coffee kick! Honestly, iced coffee has worked itself into my diet every day this week!

A few days later I received this package in the mail: 3 types of ground coffee (House Blend, Pecan Praline, and Cafe Special) and a travel coffee cup...how exciting!

I hardly ever drink coffee in the morning...I'm more of an afternoon cup-of-coffee girl. But when my dad is in town, he does make a pot of coffee when he wakes up and he happened to be staying with me right after the coffee came in the mail. He decided to use the Pecan Praline, which made the kitchen smell like heaven.

It was good, but I have to be honest - I try not to do artificial flavors/colors/sweeteners/etc and this one was artificially flavored. So while I wouldn't buy it for myself, the flavor was very praline-like and my dad loved it!

Like I said, I drink coffee in the afternoon for a little pick-me-up treat. And during the summer, iced coffee is the only way to go. I've mentioned in the past that I make my own cold-brewed iced coffee. So good, and so much cheaper! Needless to say, I've made several batches (with the House Blend)...Perfection! I've posted the recipe below.

Another use for brewed coffee in my kitchen is the most FABULOUS coffee ice cream ever! The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz has not failed me yet! The recipe for Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream caught my eye because it doesn't call for heavy cream, only uses 1/2 cup of half & half, and there are no egg yolks involved...must be healthy right? I made a few changes to cut the sweetness.

Cold-Brewed Ice Coffee
adapted from smittenkitchen.com (my favorite site)

makes 4 drinks

1/3 cup ground coffee
skim milk (optional)

To a jar, add the coffee and 2 cups of water. Top with the lid and shake to combine. Let rest at room temperature overnight or 12 hours.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter. Rinse the jar and lid and pour the filtered coffee back into the jar.

In a tall glass filled with ice, mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, or to taste. If desired, add milk (I actually mix equal parts of coffee concentrate and milk, and leave out the water).

The concentrate will keep for at least a week without losing its flavor, so feel free to double or triple the recipe!

Other additions I like: a little sweetened condensed milk (60 cals per 1 tbsp), vanilla or almond extract, a spoon or two of half & half (40 cals per 2 tbsp)

Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream
adapted from The Perfect Scoop

makes a little more than 1 quart (about 5 cups or 10 1/2-cup servings)

1 14 oz can sweetened condense milk (I used fat-free)
1 1/2 cups brewed espresso or very strongly brewed coffee*
1 cup half & half

Big pinch of finely ground dark roast coffee (optional)

Whisk together the condensed milk, coffee/espresso, half & half, and ground coffee (if using). Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

* To brew a very strong coffee use 2 cups of water and 3/4 cup of ground coffee...this should yield about 1 1/2 cups of very strongly brewed coffee.

Per serving (using fat-free condensed milk) - 144 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated), 26 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein (exchanges: 1/2 dairy, 1 starch, 1/2 fat)

Notes - I didn't care for the coffee grounds in the ice cream, so next time I will probably leave them out...or substitute chopped chocolate covered espresso beans!!!