I would like to write a post today, and I will, as soon as I can get Rock Me out of my head.
The lyrics are below dumbness (I think the worst part is when they are spelling out the word “rock”), but it’s so so catchy. I can’t stop. HIT THE PEDAL HEAVY METAL SHOW ME YOU CARE. I can’t comfortably sing along with lyrics like those even when I’m by myself. And is it deliberate that the beat is the same as We Will Rock You? And why do I love it. Why. I am going to have to listen to it over and over until the compulsion is extinguished.
Speaking of embarrassing obsessions, have you played a phone game called Love Nikki Dress-up Queen? I cannot explain its appeal for me. Am I at all interested in fashion? Does the “plot,” in which the heroine encounters people who challenge her to fashion battles and then her cat evaluates the results, make sense in any way? Do I approve of how slender and beautiful and perfect everyone is, or how sexualized some of the levels are, considering how appealing the game is to pre-teens and teens? Are the incorrectly-translated instructions intelligible or helpful? NO TO ALL. And yet here we are. It’s a fun game, once you figure out the one hundred million confusing things about it. I would recommend having a teen or pre-teen play it first and then explain it to you, except that that means feeling mounting horror as you realize that the lingerie challenge you are currently playing was first played by the teen or pre-teen.
Have you ever made cold-brew coffee? There was a booth handing out free bottles of Starbucks Cold Brew, so I tried one, and I really liked it, and then I went to the store to buy some and found it was QUITE A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF MONEY for cold black coffee in a bottle. So I looked up how to make it, and it’s not hard. The worst part is finding a couple of jars, but if you have been enthusiastically participating in the “EVERYTHING is better in a mason jar!” trend you will likely have a couple of them in your orbit. I’m using two well-cleaned 24 oz Ragu pasta sauce jars.
Recipes vary considerably, but this is the one I’ve been using. I put half a cup of ground coffee in the first Ragu jar, and fill it almost all the way to the top with cold water, and put the lid on. I give it a few shakes. I let it sit on the counter for some amount of time over 12 hours, shaking it a little when I see it and think of it. Then I put a funnel in the other Ragu jar, line the funnel with a paper coffee filter, and pour the coffee/water into it. I put a lid on the second Ragu jar and put it in the fridge. When I want some of that coffee, I dilute it 50-50 with water and heat it up in the microwave; if I’m going to drink it cold over ice, I use less water to allow for ice-meltage.
It’s kind of fussy, is my feeling about it, but not as much fuss as it seems like it will be, and it would be a handy thing to know how to do in case of a power outage. Also, Paul keeps drinking it all before I get to it: he says it doesn’t taste much different to him considering how much cream and sugar he adds, but that it DOES significantly reduce the Coffee Mouth afterward. I should get bigger jars, but right now I’m not sure I’m going to bother to do this much more.
Cold press: My daughter is a huge fan, so last summer we bought this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FFLY64U/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Takeya Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker, 1-Quart, Black
And it makes cold press SO easy. Use coarse-ground coffee. Fill up the filter part with coffee, and add water to the top of the pitcher. Put in the fridge. DONE. It makes a concentrated cold brew, which is perfect for iced coffee once you add the ice and milk/cream; and if you want it hot, then you can add boiling water.
I’m not a coffee person, really (yes, my Mom continually questions my DNA), but this looks interesting: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/perfect-iced-coffee/
I am partial to a cold Diet Dr. Pepper in the morning :)
So the point of cold-brewing is to reduce the feeling of coffee mouth afterward? I must not suffer that ailment! I just take hot-brewed coffee and refrigerate it to have cold coffee later. Or if using a Keurig, just brew over ice. No muss, no fuss.
I’ll add this to my list of “Things I Just Don’t Get in the New Millenium” along with gourmet cupcakes.
That’s just what Paul likes about it (the lessened aftertaste, not feel); I think the actual point is supposed to be a better taste and less bitterness. When I had a sample of it, I kept checking suspiciously to see if it had some sweetener in it, because it tasted slightly sweet to me. Also kind of ROASTY and nice. You should try it if you get a chance, to see what you think of it: sometimes mysteries are resolved by sampling!
It’s also supposed to be easier on your digestive system/less acidic if coffee every messes with your digestion/stomach/heartburn.
I’ve had some of the store-bought cold-brew, which was good, but not on the “must-have-it-again” level. Thanks for the info though; maybe I will try making my own!
For cold brew, get a nut milk bag. Put the grounds in it in your jar (I use a gallon jar and a full bag of coffee). Then just pull out the nut milk bag after 24ish hours. TADA! No straining needed!
I make cold brew in my French press. Just letting it sit overnight then press and done. But typically only drink occasionally during the summer so I’ve never thought more about how to make it easier.
My former roommate of three years is very, very into cold brew and she uses this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0040ZR0VS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1510878310&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=toddy+cold-brew&dpPl=1&dpID=51mMYB4dVmL&ref=plSrch
She used it the whole time she lived with me and it seemed very easy to me.
Be warned that your cold brew, due to all that time brewing, will be more caffeinated than your regular coffee! And yes, the brew time brings out the more chocolatey sweet flavors, with less acidity and more smoothness.
I had to look up some of that to confirm what I thought I knew. My husband owns a coffee company (roasting, shops, etc) so don’t tell him I was off my game!
yes! I cannot drink cold brew as all that caffeine give me a terrible sense of impending doom.
I really like cold brew coffee. Though it never occurred to me to warm it up. We don’t make it very often, but when we do I tend to make a fair bit and just use some tall pitchers that fit well in the fridge. We have a narrow glass one that is particularly good because it doesn’t take up much room. I think we got that one from the grocery store, but it seems like the kind of thing that would be easy to get secondhand for super cheap.
Cold brew concentrate keeps for a really long time in the fridge. I use a 12 oz bag in a gallon pitcher. In the summer, I usually drink it cold cut with chocolate milk. In the winter, I dilute it and heat. I still prefer espresso, but it’s perfect for the days the 3 year old doesn’t want to get dressed and leave the house.