The Cold Brew Cacophony

Posted on May 31, 2013 by kaprise

For the past few years I’ve seen an increasingly large number of food posts harking the benefits of cold brewed coffee. The smoothness, the ease, the deliciousness… and you what to know what?

I DISAGREE.

I don’t drink coffee much. In fact, I made it through 3 years of boring, coma-inducing law lectures and I didn’t drink more than half a dozen cups. However, I can tell you what delicious coffee tastes like and it is NOT cold brewed.

Still, as a child of science (so many, many scientists in my family) I went about a quest for cold brew coffee this week. My kitchen counter was scattered with pitchers to soak ground coffee, coffee grounds, bags of good coffee, and filters. I made 3 batches of cold brew. Each, less satisfying than the last. I even froze coffee ice cubes to stir in so that no extra water would dilute my brew… and still. Nothing that knocked my socks off. The rich notes of caramel, dark chocolate, and that distinctly coffee flavor were just not present in my cold brews. I ended up with weak representations of coffee and nearly an entire bag of coffee gone for a few tepid sips of light caramel coffee. And… before you tell me I need to use more beans, I will tell you I did my research and I went about my cold brew in a methodical manner, and I am just not impressed.

So. This is my little discordant shout about cold brewed coffee… It’s just not all it’s cracked out to be.

I will tell you that my favorite method for good, strong, and delicious cold coffee is to French Press your favorite darkly roasted beans. Put it in a glass pitcher and chill it overnight. In the morning, pour out the amount you desire and shake it with cream (or milk, or condensed milk!) and enjoy. It’s the best way to get the darkly caramel-y coffee that is chilled and delicious. Throw some ice cubes in there on truly hot days.

Thirty Day Challenges – My ACTIVE 30 Day Challenge

Posted on May 30, 2013 by kaprise

I’ve been reading a lot of these “Thirty Day” challenges online… or thirty day diets or thirty day somethings. For those of you who know me, you know I don’t proscribe to any type of dieting regimen, and my philosophy about running is quite simliar.

That being said, I think it is important to challenge yourself mentally and physically when possible so that you maintain a healthy soul and body. So, I’ve come up with my own little thirty day challenge. I’m calling it the Kaprise Active 30 Day Challenge. I’ve never been one to run every day, so I’m challenging myself to a run or bike ride every single day for 30 days. My rules are these:

Run or Bike every day from June 1-June 30
No less than 2 miles a day
No more than 10 miles in a singe day
Varying length runs and bike rides
Try ONE new route a week (for a total of at least 4 new routes during the 30 days)
Run smart – in reflective gear, sunblock, etc.
Don’t let anyone or anything distract from the Challenge!

I’m not going to impose any other restrictions on my running/biking, but only to remember to enjoy every single day and be happy! Endorphins!

I’ll document my runs and bike rides in pictures on Instagram, and I’ll keep you all posted on my blog. I haven’t decide how I’ll post, but maybe we’ll just let the blog posts happen organically.

What are your challenges for the summer?? Will you do the 30 day run/bike challenge with me?

Summer Ribs and Avocados

Posted on May 22, 2013 by kaprise

This morning, I woke up, ran through my chores at the speed of light before bolting out the door. I have been getting a little stir crazy, so I went to the mall and tried on a number of fun little outfits. I love shopping, and today I had a blast trying on some really fun little summer outfits. I decided after trying on a candy-colored striped dress that it was time for guacamole and some summer barbecue. Nothing says “summer” like a pile of perfectly caramelized ribs and a whole bunch of zesty guacamole and chips.

So I went to the store… they were having a sale on avocados. 10 for $10!!! So I gathered 10… that is I think I gathered 10! Because when I got home I realized I miscounted and had 11… I think I “stole” and avocado!

Anyway… Today I tried a different method of cooking my ribs. I alternate between the dry rub I wrote about HERE and wet barbecue sauce where I cut up the racks into segments. Anyway… the point is today, the ribs came out absolutely tender and succulent with just the right amount of crisped fat and bubbly barbecue sauce so I thought I would share! The method is easy peasy, but remember to crack a window or run a fan because the heat from the oven definitely makes the kitchen quite warm!

Easy Peasy Oven Baked Pork Ribs

Baby Back Pork Ribs
2 tablespoons of salt
1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of chili powder
Barbecue sauce (any variety!)

Preheat the oven to 400F
Rinse and pat the ribs dry
Mix together the salt, pepper, paprika, and chili together.
Sprinkle on both sides of the ribs
Lay ribs on rimmed baking sheets, meat side down.
Cover the entire sheet tightly with foil
Bake ribs in foil wrapped baking sheets for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until ribs are tender
Drain fat
Return ribs, meat side up, to pans
Brush with barbecue sauce and bake at 375F for 30 minutes, until bubbly and delicious
Serve!

I didn’t take pictures, because I’m a bum these days… but there is a picture of the finished ribs on my instagram… so check that out HERE

Gingery Grilled Avocado and Steak Salad

Posted on May 16, 2013 by kaprise

I’m sure you guys have gathered that I LOVE steak, avocado, and ginger… so naturally I put them all together in this salad for lunch. With ice cold tea, this was the perfect springy lunch. I splurged and bought an organic, grass fed Australian steak.

8 ounces of good steak
1 avocado
3 slices of ginger
1 bunch of arugula (or other lettuce)
1 bunch of sugar snap peas
Salad dressing of your choice

Sprinkle steak with good salt and grill. I like mine rare, so I grilled accordingly.
Once your steak has been grilled, let it rest
While the steak is resting, brush the avocado and ginger with a little olive oil. Grill for just a few minutes
Arrange the salad in your favorite bowl and sprinkle with your favorite salad dressing.

*The grilled ginger is rather bitter, but tossed with the salad it imparts a light gingery flavor.

🙂 Enjoy!

Finding a Better Source for Fish

Posted on May 14, 2013 by kaprise

As I’ve mentioned before, I have a keen sense of smell and I’m often bothered by the smell of my food. This week, I went to the fishmonger in a local grocery. They tend to be pretty clean, and there is none of that spoilt fish smell which is the reason why I buy fish there. I bought a pound of cod and a pound of shrimp. However, upon coming home and opening the packages I was overwhelmed by the smell of bleach on the fish. I rinsed the fish several times in cool water but I was still smelling bleach on the fish. Fish should smell like fish, not some sort of chemical.

Since I had company, I prepared my shrimp cocktail and my cod since I had nothing else. The shrimp was completely devoid of flavor and combined with my suspicions, I couldn’t eat anymore than a bite. I seasoned the cod with soy, ginger, and garlic scapes so the scent was less prominent, but again because I had smelled bleach on my fish, I didn’t want to eat it.

I’m not sure if anyone would have noticed, but the sickening smell of bleach on my food really turned me off. I did a little research, and apparently adding a few tablespoons of antimicrobial agents to the water and ice that fishmongers use is not uncommon. It helps prevent spoilage and extend the life of the fish.

Whether this is not unheard of… I’m disgusted. Bleach can’t possibly be good for you, and I am going to actively avoid consuming chemicals.

Thoughts??

Lemons

Posted on May 2, 2013 by kaprise

I’ve been missing blogging, but sometimes I don’t want to write here when it isn’t happy. It started off with being just a little down, and then getting an awful cold I couldn’t fight off, and then I had a little career setback… so it has just been taking me a little time to come up with happy things to share. I’m not normally one to worry, but these days I feel time wearing on me and this urgency to keep going and fight, even when I don’t want to anymore.

Despite all this, I have been feeling a lot of optimism, so in honor of keeping our happiest memories alive and appreciating all of the nice things… here are a bunch of pictures from the last couple of weeks!