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French Vanilla Coffee Creamer

It is impossible for me to drink black coffee. No way, not me! Most people have one sweet tooth, but I'm convinced my whole mouth is filled with the sweetest teeth of all (don't worry though, some how I've managed to not have any cavities!). Needless to say, I am a cream and sugar, yes please! kind of girl. My favorite thing to add is french vanilla creamer, but have you ever read the ingredient list on those things? In case you're wondering, there are over 15 (no, that's not a typo!) ingredients in those suckers! I'm definitely a big believer in the fact that even though it may not be "healthy" food, as long as it's homemade, it's significantly better than store-bought (see here, here, and here). So I made my own coffee creamer with only three ingredients! You're welcome in advance.

Some type of milk and deliciously sweet and creamy condensed milk. Right there is great stuff, but let's just add one more thing, shall we?

Add some vanilla! This is before it was whisked and so it looks awfully dark, but have no fears! Just mix those babies together and...

...the perfect hue of coffee creamer! Doesn't that look familiar to you? And it tastes so delicious!

I would like to pretend that this is what my coffee looks like when I'm done putting creamer in, but I'm not a liar and so I will be honest with you: my coffee looks more like milk. Also, David is the only one who makes it perfect for me.

 

to make french vanilla coffee creamer:

2 cups milk (any kind; I used skim milk)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract*

In a medium bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together until the condensed milk is well combined in the mixture. You'll be able to tell when it dissolves fully. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and it will last as long as your carton of milk lasts (a couple of weeks). Enjoy with your coffee and a donut, obviously.

*You can also try out different flavors and combinations using different types of flavored syrups or extracts.

 

 

 

 

 

Blueberry + Mint Mocktail

To those of you that don't already know: I'm not a drinker. I have nothing against it, but I mostly just hate the taste and the results of drinking aren't worth it for me to drink something I don't like. I do, however, like a fancy drink every now and again. A couple weeks ago, David and I went out to dinner and I ordered a blueberry-mint drink and it was DELICIOUS. I've been craving it ever since and so I finally decided to make my own! It turned out pretty dang good, too!

to make a blueberry-mint mocktail:

1-2 ounces blueberry-mint simple syrup (recipe below)
club sodaiceblueberries and mint for garnish

Fill a glass about halfway with ice. Add the simple syrup to taste (I did about an ounce and a half) and top off with club soda. Add blueberries and mint as a garnish.

Optional:

Lemonade (I added a squeeze of lemon in mine and I really enjoyed it!)

Alcohol note: I'm not a drinker, as I said, and so I don't know exactly what would be good with this, but David suggested gin or maybe even some sort of fruity rum or vodka. If you have suggestions, let me know so I can add them here!

update:

Danielle suggested Chambord or Malibu Rum! Yummy!

to make blueberry-mint simple syrup:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar1/2 cup fresh blueberries3-5 mint leaves, depending on how strong you want the mint to be (I used 5 at first, but it ended up being too minty for my taste and I made a new batch with 3; David liked the first batch though!)

Put all ingredients into a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir constantly until sugar is dissolved. Boil for one minute more and then let cool completely before storing in an air-tight jar.

Happy drinking! xoxo