2010 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
Who wants to go to Hawaii? If you’ve been yearning for an awesome time at the beach, scrumptious food, and excellent coffee, there is no better time to visit Hawaii than in November. From the 5th of November to the 14th, the annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is going to be held in the Big Island. This is no ordinary food and cultural festival as it has received numerous awards and has been in existence for no less than 40 years!
This year’s festival is already being built up – although there isn’t much need for that as those who know about it are already waiting in anticipation. Some of the most exciting events include:
• International Lantern Parade, November 5 at 6:30 pm. Alii Drive, Kailua Pier to Hale Halawai
• Holualoa Village Coffee & Art Stroll, November 6, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Have a taste of more than three dozen estate label Kona coffees!
• KTA Super Stores Kona Coffee Recipe Contest/Big Island Showcase, November 7, 12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa Convention Center. This cooking contest should be fun to watch AND you get to sample the concoctions! Of course, 100% pure Kona coffee will be used in the recipes. How cool is that?
• Gevalia Kona Coffee Cupping Competition – Preliminary Round, November 10, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Keauhou Beach Resort. This competition will determine the best Kona coffee there is. You wouldn’t want to miss that!
For more information on the events and schedules, visit the official web site of the 2010 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival.
Oooh That Coffee BBQ Sauce!
I met an old friend earlier today. Even after more than a year of not seeing each other, it was great just sitting there for hours and talking. Of course, our conversation eventually focused on food and just how good it feels to eat. (By the way, I don’t have to tell you that we met at Starbucks, do I?)
So anyhow, when I got home, I decided to pass by the grocery store to get some stuff for dinner. I knew I had a steak or two in the fridge, but I wanted to spice it up. Guess what I found? Some Jack Daniels hickory BBQ sauce! Needless to say, I am STUFFED.
That hasn’t stopped me from browsing through some recipes that I somehow stumble upon online. (Seriously, they just seem to pop out. It’s not like I purposely seek them out!)
Here’s one that I think you will love – Texas hickory smoked brisket with coffee barbecue sauce. Now doesn’t that sound heavenly? I found the recipe at CTNow, and the image and words combined just made my mouth water despite the really good meal I just had. Here’s the recipe for the sauce, which I think will be an excellent partner for any other roast meat:
Southwestern barbecue sauce and assembly:
1 large onion, thinly sliced, top to bottom
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
2 poblano or pasilla chiles, seeded and diced
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1 beer, preferably ale
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups ketchup
1/4 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon New Mexico chile powder
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
Prepared smoked brisket1. In a heavy-bottom 4-quart pot, combine the onion, garlic, jalapeños and chiles with the coffee and beer. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomato paste, ketchup, maple syrup, molasses, cumin, salt, chile powder and red wine vinegar and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and blend the sauce using an immersion blender or in stages in a stand blender, until fairly smooth. Set aside.
3. Remove the brisket from the foil and slice across the grain into thin strips, reserving any pooled juices and leftover bits. Stir these drippings into the barbecue sauce. Serve the brisket warm with the barbecue sauce on the side.
Want Some Free Coffee Recipes?
Are you tired of making the same old brew day in and day out? To be honest, I am NOT. I am a creature of habit and for the most part, I like having my huge mug of espresso in the morning and then a cup or two of brewed coffee during the day. Still, there are days when I feel like trying something new – we all get them. What I normally do is just head on over to the nearest Starbucks or Coffee Bean. It would be great to be able to make new coffee drinks at home, though…
…and that’s what this FREE Coffee Recipe E-book will allow you to do! I stumbled upon the freebie at Coffee Fair:
Our site sponsor is Boca Java… gourmet coffee delivered right to your front door. Feel free to check out their large coffee selection at: www.bocajava.com.
Get ready to grab (for free of course) one of the most delicious collections of free coffee recipes available online. It’s an amazing 53 page collection of the coffee recipes you’ve come to know and love such as Caramel Macchiato, Double Mocha Frappe, Chai Tea and many more. Plus delicious and one of a kind mouth watering coffee pastries & amazing custom blend coffee sauces, too.
For your safety our e-book has been virus scanned and checked and is completely safe and clean. There are also no irritating ads in it and there’s nothing in there you to buy either. Just good ol’ delicious coffee recipes!
I have already clicked and downloaded. What are you waiting for???
Sour Cream Cherry Coffee Cake
Are you looking for something new to pair with your coffee? Or maybe you just like baked goodies. Both apply to me, actually. While I am not particularly skilled at baking, I am lucky enough to have friends who can’t seem to stop themselves from whipping up baked goodies. Here is a recipe I found at Mercury News, which I intend on sending someone’s way. I think it has a lot of potential especially since it makes use of fat-free sour cream. It calls for cherry preserves (it’s Cherry Coffee Cake!) but I am also thinking that other fruits may be used as substitutes. Here goes:
Ingredients:
¼ pound unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup fat-free sour cream
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon zest
½ cup best quality cherry preservesProcedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch square cake pans.
2. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter with sugar until well combined. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add sour cream and mix thoroughly.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
4. Blend in the vanilla and lemon zest thoroughly. Then stir in the cherry preserves, so the batter is streaky, not pink. Spread batter in pans and bake 20-30 minutes (15-20 minutes for muffins), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Makes 2 cakes or 18-24 muffins
Coffee-themed Christmas Dinner
I only have several hours before our traditional Christmas Eve dinner, and most of my dishes are ready for cooking. This year, it’s slightly different for us as my immediate family is spending the night away from the rest of the extended family. As such, I would have to prepare all of the food. Since we’re not that big of a family, though, I wouldn’t have that much to prepare.
It’s a bit too late for me to put this idea to work for tonight, but maybe we can do this tomorrow or later in the week – a coffee-themed meal. We’re a family of coffee drinkers so I already know that this idea will be a hit, and as I sit here sipping my nth cup of brewed coffee, I am trying to think of how to incorporate coffee into a whole meal.
Is there any sound basis for this idea, though? I mean, I might be biased towards the use of coffee for entrees, main courses, and desserts simply because I can’t get enough of it. I did look it up, though, and many chefs are already using coffee as marinades or rubs for meat. One reason for this is that the enzymes found in coffee grounds work as a meat tenderizer. Of course, the coffee flavor is a BIG plus. As for desserts, it is easy to think of coffee-flavored goodies: brownies, cakes, jellies, and the like.
In the next few posts, I will try to share recipes – I shall start my search now.
Thanksgiving Coffee Drinks With A KICK!
Coffee is always good, no matter what time of the day it is. For Thanksgiving, I am sure that you will be chugging down a lot of coffee, but why not add a little extra kick to your regular drink? After all, it’s a time to just kick back and relax with those who matter the most to you.
I looked around the Internet and found some of the most interesting coffee-alcohol mixes that promise to spice up your Thanksgiving celebrations. Here are my top picks (courtesy of The Examiner).
I don’t know if it’s still considered All Canadian, but I might try Jack Daniels or Jim Beam instead. What do you think?
Here’s another one, and it looks a little classier:
I think the beans got me. Would you try these drinks this Thanksgiving?
“Pumpkin Spice Up” Your Coffee
It’s Halloween! For sure, you have got your costumes ready, and you have all your candies and treats bundled up for the kids that will come knocking at your door. Perhaps you’ve even done your grocery shopping if you’re hosting a dinner or party of some sort. In any case, I think that your Halloween will NOT be complete unless you have coffee as part of the festivities. After dinner, some of your guests may want drinks with a little kick – wine and other spirits – but I am also sure that a lot would look for coffee at one point of the night or another.
Instead of serving good old brewed coffee or plain old espresso, why not spice up your Halloween party? For sure, you have seen all those Torani bottles of syrup that many coffee shops use to flavor their coffees. You can actually get one in pumpkin spice flavor! Try your local grocery store or supermarket OR you can do your shopping online (although it is quite impossible to have it delivered on time). I searched for pumpkin spice syrup online and found some options here.
Anyhow, what’s the trick to making pumpkin spiced espresso? There really is none. All that you have to do is make espresso the way you normally do with your machine. I suggest two shots for a bolder flavor. Pump one or two shots of the syrup (depending on how strong you want the flavor to be) into the coffee, stir, and then add your steamed milk. Optionally, you can add whipped cream (you might want to pass up on that if you’re on a diet) and some cinnamon or more pumpkin spice powder.
Cappuccino Cake Recipe
I had a very nice dinner at this new Italian restaurant near our place yesterday, and I couldn’t believe just how full I got off of a plate of pasta. I didn’t even finish half of it – their servings were simply humongous! I naturally wanted some dessert, but my stomach simply did not have room for it. I regretted that later that night, though, as I was craving for some cake – coffee flavored cake, in fact. Unfortunately, everything was closed and all I had was coffee, but no cake. I had to content myself with looking up recipes online. Don’t you just hate it when this happens?
Anyway, I found an interesting recipe for Cappuccino Cake. You don’t even have to make the cake yourself – just get a ready made sponge cake, and you can make wonders! Here is the recipe, courtesy of Coffee Recipes.
1 premade sponge cake.
1 cup of boiling coffee.
1 cup of condensed milk.
2 teaspoons of gelatin.
Cream, for topping.
Powdered chocolate, for topping.
Instructions for Cappuccino Cake:
Line a suitably sized starsol cake tin with foil and place the premade sponge cake inside.Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling coffee.
Mix the coffee into the condensed milk.
Pour the mixture over the sponge cake, distributing so that mixture is evenly absorbed.
Place in your refrigerator for 3-4 hours or until set.
Top with cream and powdered chocolate.
Serve.
What do you think? It looks easy enough – no need to cook even!
Viennese Coffee
How do you like your coffee? In general, I like mine really rich, but there are times when my mood calls for something lighter and more refreshing. However, habits are hard to break, and I find myself looking for rich coffee more often than not. I just found a recipe for Viennese coffee and I think I shall try it out.
Viennese coffee is known for being very rich, mixed with cream and chocolate. Maybe something like an extreme café mocha? Here is the recipe that I want to try out:
Ingredients:
1 cup whipping cream, divided
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
1 bar (3 ounces) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
3 cups strong freshly brewed hot coffee
¼ cup crème de cacao or Irish cream (optional)
Preparation:
1. Chill bowl, beaters and cream before whipping. Place 2/3 cup cream and sugar into chilled bowl. Beat with electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form.
2. Cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours. If mixture has separated slightly after refrigeration, whisk lightly with wire whisk before using.
3. To make chocolate shavings for garnish, place waxed paper under chocolate. Holding chocolate in one hand, make short, quick strokes across chocolate with vegetable peeler; set aside. Break remaining chocolate into pieces.
4. Place remaining 1/3 cup cream in heavy small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add chocolate pieces; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes or until chocolate is melted; stir until smooth.
5. Add hot coffee to chocolate mixture. Heat over low heat just until bubbles form around edge of pan and coffee is heated through, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in crème de cacao, if desired.
6. Pour into 4 warmed mugs. Top with whipped cream. Garnish with chocolate shavings.
Another recipe that I saw included an egg, but I don’t think I like the idea. Anyhow, why don’t you try it out for yourself?
Coffee Cocktails, Anyone?
Coffee and alcohol – what better combination can you think of? For those who need to have their fix of these two “drugs,” then here are some recipes for you to try out. I stumbled upon them at the New Straits Times, courtesy of Kitty Kaye, who swears by them. Here are two most interesting ones.
Caribbean Coffee cocktail
This one is surprisingly masculine in flavours, despite its feminine appearance.
You will need:
l half a measure of dark rum
l a cup of coffee, hot
l whipped cream
l 2 tsp sugarSimply mix it all together and end it all with a generous spritz of whipped cream.
Dark rum and coffee – now doesn’t that sound wonderful??? Of course, the whipped cream just got me all excited. Just take a look at this:
Cold Comfort Coffee cocktail
Ah, a favourite! It has everything I look for. Simplicity in flavours and simple to prepare. This is for serious coffee drinkers who like their coffee black and sugarless.
This one is bitter and showcases the familiar flavours of coffee with whiffs of alcohol.You will need:
l half a measure of dark rum
l half a measure of Southern Comfort
l a dash of creme de cacao liquer
l a cup of coffee, chilledShake together all the ingredients and serve in a short tumbler with some ice cubes.
I can just imagine making this on a lazy Saturday afternoon. You know, the kind that you have when you spent all night Friday getting drunk? Talk about hair of the dog…with the added benefit of caffeine.
