All-natural Homemade Flavored Coffee Creamer

Most everyone who knows me knows that about nine months ago I switched to an all-natural diet.  It started out as something I saw on Oprah (yes, she sucked me in again!).  On this particular show was a man named Michael Pollan who was promoting his book titled "Food Rules."  It is a book of 64 rules on how to eat naturally (ex: Rule 2 - Don't eat anything that your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.").  All of them easy to remember and easy to follow.  I was intrigued so I bought the book, read it in probably a half and hour (it's a short read) and have been hooked on the all-natural diet since then. 

What I wasn't expecting to find as a lovely side effect of this diet was that the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (aka: GERD or just plain old heartburn) that had been plaguing me for the previous year and a half would go away just by switching to this diet.  I was amazed and grateful that I was no longer a slave to only eating certain foods and to those darn heartburn medications.  But, in switching the foods that I eat to only all-natural foods I found one unexpected fact.  There was no all-natural flavored coffee creamer available to me locally.  I was crushed!  No more Caramel Macchiato coffee creamer, no more Chocolate Marshmellow coffee creamer, no more French Vanilla coffee creamer.  In fact most of them that are commercially produced don't even have real dairy products in them.  The ones that might have real dairy also have artificial flavors, colors and/or preservatives in them.  None of them were all not an option for me either.

So, to the internet I went in search of a recipe and this one I modified from one that I found on Food.com.   Even if you don't subscribe to an all-natural diet you should seriously take a look at the indredient list on your favorite flavored coffee creamer from the store.  You'll be shocked that you can't even pronounce most of the indredients and you will run to the store for the three simple indredients it takes to make it on your own.

All-natural Homemade Flavored Coffee Creamer

2 cups milk
1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp. extract, any flavor

Combine all three indredients in a medium sized bowl and whisk together until combined.  I used an immersion (or stick) blender instead of a whisk because it makes quick work of it.  You could alternatively put all three ingredients in a blender to combine them as well.

I have kept mine in the fridge for up to almost three weeks without it spoiling.

You can make two flavored creamers from one batch of this recipe as well because it yields about three and a half cups of creamer total.  Combine only the milk and sweetened condensed milk and split that evenly into two containers Then add just 1/2 tbsp. of different extracts to each.

That's it.  Just a couple minutes and you have your own homemade flavored coffee creamer! 

Just a few notes about the indredients: 

I have made this with fat-free, 1% and 2% milk.  There is no noticable difference so use whatever you have in the fridge.

I use the regular sweetened condensed milk.  If you prefer you can use the fat-free sweetened condensed milk.  I use the regular because the fat-free has additives that aren't all-natural. 

I have made this with a variety of flavored extracts.  My favorite is vanilla.  I use pure vanilla extract (not imitation) and it creates a better, real vanilla flavor than any of the store bought creamers I used to buy.  It reminds me of real vanilla ice cream.  You know, the kind with the little black specks of vanilla bean.  Just sweet, pure vanilla flavored coffee....mmmm! 

I have also used almond extract (to make an amaretto flavored creamer), butterscotch extract and hazelnut extract.  I have made a caramel vanilla creamer by using vanilla extract but cutting the milk back to 1 + 1/2 cups (which makes it caramel-y).  You could also add some chocolate syrup or cocoa powder if you wanted a mocha flavored creamer.  The possibilities are endless so get creative (and if you come up with one that you like, please share it)!  

Raspberry Tiramisu

This dessert is the one that I made for my husband, Brian, for Valentine's Day this year.  Brian loves raspberry anything so when I saw Giada De Laurentiis make this on the Food Network I knew that it would be right up his alley.

The leftovers went with me to work the next day, much to Brian's dismay.  He is always complaining that I bring all my goodies to work for my coworkers.  But, if I were to leave them at home he would eat them all and then complain that he's getting fat.  So I just can't win that argument, but this dessert was definitely a winner with my coworkers.  I've had several requests to make it for them again.  I gave the recipe to my supervisor, Kristine, who made it for her family and they loved it too.

Some of the ingredients aren't what you would normally have on your shopping list but don't be intimidated.  Be adventurous and try new things in the kitchen because you will be tastily rewarded (well, most of the time.  I have had some real flops trying new recipes too, but that won't be the case with this one, I promise).  The good news is that there isn't any actual time in the oven involved.  So if you aren't much of a baker this recipe is for you.  It comes together fairly easily, looks SO pretty and tastes fabulous!

Raspberry Tiramisu

(This is the Raspberry Tiramisu that I made for Easter this year.)

1 cup raspberry jam
6 tbsp. orange liqueur (ex: Triple Sec or Grand Marnier)
16 oz. marscapone cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 (11-12oz) poundcakes
3 (1/2 pint) packages of fresh raspberries (about 3-3/4 cups total)

In a small bowl, whisk together the raspberry jam with 4 tbsp. of the orange liqueur.  The recipe calls for seedless jam, but I have only used the jam that has seeds.  It could be a texture issue, but I think it is pretty with the seeds.  Also, I have only used Triple Sec because it's what I have in the house, but if you want to splurge go to the liquor store and get one of those little bottles of the Grand Marnier and it should be just about the right anount that you'll need for this recipe.  If you are making this for kids, you could even substitute orange juice.  Set the jam mixture aside.

In a large bowl and using a hand mixer combine the marscapone cheese and remaining 2 tbsp. of the orange liqueur until they are well combined.  If you aren't familiar with marscapone cheese it is similar in texture to cream cheese.  The flavor is a little sweeter than cream cheese though which is why it works well in this recipe.  You can find it in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store.  Set the marscapone mixture aside.

In another large bowl, add the heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract.  Using a hand mixer, beat them together "until soft peaks form."  That is foodie-talk for until it looks like whipped cream.  I'm a horrible judge of time so don't quote me on this but it should take maybe 3-4 minutes.  Now if you wanted you could just buy whipped cream and skip this whole step.  You will need to buy about 2 cups.  I would say you could probably even use Cool-whip if you wanted too.  But I always make my own whipped cream for it because I feel like I have worked harder to make it, so I deserve to have two servings instead of one.  Illogical thinking, yes, but that is just the way my mind works. 

Using a rubber spatula, take about 1/4 of the whipped cream mixture and gently combine it with the marscapone.  Then take the rest of the whipped cream and mix it into the marscapone.  Just be gentle with your mixing here so that your mixture stays light and fluffy.  Don't rush the combining of these two mixtures or your filling will be dense and heavy.   

A traditional tiramisu uses ladyfinger cookies as the cake part of the recipe, but I think that poundcake holds up a little better so I use two of the Sara Lee frozen poundcakes.  Set them on the counter for a hour or so and they will be ready to go.  Cut each of the poundcakes into pieces a little bigger than the size of your index finger.  Now you're ready to assemble your tiramisu. 

Using an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan (I prefer a clear Pyrex pan so you can see all the pretty layers), layer your tiramisu in the following order:   half of the poundcake, half of the jam mixture, half of the marscapone mixture, half of the fresh raspberries.  Then repeat the layering order again. 

Cover your tiramisu and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours.  You can even make this the night before you want to serve it and let it sit in the fridge overnight.  The longer it sits the better it gets.  All the flavors will come together and the layers will set into a beautiful creamy, cake-y, fruity, sweet concoction.  And don't worry about the poundcake getting too mushy, it will hold up well. 

Sprinkle with some powdered sugar and serve it up!   

The Great Traveling Banana Bread

This recipe came from my mom, Marcia (that's Marsh-ah, not Mar-see-ah).  When I think of my favorite treats from childhood this is one of my top two favorites (Grandma Audrey's chocolate chip cookies is the other and perhaps I will share that one soon).  My mom was a single mother to three kids and as you can imagine had little time for baking, but this banana bread was the one thing she did bake for us.  I added my own secret ingredient, the nutmeg, that I think gives it a little bit of the "mmmm" factor. 

My friend Chad isn't a big sweet eater and in fact doesn't even like chocolate, but this banana bread he asks for whenever I get to see him.  Chad is in the Air Force and right now is on deployment in Afghanistan.  This banana bread is one of the things he has asked for since he was deployed and so off it went.  Oh, yes....this banana bread went international!

 

(this would be Chad, of course)

This recipe isn't extravagant, it isn't rich, it isn't indulgent but it is good.  Simple, yummy and makes the whole house smell phenomenal!! 

(this is THE actual loaf that was sent to Chad in Afghanistan)

Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a standard sized loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, or butter it up really good.  Set it aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer beat together your butter and sugar until it looks creamy and well combined.  If you prefer you can use margarine or shortening.  I use whatever I have in the house.  Add one egg and mix to combine.  Add the other egg and mix to combine.  Set bowl aside.

Put your ripe, peeled bananas in a small bowl.  I always call them "rotten" bananas.  I leave them in the fruit bowl until they are all black.  Not just spotted, but black.  I think that the more overripe you can get them the better the banana flavor in your bread.  But if you got to use the spotted ones go for it.  Using your hand mixer, puree your bananas.  If I remember correctly my mom used to mash them up with a fork so her bananas were a bit more chunky.  In fact sometimes there would be chunks of banana in her bread.  But I prefer a nice smooth banana puree cause I don't like the chunks in the bread.  It's a texture thing for me. So I puree the heck out of my bananas until they look like baby food or banana soup or something like that.  Add your banana puree to your creamed sugar/butter/egg mixture and mix until it is combine.  It will look a little funny, kind of chunky and weird but that is fine.  It will all work out in the end.

In another separate small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Then, working in batches add a little of the flour mixture to the banana mixture and mix with the hand mixer until just combined.  Add a little more and mix.  Continue with this until all your flour mixture is incorporated into the banana mixture.  Be careful not to overmix your batter as you go.  You want to mix just until the flour disappears.  If you overmix your batter your bread will be tough.

Pour your batter into your prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of your bread comes out clean.  Allow your bread to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before turning it out on to a cooling rack OR your cutting board cause it is yummy warm from the oven.  Butter it up and enjoy!

My first blog ever (how exciting!)

Hello and welcome to my blog! 

As a subscriber to several food and recipe blogs I thought it would be fun to start one of my own.

The title "Anything But Pie" perfectly describes my baking style.  For reasons I am unable to figure out, I cannot make pie.  Cookies....absolutely, brownies....oh, yeah, cheesecake....sure.  But never pie.  My mother-in-law, Becky, makes the world's best apple pie EVER and try as I might, I can never get close.  In fact, two years ago my (then) 5 year old niece, Giana, and I were trying desperately, yet again to make apple pie for Thanksgiving.  I made extra crust and filling for her to make her own pie and honest to goodness, Giana's pie was better than mine!!  So, that is where the name comes from and I have resigned myself to the "it is what it is" philosophy and I bake anything but pie (pun intended). 

I do cook as well as bake and have been told that I am pretty good at both.  In fact a friend of mine's husband told her recently that if he weren't married to her that he would be married to me because I can make good food and treats.  I am flattered by that but in truth will admit I have had successes in the kitchen, but I have had failures as well.  This blog will be my way of celebrating and sharing my successes.

Disclaimer:  I am not one of those people who can develop recipes on my own.  My husband, Brian, can just "wing it" in the kitchen.  Things get thrown together and always come out good when he cooks.  But me, well, that doesn't work for me.  I have to have a basic recipe to start out with and then I can tweak it to my taste.  So, pretty much none of these recipes did I develop on my own.  So I will give credit where credit is due for each recipe I post.

Hope you enjoy the recipes!