What I made: June 6, 2012

Today I was like a crazy cooking ninja.  And there was some alcohol involved.  

That may explain why my notes are a little difficult to read today.  Oh well, let's get to the food.

I had a crazy morning and afternoon so my breakfast and lunch dishes had to be rescheduled.  It was time to start dinner, but I was parched so I made myself a Pink Lemonade found in All You's July issue.

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Pink Lemonade

Chai

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 18, 2011

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Recipe originally published by Taste of Home – Holiday Collection 2008

So I’ve had an interesting week.  Way to many ups and downs, but a decent conclusion to the weekend with tickets to the Chicago Bears game in an executive suite.  Gorgeous day.  Luxury box.  Bears win.  Now I’m back to business!

I have to admit that I settle into a routine very easily and sometimes need someone to drag me kicking and screaming into change.  For example, I was a very traditional coffee drinking kind of gal.  Then I got a job with Starbucks.  Part of your training is making every single drink… and tasting it.  My first day was an eye opening experience of everything I had been missing.  It also lasted about 3 days because I drank enough coffee to keep me awake for a week.

One of my new experiences came with a Chai Tea Latte.  I was expecting to hate it, but fell in love.  So much so that it became a substitute for coffee lattes.  The green tea is good for me and the ginger settled my stomach.  Of course the bad thing about finding my new love is the cost, so when I stumbled across this recipe, I was anxious to give it a try.

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Chai

Be honest.  Don’t you just want to drink this?  I was so glad I picked a clear glass to show this drink off.  And yes, it smelled as good as it looked and it was warm and toasty in the mug.

Toffee-Flavored Coffee

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 4, 2011

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Recipe originally published in Taste of Home, Holiday Collection 2008.

I LOVE Starbucks!  In fact, I did a short stint there (well I worked for Target but I was in the Starbucks) and I did love making the drinks.  It was a lot of fun… but working for Target sucks rocks, so my “career” as a barista was much shorter than I had liked. 

I’m not a fan of a regular cup of coffee, but give me a tasty latte or iced drink and I’ll be set for the morning.  Now, I fantasize about owning a beautiful and commercial grade espresso machine with steam, but I know that’s not going to happen… at least anytime soon.  Therefore, I’m always on the lookout for recipes that don’t require one.

This particular recipe includes toffee and butterscotch.  I can’t even get that combination from Starbucks (they don’t have a butterscotch syrup) which is a shame because I love butterscotch.  Also, it uses brewed coffee so I didn’t have to worry brewing shots of espresso or steaming milk.  I found this one in a holiday collection magazine so I’m guessing that it is meant to be served for special occasions, but I’m the type of person who would drink Pumpkin Spice Latte every day of the year, so I don’t care.

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Toffee-Flavored Coffee

First, take in the awesomeness of my Chicago Blackhawks mug.  It was a gift from my husband, bought from Hawk Quarters Blackhawks Store, and the main vessel of my morning coffee.

The coffee looks very decadent, rich and creamy at least from the top.  Yes, you can’t see the coffee through the mug.  Then I looked at the picture from Taste of Home and realized that they didn’t photograph theirs in a clear mug either.

Smoothie Central

Oh yeah, you saw it right.  THIS is Smoothie Central.  You get four recipes in one post!  Mostly because I figured you’d all hate getting a single smoothie recipe for four days.  Don’t you agree?  This also marks the first time I did not make each of the recipes.  My husband blended the smoothies (and continues to make these on a daily basis) so I essentially watched and interviewed him as he was making them.  Yes, even a guy who doesn’t cook can complete these recipes!

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Gingery Berry and Oat Smoothie recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – January 30, 2011

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Gingery Berry and Oat Smoothie recipe originally published in Real Simple, February 2011.

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Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – February 2, 2011

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Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie recipe originally published in Real Simple, February 2011.

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Banana-Cashew Smoothie recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – January 29, 2011

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Banana-Cashew Smoothie recipe originally published in Real Simple, February 2011.

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Strawberry-Flax Smoothie recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – February 12, 2011

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Strawberry-Flax Smoothie recipe originally published in Real Simple, February 2011.

I hate breakfast.  I’ve never been a fan of breakfast food and often I wake up feeling less than stellar.  For those of you who don’t know me personally, I have fibromyalgia and my pain manifests itself as migraine headaches and severe nausea – especially in the morning.  My husband, who lost 130 pounds, knows that I need to fuel my body in the morning to jumpstart my metabolism.  So we began searching for easy-to-make breakfasts that look yummy, appeal to what foods I do enjoy in the morning and that I can take with me on the run.  Around the same time Real Simple had their smoothie issue, my husband asked me about making them for breakfast.  We picked out a bunch and my husband made one each day.