simple lime daiquiris

Ladies and Gentlemen....I officially have a new favourite drink.  Simple Lime Daiquiris.  So ridiculously easy.  Seriously, they taste way better than they have any right to.

Jordyn and I made these to go with fish tacos one night (recipe coming up this Friday!!), and it was such a perfect pairing.  We also busted out our vitamix for the job, and man it blends ice like no other.  I don't know about you, but I love my ice blended rather than crushed or cubed.  There's just something about it being all slushified that I like!

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Simple Lime Daiquiris

yields: 2 drinks
recipe by: Jordyn Siemens

Directions

Combine all ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth.  

*If your blender doesn't handle ice well, you can use crushed ice instead.

Serve with a lime wedge on the side, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

12 ice cubes

5 ounces of coconut rum

3 ounces of lime juice

1 tablespoon sugar (*or to taste)

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Now go and buy some limes and get ready for FISH TACO FRIDAY!!!! 

-Kelsey

homemade (dark) hot chocolate

How in the world is it December today?  Seriously, time is just flying by!  I already hate how it gets dark so early, and can't wait for the days to start getting longer again soon.  As a blogger who uses natural light 99% of the time, Winter really makes it harder to get your stuff done!  

Anyway, enough complaining!  Now, for those of you who have been following me for a while will probably be aware of the fact that I'm not a huge coffee drinker.  At all.  So whenever I go out for "coffee" with someone, I'm totally not getting coffee.  But what would a person drink on a dark and chilly night you might ask?  Hot chocolate of course!  It's often my drink of choice in the cold months, and making your own is oh so good.

I used dark chocolate for this recipe since it's the best...I mean, my favourite. Haha.  But you can totally switch it out for the chocolate of your choosing.  Also, salting your whipped cream is the secret to making this drink a homerun.  Seriously!  I know it seems weird, but the salt, whipped cream, and the richness from the chocolate just come together in a beautiful melty delicious masterpiece. I find that the salt really brings out the flavour of the chocolate, and also cuts the sweetness just a tad.  So, don't be scared!  Just do it.

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homemade dark hot chocolate

recipe: Jordyn & Kelsey Siemens
yields: 2 very large mugs of hot chocolate

Directions:

1)  In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate and whipping cream at a low heat, stirring constantly.

2)  Once the chocolate and whipping cream are melted together, add your milk and water.

3)  Heat until it reaches your desired temperature, and pour into your mugs.

4)  Pile the whipped cream high!  Sprinkle a bit of salt and chocolate shavings on top, and serve.

Ingredients:

10 oz dark chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons whipping cream

2 cups milk

1/2 cup water

whipped cream

coarse salt

chocolate shavings

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So there you have it!  I love melting down chocolate instead of just using cocoa powder and sugar, and you can go pretty crazy and use different flavoured chocolate bars too!

Happy December!

-Kels

thirsty thursday: frappuccino for one

So...yeah.  It seems like everyone is a teensy bit (ok...maybe super duper) excited about all of the Starbucks seasonal drinks that are finally back!!  I am no different, and have totally been obsessing over the fact that I can order a salted caramel frapp/mocha/hot chocolate again.  

Seriously, it's the best flavor.

Anyways, that's not the point of this post.  The point is that you can make your own frapps at home.  And for a lot cheaper.  So....while I definitely still splurge on Starbucks once in a while, I know I can always get my frapp fix by whipping up my own.

Plus, this way you don't even have to leave the house.  Win win, eh?

Frappuccino for One:
Ingredients:
1/3 cup very strong coffee (or espresso if you're hardcore!) - chilled
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp sugar
6ish ice cubes
{a pinch of xanthan gum to keep it from separating!)

Mocha Frapp: 1 1/2 tbsp chocolate syrup

Caramel Frapp: 1 1/2 tbsp caramel syrup

Mocha Caramel Frapp: 1 tbsp chocolate syrup
                                     1 tbsp caramel syrup

Directions: 
Place all ingredients in a blender (we used our magic bullet and it worked just fine!), and blend until smooth.  I found that doing shorter pulses worked the best!

Optional: Top with whipped cream, caramel drizzle (and salt of course!), chocolate drizzle, or whatever suits your fancy!

Note: Your frapp will tend to separate fairly quickly, so don't be alarmed!  Just stir as you drink....or you can pull a starbucks and add a pinch of xanthan gum to help it stay together!

As you can clearly see in these photos....I did not have xanthan gum on hand, therefore my frapp separated while I farted around taking photos.  Oh dear.  #foodphotographerproblems

Obviously I topped this one with salt and caramel...haha.  Did you expect anything less of me?

This recipe will change you life!  And your wallet will thank you. 

Now go on, make one for yourself!

p.s.  ♥ kelsey

tasty tuesday: mocha coconut frappuccinos

You know it is summer when Starbucks breaks out the mocha coconut frappucinos!!!

Wait, what?  Starbucks isn't offering them anymore?

Well we will have to do something about that.

This recipe is not exactly like Starbucks', with real coconut milk and melted dark chocolate, it is more like Starbucks' older, cooler brother.  And did I mention the homemade coconut whipped whipped cream?  

Mocha Coconut Frappuccino

Mocha Coconut Frappuccino (3-4 servings)
14 coffee ice cubes (just frozen coffee)
1 can coconut milk (We used Trader Joe's light coconut milk)
1 shot espresso
75 grams of melted dark chocolate (about 1/3 of a cup of chocolate chips)
1/4 cup of chocolate sauce (We used regular ice cream topping type sauce)

Throw all of this in a blender and mix until all the ice is blended! You can add extra ice/milk/coffee/chocolate! This is one of those recipes that you can easily adjust to your own taste. They do not taste exactly like Starbucks' version. You can definitely taste the real coconut and chocolate, and it is extremely rich! We garnished ours with toasted coconut, extra chocolate sauce, and coconut whipped cream of course!


Coconut Whipped Cream
1 can coconut cream (chilled overnight)
1 Tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Chill your can of coconut cream overnight. When you are ready, carefully flip the can over. The coconut solids will stay at the bottom of the can, while the coconut "water" will be at the top. Pour out the liquids, (you can save this and use it for a smoothie the next day! I did and it was delicious) and scoop the solids into a bowl. Use your beaters to whip the coconut solids into whipped coconut cream! It won't be quite as fluffy as regular whipped cream, and if you let it sit out too long it will get a bit droopy. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat again.


*Just a warning: this is not coconut flavoured whipped cream, which we were kind of expecting. The first bite is a bit surprising, but the flavour definitely grows on you! 

{If you want a more detailed tutorial click here to visit oh she glows! It has pictures and everything!}

This treat will make the perfect addition to the warm summer nights we are looking forward to!  

p.s.  ♥ jordyn (& kelsey)