Happy Labor Day! According to Wikipedia, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. You know who I think are one of the hardest working group of laborers in our country? Homemakers!
Running a home takes a lot of time, effort and energy (both physical and emotional), and although we may not get the day off today like many other workers, I do have a little gift today for you to celebrate all your hard work in running your home, particularly in the kitchen. I have a fabulously useful giveaway and a simple recipe to give you a little pick-me-up on a warm, Indian Summer day.
My friend Mandi, of Life Your Way has just written and published a brand-new eBook that is sure to become a well-loved kitchen companion in my home. Let me tell you all about her book, Easy. Homemade. and share one of her recipes with you.
Cooking and baking from scratch
has never been so easy.
Easy. Homemade. isn’t your standard cookbook. Author Mandi Ehman is a self-professed “kitchen dunce” who has written a guide to cooking from scratch at home, with simple recipes, tips and ideas for homemade staples– things our grandparents would have known how to do.
One of the things I love about moving is the clean slate I get to start with in my kitchen. When my family moves into our new home, you can bet I will be stashing my pantry with Mandi’s homemade baking mixes and the staples I can use to use make use of her handbook for cooking from scratch.
Today I get to share with you Mandi’s recipe for an iced latte. I’ve been enjoying iced coffee at home for about a year, but the simple twist Mandi offers of using milk instead of more water with the coffee concentrate makes for an even better way to start my morning (or pick up my afternoon). In Easy. Homemade. she offers also offers another recipe using cold-pressed coffee concentrate, a homemade frappuccino!
makes one 16-ounce latte, time needed: at least four hours
ingredients:
- 1/4 cup coarsely ground coffee
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup milk
- sugar (I used agave) & creamer to taste
directions:
Add ground coffee and water to a French Press or glass jar. Cover and set aside for at least four hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, add ice cubes to a glass and strain the coffee over the ice cubes (using the press, a fine mesh strainer or a piece of cheesecloth). Add milk and a splash of flavored creamer or sugar.
I mixed my coffee concentrate and milk in a glass measuring cup so I can pour out some for today (over ice) and save some for tomorrow. Did you notice a darker ice cube in the photo? That’s a cube of frozen iced coffee. I keep them in my freezer (made with leftover coffee) so that my iced coffee and lattes don’t get as diluted.
Giveaway
This giveaway is now closed.
Mandi has been generous enough to give away a copy of her new book Easy. Homemade. to five Simple Homemade readers.
Simply leave a comment here telling us what your favorite thing to cook/bake from scratch is.
Giveaway ends Friday, September 7, 2012 at midnight, PST. Good luck!
Buying the eBook for the low price of $3.99 also gets you convenient, printable recipe cards and the PDF/.mobi/.epub files.
Easy. Homemade. is also available on Kindle directly via Amazon.
Thanks, Mandi, for the review copy.
About Nicole
We like cooking breads and pizza dough from scratch. Nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked bread floating through the house.
I love baking pie crust from scratch! Rolling out dough is so relaxing to me and it always tastes better than pre-made.
I love making pancakes and other typically “out of the box” items from scratch, but I could use more recipes that are simple. It sounds like this book might be just what I am looking for!
Bread! Although, I’ve just started making homemade jam, and that’s delightful. No other word for it.
I would love this book. We do a lot of baking from scratch because our daughter has some food allergies. My favorite thing to bake is banana bread. Thanks.
I love making yoghurt and mayonnaise. Something about the transformation of ingredients to finished product is magical.
Right now? Gluten free muffins for breakfast!
I love making biscuits homemade! It reminds me of cooking with my grandmother when I was little.
Oh, it’s so hard to choose one. My new favorite thing to make is salad dressing(s). I also make lots of whole wheat pancakes and whole wheat pizza with veggies from the garden.
i love making a super easy chocolate cake that is egg & dairy free. it’s a recipe that my mom used when i was growing up and it is my favorite chocolate cake!
I love to cook bread, pizza dough, cookies and yogurt!
I like to grow and dry my own tomtoes with basil. I use a dehydrator and the kitchen smells wonderful. And the herbed “sundried” tomotes bring some summer to the cold dreary winter days.
My favorite thing to cook from scratch is chicken stock…sooo wonderful to ‘recycle’ bits and ends that would have been thrown out, and SO satisfyingly delicious in many soups, etc.
Sarah M
I love making chocolate chip cookies from scratch…grandma’s recipe.
I love making cupcakes. All kinds! Who doesn’t smile when presented with a cupcake?
We like roasting a whole chicken and making bread with our bread maker. There is nothing like the smell of fresh bread!
One of my favorite things to make from scratch right now is granola bars for my kids! They are so easy and I love that they are good snack for them to have around instead of the packaged ones from the store.
So hard to choose, but right now it’s A to Z bread. It’s my go-to recipe for banana, zucchini, or pumpkin bread, freezes well, and my kids love it!
I love making pizza from scratch! Healthier, tastier, and each one turns out a little different from the last
Some of my favorite things to bake are crackers, granola bars and bagels. Homemade is delicious!
I love baking whole wheat tortillas from scratch. I keep thinking I need to double the recipe b/c they’re gone in a day or two… they’re SO good!
I love to bake and desserts are usually top of my list. But I think my very favorite thing to make is a quick bread – its immensely satisfying to mix something up so fast which is so hearty and filling, and can be used in so many ways!
My favorite thing to make from scratch is banana chocolate chip muffins, but I also love making bread and trying new recipes!
I make everything from scratch – my favorite is birthday cakes.
BREAD! A nice sourdough! mmmmmmm
I love to bake desserts(pies, cookies, cakes) and bread from scratch! Especially anything that makes the house smell yummy!!
I love to make breads and all desserts from scratch!
Absolutely has to be bread!
My favorite thing to make from scratch is my mom’s spaghetti sauce. She made up the recipe when she and my dad were newlyweds in college, and it brings back so many great childhood memories every time I make it!
i love baking quick breads & desserts from scratch! and i’ll be trying this iced latte recipe. i am sweating drinking my hot coffee… it IS 100 degrees today! xo
I like making waffles from scratch.
I love making jam and canning but I could use more recipes for everyday foods. This sounds like a great resource!
Bread in my machine, simple but delicious.
I love the smell of homemade bread and I’m working on becoming more skilled at it.
I like baking bread, when I have time.
I love to make savory, simmering soups from beans, whole grains and veggies…..mmm…beet borscht anyone?
Two things top my list lately: spaghetti sauce and chocolate cupcakes. Due to many food allergies, I’ve had to learn to adapt recipes to meet my children’s needs and find that sometimes experimenting is successful and other times not. But I love cooking from scratch, mixing by hand, and feeling joy when the results get a “two-thumbs up!” vote from those seated ’round the kitchen table.
I love making cheesecakes.
I bake bread several times a week. It’s easy and delicious and costs so little to make!
love to bake cookies! and would love to win
I love to bake, so I make all of the bread for our family. It’s a lovely part of the rhythm of our family and I enjoy the pleasant aroma of baking bread in the house… makes it more like “home”.
Fruit cobblers. I think I may make a blackberry cobbler today – yum!
I love making pancakes, banana bread and cookies:)
I love making cinnamon rolls!
Our children and I enjoy making homemade muffins
from scratch. We even purchase organic fruit for them!
Blueberry muffins are our favorite…
Many thanks, Cindi
I have an apple cake that I love to make from scratch. It’s perfect for the coming fall and easy to make. I always get compliments on it and it’s always eaten up. I don’t like bringing things home…I may eat the rest! Ha!
Too many for me to name! Pie crusts, pancakes, pizza dough, making my own broths… I prefer to make things from scratch!
I love making yogurt from scratch and then using it to make whole wheat blueberry pancakes from scratch. Mmmmm…..
Hard to pick: granola, yogurt, pizza dough…would love to win!
I love to make granola. And that iced latte looks great.