The Arrival of Autumn: Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

I am so excited to say that Autumn is here! Well technically Autumn doesn't officially begin until 22 September, but hey! What's a few weeks? Autumn is by far my favourite season and not just because my birthday is soon... Although that is a plus! I love the watching mother nature take it's course by putting the earth to sleep for the winter. As we prepare for winter I am going to be sharing loads of great pictures and ideas for projects around the house. Today we are going to start with a fabulous little recipe for pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice is one of those essential ingredients for Autumn and Winter baking. Its used in lots of yummy treats like pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie. With just four simple ingredients you can whip up a batch of your own pumpkin spice and store it in a jar in your kitchen cupboard. This way each time you need to bake something that requires pumpkin spice you will have it all ready to go! I have also included cute printable labels for your pumpkin spice jars! (Click here to view & print label)

Ingredients

2 tsp Nutmeg

2 tsp Allspice

4 tsp Ginger

8 tsp Cinnamon

Now that we have made some pumpkin spice I thought we could incorporate it in with this next tutorial for How to make a Latte without one of those fancy machines!

I ab-so-lute-ly love coffee. Whether its espresso, cappuccino, macchiato, or just a plain old americano I will drink it! If I had to choose a favourite I would probably say a latte. I love the strong flavour of the coffee combined with the soft milky texture. And the colour is very subtle and pretty. Most of us don't have a brilliantly expensive coffee machine to make delicious lattes at home, so we enjoy them in a lovely cafe or even a takeaway latte to enjoy while strolling down the street or off to work. But, what if you just wanted a cafe quality latte at home while you read the paper, browse your favourite blogs, or just watch TV and didn't want to out? I thought I'd share my little secret for making perfect lattes at home without using a coffee machine. 

I don't actually own any latte glasses, so for this tutorial I used a jam jar... I quite like it!

The first thing we need to do is get the coffee brewing. I used a cafeteria  . If you don't own a cafeteria, I would highly recommend getting one. You can make a delicious espresso with them! 

Now we want to heat the milk. Put just over half a coffee mugs worth of milk into a pot and heat gently on the stove. Be careful not to burn the milk. If you stick your finger in the milk you want it to feel very warm, almost hot.

Pour the milk into your french press. Pump the plunger a few times and you will see the milk start to froth at the top. Continue doing this until you have the desired amount of froth. If you don't own a french press no worries, There is a plan b! (Pour the warmed milk into a bowl and use a whisk (manual or electric) to froth. This may take a bit longer, but the result will be just about the same.

By this point the coffee should be brewed. Pour the coffee into the mug (however much you like). Now it's time to add the pumpkin spice! Add a small 1/4 tsp of pumpkin spice to the coffee and mix well. It would also be a good time to add any sugar if you take sugar in your coffee. 

Pour the milk into the coffee and scoop the remaining froth on top, sprinkle with a bit more pumpkin spice, and WALLAH!!

Raspberry Lemonade Muffins

         

I have never really been one to watch what I eat. I  love all food (especially anything sweet) and I'll try just about anything once, twice maybe even three times! Given the choice between full fat and diet I ill always go for full fat. I have always thought that diet products lacked taste (I do however tend to steer clear from processed and fast foods). Anyway, it's probably best not have too much sugar everyday, but if your like me and need to have a little something sweet everyday why not try this great recipe for Raspberry Lemonade Muffins?!

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup Flour (180g/6oz)

3/4 cup Caster Sugar (180g/6oz)

3/4 Unsalted Butter (180g/6oz)

2 Eggs

1 heaped tsp Baking Powder

4 tbsp Milk (add more if too thick, 1 tbsp at a time)

Zest of a Lemon

Juice of a Lemon

1 1/2 cups Raspberry (fresh or frozen)

Cupcake/muffin liners (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius 

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Place the cupcake/muffin liners in the muffin tray. If you are not using cupcake liners than use a bit of unsalted butter to grease the tray.

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Mix all of the ingredients except for the raspberries in a large mixing bowl until well combined. The consistency should be so that the batter will drop softly off of a spoon. If the batter is to thick as a bit for milk one tbsp at a time

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Put the raspberry into a separate bowl and crush them a bit with a fork. Only crush them slightly because you want the majority of the raspberries to be whole. 

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Gently fold the raspberries in with muffin batter. Be careful not to overmix at this point. 

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Spoon the mixture into each of the cupcake/muffin liners so each liner is a little more than 2/3 full. Pop in the oven for 10-15 Minutes

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Leave to cool for for about 10 minutes then brush or squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the top of the muffins.

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Enjoy!

Dinner Last Night

Mini Eggplant Pizzas & Stuffed Mushrooms

* Makes enough for 2 (1 normal serving for a me and the rest for my husband Ben who has the appetite of an elephant)

Ingredients
2 eggplants
2 large cupped mushrooms
1 ball of mozzarella
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you like)
1 heaped tbsp parmesan cheese
Tomato puree (enough for a tablespoon for each piece of eggplant)
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
1 bag of spinach
Bacon (as much as you want really, but for a minimum amount I would suggest at least 3 large pieces)
1 tbsp butter/margarine/olive spread
Sprinkle of basil
Sprinkle of mixed herbs
Pinch of salt
Couple of shakes of pepper

Preparations

Preheat your oven to 150 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit, Gas Mark 4).

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Cut your eggplant into round disks 1/2"- 1" thick and pop in the oven about 10-12 minutes (5-6 minutes each side).

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While your eggplant is cooking make a start on the mushrooms. Start by scooping out all the bits of the mushroom thus creating a little bowl shape. Here's a pic so you can see what I mean.

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Rub the butter all over the mushrooms and put to one side. 

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By now its probably time to flip the eggplant!

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Take the bacon and chop into little pieces. I think the easiest way to do this is to use kitchen scissors (regular sharp scissors will do just fine too). 

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Pop the bacon in a frying pan and cook on a medium heat for about 2 minutes. Then add the spinach. You can add as much as you want. I added about 3/4 of a pack because of how much it shrinks when cooked. Once the spinach is added check the eggplant continue cooking the spinach for another 3 minutes or so. 

You can then put the eggplant and spinach and bacon mixture to one side. 

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Now it time to finish the eggplant. Start by sprinkling a bit of salt and pepper on the eggplant. Then add a tbsp of tomato puree to each piece of eggplant spreading evenly as you go. 

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Slice the onion, cut the tomatoes into small chunks and chop the garlic into fine pieces and sprinkle all over the eggplant. Sprinkle  the herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Cut the mozzarella into small chunks and sprinkle on top of the eggplant and place back in the oven for 7-12 minutes (depending on your ovens personality) You want to see the cheese melted and hear things bubbling.

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Now for the mushrooms! Take the spinach and bacon mixture and add the cheddar cheese and some pepper (you don't need salt because the bacon has plenty!) Toss around gently so it's mixed. Spoon the mix into the mushroom cups and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. Place the mushrooms in the oven for 7-12 (again depending on our trusty oven!) 

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ENJOY!  :)