London Fog Donuts

Sunday just seems like the right day to be in the mood for a London Fog. Which is why, right after yoga this morning, I headed straight to the nearest coffee shop to pick one up. It's perfect for when you're not in a coffee mood but would still like something [caffeinated] to sip on.

If you don't know what a London Fog consists of, let me break it down for you:

                          - Strongly steeped earl grey tea

                          - Vanilla syrup/flavouring of some sort

                          - Steamed milk

            All conveniently stirred into one delicious cup. 

And as it so happens, I was near a David's Tea today, and picked up some "cream of earl grey"- essentially earl grey tea with vanilla. 

And behold, I've taken my recipe for cinnamon sugar donuts, and transformed it (by merely omitting the cinnamon, steeping the milk in earl grey on the stove first, and drizzling a lemon & vanilla bean glaze over top).

**You do need a donut pan if you'd like actual donuts, but I wouldn't doubt that making these in a muffin pan would have a similar effect.

If you'd like some earl grey in your life, here's the recipe:

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

1 egg

1 1/4 cups milk (I used almond milk)- steeped in about 2 tbsp earl grey tea (or about two teabags)

• I steeped mine for about 10 minutes in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, with a metal strainer of the loose tea leaves just resting in the saucepan. Try to make it as strong as possible.

2 tbsp butter, melted

2 tsp vanilla

Glaze (Optional)

~1/2 cup powdered sugar

Seeds from 1 vanilla bean, scraped

1 tsp lemon juice (fresh if possible)

1 tsp milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F

2. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.

3. Pour mix into greased donut pan about 3/4 full.

4. Bake for approximately 15 minutes; remove from oven when toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.

5. To make the glaze, simply combine all ingredients and drizzle over cooled donuts

Mac-n'-Cheese Stuffed Portobellos

Happy September, hello comfort-food.

I mean really, when don't we enjoy some heavy comfort food? But this comfort food has some funky twists to it. I used my mom's traditional macaroni and cheese recipe, but threw in some unexpected ingredients...

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.

Sorry, I had to. But seriously, the cheese I used is extra old cheddar with whiskey hot mustard! WOAH. If I see something that incredible on the shelf in a grocery store, I can't help myself. Honestly it could have been $30.00 and I wouldn't have even cared (it wasn't though, thankfully).

So what goes well with whiskey, mustard, and extra old cheese? Macaroni noodles. And why not some mushrooms? Why not? I am definitely someone who has to have at least one vegetable in a dish, or else I feel hella guilty.

So here's the scoop:

You'll need...

2 cups uncooked macaroni (I opted for whole wheat)

White sauce
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter
2 cups milk (I used almond milk)
2 cups of a shredded cheese of choice + a bit extra for topping (my opinion= the stronger, the better)

Add in's
1 tsp hot dijon mustard
1 cup sliced mushrooms, lightly sautéed (I just used typical criminis)

& depending how many you want, portobello mushroom caps
--> you can just make a few if desired and cook the rest of the macaroni in a smaller baking dish.

So now what?

1. COOK the macaroni noodles. Drain & set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, and whisk in the flour (should be pasty)
3. Add in the 2 cups of milk, stirring well. Continue to stir (constantly) on medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken- this could take 5-10 min)
4. WHEN sauce thickens, add in your shredded cheese, and optionally your mustard & sliced mushrooms.
5. Stir in cooked macaroni & preheat oven to 350*F
6. Place your portobellos top-down on a baking sheet or dish, and spoon as much macaroni as you can on top of each, sprinkle with extra cheese.
7. Bake for 15-20 min, until cheese is bubbling and browning on top.

...eat. the next step is always eat.