5-Ingredient Iced-Coffee Waffles!

Good morning friends & newcomers! I really wanted to make you a great new brunch recipe this week. My day can't start without caffeine—are you the same way!? For me, it's all about iced coffee. So I thought these easy 5-ingredient waffles could be a fun way to get our iced-coffee fix and a tasty breakfast at the same time...

No-Bake Thanksgiving Dessert: Easy Chocolate Lover's Tiramisu!

Good morning, lovely friends! Yesterday we chatted quickly about adding a no-bake dessert to your Thanksgiving menu (via this 5-Ingredient Frozen Pumpkin Pie) to save some time and energy on the big day. What do you think? Could you go no-cook for a course?

Copycat Cooking: Most Budget-Friendly Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe Ever!

So I've never actually ordered a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks—eeks! I know, I'm just not a Starbucks drinker—but I do understand the frenzy that surrounds the #PSL each fall. Pumpkins are delicious! And why not add their wonderful goodness to a warm, milky latte to make the day a little better?

5 Iced Coffee Hacks To Improve Your Morning—My Latest on Refinery29!

Happy Monday morning, friends! I know, I'm right there with you. Figured this would be a good time to post about a little pick-me-up and I think I have just the thing...

As you may know, I've been contributing to Refinery29's food section and they just posted my 5 favorite Iced Coffee Hacks (read: time and stress saving tricks). I'm always looking for ways to streamline my coffee routine and these ideas have been my greatest successes so far:

• Make the perfect overnight cold brewed coffee
• DIY Mason Jar To-Go Cup in under 3 minutes (above) The secret is a hole punch!
• Vanilla Bean Milk Ice Cubes
• Up-Cycled Simple Syrup Dispenser 
• Homemade Flavored Coffee Creamer 

If you're interested, you can find all 5 tips, trick and recipes on Refinery29. Do you change up your coffee routine during the summer? I'd love to know. Oo! And keep an eye out for some weekend photos later this morning. I'd love to share, if you're interested! xo Erin

[Photograph by Alice Gao for Refinery29]

How-To Make The Best Coffee Ever! The Perfect Ratio...

A few years ago my boyfriend gifted me a coffee grinder and a handwritten note with his bean-to-water French press ratio for Valentines Day. Hand to god, it was one of the best presents I've ever received. I was an abysmal coffee maker before I met him, well intentioned but truly sub-par. I'd panic when he'd say "I'll make breakfast, you make the coffee" on Saturday morning. Bestowing his time-tested ration upon me was—thank goodness!—the key to my turnaround (and his graceful escape from a lifetime of crappy coffee). I like to use Plowshares Daterra Sweet Blue beans. Here's how we brew 'em at home:

HOW-TO MAKE THE BEST COFFEE EVER

MAKES: about 4 cups

½ cup whole coffee beans

3½ to 4 cups boiling water

1. Grind the coffee beans in a grinder for about 30 seconds. Transfer to a French press. Pour the boiling water over the grounds and cover with the top of the French press. 

2. Let steep 5 minutes, then push down the filter to stop the brewing. Serve immediately.

Are you a coffee drinker? How do you usually make it at home? I'd love to know!

Currently Drinking: Grady's Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate

Morning! Remember a few weeks ago when we were chatting about cold brew coffee? I admitted that I'm a sucker for the packaging, so I continue to buy bottled cold brew even though we make perfectly lovely cold brew in our French press at home. Welp, it happened again... 

Whole Foods has a whole display of Grady's Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate near the checkout line this week. I grabbed a bottle to see how it compares to the Gorilla brand Tetra Paks and, darn it, my mind is blown. I'm a fan of New Orleans–style coffee (the chicory variety and PJ's sneaky vanilla-spiked iced coffee), so that already gives Grady's a leg up, but I think the flavor is far better and it isn't overly roasty, which I love. Granted it's a little more expensive but you get a lot more coffee. Overall, I give Grady's two wiggly thumbs up! Have you tried it yet? I'm dying to know what you think!

Currently Drinking: Gorilla Brand Cold Brew Coffee

My friends and I argue about what the next big coffee trend will be but for now cold brew seems to be sticking.

 At home we make cold brew overnight in the French press but the fancy bottles of the pre-made stuff are handy (and rather cute)—look! I picked up a Tetra Pak of Gorilla Coffee's new packaged cold brew at Whole Foods last night. It's a little pricey at about $5 a container but you know you're supposed to ration it out right?  It's true! At least it is when you make cold brew in a French press: The flavor and caffeine are concentrated because of the longer extraction period (the beans are in contact with the water for, like, 10 hours instead of 5 minutes), so you're meant to dilute it. Technically, then, $5 gets you a few cups of Gorilla coffee, especially when you factor in ice, milk, etc. That's doable.

Anyway! It's tasty. Maybe a little toasty for my taste but really darn good. Plus, it feels like a special treat, so it's getting me through a morning of recipe editing and brain storming.

Have you guys tried and loved any other bottled cold brew brands?